kingdom of nations

Chapter 54 Celebration (Part )

"You said we are going to become squires?" Cesar asked in a low voice.

"I will become an apprentice knight and you will be a squire, but we both have to follow our master, my father, Amalric I." Baldwin said in a low voice. He was worried that Cesar would be unhappy. After all, he had personally acknowledged that Cesar was his brother before.

It wasn't uncommon for squires and even pageboys to skip the squire stage and become apprentice knights. Sometimes it was for marriage. After all, a knight marrying a noblewoman sounded much better than a squire marrying a noblewoman. However, a fourteen-year-old boy could marry, but he couldn't become a knight directly...

There is also the issue of the ownership of fiefdoms. We all know that when the king enfeoffed nobles and nobles enfeoffed knights, they all had fiefdoms during this period, even if it was just a bridge or a mill, and the knights had to serve their lords, such as how many days a year they had to fight for him.

If a knight died suddenly and his lord was about to go to war or wanted to reclaim his fiefdom, his eldest son had to put on armor, ride a horse, and raise a banner to go to work, even if he was under fourteen years old.

But to do this, you first need a horse, armor and weapons.

Count Etienne and the Templar Geoffrey were both giving money to César because they were afraid that he would be envied by villains and be held hostage and harassed in such a place.

Amalric I wasn't so despicable as to not allow Baldwin to prepare a set of armor for his friend. The problem was that if he did, people would think that Cesar was either too ignorant or too greedy. They would say: the prince had given him enough, and he even asked the prince for a set of chain mail...

Although many squires could never become knights in their lifetime because they could not afford a set of armor.

But Amalric I still had some ideas and tried to get Baldwin to become an apprentice knight first. "Isn't that a good thing? The king promised me that if you become a knight, I will be your squire," Cesar whispered. "He kept his promise, and I am grateful."

Baldwin nodded. "You'll be promoted soon, too. All you have to do is fight wars—and there are always wars here."

Then they sat up straight. This might be the last time they would sit at the table and eat at such a grand banquet in the next few years. When they became squires and apprentice knights, I'm sorry, they would begin to fulfill their duties, which was to serve their master Amalric I.

Not to mention sitting down and enjoying the performances of poets and dwarfs while eating, they had to stand behind Amalric I and the new hostess Maria throughout the entire banquet, cutting meat, serving soup, and pouring wine for them. Only after the banquet was over could they run to the kitchen with other servants and attendants to fill their empty stomachs with dry bread and stew.

There were also servants who were willing to pick up the scraps from their master's plate, but Baldwin and Cesar would never do that.

In fact, Cesar was even luckier than Baldwin, who actually fed the pigs, although it was more like a game.

As for Cesar, as soon as he arrived here, he only served Baldwin. Baldwin was such a gentle and good boy who treated him like a friend and brother. No one else had the right or was unwilling to order him around - with Witt's intimidation in front of them, they were also afraid that they would contract leprosy if they got too close to Cesar.

But after receiving the blessing, this possibility became extremely small, which means that the next step would be a real test for Cesar - Cesar remembered that the followers seemed to be crowded in one room, sleeping directly on a large bed covered with rushes, rolled up in sheepskin or sheets, and several people were attacked by bedbugs, fleas and lice in turn.

Originally, the situation wasn't so dire, but Prince Baldwin fell ill and moved to the Left Tower. Few people dared to live with him, or perhaps King Amalric I wouldn't allow it, so all the former residents of the Left Tower moved to the Right Tower...

People of David and Abigail's status might have had a small room, but Cesar certainly didn't.

It seems that cleaning the room should be put on the agenda, Cesar thought.

At the beginning of the banquet, the Byzantine princess Maria had already changed out of her previous clothes, not because the clothes were stained with bear and human blood - she changed into Frankish clothes. This statement satisfied everyone present, including the Byzantines. After all, at a Byzantine wedding, foreign brides also had to change into Byzantine clothes, as was the case when Manuel I married Mary of Antioch.

When everyone was satisfied, Princess Maria returned to her room. Their wedding would take place in June, during which time King Amalric I would hold several different types of tournaments, followed by banquets, and he would attend one or two of them himself.

"Take advantage of this time," Heraclius also said, "and have fun. You will be busy after June."

Cesar really wanted to ask him to stop talking. He was even a little angry with his little friend. Although Baldwin told him this matter as good news, he could not appreciate the fierce and exciting battles at all. His attention was all attracted by the followers running around.

They had to dress the knight in armor, helmet, and pointed iron boots, lead the knight's horse, hold the spear and sword, and hang a hammer on the knight's waist. As soon as the knight stretched out his hand, they had to know what weapon to offer.

Generally speaking, in a one-on-one jousting, there's only one answer: first, the jousting. If both players are off their horses, or if one player is off their horses but the other is willing to continue fighting, then the fight begins on the ground with swords. If the fight still ends in a draw, or if one player persists, then it becomes a bare-handed fight...

But if it is a chaotic melee fight, it is no different from a real battlefield. The followers must not only observe their master's thoughts, but also estimate the strength of the opponent to see whether to use a hammer, a battle axe, or a mace.

When the battle began, they had to follow their masters closely. Many knights were knocked off their horses as soon as they met the enemy. The squires had to find the right opportunity, or use brute force to clear the surroundings, pull the dizzy master out of the battlefield, take away his horse, drag the man and horse to the edge of the field, take off his helmet, wipe his face, and observe his injuries.

If the knight can still fight, the squire will give him some wine and repeat the above steps.

This melee would last all day, after which the king would decide the winner.

If the knight lost, the squire would have to take over the horse's job - the loser would lose his armor, horse, and weapons, and would have to pay his ransom. The squire would have to carry his bruised and perhaps injured master back to the tent. Sometimes, an irritable knight would blame his defeat on the squire and beat them until they cried out.

Fortunately, there weren't many such knights. Cesar also discovered something interesting: in melee combat, if a squire performed exceptionally well, he'd be poached... Sometimes a knight would directly approach the squire he'd chosen and try to persuade him; other times, a knight would negotiate with the squire's master. If the person seeking the squire was of higher status or willing to pay, the knight would usually agree.

In their spare time - yes, they still have spare time now, Cesar will sneak into the knights' camp with Baldwin - because the tournament will last for a whole month, Amalric I has set aside an area in the area where the Isaacs live for them to eat, rest, polish their armor, etc.

"The Isaacs asked for a large sum of money."

"The king gave it?"

“My father said that those who fight for God don’t owe money to the Isaacs,” Baldwin said.

This is a hellish joke. The First Crusade was in 1097. Because the knights had to prepare their own equipment and supplies, in addition to plundering their own people, they also carried out extremely wanton looting and massacres of the local Isaacs. Although Henry IV was shocked and thought that this was not what a Christian warrior should do.

But they answered him, “We fight for God, so how can we be in debt to the people of Isaac?”

"They should have thought about this from the beginning," Cesar couldn't help but sigh, "the blood of the Byzantines is still seeping into the cracks in the stone and hasn't been washed away by the rain."

Were these Isaacs madly in love with money? The Crusaders had a bad impression of them from the beginning. They killed countless Isaacs when they recaptured the Holy City. Even now, they still regarded them as dogs that might betray Christ at any time.

Amalric I did not take away their property, but only asked them to leave the residential area temporarily, and did not prohibit them from doing business as knights. Yet they still wanted rent from the king?
"That's how the Isaacs are. Be careful when dealing with them in the future," Baldwin hesitated. "If you don't have money, you can borrow from me. If you need to buy anything, you can also ask the castle steward. Those Isaacs can even peel the skin of the devil."

A knight saw them and quickly turned back. Although Baldwin and Cesar were dressed simply when they walked out of the castle, wearing only a white robe, a black and gray wool sleeveless cloak, and a leather belt, they looked like two boys of ordinary backgrounds. But as soon as they entered the camp, Baldwin drew out his golden cross and asked Cesar to do the same.

As soon as those people saw the golden cross, they knew that they were not people who could be ordered around at will, but there were still many eyes focused on them. Some people knew them, while some did not and were just looking at Cesar.

Cesar was looking at the attendants.

Almost all the people busy outside the tent were followers. Only a few poor knights were helping each other or taking care of themselves alone. They obviously did not win the tournament, otherwise they could at least sell the spoils to merchants for some money to hire someone.

Fighting is always exciting, but the affairs after the battle are so complicated that it almost drives people crazy.

The knights did not wear the armor directly on their bodies. There was a cotton hat inside the helmet, which was shaped like a nightcap, with straps on both sides for tightening. If the knight had long hair, he also had to wear a hairnet.

Inside the chain mail is a face guard, which is a quilted padded short robe with a high collar, which can not only prevent the chain mail from rubbing the skin, but also reduce some of the damage caused by heavy blows; outside is a robe with a coat of arms to show one's identity.

Once they were soaked in water, whether they were sweating profusely on the battlefield or had the misfortune of being shipwrecked, they had to be taken off immediately, lest the devil's wind blow on them, causing fever on the person and rust on the mail.

Of course, there are always knights who don't care about their armor, but if they are captured, except for some that can only be sent to the blacksmith shop to be recast, most of them will be repaired and cleaned - of course, chain mail cannot be washed with water, and the attendants use wooden barrels to wash it.

As the name suggests, the barrel cleaning operation is an oak barrel placed on a grill. Like a roast chicken, it can be rotated by a curved rocker. There is a lid on the barrel that can be opened and stuffed with rusty chain mail and sand. After the attendant closes the lid, he begins to shake the barrel vigorously. This is of course a strenuous job. The chain mail is generally around fifty pounds, and the sand is about ten pounds. Baldwin looked at the attendant shaking his head with a ferocious face and gritting his teeth, and his face could not help but change.

"They won't..."

"I've definitely never done that." Baldwin had never been a squire before, "So even if I were promoted directly to an apprentice knight, my father would definitely still make me do these things."

Cesar coughed.

This attendant was still polishing the chain mail, while that attendant started polishing the helmet.

He spread his legs, sat on a small stool, and fixed his helmet on a piece of wood. He first rubbed it with a rough stone, then with a ball of coarse hemp rope, and finally rubbed it with a ball of wool. He rubbed it until it was as smooth as new, so shiny that it could almost be used as a mirror. When he was done, he looked at himself. He didn't know whether he was satisfied with his appearance or his craftsmanship. He spat on the helmet and wiped it with his sleeve...

Cesar involuntarily looked inside the closed tent, hoping that his master would not happen to come out.

Not far from them, another attendant was clanging against another helmet with a small hammer. This helmet looked like it had been hit hard by some blunt object, and it was unknown whether the head of its original owner was intact. This was because there were several helmets of different sizes and emblems placed at the feet of this attendant. His owner must have been extremely brave.

The attendant knocked for a while, looked, and sighed. He tried his best, but there was no way he could restore the helmet to its previous shape. "Sir!" he shouted through the crack in the tent, "Be more careful next time, even if it's for ransom!"

A man emerged from the tent, his youth surprising both Baldwin and Cesar.

"Oh," he noticed the two men before the careless attendant, "where did these two young lords come from?"

(End of this chapter)