kingdom of nations

Chapter 65: The Last Mercy (Part ) (More chapters for over monthly votes!)
Baldwin was still a little nervous, but Heraclius saw through the king's thoughts. As expected, Amalric I simply walked over and placed his hand on Cesar's shoulder. Whether intentionally or not, it was the left shoulder - the place where Walter's cross sword had been placed. Then he shouted, "Baldwin."

Baldwin ran over immediately, and Amalric I grabbed his hand and shook it with Caesar's.

"Child," he said in a tone that was almost affectionate, "I seldom change my mind, but there are always exceptions. Will you repay me? Even if you are not doing it for yourself, but for a group of poor people whom you have never met and will never see again."

"I will," Cesar said.

"Then, leave this reward to Baldwin," Amalric I put down his hand, brushed past the two children and walked out. "Perhaps one day, you will remember that you were so kind."

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Upon hearing the news that there was no need to attack the castle, everyone from the lowest-ranking peasant soldier to the bravest knight was happy. The peasant soldiers were happy because they might be able to return home safely, while the knights hoped to have a good fight instead of wasting their precious time staring at stones hitting the city wall.

Moreover, if the siege dragged on for too long, the peasant soldiers would be exhausted, and the knights would have to take off their armor to dig trenches, tunnels, and push engineering vehicles...

The only ones who might have complained were the pilgrims who hoped to get some money from the war. They couldn't shoot arrows or wield swords, so they could only hope to work on the fortifications. But when they were dismissed, they at least took a few copper coins and left with a grumble.

Even though they no longer had to carry heavy engineering equipment, a large number of peasant soldiers, servants, and all the supporting equipment - a whole week had passed when the team set out, and they were still mighty and powerful.

The trumpets sounded, and the armored knights mounted their horses one after another. Flags gathered around and behind the king. Under each flag were three or four knights and more followers, as well as armed attendants. Most of them also led a horse to carry extra weapons and shields. Heavy infantry followed behind them, and surrounding this group were light cavalry, including some converted Turks.

Other more conspicuous ones were the Byzantine heavy cavalry, about thirty of them, who were the dowry of Princess Maria. These soldiers wore small square-shaped lamellar armor, and one-third of them held spears and kite-shaped shields - these were lancers.

Two-thirds of them held small round shields and carried bows and arrows. They were archers. Among them, there were several cavalrymen whose horses were also covered with armor. They were the best in this team, and their horse armor was their symbol.

This time Manuel I did not bring any infantry with him, but rather his servants surrounded these men.

Next came the mercenaries. They tried their best to prepare their flags, horses and armor, but they still looked a little messy. But it didn’t matter. Each of them had an excited smile on their face and was full of hope for their future life.

They may die on the battlefield, but it doesn't matter, their souls will ascend to heaven and their decaying bodies are not worth mentioning.

The king also gave them a certificate so that if they died in the line of duty, their families would receive compensation.

Of course, there are still peasant soldiers in the team. They are responsible for building fortifications, setting up tents and other complicated but menial tasks after arriving at the battlefield. They walk among queues of horse-drawn carriages, which are piled with various supplies.

Oh, and there were also priests and monks. They walked in front of the team, holding crosses (not real crosses) and icons. They also prayed before leaving, sprinkled holy water on each knight, and blessed their reliquaries.

Baldwin and César rode on horseback beside the king, but although they were nominally Amalric I's squires, on the battlefield, his real squires were several young and trustworthy members of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, who were loyal to the king and had experience on the battlefield.

But it was not them who could walk beside the king, but William Marshall.

This knight who ran from London to Alaska had never lost a single tournament, except for the fact that his sword was cut off by the king - and he had to withdraw early from the melee in order to rescue his own entourage.

He refused Amalric I's love and offer to stay, saying he needed to be loyal to Queen Eleanor and King Henry the Younger. However, when he heard that Amalric I was going to declare war on the Templar Walter de Lemesnil, he immediately jumped off the boat and ran back to Alasarus to do his best for Amalric I.

Of course, the king could not refuse such a knight. He welcomed this unexpected surprise very much. He took William's arm and introduced him to the other knights.

The knights had also heard of William Marshall's name and were not surprised or jealous of the special treatment he received. It might also be because they needed a powerful comrade.

The army's speed was much slower than that of the envoy's team. A week later, they arrived at the predetermined battlefield. Although the king did not think that the Knights Templar would go back on their word and betray their morality, he still sent light cavalry to conduct a survey.

This is an open and flat sandy area. Standing on horseback, one can see Tortosa Castle not far away.

On the appointed day, the feast of St. Martin (April 4), the man on horseback saw that the defenders of the castle seemed to have changed and the city gates were opened.

The black and white flags of the Knights Templar fluttered in the wind, raising dust. The knights wore white robes with a faint red cross on them.

"They're coming!" the man shouted.

He then jumped off his horse and went to report the news. The king immediately called his generals, Byzantine cavalry, and the leaders of the mercenaries. In the tent, they once again confirmed the tasks to be performed by each person, as well as the various unexpected changes and response measures that had been anticipated before. After a few simple words, they walked out of the tent and dispersed.

Messengers shuttled through the increasingly dense army formation, drummers took their positions, the knights checked their equipment and weapons for the last time, and then moved to the forefront of the position. At this moment, the messengers of the Knights Templar came again. They walked through the crowd who were staring at them, walked into the king's tent, saluted and presented their swords.

This is almost an unwritten rule. Some people say that this is to humiliate the enemy and mock them for not having enough weapons. Others say that presenting a long sword means that the conversation will be conducted with swords instead of negotiations.

The king calmly accepted the sword and solemnly declared that he was coming on behalf of God to punish the ungodly who valued money more than integrity. The Templars' envoys immediately retorted that they were fulfilling their God-given duty and that the king, who had secretly made peace with his pagan enemies, was a shameful traitor and that the war he had initiated would inevitably lead to a disastrous defeat.

Cesar recognized that one of them was the Knight Steward he had met before, but from his eyes and tone, it seemed that this was more like a necessary procedure.

"Walter de Lemesnil did not throw my messenger from the castle in a sling, and I will make sure his messenger leaves my camp in peace."

The king gave his closing remarks, and the Templar envoys immediately took their leave. After they left, Amalric I walked out of the tent and looked at the sky.

"That's about it," said the king. "If we wait any longer, the sun will shine in our eyes."

The battle lines of both sides were already in formation. From a distance, it was clear that although the Templar Le Mesnil had agreed to go out of the city to fight, he had also hired and recruited some people, and his military strength was not much different from that of Amalric I.

The knights held their heads high as Amalric I galloped past them, complaining to God about the humiliation and damage he had suffered, accusing the Templar Walter of rebellion and arrogance, and begging his knights to wash away this shame for him - his words were full of sincerity, which made every knight excited and extremely indignant!

Moreover, he promised that, since the war was fought to win back his honor, he would ask for nothing but his own honor, and that anything gained on the battlefield would belong to the knights and their squires.

These few words seemed to surpass all his previous speeches. The knights shouted loudly, and the mercenaries behind them heard it and also howled loudly, even waving their weapons and dancing.

"The wind is picking up," Baldwin said.

As followers, they stood on one side of the battle line. The king would not leave the battlefield at the beginning of the battle, but no one could be sure of the direction of the war.

The drummers lined up in a row began to beat their drums boomingly. Following the rhythmic drumbeats, the knights raised their spears and drove their horses forward in a slow pace. The horseless mercenaries and infantry followed them, but as the horses' pace became faster and faster, a long and wide blank area appeared between them and the knights.

But there was no need to worry, because after just a few breaths, the distance between the knights had been shortened to less than a hundred feet. The horses began to charge, and lights of varying shades rose from the knights.

They shouted "God's will!", "God, please give us victory and life!", "Glory to God!" and the names of various gods and saints, and collided violently with each other.

Cesar had seen knights fight in tournaments before, but the brutality then was not even one percent of what it is today.

There are no walls, no safe zones, and no spectators here. This is a real fight. Every spear is aimed at the vulnerable chest, exposed shoulders, and the shadow under the helmet. The spear tip is wrapped in a light that is not sure whether it is steel or sacred. The same is true for the helmet on the head and the chain mail on the body.

Every knight was shouting loudly, and their eyes flashed with faith in God and the saints, but faith is different from faith.

A Templar Knight stabbed his enemy. The spear was like a sharp awl, instantly piercing through the opponent's not-so-weak defense, and then the chain mail and chest. It was also a young Knight of the Holy Sepulchre. He fell off his horse and was motionless.

His companions beside him cried out in grief, but his spear was also broken on the shoulder of a Templar, so he could only draw his sword and rush forward.

But at this moment, the Templar who was hit in the shoulder by him but only staggered had already drawn out the hammer hanging on his waist, and knocked his friend who was in pain off his horse with one blow.

He was luckier than the previous knight. The Templar's hammer tore off his robe and armor like a beast, but he was still able to jump up from the ground.

The knight, trembling, and filled with a strong white light, stood in the sand, searching eagerly for the enemies of him and his friends, but the knights in white robes and red crosses were already galloping towards the king's line.

"Horse!" he shouted, but his squire did not catch up in time, and he was stabbed in the neck by a Templar sword and shield infantryman. So the brave knight looked around the battlefield and saw a Templar soldier wearing brown clothes and only a small red cross on horseback, fighting with a wandering knight wearing a skull helmet and chain mail.

It was obvious that this wandering knight who had never received any blessing could not be a match for the sergeant. Although he had martial arts skills honed in actual combat, he had no horse and no favor from the saints. He could only deal with the sergeant with instinct and agility.

But the sergeant simply raised the mace and hit him on the side of the head. He fell down without a sound, blood gushing out from under the semicircular skull helmet, and it was unknown whether he was alive or dead.

The knight of the Holy Sepulchre shouted loudly, attracting the attention of the sergeant. The sergeant galloped towards him on his horse. The knight opened his arms and fearlessly faced the tall horse.

The sergeant gripped his horse's belly and swung his mace, but suddenly the horse reared up, and he suddenly lost his balance, his weapon flew out of his hand, and he fell from his usually trusty mount.

The knight glanced at him and did not continue to attack. He just grabbed the reins and jumped on the horse.

But the soldier didn't live long, for the king's infantry also arrived. Although most of them were mercenaries and Byzantines, they were even more brutal than the others. They knocked down and overturned all obstacles in front of them, smashed every head in sight, and cut every throat at hand...

Only those knights blessed by saints could curb the desires of these beasts, but at this time, not only had all the Knights Templar rushed towards the king's tent, even the well-trained sword and shield infantry had crossed the center line. They didn't care what would happen to the conscripted and hired soldiers, as if these guys were just candies to lure away the ants.

(End of this chapter)