kingdom of nations

Chapter 75 To Egypt! (6)

A pair of eyes looked out through the layers of densely packed reeds and papyrus leaves.

On a flat ground not far from the small lake, the barbaric Franks built a temporary camp and lit a bonfire, illuminating the dark sand and lake water.

From the perspective of the peeper, it can be seen that the team consists of about twenty or thirty people, with only three knights wearing chain mail, twice as many squires, and three times as many armed servants.

These attendants also served as grooms and handymen. Once a camping site was determined, they would fetch water, collect fuel and look for food.

Surrounded by them in the center, facing the bonfire, was a noble lady with two maids.

They all came on horseback, not to mention the knights, even the noble lady rode a rare Arabian horse.

It has a broad forehead, a long nose, small ears that stand upright, big round eyes that reflect the firelight as if they are burning, long limbs, well-developed tendons, and a pure white color that is rarely seen in Arab horses, with only a black star on its forehead.

The peeper stared at the horse for a long time before reluctantly looking away. There was also a Roman four-wheeled carriage and two two-wheeled carriages in the Frankish team, but they were all used to load supplies. After all, there was no flat road from here to Gaza Rafa.

The noble lady seemed to have been in grief for a long time, so weak that she had to be carried down from her horse by a knight. Her maid spread thick and soft beaver fur on the box and added a layer of shiny silk before letting her sit down. Even so, she could not sit steadily and had to lean on the maid's shoulder.

The peeper watched for a while before slowly sinking into the water and diving to the bottom of the lake. Apart from causing some ripples, he left quietly.

----

"Are you sure that's a real lady?"

Facing the leader's stern questioning, the Peeper nodded unwaveringly. "Those knights served her like the humblest slaves serve their mistress. They handed her the golden cup and cut the best cuts of meat for her. She seemed to have no appetite and her face was filled with sorrow, which made everyone in the group sad."

"That can be disguised," the leader said. He saw the hesitation in the scout he had sent out. He believed in the young man's loyalty and hatred, but he also knew that those barbaric Franks were not without wisdom. They had just lost their wives, sisters, and daughters. How could they dare to expose the pigeon to the sight of hawks, unless it was originally a sweet bait.

"But she..." The peeper said in an indescribable, bitter and unwilling tone: "She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."

The leader was stunned for a moment. "Your sister was once called ground musk and condensed morning dew. Even though she died at the hands of the Franks, countless people still miss her voice and face..."

"I would like to describe her with the most vicious words, just like those Frankish prostitutes we kidnapped," the voyeur said, "but I cannot deceive my eyes or go against my heart."

The chief's expression grew serious. "So, does it outweigh your anger?"

"No," the voyeur put his hand on his chest, as if to dig it out. "The more I see this beauty, the more sorrow and hatred I feel in my heart. Those Franks took away my treasure, and I will take away theirs too. I will tear it to pieces and throw it in front of them, so that they will suffer and regret like me."

"Yes," the chief said, "that is what we will do. Tooth for tooth, blood for blood."

He walked away from the peepers and went to look for the elders.

This army, which was like a thorn in the eyes and flesh of the Franks, did not come from a village or a city. They were the bitter fruit of the accumulated sins of the Franks.

Even though Amalric I had been trying his best to control the knights in the army, just looking at Walter, one could tell that he was just a person with more power in the noble military meeting. He could neither make laws nor punish criminals. He could only tempt them with hunting, martial arts competitions, noble ladies, Bilbais who was right in front of him, and Fustat later, just like dangling a carrot in front of a donkey.

But this means that if the donkeys get tired of carrots, or decide that fresh fruit tastes better than carrots, he has no power over them.

To be honest, Amalric I was not such a cruel king, but it was impossible for the army to rely entirely on Alasar, Gaza Sarafa or the fleet at sea for supplies. The livestock, wheat, barley, palm oil and even cloth and fur were all looted from Saracen villages.

It is true that some knights still retain their kind nature. They will leave behind the necessary seeds and rations. There may be some shortages, but they can still support the farmers for the next few months.

But most knights could squeeze every last bit of money out of their fellow Christian serfs in their own territories, not to mention when they were running rampant in pagan lands.

And the beasts that Longinus encountered... as the Saracen said, they were things like aconite, strychnine, and cobra venom. Once they were poured into a wine glass, no matter how mellow and sweet the wine was originally, it would only turn into a terrible poison.

Every night flames rose from the village, each time igniting more hatred, which could not be washed away without blood. They sent the women and children who had escaped by chance to other places, and stayed behind to bring the same fear and sorrow to the Franks.

But the elders did not support them in doing so. "The Prophet never taught us this. You were once a 'Kayad' (captain in charge of fifty soldiers) in the army. You should know..."

"I know that the Prophet told us that even in the most terrible battle, we must not lose the hearts of believers. He taught us that conquest is only a means to guide people towards the truth, and blood and wailing have never been our goal.

As long as they are willing to submit and pay tribute, we will not plunder their civilians, kill their women, children, and the elderly, or destroy their temples. They can even continue to believe in their gods. If we sign a contract with them, we will abide by every provision of the contract.

Having said that, the leader gave a twisted smile.

"But that's for humans! Not for beasts!"

"So you're going to turn into a beast too!? Are you going to turn those children into beasts too!? Or do you think I'm showing mercy to those barbarians' wives and daughters!?"

The elder also shouted in a low voice. He jumped up and grabbed the leader's deep-collared coat with a speed that was not suitable for his age. He faced him face to face. "No, no, no! Look, look at those young men! They originally just wanted to take revenge on the enemy and let them know that the Saracens' blades are sharper than theirs!
But what have they become now?! They have become as shameless and greedy as their enemies! Please! "

Even at this point, the elder still remembered to lower his voice, but every word he said seemed to be torn from his heart: "Please, take them to Fustat and see Caliph Atid. If you look down on the great Vizier Shawar beside him and are unwilling to believe him, then take the children to Damascus and find Shirku of Zengi and Saladin!
"Go to their army and fight your enemies to the death in an honorable battle, instead of indulging in the breasts of Frankish women! Whichever knife you want to plunge into their bodies!" The leader glared at him, his eyes bloodshot. He wanted to deny it and was angry at the elder's humiliation, but he only gasped - didn't he realize it? At first, they just wanted to make the Franks taste the bitterness they had tasted, but since when did those young men become more keen on plundering and raping?

He trembled with pain.

If this continues, these young warriors will really be ruined.

"Okay, okay!" He lowered his arms in compromise. "For the last time," he swore to the elders, "this is the last time. Let us kidnap the knight's daughter and ask for a ransom from him. I will not allow the young men to destroy her chastity or harm her life. After we get the ransom, we will take care of our women and children, then prepare armor and weapons and go to Damascus!"

The elder slowly breathed a sigh of relief. What the chief said was not without reason. "I will go with you this time."

The leader paused. "Why? Don't you trust me?"

"I believe you, but you should know why I am so frightened." The elder said, "I saw my prophet Moses in a dream. He pointed at me angrily, as if he were a sinner who had led you to your death."

The leader was really hesitant this time. Among them, only the elder had seen the prophet in the temple and listened to his teachings, and every suggestion he had given them had indeed pointed out the most correct path for them.

If the elders had simply stopped them from taking revenge on the Franks in the same way, he might have thought it was just an old man's overthinking, but if it was a warning from the Prophet Moses...

He almost wanted to abort the operation.

------

Walter chuckled.

What's so funny about this, Cesar thought with a dull face, isn't this a good thing that you guys instigated?

Fishing had never been a strategy that belonged only to his world and time. He only gave a brief reminder, and Amalric I and the Templar Walter immediately realized it and thought it was a really good idea.

However, in Cesar's original plan, the bait for the noble lady could be a young servant. If he was only nine years old, he might have volunteered - he didn't want others to be put in danger for his own plan, but he was already thirteen years old now!

Thirteen years old would have been fine, as he and Baldwin grew very fast. At six feet tall, he was almost as tall as Geoffrey and reached the shoulders of the giant Walter. Although he was thin because he was growing taller, it was still unreasonable for a noble lady to be so slender that she could look a knight face to face!

But it was obvious that Walter had not forgotten the loss he suffered from him three years ago, and he always wanted to take revenge secretly. This time he seized the opportunity. Not only did he go to persuade the king himself, he also dragged Geoffrey along. Geoffrey was also a cheerful person. They sang the same tune and actually persuaded Amalric I.

He promised that if César was willing to act as bait, he would be promoted from squire to apprentice knight when he returned - and then, no one knew how Elena's husband and her knight Gérard heard about this (Geoffrey and Walter: You're welcome!), they hurried over to thank César.

Apart from expressing their gratitude, they heard that the king intended to promote Cesar to an apprentice knight. One of them immediately decided to give him a set of armor worth two hundred gold coins, and the other decided to give him a sword worth one hundred gold coins...

Cesar didn't care about that, but asked: "How can you make those Saracens believe that a noble lady can be six feet tall? (1.9 meters)"

"Oh," Walter said with a malicious smile, "we can always find a way."

They first found two tall servants to serve as "Miss Damara's" maids, and then hurriedly dressed Cesar in a robe, a headscarf, and a veil. Fortunately, the clothing for men and women at that time was not much different. They all wore a long robe inside, a long-sleeved or sleeveless cape outside, a belt, and a headscarf...

The noble ladies, led by Damara, added a jeweled gold belt, ribbons tied at the cuffs and ankles, and layered necklaces, rings and bracelets for Cesar, until Cesar said that this would affect his actions.

But dressed like this, whenever Cesar sat down, she really looked like the "most beautiful lady" worthy of being presented with a wreath by the strongest knight in the tournament.

But since he couldn't stand up, he would have to either ride a horse or sit down in his subsequent actions.

"I thought I heard some noises just now." Geoffrey came over, half-knelt, and opened a broad reed leaf. Inside was some dates and juniper berries. César pinched a few and put them in his mouth while asking, "Is it a person?"

"It should be. It's too big to be a fish."

“Where’s the crocodile?

"The crocodiles aren't that small," Rufroy sighed. "The birds here must have been shot or scared away, otherwise they wouldn't be so easy to get close to these unfortunate people."

"Are they coming tonight?"

Geoffrey poked César with his finger. "Don't sit up! You'd be almost as tall as me half-kneeling!"

Cesar had no choice but to continue leaning his body, and the servant he was leaning on laughed so hard that his body trembled.

"They won't be too far away. When that person returns to report, they'll rush over. That's the best time to launch a surprise attack—before dawn, people are drowsy and completely unguarded—wait," he suddenly smiled, "it seems not everyone sticks to the old ways!"

Geoffrey stood up, and the shadow covered César, which prevented César from seeing the enemies rushing out of the dense forest at first, but he heard their shouts.

"revenge!"

(End of this chapter)