kingdom of nations

Chapter 78 To Egypt! (9)

He wrote in the document: “…Do not think that the Caliph Atid and the Grand Vizier Shawar, whom you revere and fear, are the king and prime minister expected by your gods, nor do you think that they still possess supreme glory, firm faith and endless armies. You cannot get protection from them, just as a dove in a nest cannot get help from a hyena.

Indeed, I have come here and ruled over you as your sovereign, just as Caesar and Alexander once did.

I rely on my piety and faith in the one true God, who is also worshipped by you - my bloodline can be traced back to the most noble and respectable one, the saints I admire are followed by countless kings, my territory is extremely vast, and my army is extremely powerful - my oath is engraved on a bronze tablet and written in gold, and you have seen what I promised you.

Now I am here again with my army. When you see me, you will know that if I wanted to, I could strike your walls with the sword and burn your houses with fire. I could destroy everything, but in the name of God, I am willing to have mercy on you!

People of Bilbais! As long as you are willing to open the city gates, I can promise you, as long as you are willing to surrender and accept me as the master of Bilbais, I will always respect you and love you, and you can live the same life as before, or even more peacefully and prosperously than before!
……

May God bless you and me.”

Of course, the people of Bilbais did not immediately believe Amalric I's words and surrender.

They also went through repeated deliberations and discussions. Bilbeis was a good military fortress and had once been well-organized and strict, but that was when it was governed by the Kurdish Saladin. Ever since the two Zengi soldiers and generals were forced to leave Egypt and return to Damascus, the city had suddenly become loose and sluggish.

Not surprisingly, the person who replaced Saladin was a complete fool. He got such a good position because he was the nephew of Grand Vizier Chaval. He didn't care about the life and death of the city at all. He just wanted to accumulate enough wealth as soon as possible and then leave this city which could face the Frankish army at any time.

But the people of Bilbais were quite aware of the character of these people, so when he tried to escape, they detained him. Looking at the money and treasures he wanted to take away, these people fell silent.

Do they really want to hold on? Of course they can hold on, as long as they do as Saladin once arranged, but they don't think that Caliph Atid will appreciate their sacrifice.

Besides, Amalric I had also captured this city before. At that time, the city had not been brutally massacred or plundered - of course, they still paid tribute. That time, they were severely injured and it took them several years to gradually recover. Unexpectedly, they were immediately greeted with this bad news.

"If Amalric I is willing to keep his promise..." someone whispered. When everyone looked in the direction of the voice, he fell silent again. After all, they were all Saracens and subjects of Caliph Atid. Wouldn't it seem extremely cowardly and incompetent to hand over the city so easily?

But when they thought of the Caliph Atid who lived comfortably in Fustat, the villain Shawar beside him, and what his nephew had done in the city, they felt that they were more hateful than those pagans.

"We need a careful negotiation."

"Yes, negotiate, we need to negotiate. For our people and this city." They were not all a bunch of cowards, but they all knew very well that Amalric I's ultimate goal of this long-distance trip was not Bilbais, but Fustat, which meant that he had to take Bilbais no matter what.

Otherwise, could he attack Fustat while guarding against a counterattack from Bilbais in the rear?

"He will do anything to take this city. We can certainly resist and make sure that no one can be found alive in this city. But..." That will not benefit Bilbais. Caliph Atid will not even shed tears for them. He will only happily sell the city for a good price again.

Moreover, if Amalric I decided that Fustat was impossible to capture, then Bilbais would surely be his only guarantee against total ruin, and he would allow his soldiers to plunder the city at will. The women would be raped, the children sold into slavery, and the men would be killed—or all of them.

Their shops, their libraries, their palaces, their temples would all be burned down and reduced to rubble, and all that was of value would be taken back to Alaska or divided up on the spot.

"Amalric I will also demand money."

"But at least Bilebais is still here, right?"

The first person to speak said firmly that as long as Bilbais was still there, money would be like the rushing water in the river, and the empty reservoir would be filled again when it was filled with water; but if the entire reservoir was destroyed, no matter how much money there was, it would only flow through here and flow to other places, but would not remain here.

His words elicited a slight murmur of agreement and barely perceptible nods.

------

Bilbais's willingness to surrender was, of course, what Amalric I most wanted to see. "Tomorrow is the entry ceremony, children," he said, looking at Baldwin and Cesar with a cheerful look, "dress up beautifully, follow me, and enter Bilbais together."

------

Damascus has always been known as the "City in Heaven." A Saracen poem says, "If there is a paradise on earth, Damascus must be in it. If paradise is in the sky, Damascus must be as famous as it."

But for those who come to Bilbais for the first time, even if Bilbais cannot be compared with Damascus, it is still a city of silver.

The people here painted the city walls with chalk and painted floral patterns on the walls with green paint; then they built their temples with white marble and used green stone and glass mosaics to create geometric niches and lintels; they wore white robes and turbans, and the men - of course, only men here - had beards that reached all the way to the sideburns. Most of their hair was dark, and their faces were gray or brown.

These men stood vigilantly in the shadows, behind the guards of Bilbais. These guards were all from families in the city. Although they were also Saracens, they had negotiated with Amalric I. The Christian king would respect their faith and power, and they would offer Bilbais and provide supplies and help to the Christian army during the subsequent siege of Fustat.

Compared with these people, the most excited ones were of course the Christians in the city. Although they were allowed to live in the city and continue to maintain their beliefs, the price they paid was heavier taxes and various restrictions. They were inferior to the Saracens in clothing, travel methods, and contract signing. What they could not tolerate the most was that in the eyes of the Saracens, they were the same as the Isaacs, with no difference.

The Isaacs were in hiding, and they were probably the most unlucky. They were more afraid of the Christians than the Saracens. The Saracens only wanted them to pay taxes, but in front of the Christian lords and kings, they were fat pigs to be slaughtered.

The Saracen nobles in the city personally led the king's horse, and the others knelt at his horse's hooves. One by one, they kissed Amalric I's robe, and then stepped back, with their hands crossed on their chests, in awe, until the golden spurs of the last knight disappeared in the dust. Then they stood up, mounted their horses, and followed the winding and slender procession.

They went to the Afar Palace in the city. This palace means chastity in the Saracen language, but now the Saracens in the city only refer to it contemptuously as "Hiram", which means "against the Islamic law", but the actual meaning refers to prostitutes - because this palace has changed several owners, including the Fatimid Caliph, his Grand Vizier, the Kurds of Zengi, and the previous and current Christian King Amalric I.

"I'm so glad that it remains the same as it was before," Amalric I said admiringly.

The Saracen nobles around him could only bow their bodies humbly, lower their heads, and dare not say anything.

Since this palace was originally built for the Caliph, it was naturally built in the Saracen style and laws. The palace covers a large area (compared to other buildings in the city), and like other palaces of the Caliph, the innermost building is surrounded by several courtyards, and between the courtyards are lush forests - all of which are fruit trees, date palms, pomegranates or figs, with birds perching on the branches, wild animals walking among them, and drinking water in the pools and streams.

They passed through one door after another. The pillars of the porch were all white marble. The oak doors inlaid with copper strips were carved with flowers. They were pushed open by four dark-skinned slaves, and the wind blew in gusts of comfortable warm air - frankincense and sandalwood burned in a brass fire tray that could be hugged by two people, and servants waved ostrich feather fans, filling the entire corridor with a sweet fragrance.

The porch was like this, so there was no need to say how luxurious the palace was. The guests took their seats. The Saracen nobles once again apologized to Amalric I because they did not have time to prepare the chairs and long tables that the Franks were accustomed to. There were only Saracen carpets, cushions and low tables here. However, they prepared a large couch for Amalric I. The couch had ivory armrests and pure gold legs, which was very valuable.

The king smiled and sat down, showing that he didn't care. Baldwin and Cesar sat on either side, while the knights dispersed lazily, some sitting, some leaning, and some just standing. Cesar felt something was strange. He looked around and found that some parts of the wall were hung with silk carpets in an inappropriate way - there were many tapestries in the castle, but it was obvious that these carpets were temporarily moved from the ground to the wall.

He immediately remembered what Heraclius had said: the walls of the Caliph's palaces and temples were often adorned with gemstones inscribed with scriptures. These gemstones might simply be some brightly colored marble, but if they were to be ruthlessly chiseled away, not only would it be impossible to repair them quickly, but it would also be difficult to find the same stone and craftsmanship in the future...

Were these guys planning to welcome the Caliph or another Saracen ruler here? It was possible, Cesar thought, and realized he had missed a lot of conversation.

But when he listened carefully, he found that there was nothing worth paying attention to - the villains were always similar, whether they were Saracens or Franks, they did their best to please and flatter the king, and swore to give him and his army their full support. They were even about to bring gold, armor, and weapons. They not only wanted to support Amalric I financially, but also wanted to become the king's vassals.

Cesar looked up and met Baldwin's eyes. Did they hear something wrong?
What were they saying? Were they saying that when Amalric I conquered Fustat, they would serve him as their master, and when he "returned" to Alassar—after all, he was the master of the Holy Land, and a new caliph would rule here on his behalf—and that new "caliph" would promise to pay Alassar an annual tax of 200,000 gold coins.

"But," the young man who was to become the new "Caliph" - obviously a puppet put forward by these Saracens, and obviously he had not drunk but was already drunk with power - pointed at Cesar and said: "If you allow it, my master, you can take everything from Bilbais or Fustat, but can you leave this young man to me?"

He stood up and said, "I will keep him by my side. Even though he is a Frank, it doesn't matter if he doesn't want to convert. I will make him my sister's husband and my great vizier..."

His companion almost jumped up and grabbed his arm tightly to stop him from speaking, but Amalric I had heard everything clearly and looked at Cesar with a smile.

"Look, our little friend is really popular. What do you think?" he asked. "Do you want to go with him?"

(End of this chapter)