kingdom of nations

Chapter 88: Attack the City! (8)

This decree is not the end, but the beginning.

People who have not experienced war personally always have an illusion that war is exciting, fierce, thrilling, and full of madness, joy, and sadness. However, this is not the case. It can even be said to be the exact opposite.

By the eighth day of the siege, Cesar and the other young knights had lost their initial fear and excitement. They were enveloped by an unprecedented fatigue that could not be relieved by sleep, food, or treatment from priests. It came from their contempt for life and indifference to death.

When Geoffrey killed those civilians without warning just to have a place to stay in the middle of the snowy night, César found it hard to accept, although he had to accept this bloody favor.

But after that, even though Geoffrey showed him enough kindness, he still felt it difficult to let go. Even if Baldwin was not there, he thought he would not be able to calmly accept the olive branch extended by the other party.

Now, he still couldn't say that he accepted it, but he could only say that he could understand why those battle-hardened knights would be so disregardful of others and their own lives.

Every day, every hour, every moment, as long as they open their eyes, whether it is daytime or nighttime, whether it is to intercept reinforcements from other cities, or to guard a caravan replenishing supplies, or to rescue a reckless lord or a group of pilgrims, they are constantly killing and being killed.

All that was around him were his constantly tense nerves, his chainmail that reeked of blood no matter how hard he scrubbed it, and his weapon, its blade warped from too much slashing...

The young knights, who used to joke and argue over which lady was more noble, purer, or more beautiful, gradually became quiet.

When they returned to their tents, they would either drink until they were drunk and fell asleep; or they would kneel before the holy images to pray and confess, muttering to themselves until dawn; or they would stay with their friends, such as Baldwin and Cesar, reading to each other, playing chess, and trying their best to follow their original life trajectory.

Some young knights have begun to lose control of themselves - they even attack their companions or pilgrims. If there was no extremely calm Cesar in their team, who knows what they would have done.

"I'm a little envious of Richard now," Baldwin said.

"He is different from us." Cesar said, shaking his head.

Richard had been baptized by the battlefield, but that was not the most important thing. There were also people in their team who had been tempered on the battlefield but still felt overwhelmed. As for Richard, he was really a bit like the wild boar described by Baldwin. The bloodstains coagulated on his body, which was not a burden to him but a medal and a shield. He always held his head high and claimed that he had killed many pagan "devils" in the battle.

Cesar should be thankful that at least Baldwin had the same idea as him. Although if they could regard the Saracens as "non-humans", they would undoubtedly have less to bear in their hearts.

"How's Foster?" Cesar asked.

"It's still a stalemate," Baldwin said, a look of worry on his face. "Some have begun to slack off and neglect their duties, and some want to attack Fustat on their own terms."

"Haven't they learned enough from the previous lesson?" Cesar moved the "siege tower" on the chessboard.

The nobleman who was so clever that he designed and built the siege tower by himself not only died himself, but also lost twenty knights who came with him. Fortunately, there was no figure like William Marshall among these knights, so people did not feel too sad - but it did make the Saracens laughable and made their own people feel unlucky.

Not only that, on the previous night, a nobleman swore to the king that he had bribed an Isaac merchant in the city and agreed that when it got dark and people could not see the situation under the city wall, he would ask a team of Crusaders to sneak to the left tower of the Victory Gate and call him in Greek. As soon as he heard it, he would immediately throw down a rope.

They can climb up the rope, enter the tower, kill the people inside, and then try to capture another tower, and finally open the victory gate.

But he also said that they had to be very quiet and quick, because there were always patrols on the city wall, who took turns holding torches and checking everywhere. If they were timid or hesitated, not only would they be in trouble, but the Isaac merchant would also be exposed.

Of course, no one would care about the Isaac merchant, but from Amalric I to several other military leaders, they all felt that the possibility of this loophole was small. After all, the people in the city of Fustat knew very well the nature of the Isaac merchant. They should have locked these people up or even killed them long ago. How could they let a merchant out to sell such secrets to them?

But there are always some bold and impulsive people. Although the nobleman's proposal was rejected, he still insisted on his idea. He managed to recruit about a hundred knights and promised them rewards from God and mortals. When some knights were confused, he even said that they were not going to die, but to be happily with Christ and receive the eternal life given by Him, rather than a fleeting moment like the morning dew.

His words convinced them, so one hundred knights, holding shields, with swords tied to their waists, and carrying a rope ladder made of cowhide, approached the left tower of the Victory Gate in the night. They called out, and the agreed signal quickly came from the dark window of the tower. The rope was thrown down, and then the cowhide rope ladder was hoisted. The first group of about twenty people climbed up.

But after they climbed up, there was silence for a short time, and the people waiting could not help feeling anxious and frightened, thinking that they had been betrayed by the merchants of Isaac and were all dead. But soon, someone stuck his head out from the battlement, told them that everything was safe, encouraged and urged them to follow up as soon as possible.

So, the remaining eighty people also climbed up one after another.

"You know what happened afterwards." The entire army was wiped out, their heads were chopped off and thrown out of the city wall in catapults, and their naked bodies were hung outside the tower. "They actually wanted to ask you to go with them at that time - fortunately, your father refused." Baldwin moved the "king" and said with some relief.

Not to mention the incident at the Laodai Island Fortress, Cesar had fought alongside the knights many times afterwards - there were many knights who could provide shelter for others, but no one was more steadfast and persistent than him. They even found that as long as they stayed within a rough range of Cesar, everyone could get his help.

The best part is that the halo, like scales or a shield, can resist the enemy's attacks, but when they move on their own, there is no burden or hindrance.

Richard wasn't the only one to ask King Amalric I to "borrow" César, but so far he was the only one who had succeeded. This was due to his relationship with Amalric I, being Henry II's son, and Baldwin often working with him. However, Amalric I was reluctant to let César leave Baldwin. "We may have to go up to the siege tower tomorrow," Baldwin said.

"Yeah." Cesar had anticipated this, as Heraclius had reminded him before.

This is also because the siege has reached its most intense moment. "I heard from the teacher that we all have to go up the tower."

"That was the siege tower that my father was most proud of. He called it the Tower of David."

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The Tower of David stands next to the Jaffa Gate on the Alaska Road, with a height of about fifty feet. The "Tower of David" of Amalric I is twice as high, that is, nearly one hundred feet. If the drawbridge at the highest point is lowered, it will be exactly level with the city wall of Fustat.

It was made of hard oak, covered with cowhide and sheepskin soaked in vinegar, and hung with leather bags filled with sand. Not only that, on the front facing the city wall, Amalric I spent a lot of money to fix a layer of iron plates, which was enough to arm 500 shield-bearing infantrymen. From this, we can see how much hope Amalric I had for it.

The base of this siege tower was equally spacious, easily accommodating twenty fully-armed knights standing inside.

Cesar only felt his body shaking and the vibration coming from under his feet. Such a huge thing required more than a hundred soldiers to push it. They were stationed on both sides of the siege tower, with colleagues in front holding shields and willow fences to prevent them from being pierced by arrows shot by the Saracens or hit by stones thrown by catapults.

But inevitably, there would always be people falling down with a groan or a cry of surprise, and then there would be the sound of chaotic footsteps. They were dragged away, and the soldiers following the siege tower would replenish them in time. The closer they were to the city wall, the more frequent and stronger the vibrations they felt. Through the cracks in the siege tower wall, Cesar could see the ignited flames and stone fragments bursting out from the cracks, cutting a knight's face.

He seemed to have suddenly lost consciousness and made no move to wipe the blood or check the wound. Richard noticed this and reached out to wipe it for him. "Don't be nervous," he said. "We are going to have a feast."

Perhaps only Richard would feel that way. The distance the siege tower had traveled was probably the longest distance these young knights had ever traveled. In the previous week, they had seen many siege towers smashed to pieces or collapsed by stone bullets, or ignited by Greek fire and burning fiercely. If they were lucky, the knights could escape, but if they were unlucky, they would become part of the siege tower...

The voices of the Saracens grew clearer, and the odor of blood and gunpowder thickened. It seemed as if the next moment the siege tower would shake violently with a roar. A knight screamed, but a slap from Richard brought him back to his senses. "The time has come!" Richard shouted, "For Christ, for the cause of God!"

He was the first to rush out, and Baldwin and Cesar followed closely behind. They climbed up the narrow wooden ladder and climbed seven floors in a row. As soon as the soldiers saw them, they immediately lowered the drawbridge.

Richard leaped onto the still shaking suspension bridge in one step, and was met with Greek fire in jars. As soon as they hit the ground, they exploded, and the flames ignited by the naphtha, sulfur, saltpeter, and some other things inside immediately burned the suspension bridge and Richard's body.

The Crusaders once said that Greek fire was something like God's lightning, and that when encountering it, there was nothing to do except kneel down and pray. This may be a slight exaggeration, but there is also some truth to it. It is not easily extinguished by water and will stick to solid objects. Once burned, the possibility of rescue is very slim.

The Saracens did shout with joy, but almost at the same time, Richard had rushed into the crowd. He swung his battle axe, and the Saracens' heads rolled in the air and on the ground like dice. Even though the flames still surrounded him, they failed to burn him to death. Instead, they harmed many Saracen soldiers who failed to react.

Immediately someone shouted, "This is the Christian knight who has received the prophetic inspiration!"

Then a bearded, ferocious-looking Saracen warrior came up to Richard, brandishing a short-handled hammer. The hammer head was like an onion, gilded with gold and silver, gleaming brightly in the sun. No, wait! Cesar caught up with Richard, and before he could offer Richard another layer of protection, the Saracen warrior's hammer had already knocked Richard out!

Richard cried out subconsciously, and when he crashed into the city wall, he found that he only felt severe pain but was not seriously injured.

He had no time to thank Cesar before he jumped up and started fighting with the Saracen warrior again.

"There are also Saracens here who have received enlightenment." Cesar took a step back and stood with Baldwin, whispering.

He had already seen several warriors running towards them, each of them surrounded by an astonishing light.

As early as after he received the saint's favor, he asked Heraclius this question: If the Crusaders, or the Knights of Christ, could receive God's blessing, then what about their enemies? Their enemies must also have a predictable countermeasure. Otherwise, Amalric I would have conquered Egypt long ago, and even Baldwin III and Baldwin I would have done so before him.

Indeed, Heraclius said that among the Saracens there was also a "Path of Ascension" corresponding to the "Ceremony of Selection". They said this in commemoration of the fact that their prophet Muhammad once, one night when he was 52 years old, accompanied by the angel Gabriel, rode a Pegasus from Mecca to Al-Assalu, where he "ascended to heaven", traveled through the seven heavens, reached "paradise", watched "hell", and visited the ancient "prophets", and returned to Mecca at dawn.

The way they were chosen was very similar to the Christian "selection ceremony". They also spent a day and a night in the temple before coming of age, waiting for the prophet to come, and then listening to his teachings and receiving enlightenment from them...

During the battle for the fortress on Laodai Island, they also encountered some Saracens who had received "enlightenment", but it was obvious that the Fustatians left their strongest shields and sharpest spears here.

Baldwin and Cesar sighed at the same time and rushed forward!

(End of this chapter)