kingdom of nations

Chapter 119 Rumors
The caravan leader may have just been joking, but only he knows how much truth there is in those words.

After all, during this period, merchants were probably the most perceptive and quickest to act among all people in society.

Some might wonder, if the owners of fortresses and palaces knew that merchants were inherently unscrupulous, two-faced, and despicable individuals who could turn against them or their enemies at any moment, how could they tolerate merchants continuing to roam their cities and estates?

This is largely due to the underdeveloped transportation and information flow at that time.

Everywhere, whether it's Paris or London, whether they are farmers, artisans, or even some knights and nobles, they live wherever they are born. They rarely leave their territory unless they are going to fight for the king or going on a pilgrimage. Most people will never leave the streets or villages where they live for their entire lives.

At this time, the villages and towns could even be described as close-knit communities—meaning that everyone knew the people around them, and any stranger appearing on the street would elicit either a friendly or malicious stare.

Similarly, because everyone knew each other well enough, many humiliating public punishments arose, such as the infamous cangue, a hand and neck cangue, or a hand and foot cangue—as the name suggests, it was used when a person committed a minor offense but the judge believed that he needed to receive a profound lesson, and thus sentenced him to this punishment.

Hand and neck shackles involve securing a person's hands and head to a wooden board, forcing them to bend over and maintain this position for anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Hand and foot shackles involve fixing the hands and feet to the same wooden board, leaving the person being punished helplessly sitting on the cold, dirty ground, enduring ridicule and contempt.

Sometimes people would throw filth at them.

But most importantly, we should make them feel ashamed and embarrassed so that they dare not repeat their mistakes. We should also make people see their true colors so that they don't suffer the same fate as them again.

In such an extremely closed society, people are used to being self-sufficient, but human desires are always endless, and they always want something.

Thus, merchants came into being. They were like rivers flowing through hills, valleys, and plains, constantly bringing new things and taking away local products. Merchants' greed and disregard for morality could easily arouse resentment and disgust from others. But no one can deny that without merchants, a city or even a country would quickly become lifeless.

This is true in times of peace, and even more so in times of war. Merchants are indispensable.

In this era, there were no easily stored military rations, cheap industrial goods, or convenient transportation. When a knight went to war, it was already quite commendable if he could prepare enough horses, weapons, and armor for himself, his squire, and even his armed attendants. Food? Perhaps there was a little, but it would be eaten up quickly. And what happened after that? Of course, they would "trade" it with spears and swords.

You probably haven't forgotten what we mentioned before: once a war or expedition is decided, the lords and kings in various places will post notices requesting that the knights who answer the call not plunder indiscriminately along the way...

However, this only applies to their own territory. In the territory of the pagans, this restriction does not apply. For example, the Crusader knights led by Amalric I once plundered the area around Bielebas, taking away all the wheat, wine, and oil, and shooting down all the birds and beasts.

Even so, they still could not guarantee that they would not run out of food during the long expedition.

Firstly, if the number of troops and their subordinates far exceeds the local capacity, even if they torture everyone they see to death, they will not be able to obtain more food. Secondly, the pagan farmers and garrison will not be foolish enough to wait for them to plunder; they may hide the food, or they may, like Shavar, burn it to the ground.

This is where the importance of merchants becomes apparent. They would collect provisions from various sources and then transport them over long distances to the army's encampment, selling these supplies to the troops.

At the same time, they also bear the important responsibility of turning the knights' spoils of war—those utensils, furniture, and fabrics that the knights do not need for the time being and cannot carry with them—into profit. They would give the knights money or other goods that the knights wanted, such as armor, horses, and weapons. The knights' contributions and gains formed a perfect cycle in the hands of the merchants.

It's fair to say that without merchants, knights would likely have little interest in expeditions, as they simply couldn't obtain what they wanted from battle.

The merchant leader followed Haredi to Qumran, which was located in the northwest corner of the Dead Sea. It was indeed not far from Bethlehem and their water source, and it was indeed a vast and barren land.

Although for the hermit people, this was a peaceful land, an Eden given to them by God.

Although this "Garden of Eden" greatly disheartened Haredi's wife, just as she had heard before, the people of Qunlan lived in low houses, just like the village they had seen at the water source, without windows, and even during the day, lights had to be kept on inside the houses, and taller people had to bend over to enter and exit the houses.

They went to see the wise man of Quinlan. Haredi's wife could sense that the wise man's eyes were filled with assessment and doubt when he looked at her. When she and her daughter were allowed to leave, she practically fled the house.

“You must care for and cherish your wife more.” The wise man said, watching Haredi’s wife’s back. “She did not grow up here, nor has she ever followed our laws and education—her eyes are full of unease, and perhaps everything here will feel foreign to her. Do not be harsh or rush to instruct her; she just needs time.”

Haredi remained silent. When he left Quinlan, he was filled with anger and resentment, but these feelings had been alleviated during his nearly ten years of exile. His longing for his homeland outweighed his youthful indignation. Or rather, looking back now, it wasn't so much a humiliation as it was a difference of opinion on doctrine and ideology.

"So, Haredi, you've been away from here for so long, traveled to so many places, have you seen anyone who could become the Holy King in your heart?"

Faced with the wise man's question, Haredi pondered for a moment, then shook his head heavily.

“No, elder, I have traveled to so many places, from Qumran to Bethlehem, from Bethlehem to the Arrassa Road, and from the Arrassa Road to Acre, from Acre to Jaffa, and from Jaffa to Qasarafa, by ship to Alexandria, and from Alexandria to Bielebaz. I have met kings, dukes, and the Grand Master of the Knights, I have met sultans, caliphs, great viziers, and emirs.”

I observed their words and actions, tried to guess their thoughts, and measured their character, but everyone I met—whether lowly or noble—was just an ordinary person. Perhaps they still had ideals, but like me, they ultimately had to succumb to reality.

“Many young people share the same thoughts as you,” the wise man said. “They have heard that the Messiah will surely return to earth, and they are single-mindedly trying to find this holy king among the people. But we all know that he has not yet come, and at least not before Judgment Day. He will not appear in the world again—he has already atoned for our sins. I have never heard of a debt being repaid twice.”

Humans have always been ungrateful and forgetful of past mistakes.

Just a few days ago, someone told me that we should rebuild our nation instead of chasing after some illusory savior or holy king. But haven't we always had our own nation, our own temple, our own king? We had King David, King Herod, and Solomon; they were all wise kings, but ultimately they couldn't resist the temptations of the devil. Wealth, honor, and power all completely changed them. I said, don't place your hopes on others anymore. As long as they are human, they cannot escape their sins.

Haredi, now that you've returned, you should know that all we can do is wait, wait for the final day to arrive. When the Messiah sees us, may our repentance and patience wash away our sins and elevate us to Heaven.

“I still have a sliver of hope,” Haredi said, “but perhaps you are right.”

After saying those words, he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

The wise man also looked relieved. Young people are always stubborn and sometimes make mistakes. Moreover, Haredi was one of his favorite students, and he hoped that Haredi could take over his position in the future. Not just Quinlan, perhaps his departure was precisely to enable him to do better in the future.

"And then there's the matter of that merchant," the wise man said. "That foreign merchant, though he can be considered one of our people, has ultimately been tainted by too much outside greed. I don't want to see him, so you can go instead—we don't need money, but we need salt, and sugar. Salt is the most important, and sugar is indispensable. Perhaps some oil as well."

Do you also believe that a war is about to break out here?

“I can indeed see some things. An old star is about to fall, and a new star is about to rise, but unfortunately, its light is fleeting.”

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Baldwin was unaware that someone less than a hundred miles away had already made the most accurate judgment about his fate.

He had many reasons for deciding to "tour".

First, Amalric I left too hastily, and for some time before that, he had been suffering from leprosy and was unable to leave the Castle of the Holy Cross, let alone travel with his father.

He had only seen the names of cities, castles, ports, villages, and settlements on maps and in dossiers, and had learned some about them from his teacher and lords like Raymond. But even Heraclius could not guarantee the true situation—and since they were not face to face, he had no way of knowing the attitudes of the nobles and knights towards him.

They could fill their letters with praise, but Baldwin wouldn't believe it. If war broke out, they would bring out supplies, equipment, and knights at his command.

The condition of these castles and towns also needs careful examination: Are their reserves sufficient? Are their training adequate? Are there any signs of collapse or breaches in the walls? Are the residents of these cities able to live in peace?

Furthermore, although the ministers of Arazarus were not "willing" to believe his judgment and were more likely to launch a northern expedition against the territory of Mullai in the near future, he could only use the pretext of "touring" to observe the Saracens at a closer distance and see if they made any unusual moves.
Furthermore, during the previous tournament, Cesar firmly rejected the princess—regardless of the fact that Queen Mother Maria was the most exalted woman on the field at the time, Hibil would only regard Cesar's avoidance as a disgrace, the last person to bring her such a disgrace was Count Étienne.

As for the princess, César's current status was still no match for that of a Frankish count, and her anger only intensified.

Baldwin couldn't help but worry that if Cesar remained in the Holy Cross Castle, his sister might do something crazy and ridiculous.
He still felt some affection for her. Their father had passed away, and he only hoped that the two siblings could support each other in their future lives, instead of eagerly baring their fangs and fighting for power that might not even exist.

But he also believed that given the chance, Hibil would not show any mercy to Cesar.

In Bethlehem, Baldwin received an incredibly grand and solemn welcome, not to mention Bishop Andrei—who had practically watched Baldwin grow up.

Speaking of the merchants in the city, they always believed that Bethlehem was in no way inferior to Arathi Basin in terms of holiness. Arathi Basin may have a holy tomb, but Bethlehem also had a Christmas site.

If future kings could shift some of their attention to Bethlehem, they believed that even if they couldn't replace Arathal, the holy city might one day become two.

Cesar received more than three times what Baldwin had in Bethlehem, but the merchants were careful not to send any courtesans, as no one knew the young king's current health condition—but Baldwin noticed something was missing from the banquet. Courtesans were essential at banquets at this time, like flowers in a vase, which would attract attention.

“I heard you rejected all the courtesans they sent,” Baldwin asked teasingly, raising his cup. “Actually, you don’t need to care about me at all—the noble ladies of Holy Cross Castle have been complaining that you’re too unromantic. A knight who’s too frivolous isn’t much, of course, but you can occasionally appreciate the jewels and pearls placed before you. If you like someone, tell me, and I’ll try to find out her opinion.”

You need a loyal lady.

César didn't know what to say. In another world, he knew that syphilis had been traced as early as the 8th century, with evidence from the Vikings. He couldn't be sure if a prostitute might carry spirochetes (syphilis), and given the hygiene standards of the time, inflammation and fungi were common dangers. Even though Heraclius had said that those who were blessed were less susceptible to disease, he really wasn't going to take the risk.

"Haven't I already sworn allegiance to a certain lady?"

"Queen Mary?" Baldwin hesitated. It wasn't impossible, but before being Queen Mother Arathal, Mary was a Byzantine princess.

“No,” said César, “it is your little sister, Isabella, whom I declare to be the most beautiful, noblest, kindest, and most devout lady in the whole world.” He said solemnly, “What do you think?”

Baldwin couldn't help but burst into laughter.

(End of this chapter)