kingdom of nations

Chapter 123 First Battle (4)

Grand Master Philip of the Knights Templar ruthlessly crushed Baldwin and Cesar's ideas.

This is something that can't be helped. In any case, they are only fifteen or sixteen years old, while the majority of the Knights Templar are in their thirties or forties. After all, once they enter a knightly order like the Temple or the Charity Hall, which are armed monks, they must give up everything in the mortal world.

If they had not fulfilled their duties as sons, husbands, fathers, and subjects before this, they could not serve God unless, like Godfrey the first, they were willing to entrust everything to another male heir—people revered him precisely because he truly gave up a huge fortune that would move even a king, rather than, like most Crusaders, who were forced to leave their homeland and travel to the Holy Land because they had no right of inheritance or title.

Philip was already forty-seven years old. He had watched his son get married and have an heir. How could you expect an old man like that to obey a young man as if he were God?

Although Philip was briefly tempted—he had always been an introverted and mediocre person, unable to make seemingly paradoxical but actually decisive judgments based on past experience and the current situation—the latter often being called "geniuses" or "madmen".

“I’ve heard that you like to take risks when you play chess.” He gave Cesar a reproachful look. Although he was speaking to Baldwin, who could blame him when Cesar was by Baldwin’s side? Even if Cesar had not encouraged the king, it was still a sin for Baldwin not to dissuade him, not to mention that Cesar’s attitude clearly supported Baldwin.

"I thought you were a steady and good boy," the Grand Master of the Knights Templar said somewhat angrily. He and several other knight commanders had just made a rough estimate of the Sultan's army. This expedition could be considered Sultan Nur ad-Din's last battle. He brought nearly 20,000 soldiers, half of whom were cavalry. They also brought a large amount of baggage, weapons, and siege equipment, and merchants were constantly transporting grain and various supplies to them.

Nur ad-Din was far more well-off than Amalric I, who only possessed Arrassal, while Nur ad-Din controlled the entirety of Syria. Comparatively, how many men did they have? Although their losses in the previous battle against the thousand-man unit were somewhat accidental, even if they joined forces with Naresa and several nearby cities, they could only muster a maximum of two to three hundred knights and two to three thousand infantry.

With such a disparity in numbers, Philip never even considered engaging the enemy in direct combat. Moreover, they had to conceal their movements, especially from Nurdin, who needed to keep Baldwin IV's presence a secret. They were to return to Arrasa Road as quickly as possible, then hold the city until the main force returned to reinforce them.

But Philip wasn't entirely confident—sieges can take varying lengths; some might take a year or two, while others could be breached in as little as a week. When the Crusaders captured Arrassallo, it took them a month and a half. Their attack on Fosterstadt took about two months.

What worried him was Nurdin, who might commit all his forces from the outset, disregarding losses and casualties. This would not only put immense pressure on the city's inhabitants, but if he were to discover any weaknesses, Arrasar might be defeated before the main force could return to reinforce the city...

"Moreover, you cannot prove that Sultan Nur ad-Din is already at his limit. At least the knights saw that he was still riding on horseback, rather than lying on a palanquin or sitting in a carriage."

"His decision to go to war may have been somewhat hasty, but there were reasons," Philip said, a troubled look on his face. "Yes, we made a mistake, and he seized the opportunity, but that doesn't mean you can take the risk, Your Majesty."

He knelt solemnly before Baldwin and said earnestly, “Your father, Amalric I, was a valiant warrior. He did not fail to live up to the duties and position entrusted to him by his brother, nor did he disappoint the expectations of the Christians. Although his two expeditions to Egypt failed, we can see that he was not at fault, but was simply cruelly tormented by the devil.”

You are his only son. Even when you contracted leprosy, and faced the harsh criticism of the church, the questioning of the people, and the admonitions of the ministers, he never considered abandoning you. In the last moments of his life, he did everything in his power and made all the necessary preparations, so no one can question your legitimacy and legitimacy.

Even if the Count of Tripoli and the Grand Duke of Antioch are still around, their greatest significance is not to hinder you, but to support you through this most difficult period.

Not to mention, even if you are afflicted with illness, God still blesses you and gives you the Spear of St. George—please do not take your life so lightly. Perhaps one day, this terrible curse will leave you, and you will gain a long life and endless glory. Perhaps many years later, when you look back on today, you will only laugh it off.

"Your Majesty," he sighed, then said, "I swear that, as long as you are patient, every day from now on, as long as you are the King of Arazarus, the Guardian of the Holy Sepulchre, the Knight of Christ, I will always be willing to obey your will."

Having said that, he raised the young king's hand and placed it against his forehead.

If Philip had adopted a domineering or contemptuous attitude, Baldwin could have feigned compliance, or even tried to detain or execute him to seize his power. But since Philip had spoken so frankly, Baldwin felt ashamed of his previous malicious thoughts.

As we have said, the relationship between the Knights Templar and the monarch of Arathal has always been quite tense. After all, no ruler would want a force that cannot be fully controlled in his capital. And compared to the Knights of the Good, the Knights Templar are indeed much more domineering...

They firmly believed they were serving God, so what did worldly kings matter? They would still have to wait for judgment in hell, instead of ascending to heaven immediately upon death like they did.

Thus, while they were constantly antagonizing and despising each other, they were also forced to stand together when facing infidels. This relationship seems very strange and even unbelievable to later generations. How could you entrust your back to someone who would turn their sword against you?

But that's the reality. No matter how fierce the arguments might be within the city of Arrassa, once on the battlefield, both the Good Hall Knights and the Templar Knights would fight to the death. Their devotion to their faith was both hateful and admirable—and for Philip to say this much already represented a significant concession.

Baldwin hesitated, a rare occurrence. Philip was right; returning to Alassa Road was a relatively conservative approach. However, precisely because of his special status, if he made the wrong decision and Philip decided to comply, and their judgment was flawed, he would be trapped in enemy territory, captured, or killed. This Grand Master would not only lose all his current status and honor but would also be nailed to the cross of shame.

They would laugh at themselves, and even more so at the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, because he was both an elder and a strong man. Yes, even though Baldwin and Cesar are knights now, people would say that he failed to protect the two children. He could be willful, but if the price was not paid by him but by someone else, he would have to be more cautious.

Baldwin looked to Cesar for help, but Cesar could only give the same answer. This was the limitation of this era. Almost all intelligence was unclear. Neither merchants nor knights could get close to Sultan Nur ad-Din's army, let alone walk up to Nur ad-Din to observe his situation carefully.

The Saracens around him would not divulge any information about him, not even a tiny bit. They could only guess that it would be a high-stakes gamble; if they won, the rewards would be enormous, but if they lost, they would lose everything.

"grown ups……?"

The deadlock was broken by Philip's squire. "There's an Isaac outside," he said. "He wants to see the Knights of Bethlehem."

Philip's eyes sharpened instantly: "How did he know the Knights of Bethlehem were here?"

It was common knowledge that Baldwin IV always accompanied the Knights of Bethlehem. At this time, it was not a good thing that a mercenary Isaac suddenly visited and specifically asked to see Cesar. "Did he say who he was?" Anyway, Philip had already decided to keep him or simply hang him on charges of being a fraud.

“He asks you,” the squire turned to Cesar, “does he remember when you, as the Ombudsman, rendered a just judgment between him and a Crusader, saving him and his family? He has always remembered this kindness, and now he has finally found an opportunity to repay it, if you will see him.”

“Bring him up,” Philip said. “I’ll go with you to see him.”

The Isaac man was quickly led in, and upon seeing him, Cesar immediately recognized him as the Isaac craftsman with a lovely daughter. He had made a deep impression on Cesar, not because of his wife and daughter, but because his Saracen neighbors were willing to speak up for him and pay for his ransom.

It's important to understand that the Isaacs, whether in Syria, Arazari, or Egypt, were second- or even third-class citizens. They were despised because they were always hoarding, speculating, and even engaging in usury. For the Isaacs, this was a necessity, as they had no land, could not cultivate crops or herd sheep, and could only rely on these methods to survive.

But for others at the time, such things not only violated doctrine—whether Christian or Saracen—but were also often mixed with deception, intimidation, and distortion. Their contempt and hatred of the Isaacs were entirely justified.

The fact that this Isaacman could receive the full support and help of the Saracens shows that he was indeed a rare and upright person among the Isaacs. "Your name is..."

“Haredi,” the Isaac called out his name.

"It seems you still remember me." His voice was hoarse, his eyes were bloodshot, his hair was disheveled, and his body was stained with large patches of blood, especially on his thigh. Although the bleeding had stopped, the wound exposed at the laceration was still horrifying and dangerous, with a deep red scab bulging out, like the mouth of a devil.

The blood on his chest, face, and hands indicated that he had once held a blood-soaked body in his arms.

“You said you owe me a debt of gratitude, and now you’ve finally found a way to repay it,” César asked. “So, how do you intend to repay me?”

Haredi gave a bleak smile: "First, I have to tell you something. My homeland, the Isaac settlement in the wilderness of Kiber Qunlan, has been completely destroyed by Sultan Nur ad-Din's vanguard."

They killed almost everyone and burned the village. I escaped, and perhaps there were a few other survivors like me, I don't know..."

“You come with hatred in your heart,” Philip asked. “Do you want to beg us to avenge you?”

“If I have ever had such a thought, send me to hell,” Haredi said. “My lord, I will not ask anyone to avenge me. I myself am a blade forged in hatred. I have come here hoping that you will seize me and plunge me into the heart of your enemy.”

"You are not a knight."

“I am not a knight, yes, there are no knights among the Isaacs. But my lord, not all revenge must be done with the sword. I bring you a prophecy, spoken by my teacher, a noble sage.”

He turned to Baldwin: “The old stars are falling, and new stars are rising,” but he didn’t finish the prophecy: “My lord, do not be intimidated by the old beast’s dull roar and its bristling mane; it is merely the dying man’s final burst of energy, the last murmur of a soul decayed and dulled by old age…”

His campaign ended three months ago; now, walking the road is nothing more than a outwardly glamorous but inwardly decrepit corpse. His defenses are as thin as paper, easily torn apart. As for the Saracens, once their master is dead, they will not avenge him, nor will they fulfill his wishes; they will fight among themselves to determine a new master.

Philip frowned and glanced worriedly at Baldwin. He had gone to great lengths to persuade Baldwin, but now things had taken an unexpected turn—the Isaac's ramblings would clearly reignite the embers of death and set them ablaze once more.

He wanted to rebuke him, drag him out, lock him in the dungeon, torture him, and make him tell the whole truth—he suspected he might be a Saracen spy, but if so, the Sultan's army should have already surrounded the place.

Baldwin stopped him: “Words are empty, pale, and powerless, and they change like sand dunes at night. If you only have this tongue, we will not only not believe you, but we will also punish you. For you have gathered the lives of Christians on the waves. But if you can produce any evidence, as long as it can prove your words…”

“I do,” Haredi said frankly. “The wise man of Quinlan, who was my teacher and always had high hopes for me, is dead. He died during a night of escape. But before he left, he left me with a most precious treasure.”

"Gold?"

“No, it is more precious than gold, Your Majesty. It is an incredibly ancient treasure. In the 70th century, the ancient Romans invaded Arrassa and destroyed our temple. When our scholars and sages fled Arrassa, they took as many books and documents as possible with them. Some of them are now in the possession of my teacher, and I know where they are. I have even brought some with me.”

This was indeed precious. There was a long silence in the room before Philip looked up and asked, "But what does this have to do with the current war?"

"You are unwilling to believe me because you do not trust the prophecies of the Sage Isaac. But what if there were a chance to ascertain Nur ad-Din's current condition? If, as I say, he is merely a frail shell, the fire within already flickering precariously—"

“How can you be sure?” Philip asked. “They won’t allow an Isaac to come before the Sultan.”

“I have something that any Saracen who knows about it will surely want.”

(End of this chapter)