kingdom of nations

Chapter 153 Breakthrough (2)

More than a decade later, a great Saracen commander will praise it thus: Apol is the eye of Syria, and the castle of Apol is the pupil of that eye.

Given such high praise, Apollo Citadel could certainly not be just a large but empty city. As is well known, it has three gates, each connecting to a tall and thick wall that stretches for thousands of feet.

The south gate is the only entrance and exit to Apollo Citadel, but some also call it the Sultan's Gate. This is because both the new and old Sultans would inevitably enter through this gate or be transported out through it.

It is simple yet solemn, with almost no excessive decoration, except for an inscription above the lintel of a proverb written by Sultan Nur ad-Din himself: "Truth is like a mirror."

Passing through this gate, you will see rows of buildings, but these buildings are obviously small and densely packed, because they are not inhabited by the Sultan and his ministers, but by the eunuchs, soldiers and servants who serve them. Although they are also part of Apol Castle, like the daily sunshine and rain, they may enjoy some of it, but certainly not the most or the best.

Even so, their treatment and honor already surpassed those of people outside the castle.

The second level is known as the Twin Lions Gate. This is because a lion is carved on each side of the gate, lifelike and glaring fiercely, like two vigilant guardians, firmly protecting the Sultan of the city. Sometimes, an Emir or Fatah would refer to himself as one of the Twin Lions, comparing himself to the two fierce beasts of this place.

Behind the Twin Lions Gate lies a palace complex that rises along the contours of the hill, comprising about a dozen palaces of varying sizes. However, none of the Sultan's concubines resided here. This was where the Sultan summoned his ministers and handled state affairs, with the Royal Hall and Throne Hall being the most frequently used.

Contrary to popular belief, the Sultan did not allow all his ministers to crowd together in one place when handling state affairs—nor was it possible. The Zengid dynasty still used the ancient provincial system. Of course, the saying "below the Sultan, there are only slaves" was not an exaggeration, but the Sultan's slaves possessed enormous power granted by the monarch—administration of a region or a province.

Although the Sultan still held the power of life and death over them, if they could gain the Sultan's trust and ensure that one-fifth of the income of the province under their jurisdiction was safely deposited into the Sultan's treasury each year, the Sultan would generally not interfere arbitrarily with his governance of the province. Undoubtedly, this method of rule would cultivate countless ambitious individuals.

When a sultan possesses extraordinary wisdom, strength, and the respect of the people, like Nur ad-Din, all he sees before him is a field of fallen wheat. But if he becomes weak, or old, or has no heir to inherit these things, these docile crops instantly transform into sharp thorns, piercing the monarch until he bleeds and his body aches.

The third gate has no definite name. Because it connects to the Sultan's harem, people must have been full of curiosity about the Sultan's women, but no one dared to be presumptuous here—only some of the most audacious fellows, after drinking too much grape juice, might euphemistically call it the Rose Gate.

The disturbances occurred in the King's Hall and Throne Hall adjacent to the Rose Gate, as well as the palace hidden behind the Rose Gate. It is highly likely that the princes gathered their people here, and the riot behind the Rose Gate may have been aimed at the Sultan's three wives. Once the bloody battle for succession begins, the two princes will inevitably think of kidnapping or killing each other's mothers. Their mothers are not slave girls without status or background, and their lives will naturally have different meanings.

But it was clear that the two ladies were not unprepared. However, both the two most important halls and Sudan's harem were some distance from where the Christian knights were temporarily residing. After all, no one would place an enemy delegation in the heart of the fortress—which had now become their advantage.

Beyond the second gate, the Twin Lions Gate, the dwellings were separated by low walls or trees, and an olive grove separated them from another area. Cesar need not worry that his knights would get lost in the darkness. Even without God's blessing, these knights, who never lacked fish and meat, could see far more at night than ordinary people.

Just before stepping out of the olive grove, Cesar suddenly stopped. The knights behind him, not understanding why, reined in their horses.

Before long, they heard a commotion coming from afar, and Geoffrey whistled silently—the direction was the Great Stables.

Because of the provincial system adopted by the Zengid dynasty, the only people who served the Sultan on a daily basis were likely the Grand Vichir and a few other officials. If he wanted to exercise power over the governor of a province, he would summon him to Apol. Part of the mansion behind the Twin Lions Gate was prepared for them, and the large stables, which could accommodate thousands of horses, were also reserved for them.

At that time, the Saracens also asked the Christians to put their horses in the large stables to care for and feed them together, but Geoffroy firmly refused. Perhaps some people even secretly mocked these Christians as a bunch of cowardly cowards.

As the clamor of voices drew closer, all the Christian knights silently cried out for God's blessing and cast grateful glances at Geoffroy. It turned out that during the turmoil, a group belonging to some unknown Fatah or Emir had remembered this place. These soldiers had stormed the large stables, selecting the best horses for themselves, perhaps taking one or two, but most they couldn't take with them, nor could they find a merchant to sell them to.

So they did something cruel: they quickly killed the remaining horses and set the stables on fire. Covered in blood, they triumphantly held up their blazing torches, loudly proclaiming their good fortune.

Fortunately, their eyes, accustomed to the bright light, scanned the olive grove and failed to notice the knights standing silently in the darkness. They passed by the Christians noisily, and the nearest soldier could have seen Cesare no more than a hundred feet away with just a slight turn of his head, but he did not.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Cesar and his knights remained silent, patiently waiting for their opponent to depart before riding out of the olive grove and exposing themselves to the cobalt blue sunlight.

The soldiers guarding the Twin Lions Gate happened to be the same men that Camar had bribed. They immediately became wary upon seeing the Christian knights, but their leader soon spotted Camar turning sideways from behind Cesar, revealing his face.

“My lord,” he exclaimed in surprise, “what are you doing here?” “Let them go,” Kamal ordered wearily, without answering him. “At least for now, he is not our enemy. I have hired them to escort us out of Apollo.”

This caught the soldier's attention, and then he saw several familiar faces. After all, every minister had to pass through the Twin Lions Gate to enter and exit. "Why?" he asked instinctively. "The new Sultan will need you."

“I don’t think so.” The reply wasn’t from Kamal, but from another minister. Previously, he had managed the nation’s finances for his monarch, Nur ad-Din, and for all the people of Syria.

He turned his body to the side in an odd posture. Only then did the soldier realize that the man was actually bound to a knight by a belt. Just as he was feeling puzzled, he saw the old man raise his hands, or rather, his arms, his bare arms without hands. "The second prince cut them off," he said, "because he asked me for money, and he didn't believe that there was only so little money in the treasury."

But it was true. Sultan Nur ad-Din had spent an unimaginable amount of money on the expedition to Arrassa, money that would have to be gradually recouped over the next few years. After all, every province in Syria was constantly sending gold, silver, and silk to Apol.

But the second prince did not believe it. He thought the old man was either deliberately deceiving him, had already sided with his brother, or had embezzled the money. He tortured the old man severely and, when he failed to get the answer he wanted, cut off one of his hands, and then the second.

“You ask why Kamal is here? If he weren’t here, I might already be missing my hands, my feet, and my head.” This minister was an upright and highly respected man. Even the gatekeeper knew he was indispensable to the court. He had repeatedly offered his resignation to Sultan Nurdin, citing old age and declining health, but Nurdin had always refused, because he couldn’t find anyone more honest and intelligent than him to fill the position.

“Well, at least there’s still a prince,” he stammered.

“The eldest prince is no less so.” Another minister pointed to a man beside him, one of their colleagues. The eldest prince had cut out his tongue. What crime had he committed? Of course not. He simply refused to say something against his conscience.

"But where can you go if you leave Apole?"

“Anywhere is fine, Syria is vast, if all else fails…” Kamal paused, not continuing, “but if they stay here, they will surely die. So if you are still a Saracen and willing to preserve a sliver of life for this great dynasty, open the door and let us leave.”

The guard was silent for a moment. He looked at his companions, who took two steps back, and several others rushed to open the door. They had been persuaded by Kamal, and Cesar breathed a slight sigh of relief. He was unwilling to waste even a moment here. Apollo was a powder keg ready to explode at any moment; he couldn't gamble on how much time God had given them.

Before stepping into the passageway, he cautiously looked up at the openings sealed by latticework at the top of the passageway. Above these openings was another passageway connecting to small rooms on the city wall. When enemies attacked, or when the Sultan wanted to get rid of someone too ambitious, he would order his soldiers to pour boiling excrement or scalding oil through the openings above the passageway, instantly scalding the people inside until their bodies were covered in sores and their limbs were destroyed.

Fortunately, these soldiers were sincere. He led the knights through quickly, but the path between the Twin Lions Gate and the South Gate (Sultan's Gate) was still full of danger. Fortunately, by this time, these soldiers had already accepted the bribes or recruitment of the two princes and were fighting for their Sultan. There were not many soldiers left here, and some eunuchs and servants, but they only dared to hide in their own rooms and did not even dare to peek out.

But there was indeed a small force of soldiers in front of the Sultan's Gate, Nubian slaves belonging to a Fatah. Not long ago, their master had sided with the eldest prince, vowing to get rid of those two troublesome blood relatives for him. Tonight, he had them guarding this place, not for Cesar and his men—if the second prince hadn't died at the Rose Gate or the Twin Lions Gate, he would have died at the Sultan's Gate.

The Saracen soldiers had already raised their spears when they saw them, but Cesar galloped up on his horse and was in front of them in an instant. To the soldiers' surprise, what was gleaming was not swords, but gold coins. They were casually scattered, at least a hundred of them, which landed on the ground with a crisp sound—a sound more beautiful than any music in the world. Several soldiers immediately dropped their weapons and rushed forward to frantically grab the gold coins from under the horse's hooves and stuff them into their pockets.

Other soldiers also roared in anger, not because they saw the enemy, but because their comrades dared to disregard them and seize the glittering little things first.

However, they didn't need to be too disappointed, because Cesar scattered another handful of gold coins. The coins tumbled and scattered everywhere, rolling into the gaps and holes, making the soldiers even more anxious.

The knights and some squires dismounted to prepare to open the Sultan's Gate, but at that moment, the captain of the group revealed a greedy look. Instead of stepping aside, he shouted to his soldiers to pick up their spears again, "They have more, more, more gold! Don't let them go!" he yelled, but his voice seemed not to reach his soldiers' ears.

It was César who heard this, and his response was equally decisive. He spurred his horse forward, and before anyone could even see how he swung his sword, the squad leader, along with his spear, was cleaved in two. As his upper body fell to the ground, he wore a look of astonishment, seemingly completely bewildered as to how his opponent had accomplished such a feat.

At this moment, the heavy door had been pushed open, revealing steep steps, a road, and a house that appeared particularly dark and square under the pure, pale blue light.

A Saracen who appeared on the street for some unknown reason saw them. He raised his hands as if to shout, but suddenly his head tilted to one side, followed by his entire body. A crossbow bolt pierced his skull. But this was not the work of a knight, but a group of Turks armed with swords and bows. They pulled up their face masks to cover their faces, leaving only their eyes exposed, their gazes fierce.

They also saw the Christian knights. Cesare gave them no time to react. He charged towards them, and with his knights, in a flash, trampled the Turks under the hooves of horses and cut them down with swords.

(End of this chapter)