kingdom of nations

Chapter 155 Breakthrough (4)

When the fully armed soldiers stormed out of the south gate of Aleppo Citadel, those who witnessed the scene were immediately relieved—they had assumed it was an army dispatched by the new Sultan to quell the unrest in the city. Unfortunately, these valiant cavalrymen did not linger within the city, pursuing the fleeing soldiers directly outside. The First Lady, the new Sultan Saleh, and the Grand Vizier had no intention of wasting their energy helping the impoverished people at this crucial moment.

Although according to doctrine this is the Sultan's right and his duty, neither Saleh nor the First Lady has the prestige to command any Emir or Fatah member. This means that they need money to command even a single soldier, and the price is obviously much higher than when Sultan Nur ad-Din was still alive.

The head eunuch could not easily comment or intervene in this matter. His alliance with the First Lady was not yet strong enough to point out each other's mistakes. In addition, he vaguely sensed that these bandits who were creating chaos and disaster might have received some kind of promise or indulgence—it was hard to say how many people and how many transactions were involved.

Regardless of other factors, the First Lady and the new Sultan Saleh could save a considerable amount of money. If Kamal or any other minister with even a modicum of responsibility were here, he would have vehemently opposed or even criticized them. However, the responsible group had already left Apol, and among the remaining people, even the neutral ones, seeing the new Sultan being held tightly in the First Lady's arms, wisely kept their mouths shut and refrained from saying anything more.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The army pursuing Cesar numbered about 1,500, and on the second and third days, the First Lady added another 500 men.

Apol is about 90 fares (350 kilometers) from Damascus. This journey took them nearly half a month to reach because they were escorting the coffin of Sultan Nur ad-Din. Now they could run as fast as they could, but horses and riders can run out of energy. Although the members of the order had jokingly said that with Cesar's blessing, they might be able to make it all the way to Arrasa, everyone knew that was impossible.

Moreover, they encountered numerous obstacles along the way, not only from the army, but also from the Saracens who appeared in the sandstorms, who belonged to nearby villages or surrounding tribes. They had been fighting the Christians for nearly a hundred years, and each encounter did not necessarily allow them the time and opportunity to explain.

Occasionally, Cesar would think of Baldwin, who was far away on Arrassa Road.

If they returned safely, he would definitely tell Baldwin about the incident—he had never realized the man possessed such an extraordinary talent for divination. If Baldwin hadn't insisted on assembling such an overly elite team for an envoy, he would undoubtedly be in a rather sorry state now.

During this time, he had become very familiar with them. He knew their surnames, origins, ages, and personalities. He had cooked for them, hunted with them, or fought off bandits. They prayed by candlelight, sang and danced around the campfire. These young men would argue, quarrel, and chatter, each with their own flaws and strengths.

Indeed, as expected, César became the leader of these young men and gained their support. But this also meant that César bore an inescapable responsibility to them. Even in this period, in this place, death was always a constant companion, especially for a crusader. Even a king like Amalric I died suddenly and unexpectedly on a campaign.

But Cesar still dared not imagine what it would be like if he took these people with him and returned to Arrasa Road with only half or less of them. He would be ashamed beyond measure, even without anyone blaming him. Fortunately, Baldwin's excessive pampering made this force unprecedentedly large, and this large size meant that, in many situations, they were overwhelmingly superior to others.

They had defeated bandits and tribal warriors more than once, and had also set up ambushes twice when pursuers were closing in, routing them and scattering them like birds and beasts. However, they could not shake off the pursuit and predation of their enemies. Some unsettling words had begun to rise in the Knights Order.

The most uneasy were, of course, the Saracens, former ministers of Sultan Nur ad-Din. Some were plagued by illness, others were crippled, and still others were extremely old. The constant running and fighting day and night had taken a heavy toll on their bodies and minds. They tried their best not to be a burden to these Christian knights, but sometimes the body does not obey the mind.

“There’s an oasis ahead,” Kamal said in a hoarse voice. “We can rest there for the night.”

“No, we can only rest for half a night.” Cesar rejected his suggestion. They had just wiped out a group of Nubian slave soldiers, and before executing the prisoners, they managed to extract some information—there were still no fewer than two thousand people chasing them.

The nearest one might only be a day's journey away, but they had been traveling for two nights and a day. Even though his strength could greatly alleviate the knights' fatigue, their spirits were about to give out.

There is no doubt that there must be villages around the oasis.

A shepherd saw them, immediately abandoned his flock, and ran towards the village. There happened to be a "scholar" there, who immediately led the village warriors, quickly mounted their horses, and galloped towards the oasis.

To them, Cesare's mission was an army capable of annihilating them. As Saracens, they were not afraid of losing their lives on the battlefield, but only worried about their wives and children. Fortunately, the Christians did not immediately launch an attack, but instead sent out a young knight, who was ridden by a Saracen. At first, the scholar thought he was a guide, but then he realized something was amiss.

Kamal dismounted, and as he landed, his knees buckled, and he involuntarily leaned forward. Fortunately, Cesar had also dismounted and grabbed his arm, pulling him up.

With Kamal's explanation and guarantee, the scholars reluctantly accepted them. Of course, the other side would still remain wary; every Saracen in the village would stay up all night, armed and ready, until they were far away. But this was not a concern for the Christian knights. Upon seeing the clear lake, they couldn't help but shout with joy. Except for the knights on guard duty, the others dismounted and walked towards the lake. With the help of their squires, they removed their gauntlets and hoods, raised their hands to the cool lake water, and drank heartily.

Then they filled their water sacks and carried them to their mounts to drink. The Saracens, who had been watching them, were slightly relieved. A person's character is often revealed in small things. If these Christian knights were unwilling to waste even the lake water, then there was a high probability that they would not break their previous promise.

The scholar stood by the window. Although others urged him to rest, he simply shook his head. He also saw the disheveled Saracens. Although he might not recognize their identities, their expressions, actions, and clothing revealed that they were not ordinary people. In the Zengid dynasty, men's clothing did not have a clear class distinction, and their prophet Muhammad did not encourage men to wear jewelry or silk, but there were always some ways to highlight the distinction of the powerful.

Strangely, these people all looked as if they had just been tortured; the bloodstains, mutilation, and weakness were impossible to conceal.

Not long ago, Sultan Nur ad-Din's coffin had passed by their vicinity, and needless to say, the scholar guessed that something bad had happened in the city of Apol. After pondering for a long time, he generously agreed when the knights lit a bonfire and sent several attendants to buy food from the villagers.

He then summoned the soldiers and told them to pack their belongings as quickly as possible: “We need to leave here temporarily—we will leave after these Christians and Nur ad-Din’s ministers have left.”

"What?" The soldiers were all taken aback when they heard the scholar say this. "Is it because of those Christians?" one of the more impatient soldiers said. "You mean they will attract their army? Then let's go out now and kill them."

“No,” the scholar said. “What worries me is not these Christians—are you willing to listen to me? If not, then I will leave with my family. But I hope you will follow my arrangements, children, for dark clouds are coming from Apollo.”

The people hesitated for a while, but the scholar had always been highly respected among the Saracens. Even though they were still somewhat reluctant, they all returned to their homes, packed up all the important things, took what they could, and buried what they couldn't.

The Christians left before dawn, silently under the cover of night. The scholars who had been watching them immediately gathered the villagers, who, carrying bundles and baskets, quietly made their way to a rocky mountain near the oasis. The mountain had a large natural crevice, at the end of which was a cave hollowed out by the wind and sand. The cave was large enough that it was not suitable for long-term habitation, but it should be enough to settle down there temporarily.

"How long are we going to stay here?" the scholar's wife asked anxiously. "Until those people come," the scholar said, adding that they still didn't know who the "those people" he was referring to were. But soon, in the afternoon of the next day, a young man who had received a prophetic revelation and had been left behind by the scholar to observe the village returned, pale-faced, trembling, and drenched in sweat.

He was given grape juice to drink, which calmed him down. He told them that at noon, when the sun was at its fiercest, a group of Oghuz Turks came to their village. They found traces left by the Christians by the lake and stormed into the village with weapons. They searched everywhere, shouting and yelling, but thanks to the scholars' warning, everyone left and they found nothing.

In the end, they could only angrily burn down several houses in the village before leaving dejectedly. One can imagine what would have happened if the villagers had stayed.

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After resting, Cesar and his men continued their journey for another day and night. At dawn on the fourth day, they were not far from Damascus, but a powerful pursuing force finally found them and was rushing toward them.

The knights dismounted their Saracens. Their fate, now settled on a sand dune, depended on the outcome of the battle. If the Christians won, they might enter Damascus and find refuge there. But if they lost, the consequences were obvious.

Since the First Lady and the new Sultan Saleh have sent pursuers, it means they no longer consider them trustworthy subjects, and the only fate for the traitors is execution.

Kamal gasped for breath; his eyes had sunken deeply in the past few days, his lips were chapped, and his hair was disheveled.

But there were some things he had to say—"Now, sir, if you find an opportunity, leave on your own. We were never meant to be your responsibility—that's it. You've done something that even a Saracen might not have been able to do, and we will always remember your kindness to us. If... my colleagues and I have a future, we will repay you."

He gazed at César, placed his hands on his chest, and once again lowered his knees, kneeling before the Christian knight's hooves. "All praise be to God, my lord. May we meet again."

Cesar nodded calmly. In fact, as a Christian, he could not possibly order his subordinates and companions to sacrifice themselves for a group of Saracens. They had indeed done more than enough, and once the pursuers were driven away, it might be time for them to truly part ways.

(End of this chapter)