kingdom of nations

Chapter 183 The Messenger of Arslan II (Two chapters combined)
Raymond stared at his son, unable to utter a single word.

A wave of intense frustration washed over him.

Raymond had to admit that he might have made a mistake earlier. After Baldwin was diagnosed with leprosy, he ordered his sons to leave Baldwin and return to his side without hesitation, and strictly forbade them from having any contact with each other again.

He knew his actions were despicable and cruel, and would incur Amalric I's displeasure and even suspicion, but he had to do it. David was not only his son, but also the heir to Tripoli, the continuation of the family bloodline.

And even if he disregarded David's safety and kept him by Baldwin's side, what would he do when Baldwin was expelled from Holy Cross Castle and entered the monastery to become a monk?

If David remained at Holy Cross Castle to participate in the selection ceremony and become a knight, he would be seen as a traitor to his master, an unfaithful man deserving of contempt. But if he stayed with Baldwin—would he also become a monk, isolated and lonely, spending his miserable later years in the hateful and fearful gaze of others?

Raymond didn't have such a noble heart. He believed that although his decision was...despicable, it was only human nature.

But fate always likes to play tricks on mankind. No one would have thought that Amalric I would actually oppose the two major churches of Rome and Alassane for the sake of his son. Not only did he not acknowledge that his son was punished by God, but he also insisted on holding a selection ceremony for him.

Like a carefully crafted prank by the devil, Baldwin, a leper and a sinner destined for hell, was blessed by God. Moreover, the favor he received was so profound and powerful that when Amalric I immediately and proudly restored all his privileges and rights, no one could easily object.

He thought then that David should be returned to Baldwin's side, since the prince had proven that this was not God's punishment, but God's trial.

But who could have imagined that Baldwin's personality was completely different from Amalric I's? He was unwilling to forgive or compromise. He firmly rejected everyone's apologies, keeping only the slave-born servant by his side.

Raymond was angry, but he didn't think there was no way to resolve the matter. After all, Amalric I was in his prime and had married a Byzantine princess. Princess Maria was so young and could have borne Amalric I many more sons, and God's blessing hadn't cured Baldwin. Who would sit on the throne in the future was still uncertain.
But damn it, who could have imagined that an expedition would claim Amalric I's life? Raymond was completely caught off guard, and when he tried to test the young king's feelings, he was met with the same ruthless rejection as before.

He even wanted to question the king: how could he be so willful? Even if Cesare's status was different now, and he was his blood relative, he was still just one person. He didn't have a thousand arms and a thousand eyes. How could he replace all the ministers and generals in the court?
Fortunately, Patriarch Heraclius remained clear-headed. At his urging, Baldwin finally agreed to accept his former companions back, though without the trust and enthusiasm he once had.

David is a good boy with a straightforward and determined nature. He cannot see Baldwin as a monarch like others do, and still longs to rebuild their friendship. He feels frustrated and sad because of Baldwin's estrangement. Raymond has watched this boy grow up, and the few times he has looked sad in the past ten years are because he has been invisibly isolated from Baldwin and Cesar.

For this reason, Raymond had been supporting and encouraging him to get closer to Baldwin. He believed that as long as they spent more time together, Baldwin would eventually remember their past relationship and truly realize that a young man like David was the pillar he could rely on in the future, not a fool like Abigail or a... suspicious person like Cesar.

There are still many speculations in the city of Arrasar about the deaths of Cesar's parents. Raymond has always been firmly on the side of doubt—although 200,000 gold coins is indeed a huge fortune, it is nothing compared to a distinguished family background. He doesn't believe for a second that such a coincidence could happen, and besides, so far no living witness has come forward to testify for Cesar.

But he overlooked one thing: in their long-term relationship, Baldwin could certainly discover how outstanding, devout, and noble his son David was, and David could also be genuinely influenced by both of them.

After his great victory at the Battle of Galilee, Baldwin had become the most revered monarch among the people of Arathi Highlands, and his title had changed from Saint Godfrey to Saint George.

Of course, the knights' favorite was Cesar, who was simply the perfect example of a knight: brave, fearless, humble, devout, generous, and selfless.

He treated everyone—even those who had once been his enemies—with such tolerance and fairness. If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad; he was also so pure and handsome. Just standing there, he was a flawless saintly figure—even though Raymond firmly believed it was just a facade, it still couldn't stop him from being loved by most people, including his foolish son.

David was completely unaware of Cesar's presence. It was difficult for them to stand close to Baldwin and become his confidants. They could only ever be his beasts of burden, tools, and pawns. Baldwin would show them no pity or care, and would never share power with them.

For Raymond, if it were just that, it wouldn't be so bad. He could even accept David distributing all the spoils of war, including the blacksmiths, to his knights. He simply couldn't bear to hear that he was throwing away such a considerable fortune for nothing.

If he followed César's example and distributed his spoils to his subordinates, he could gain their loyalty and affection. But if he let these people go for nothing, what would he get besides a few empty thanks?
Nothing is gained.

If some praise his kindness, others will surely mock him. They will say, "He only released seven blacksmiths; how can he compare to the kings and saints of Arazarus?"
His actions were pointless and would only be ridiculed as a clumsy imitation.

David was puzzled; he didn't quite understand why his father looked so troubled.

Raymond was too lazy to explain to his son. David tried to argue, but Raymond stopped him by raising his hand.

“You are wrong,” he said. “They do not belong to you yet, David. The commander of this expedition is our King Baldwin IV, and all the spoils, prisoners and slaves belong to him. If you want to release them and save these poor people, it should be after Baldwin has given them to you, not now—you are too impulsive.”

David shook his head firmly. "Baldwin will only be happy."

Raymond felt utterly exhausted. "This is the last time I'll teach you, David. He's no longer your friend. A king has no friends, only subjects. Remember this well, every single moment."

Even if he says to you that you are his friend, his brother, and that he is willing to share everything with you, you must never agree—let alone…” He glanced at his son with a hint of sarcasm and said something extremely harsh, “You are no longer his friend.”

To him, you're nothing but a traitor.

----------

"Good news."

"what?"

"Ramoun won a great victory in Tripoli, and Mla was captured."

Baldwin and Cesar were not surprised. After all, Raymond had already screened out all the weaknesses before this expedition, and the Turkic Sultan who had once sheltered Murray was now a stray dog. The outcome of this battle was entirely expected, and it would be strange if they failed.

Baldwin read the letter to Cesar: “They also discovered an iron mine that the Murray had hidden away, and many Christian, Saracen, and Isaac slaves,” he paused slightly. “And in the workshops near the mine, there are seven blacksmiths. It’s a tremendous fortune,” he said, almost to himself.

"In his letter, he said that David fought very bravely. Once, a despicable man shot an arrow at him, but he was not hit. However, his horse died as a result, and people were worried about his life."

Unexpectedly, the young knight leaped to his feet, lifted his mount, and hurled it at the Turks, launching a counter-charge against them.

Upon reading this, a smile appeared on Baldwin's face. He was indeed dissatisfied with David, Abigail, and the others for betraying him, but he also knew that David was not as bad as the other boys.

It could even be said that without him and Cesar, David would have been the most upright and pure among the young knights. David had always felt guilty towards him, and he could almost guarantee that if Raymond had not resolutely stopped him and his father had refused David's request, David would have stayed by his side and followed him to become a monk even after he entered the monastery.

Now, he could no longer be completely open and trusting of David, but he was still willing to regard him as a good relative and subject. He was also very pleased to see his achievements, and he was even prepared to grant Raymond's request to make this place David's fiefdom.

Although David will inevitably inherit Tripoli in the future, Tripoli is not far from this place, separated only by Antioch, and it can also be reached by sea. David can even come here to manage things while Count Raymond of Tripoli is still able to handle government affairs and fight wars, making this enclave a stable foothold for the County of Tripoli.

He picked up the map drawn by César and examined it carefully, comparing it with the map. At the same time, a greedy thought arose in his mind—if they could not only rescue Manuel I of the Byzantine Empire, but also defeat Arslan II of the Sultanate of Rum, would it be possible to carve out a piece of the territory seized by Arslan II and give it to César?

His gaze unconsciously shifted to the eastern side of the Sultanate of Rum, which borders Syria, the reason for their endless conflict—and this area belongs to Cesar, formerly the County of Edessa. He didn't have the ambition to reclaim the entire Edessa for Cesar, but he could at least find a foothold for Cesar—a few cities, or a few fortresses.

He believed that with Cesar's abilities, he could perhaps reclaim his former territory in four or five years, especially now that Abpol was in chaos. Cesar also didn't need to worry too much about Bethlehem, as it was close to Al-Alaska. If Cesar was fighting in Syria, Baldwin could easily manage that small city for him. And by the time Cesar had reclaimed Edessa, he might have already expanded his territory along Al-Alaska significantly—at least as far as Damascus. Then, they could join forces and attack Abpol and Mosul…

Baldwin was lost in thought, completely unaware that he had been silent for quite some time.

"What are you thinking about?" César moved the candle closer to him.

"I'm thinking..." Baldwin pondered for a while, but still didn't tell Cesar about his ambitions—or perhaps because an ominous thought crossed his mind—he might not be able to wait until then.

“I told them to send Mlai here, and then turn onto Yalasa Road.”

"Why not send him directly to Yalasaroo?"

Cesar could completely understand not executing Murray outright, after all, Murray had sworn an oath before the icon and the cross before joining the Knights Templar and becoming one of their "brothers." Later, he not only broke his oath and fled the Knights Templar, but also surrendered to their former enemies and converted to their sect.

Not only that, he became like a dog that had returned to its pack, and began to plunder the pilgrims with impunity, especially those protected by the Knights Templar. His various evil deeds enraged the Knights Templar, and more than one of them swore that if they did not cut off his head, they would fast for a whole year or wear sackcloth.

Many others, such as Walter, believed that they shouldn't have given Mly a quick and easy death. They should have captured him, subjected him to some of the world's most horrific tortures, and then sent him to meet the devil.

Given this, even if there were Templar Knights in Raymond's army, they could not bypass their Grand Master to issue orders, and the Grand Master was unwilling to handle the matter so hastily. Therefore, sending Murray back to Arrasar became a necessary procedure.

But why send him to the king?
“Mrley is an extremely cunning fellow,” Cesar said. “Aren’t you afraid he’ll run away on the way?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. They’ve already pierced his ankles and shoulders with iron spikes. As for why I had them send Murray here, it’s because…” Baldwin chuckled mischievously, “I’ve always wanted Murray to see you in person. He probably still doesn’t know that the person he met back then wasn’t Abigail, the son of the Duke of Antioch.”

Cesar was both amused and exasperated by Baldwin's sudden change of heart. Fortunately, their army was not far from Murray's territory, and Murray was sent to Baldwin IV's camp the next day.

When he saw Cesar standing next to Baldwin, his eyes widened in disbelief. Although it had been six years since he last saw Cesar, the boy was still unforgettable, not to mention that even though he had grown taller and his shoulders had broadened, his jet-black hair and emerald eyes remained unchanged, still so pure.

He had heard before that the heir of Arazarus had a black-haired, blue-eyed servant. But he hadn't connected the two then or now. Mainly because the child he had met before didn't show any of the humility or timidity of a servant or slave.

He acted exactly like a prince.

Murray might have wanted to call out something more, but Baldwin, having seen enough of the horrified look on Murray's face, simply waved his hand, and the servants beside him gagged Murray and dragged him away.

“I’m completely satisfied,” Cesar said.

Baldwin gave Cesar a smug look.

It would certainly be a satisfying thing to be able to pull out Mly, that stubborn and venomous nail.

After that, they captured two more small fortresses and drove out the people from several villages.

This was not because they intentionally allowed their soldiers to commit atrocities. These villages belonged to the Turks, and if the army passed by and left them unattended, these Turks would quickly organize into loose groups to intercept and harass them.

This was not what Cesar wanted, but he had no choice but to accept it, and it was the best result they could get.

In the past, according to the Crusaders' custom, when the flames rose in the village, countless stiff corpses would have already been lying inside. Although their money has been stolen and their houses burned down, at least no one has killed them or captured them to be sold into slavery, which is already considered very lucky.

After the army continued its march for several more days, such situations became less frequent.

Because those villages had already been thoroughly cleansed before them—they had entered the void created by Arslan II of the Sultanate of Rum for the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I.

The springs and wells that had been contaminated have now regained some clarity, so some people still drank the water that had been sprayed with the plague. Fortunately, Cesar had given orders through Baldwin that no one was allowed to drink the unboiled water, and only a few soldiers contracted dysentery.

That was because they ignored advice and drank the water directly, even though it seemed to be of acceptable quality, which didn't have much impact on the entire army.

Meanwhile, they had already engaged in several battles with Arslan II's army, which had been sent by Arslan II to cut off the Byzantine Empire's supply lines. With their assistance, the Byzantine Empire was finally able to reconnect this vital lifeline.

Meanwhile, the crusaders of Arazari also received a large amount of supplies, and Queen Manuel I officially sent envoys with gold and silk to thank the King of Arazari for his righteous act.

Baldwin tried to inquire about Manuel I's situation, mainly wanting to know how many capable generals, cavalry, infantry, and laborers he had in his army of tens of thousands. Had they sent messages to other Byzantines, besides those currently besieged, who needed assistance?
He asked a series of questions, but the messenger stammered, looked bitter, and couldn't say anything.

Baldwin was also deeply frustrated by this situation. He drove away the messenger and then chose a suitable place to stay.

That evening, the governor of a nearby city came to surrender to them. From him, they learned some of the truth and that Arslan II's army was about a day and a night away from where they had ridden.

"Do you think—Does Arslan II know we've arrived?" Baldwin propped his head up with one hand, gazing at the map hanging on one side of the tent by the dim candlelight.

“I think so. We are not far from where Manuel I of Byzantium was besieged.”

When do you think their messengers will arrive?

"It should be in the next day or two."

The next day, the soldiers received a rather strange order: they were to set up more tents. If they didn't have enough tents, they were to use branches to build a rough shape and then cover it with cowhide or horsehide.

At night, they light torches and plant spears near them, letting the sharp blades reflect the light of the flames. When the sun sets and night falls, the entire area is filled with twinkling stars.

At the same time, he demanded a large number of cattle and sheep from the Byzantine caravans, put them in pots and cooked them all night long, and even people hundreds of miles away could smell the enticing aroma.

Therefore, when Arslan II’s messengers set off for King Arrasal’s camp, they could smell the rich fragrance in the air even before they saw his banners and army. When they arrived at the army, they saw tents that covered the entire earth like moss in just a few nights. When they met the king and left, the stars on the ground accompanied them almost the entire way.

The more they looked, the more terrified they became, fearful of King Arazarus's generosity or the wealth of the Byzantine Empire.

How many soldiers did they bring this time? Ten thousand, twenty thousand, or thirty thousand like Manuel I of the Byzantine Empire, or even more?
The envoy's expression turned serious. He didn't dare to stop for a moment, but was in a hurry to return so that he could tell his Sultan the news as soon as possible.

(End of this chapter)