kingdom of nations

Chapter 184: War (1)

We have no way of knowing how the messengers reported this to their Sultan. But according to records found later in a monastery, early on the third day, two more messengers sent by Arslan II appeared before the Crusaders. They were of higher status and more splendid attire, and their demeanor, expression, and words were all more respectful and cautious than the previous two messengers.

They were led into the king's tent. Upon seeing Baldwin, they were astonished by the king's youth. The story of Baldwin IV's victory over Sultan Nur ad-Din of Syria at the Sea of ​​Galilee was already widely known—even though Nur ad-Din was an aging lion, he was not someone a mediocre hyena could defeat.

If he hadn't contracted leprosy and had only lived for a short ten years or so, the sultans, caliphs, or emperors around him would have been tossing and turning, unable to sleep peacefully.

The envoy skillfully concealed the surprise and regret in his eyes, stepped forward, and lavished praise on King Arslan, describing his heroic bearing, generosity, and bravery. Baldwin listened patiently to their remark and returned the compliment by praising Arslan II—not a difficult task, as Arslan II had previously been defeated by Manuel I, but who has the right to laugh when the final victor has the right to do so?

The two envoys then had several more boxes brought in, which were gifts from Arslan II to King Arrasal.

This gift was even more valuable than the one sent by Manuel I's wife, the Queen of Byzantium. The luster of the gold and silk rippled even in the dim light, making it irresistible at first glance.

King Arrasal stepped down from his throne, casually picked up a wine cup, and turned it to examine it. The hunting scene engraved on it, not to mention the value of the gold itself, was worth dozens of gold coins for its craftsmanship.

This is still on Yalasa Road. If it were sent back to the Apennines or Frankfurt, the price would only be higher.

He returned to his seat, politely thanked Arslan II for his hospitality, and then had someone bring out his return gift for Arslan II. Upon seeing the small, pointed, precious metal vessel, jewels, and silk piled up in the same box, the two envoys' expressions immediately changed.

They came with a mission. There was no doubt that Arslan II had no intention of fighting King Arrassal and his Crusaders. In fact, if Manuel I of the Byzantine Empire hadn't exposed his weakness and chaos before the war even began, Arslan II might have felt involuntarily guilty in his presence—as evidenced by his initial agreement to all of Manuel I's conditions.

Unfortunately, Manuel I rejected Arslan's initial peace offer. Clearly, the death of his supposed nephew had completely robbed Manuel I of his former rationality, and some with ulterior motives continued to incite him to war. They might have wanted to profit from the conflict, or they might have intentionally sown discord between Manuel I and Arslan II, or perhaps they simply wanted to seize the opportunity for plunder, rape, or murder to build their own prestige.

But regardless of which method they used, they achieved their goal.

Arslan II hadn't expected his victory to come so easily. Although he hadn't severely damaged Manuel I's main army, he had destroyed the very foundation upon which they could attack the city—without the siege equipment that required time, money, and manpower to build, what would they do even if they reached the city walls? Climb up like monkeys?
Not to mention that these instruments represent the culmination of nearly fifty years of Byzantine accumulation. They might be able to create new instruments, but Manuel I was no longer young, and he could not wait until the new instruments were completed.

No, it should be said that even the current Manuel I is no longer the mighty and invincible emperor he was ten years ago. The attack on his army did put him at a temporary disadvantage, but he outnumbered Arslan II. He could have urged his generals to order his soldiers to hold their ground and then launch a counterattack. In fact, at that time, some Byzantine nobles did lead their soldiers to repel the Turks.

But the emperor's decree caught up with them, ordering them to return to their camp. Tens of thousands of men then retreated to the abandoned castle and made no move for a long time, neither attempting to break out nor launch an attack, nor even reinforcing the castle or building fortifications.

The Turkic generals had long since discovered that everyone in this nearly collapsed military fortress seemed to have their own ideas. Some held their ground in one place, some drank and made merry, some patrolled around, and some wanted to leave on their own. Of course, those who disregarded Manuel I's orders and broke away from the army were quickly surrounded by Arslan II's army. Their generals were captured, and their soldiers were killed.

Arslan II even deliberately surrounded one or two armies that were clearly led by Byzantine nobles, hoping they could lure Manuel I out of the castle, but he was unsuccessful.

Arslan II was about the same age as Manuel I of the Byzantine Empire, only a year or two younger. This may have been Manuel I's last expedition, or it may have been his own.

He clearly realized that if he did not seize this rare opportunity to eliminate Rum Sultan's greatest enemy, there might never be another chance.

He also knew that Manuel I had sent letters to his allies, from Hungary and Serbia to the Christian countries of the Holy Land. Arslan II believed that the former two would only gloat and take advantage of the situation, while the Crusaders would not be much of a hope either.

After all, the Crusader knights were far more known for their profit-seeking than for their commitment to keeping their oaths.

He was astonished when he heard that the King of Arrassal had responded to Manuel I's plea for help and led a large army toward him.

He then remembered that there was also a Grand Duke of Antioch in Manuel I's army, and if he were to step forward, the Crusaders' sudden generosity would be understandable.

At first, he didn't take this reinforcement seriously. Not long ago, the Crusaders who came to conquer Mullai suffered a great defeat here. They came in a large force, full of fighting spirit, but fled in disarray, their armor and weapons discarded, and they had become a joke among the Turks and Saracens.

Having suffered such heavy losses, how many troops could they possibly muster?

But the two messengers who returned to the Sultan said that the tents and torches they saw told them that at least tens of thousands of people were stationed there, or more, but certainly not fewer.

On the third day, he sent two of his most trusted ministers to negotiate peace with the King of Arazarus, granting them considerable power. This power allowed them to negotiate with the King of Arazarus on behalf of the Sultan, stipulating that if the King of Arazarus agreed to turn back, he would bear all the costs of the expedition and provide further rewards.

Therefore, the gifts brought by these two envoys were not merely a simple exchange between monarchs, but also served as a "deposit." However, the King of Arrassal returned gifts of equal or even greater value, indicating that he did not agree to Arslan II's request for peace.

“What if we release your Archduke of Antioch instead of killing Manuel I?” the envoy asked tentatively. Baldwin refused them almost without hesitation: “We all know what happens to the Byzantine emperor if he causes too much damage on the battlefield and incurs the discontent of his ministers and the people.”

In the history of the Byzantine Empire, there are precedents for what happens to emperors who fail to convince their enemies—according to Byzantine tradition, they are blinded, stripped of their fine robes, banished from the palace, exiled to a monastery, or banished outside the city.

Those who accompanied Manuel I on this expedition were the most prominent nobles in the city. If they and their soldiers were unable to return to Constantinople, and only Manuel I returned, his opponents would surely swarm in and tear him to shreds.

If that's the case, what difference is there between him staying here and being killed by the Turks, and returning to Constantinople and being killed by the angry mob?

They were nominally there for Bohemond, but everyone tacitly knew they were there for the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I.

“I saw your military camp, which has endless hills, and your soldiers are like trees rooted in these hills, covering the mountains and fields, countless in number.”

We also have a vast camp, as numerous as the sea, and our soldiers are as plentiful as the fish in the ocean. The Sultan did not make this suggestion out of fear of you; he hoped that the two monarchs could reach a peaceful agreement, rather than needlessly sacrificing his own and his soldiers' lives.”

“Please go back and tell your Sultan,” Baldwin said in his usual calm and unhurried tone, “I also believe that the two monarchs should base their peace talks on friendship, but our contradictions already exist and cannot be eliminated—since that is the case, since we have come to such a close place, we should fight each other like two beasts to prove who is the leader here.”

I want to meet him on the battlefield.

"If we win, ask him to withdraw his troops and allow Manuel I to return with his army. If you win, we will leave this place immediately and pay the ransom for me and my knights."

His promise made both messengers hesitate. Arslan II did not want to fight the Crusaders, and they had already seen that the Crusaders were not at a disadvantage, at least in terms of numbers. However, Baldwin IV's attitude was very firm, so they could only thank him hastily and return with the gifts from the King of Arathi Basin.

A few days later, Arslan II's messengers arrived again, the same two men as before. However, they brought with them a letter written in Arslan II's own handwriting.

Arslan II agreed to Baldwin's terms, but also made his own demands.

First, he limited the number of troops, since he couldn't possibly mobilize all his forces for this war. If he did, Manuel I and his army, still in the castle, would have seen an opening and broken out.

Secondly, the two commanders-in-chief of this war could only be Baldwin IV and Arslan II.

Third, before the war began, he requested a meeting with Baldwin.

This demand, of course, aroused unanimous opposition from the Crusader commanders.

They believed that a king could die on the battlefield, but not in a conspiracy. They even mentioned another monarch named Arslan.

He was a leader who could strike fear into the hearts of his enemies, but his death was rather comical.

He successfully defeated the enemy in a battle and captured their general. But this general was not one to accept his fate. When the soldiers brought him before the Sultan, he struggled and broke free from their restraints, drew a sword from beside them, and charged at the Sultan.

The sultan was very skilled in archery, so he signaled the guards to step back and drew his bow to shoot the pathetic assassin. But to everyone's surprise, he lost his footing and fell, and his prisoner took the opportunity to stab him in the chest with a short sword.

He died from his injuries four days later, and people felt sorry for him. Even he himself couldn't help but laugh at himself.

He said, “When I was young, a wise man advised me to be humble and cautious, not to be overconfident in my own strength, and not to underestimate any insignificant enemy. But I ignored these valuable words and put them to the back of my mind. Sure enough, I paid a heavy price for it. Just four days ago, I was still riding my horse, looking down on my army that could make the whole world tremble. Now I am paying the price for my negligence and dying a worthless death.”

Baldwin and Cesar had heard of him long ago, long ago, when Heraclius was teaching them, he had repeatedly mentioned this king who died because of his vanity and recklessness, as a warning to Baldwin that he might one day become the king of Arathal.

Baldwin's generals and ministers mentioned this man again because they feared that if the king accepted the Sultan's invitation, he would not be greeted with an honest embrace, but rather with a treacherous arrow when he entered the tent.

But as always, Baldwin did not take any of their advice, so they turned to persuade Cesar, especially Raymond.

(End of this chapter)