kingdom of nations

Chapter 188 Search
Arslan II kept his promise. His army withdrew from the main route, and even when they occasionally encountered wandering light cavalry, they simply reined in their horses and watched them pass by indifferently.

Soon after, they rescued a group of soldiers who were besieged by the Turks. Upon closer questioning, they learned that they were the guards of a provincial governor's finance officer.

When the official saw Baldwin, his eyes lit up with hope, tinged with fear. He clutched Baldwin's robe tightly, prostrated himself on the ground, and wept and pleaded, "Go quickly, the Emperor, the Emperor is waiting for you..."

Unbeknownst to the official, several riots had already broken out in the castle since he left, due to insufficient supplies.

Manuel I had lost his original confidence. He was no longer obsessed with avenging his nephew, or rather, his illegitimate son, nor did he yearn to snatch that delicious piece of meat from Arslan II's mouth. He was sick, very sick. He had headaches and was always having hallucinations, as if he could see some figures with weapons walking around him. He would always shout and yell at midnight or in the afternoon, causing a great commotion among the people.

The emperor wanted his guards to escort him out of the siege, but the nobles around him disagreed. They believed that Manuel I should stay and continue fighting Arslan II, at least to free the besieged troops. Although they had suffered heavy losses in the previous battle of the valley, fortunately, these men belonged to the Grand Duke of Antioch—the Byzantine army had suffered almost no losses.

In other words, if Manuel I could rally, they might be able to turn the tide and win. They also had to persevere—otherwise, this campaign would become a hole that would need to be filled for over a hundred years.

Even though supplies had long been cut off, they could still plunder and obtain food—they could also hire and recruit Armenians or Turks from the surrounding area—this place did not belong to Arslan II before, and perhaps some people would be willing to remain loyal to and follow their original lord.

But no matter what they said, the emperor simply pressed his head down and remained silent, and none of them dared to make a decision on behalf of Manuel I.

When Baldwin led his army to the castle, he found only a group of dejected Byzantine officials and generals, as well as a gloomy-looking Grand Duke of Antioch.

"Where is your emperor?" Baldwin asked. A Byzantine official moved his lips slightly, as if he wanted to say something but found it difficult to speak. He avoided Baldwin's gaze, and the others lowered their heads as well. Finally, only Grand Duke Bohemond of Antioch stepped forward. He was not a likable man, but now his face was so pale that even his enemies would pity him.

“He’s not here,” he said. “Manuel I is not here. He secretly took some men and ran away the night before you arrived. As for where he is now, we don’t know.”

This answer completely surprised Baldwin. He looked around, seemingly finding it hard to accept the fact. Even if the more than 10,000 men of the Grand Duke of Antioch were gone, there were still more than 20,000 men here. Even if supplies were cut off, this force was still not to be underestimated. In fact, if they were used properly, their will to survive could be aroused, and they could fight back with all their might, or get rid of the harassment and control of the Turks, or even negotiate with Arslan II again.

Then what did he hear? He heard the Grand Duke of Antioch say that Manuel I had abandoned his ministers, generals, nobles, and tens of thousands of soldiers, and fled with only a few people.

He didn't want to use the word "escape." But it was hard to describe Manuel I's behavior at this moment without that word. He even began to doubt whether Manuel I's previous glorious military achievements were all fabricated. Even if you put one monkey here, ten thousand monkeys could at least scratch those Turks a few marks.

Before leading his army into battle, Manuel I was so bold and confident that he even rejected Arslan II's repeated pleas for peace, determined to crush this unruly vassal under his feet.

How could he suddenly lose all the courage and boldness a monarch should have, and become so muddleheaded and dull?

But no matter how puzzled Baldwin was, the facts were there, and he couldn't care less about saying anything more to these desperate and angry people. "Can you find any trace of him?"

“We’re not sure.” A Byzantine general stepped forward. His cloak was adorned with a piece of brightly colored purple silk, and his lapel was inlaid with pearls and rubies, suggesting he had some connection to the royal family.

He showed Baldwin great respect, bowing first before saying, "The tracks of so many men are hard to hide. We probably know where they went, but we're not sure where they are or whether they've broken through the Turkic encirclement."

If you wish to pursue them, I can send a guide to lead the way.

“Bring him here,” Baldwin said. They were already here. Whether Manuel I had suddenly become a fool or a madman or not, they had to find him. The guide was reassuring; he wasn’t a Turk or a Saracen, but a Byzantine guard who had served the Sultan here and was familiar with the terrain. When Cesare produced the map, he immediately recognized their location and the direction Manuel I might be heading. With the guide and map, they quickly reached a river flowing from a dark gray fir forest. A knight used his lance to lift a piece of milky-white silk stranded on the bank; the bloodstains on it seemed to foreshadow misfortune.

But the fact that it's not purple is already a great comfort.

Before they could even hesitate to enter the dense forest, a group of Byzantine cavalrymen charged out from behind the hills on one side, pursued by a group of Turks who rushed over with ecstatic joy at the sight of the knights of Arrasar.

Needless to say, after dealing with their pursuers, Baldwin asked them if they were the same group who had broken out with Manuel I. Yes, they were that group, but unfortunately, they couldn't find any gaps in the Turkic territory. Instead, they were discovered by the Turks before they had gone very far. A battle ensued, and because of this, their group quickly scattered in the darkness. He only vaguely saw Manuel I's mount rush into the dense forest.

Baldwin sighed deeply. This dense forest was exceptionally vast, with a river running through it. This meant that there might be wetlands and swamps within the forest, and in such an uninhabited place, there would be no paths for people or horses to traverse; in some places, it was even impossible to ride a horse through.

Baldwin pondered for a moment, but ultimately made a reluctant decision. They were to enter the dense forest to search for Manuel I. In order to find the emperor as quickly as possible, they decided to split up temporarily—a knight brought them several eagle whistles, which could produce a sharp and long sound; anyone who encountered enemies or Manuel I would blow the whistle.

The group entered the fir forest. At first, they were able to ride their horses forward, but soon they had to leave the horses by the river and a few knights to guard them. Some people advised Baldwin to stay outside, but unfortunately, it was none other than...

"It is 150,000 gold coins and 100 purple silk robes."

Baldwin said that everyone around immediately turned their heads away and tried to suppress their laughter. Even the Byzantine looked like he couldn't help but laugh. If the Crusaders went to war for faith, the only thing they could do was to help the Grand Prince Antioch. If the Byzantine Empire wanted their emperor, they could only pay money.

The price they agreed on was 150,000 gold coins and 100 purple silk robes, not including gifts.

"And Cesar is with me." This was the real reason that convinced people. Only Bohemond showed a half-smile, but when the teams were divided, he followed Baldwin. After all, Manuel I was still his in-law and sovereign.

What happened next is hard to say whether it was the emperor's good fortune or theirs. Before darkness fell, in the afterglow of the setting sun, they saw the gold ornaments reflecting the sunlight.

Then I heard faint shouts.

Baldwin immediately put the eagle whistle in his mouth and blew it. He didn't stay put; instead, he led Cesar straight towards the direction the sound came from. Cesar followed closely, pressing his hand against Baldwin for added protection. No one knew whether they were facing Byzantines in dire need of rescue or Turks lying in wait.

Without any archers, they passed through the tangled branches and found themselves suddenly facing a clearing, revealing a fairly typical forest landscape.

This place must have originally been a depression, possibly formed after a giant tree was struck by lightning, burned, or felled by insects. Rainwater quickly accumulated in this depression, and thick green algae soon grew in the water. Tiny plants grew on the algae, making it look like a flat open space.

As time went by, moisture continued to erode the surrounding soil, causing the swamp to grow larger and larger.

Some people were still able to cling to the dead trees and vines on the edge of the swamp and wriggle towards the edge with difficulty. Others could only barely raise their heads so that their mouths and noses were above water. Some people left behind only their clothes floating on the surface of the water. Among them, the most eye-catching was a deep purple cloak with gold trim. Even though it was stained with mud and water, the soft luster of the silk was still so alluring. And on the gold trim, there were pearls the size of a little finger.

Without a doubt, its owner must have been Manuel I.

(End of this chapter)