kingdom of nations

Chapter 248 Gold Coins
Berian of Ibelin breathed a slight sigh of relief upon seeing this and slowly returned to his seat. Fortunately, many nobles had left their seats and moved closer to the wall to watch the jousting between Cesar and William Marshall, so his movement was neither abrupt nor conspicuous.

But... he couldn't help but look at Raymond, who had a cold expression, not far away. He was an elder who had once been respected, submitted to, and loved by countless knights. When and what had twisted him into the way he was now?
Is it power?

Berion felt a pang of sorrow. Compared to the other rough and careless knights, perhaps because he was originally just the second son and did not have the power and status that came with birth, Berion was more sensitive than others.

Especially as the Countess of Jaffa's brother-in-law, he witnessed or experienced various conspiracies on several occasions. Not to mention that when the Countess of Jaffa found that she could not completely sever her kinship with her daughter and stood by Baldwin's side, she entrusted him to protect Baldwin as a subject and a relative.

Even without such a request, Baldwin would have been willing to serve Baldwin, though they were not related by blood. Baldwin was an impeccable Crusader commander, a young but rational, brave and benevolent king, a noble man no less than Godfrey of Bouillon. They had once lamented his leprosy, but now it was the least significant flaw in him.

He should perhaps seek a letter from the king after the tournament concludes, granting him the authority of a special envoy so he can make more contact with the knights from England.

To outsiders, it was just a suggestion made on a whim.

But if William Marshall and Cesar don't handle things well, or if one of them is already famous and the other has a distinguished record, and if either of them is even slightly unwilling or competitive, they could turn this battle into another new war between the Franks and England.

Most maliciously, Raymond suggested that they not be allowed to pray for God's blessings or the favor of saints. This meant that whichever side lost, they could not blame it on fate.

After all, Jacob was the only one who could fight against angels.

When someone defeats their opponent through their bravery, people will inevitably laugh at the loser.

But if one side wins under God's blessing, the losing side will not necessarily be ashamed. God's blessing is not affected or shaken by human thoughts. If William Marshall had lost to Cesar and Baldwin, people would have said that there was nothing that could be done about it—who can defy the will of God?
But Raymond had already said that they should fight with their human flesh and blood and with unwavering will, which meant that if either William Marshall or Cesar were to lose, the reputation of the loser would be severely damaged.

William Marshall had a longer-term vision—if that were the case, the best-case scenario would be that an irreconcilable conflict would erupt between the English and Frankish knights before the expedition even began, and perhaps the English knights would angrily leave along with William Marshall—the worst-case scenario would be that they would endure it.

But this problem was not eliminated; it was merely hidden. If they encountered a crisis like that of the Second Crusade, they would not only be unable to help or rescue each other, but would also gloat and even watch helplessly as their companions and allies fell into trouble.

It is quite rare for two knights who are equally famous, equally young, and equally favored by the kings to reach an agreement so quickly. In addition to reaching an agreement, they are also expected to give the audience a thrilling battle to appease their dissatisfaction.

At the bustling tournament, there were certainly many intelligent people, but even more foolish ones. If they thought that William Marshall and Cesar were deliberately trying to draw, thus tarnishing the old knight's honor, and then shouted that out loud, they would be making a fool of themselves.

But even as night falls, people are still excitedly discussing, while enjoying a sumptuous meal, how they managed to deliver that final blow.
In the horse duel, the two sides galloped on their horses. In the brief moment of their encounter, being able to hit the other's vitals was already a sign of superb skill. They even tried to pierce the thin shaft with the tip of their spears. They had all seen it. They had indeed not prayed. Even though those who are blessed are always stronger than others in various aspects, which knight here had not been chosen by a saint?

In the final days, several knights attempted to recreate that final blow, but none of them succeeded.

However, some rumors still circulated from the military camp, and Cesar and William could only meet a few more times and drink together—under their control, they finally nipped some bad ideas in the bud among the Franks and English knights.

"Now I finally understand why Richard only wants war. At least now I can't wait to head to Damascus."

After calming the dispute between the two knights over whose squire had used the barrel first, William Marshall, exhausted, said that he could no longer maintain the demeanor and bearing expected of a knight and lord, and lay down stiffly on a sunny slope.

At this time, the vegetation has begun to flourish, birds are singing, butterflies are fluttering, and above them is a clear, bright blue sky.

They reminded him of the young king's eyes, "Don't tell me you've been experiencing things like this all along."

“Arrassa Road will only be more chaotic than London,” Cesar said, then lay down next to William. He was equally exhausted, but there were too few people they could trust here.

Raymond and Bohemond have been operating in Arrassa Road for decades, and their familiarity with the Holy City even surpasses that of their own country. No one knows how many people have already joined their side. They may still be loyal to the Flanders family, but Raymond and David are also related to Baldwin by blood, and Bohemond's son may become the father of the Arrassa Road heir.

They may not be evil people, nor have their souls been corrupted by power. They simply acted and judged according to their usual habits. Cesar could not criticize them, but he dared not casually pull any of them to his side to complete the tasks entrusted to him by the king.

Perhaps things will improve in a few years, when Baldwin has an heir—whether through marriage or family ties. Once that happens, the courtiers will inevitably gravitate towards the king, for an heir means their ship won't capsize inexplicably, leaving them with nothing. It may sound pragmatic, but everyone is driven by the same desire.

Aside from the young man beside him, William thought, those people were jealous of the king's trust and affection for him. Indeed, even William Marshall was never cherished by Henry II as another version of himself. But to be honest, if they could achieve what Cesar did, they too could be treated differently by the king. So why didn't they do it?
A tiny white butterfly fluttered over, circled them a few times, and finally chose William Marshall's nose. William Marshall chuckled and lowered his eyes to watch the little white wings fluttering in front of him. He didn't disturb the butterfly, nor did he try to catch it. He just waited for it to get tired of it and fly away on its own.

But upon closer reflection, even William Marshall couldn't have done what Cesar did for Baldwin—those people were probably just annoyed that he raised the bar for loyalty to such a high level.

Originally, as long as they did not publicly humiliate or slander the king, did not refuse to fulfill their vassal obligations, did not refuse to pay tribute, and did not harbor criminals pursued by the king, they could be considered good subjects.

It could even be said that when the king was weak, some subjects might refuse to fulfill their obligations, pay tribute, or even rebel. Except for the latter, they would rarely face severe punishment. Some, even if they rebelled, might only need the ringleader to relinquish power and retire to a monastery as punishment; their lands would still belong to their sons, and their name and bloodline would continue.

No one can deny that César's current status—whether in the hearts of the people or in the heart of the king—is something he earned through his courage, honor, and even his life.

At first, they could say it was because of his humble origins that he had no choice but to use these flattering methods to prove his loyalty. But after he was confirmed as the heir to the County of Edessa and became the ruler of Cyprus, these arguments gradually disappeared amidst people's objections.

Not to mention that he was clean-living, upright, and never humiliated, tortured, or slaughtered innocent people—whether they were Christians, Saracens, or Isaacs—nor did he ever disrupt the city's economy by arbitrarily raising taxes, minting inferior currency, or issuing numerous charters and franchises.

Moreover, he is willing to listen to everyone's voice.

What people talk about most is that on the road to Alaska and in Bethlehem, if you see a knight with black hair and blue eyes riding a white horse—if you have truly been wronged, you can go up to him, stop his horse, and appeal to him. He will patiently listen to your story, investigate, and then give a judgment. His judgment is impartial, and when dealing with the poor, he will even reduce the punishment accordingly so that they will not be ruined all at once.

He would even use his own money to cover the fines, can you imagine?
One businessman said this with a tone full of amazement, while another businessman interrupted him dismissively, “You should listen to what the Cypriots have to say—he’s actually reduced and exempted taxes, and that decimal system and the new numerals were all invented by him for those poor people who don’t know how to count past ten—now the serfs in Cyprus aren’t so easy to fool.”

He said with some regret, and everyone burst into laughter, teasing him and telling him to stop doing that, otherwise the knight would hang him from a tree and whip him a few times.

"So what? I'm not one of those Isaac dogs," the merchant said nonchalantly. "They're the ones who're the most anxious. They're like they have a fire on their tails, constantly running around. They even sent very valuable gifts to the lord and his wife through intermediaries, you know that?"
It was a golden crown, adorned with blooming roses, each petal a ruby—any one of which could have been plucked and worn on a bishop's finger. But they were not only severely reprimanded, but the crown was also publicly returned.

"Was it returned? Why was it returned?" In this era, there is no such thing as receiving payment and having to give a corresponding response.

Those in power have the power of life and death over the lower classes—this includes not only serfs and servants, but also merchants, artisans, and even soldiers. They can hang them or confiscate their property at any time.

They offered gifts, but this was not a contract. Cesar could have taken the gifts and still refused their service, or gone back on his word at any time.

"It's said that the Isaacs have offered 50,000 gold coins a year just for the right to collect taxes."

“Oh, that’s a lot of money,” a merchant exclaimed in surprise. Genoa’s total annual income last year was only 60,000 gold coins, which meant that the Cypriots of Isaac were willing to use the income of an entire country to buy out the taxes that the people of Cesar had to pay.

“I don’t believe they were acting out of goodwill—even to the lords of Cyprus, those despicable Isaacs never do anything that doesn’t benefit them.”

"Isn't that right? I heard they're buying a newly minted Cypriot coin for three Roman gold coins. How heavy is the newly minted coin?"

"It weighs about one-tenth of an ounce (about 3.2 grams)," the most richly dressed merchant among the crowd answered loudly. He proudly took out a small cloth bag, untied it, and then took out a small reliquary from it. Finally, he opened the reliquary and took out a gold coin from it, one of the newly minted ones by Cesare.

Before he left Cyprus, Dandolo quickly sent the design, size, and weight requirements to Venice and had a batch of coins made as soon as possible. These coins were not circulated but were given as gifts to the public. It is unknown how the merchant obtained them, but they certainly caused a stir.

People in the tavern rushed over to watch. Seeing the growing crowd, the merchant quickly picked up a chain and threaded it through the pre-drilled hole in the gold coin—wearing it as an ornament like the women in the Sultan's harem. He put the chain around his neck, still holding the gold coin in his hand, allowing people to look but not touch or get too close. This caused a chorus of boos, but there were simply too many curious people. Even the tavern owner brought a torch and planted it high up.

In the firelight, the gold coin shimmered with an even more coveted luster.

(End of this chapter)