kingdom of nations

Chapter 259 Saladin's Day (Part 2) - Double Update
Although they could not summon the young man, whom even their father praised highly, to be their teacher, Saladin's children still received an education no less than that of any caliph or sultan's son.

After finishing their meal, they cleaned themselves under the care of the eunuchs, and then went to the large room next door to listen to the lesson.

The teacher who gave the lectures was one of the scholars that Saladin had specially brought back from Damascus when he went north to meet them. They were lucky. Even Saladin did not expect that the foundation laid by Nur ad-Din would collapse in such a short time, and that his three sons would be so foolish.

It can be said that if it weren't for someone as astute and adaptable as Kamal who had included the Crusader envoy team in his plans from the outset, few of these ministers would likely have survived.

Even so, they suffered a great deal in prison, and some even suffered irreparable harm as a result.

For example, this teacher might never be able to stand up again in his life. Therefore, Saladin granted him special permission to travel in a sedan chair to any place he wanted, even his palace and castle.

However, the minister did not become arrogant because of this permission. Before each class, he would make a special trip to see the Sultan to report on the three boys' learning progress and the content of the upcoming lessons.

Saladin trusted the scholar quite a bit, but out of a father's sense of responsibility and respect for a teacher, he listened carefully to the scholar's plan and picked out one or two points that he hoped the scholar could correct. The teacher, upon hearing his words, showed a rare look of difficulty.

"Your actions remind me of our guiding light, Sultan Nur ad-Din, who also believed that even enemies should be given due respect and preferential treatment. But the problem is that you have not yet achieved as much as he has – while some of your opponents have emerged, many more remain hidden within your court, army, and countryside."

I think those who are still wavering might prefer to see a more radical and daring successor—they are still children, and can act recklessly as they please.”

Saladin pondered for a moment, but ultimately shook his head. "I understand my children, and unfortunately, they lack the ability to match their ambition and courage."

The teacher's face showed surprise. He already knew that Saladin had been disappointed by the three children's behavior during the visit of Sinan, the leader of the Assassins. That's why he planned to include as much physical and martial training as possible in the new curriculum, but now Saladin thought it wasn't a good idea.

"It's not a bad thing for a person to be cautious and take things one step at a time when walking on the road."

If he weren't riding a fine horse, wearing iron boots, and carrying a torch or sword, it would be normal for him to fear thorns, the scorching sun, wolves, and even the long journey. Although I am disappointed, I won't demand that they do work they are not capable of. Although I only have three children now that are grown, if God calls me back to Paradise ahead of time, their current timidity will serve as reassuring evidence.

If you incite their competitive spirit, or even their ambition, it's like putting a horse's hooves on a goat; they might gallop like the wind. But neither their intellect nor their methods will be compatible. At that point, either the country they've dragged along will fall apart, or they themselves will suffer broken bones.

All you need to do now is take it step by step, nurturing them into virtuous people, devout believers, humble warriors. I may not need them to have great courage or any particular strength.

He thought of his eldest son—Sarazan boys, like Christians, would enter temples between the ages of nine and twelve to seek the attention of prophets through meditation and receive revelations from them. Saladin had met Anyub, a prophet sanctified by mercy, but not Daud (David) or Suleimanai (Solomon)—so people had always questioned his ability as a king.

He didn't have high hopes for his children either, since they hadn't shown anything particularly special. And for Egypt, or perhaps more territories to come, a mediocre, conservative ruler was actually a good thing.

"If you are worried about the Crusaders and those brothers who have betrayed us, all I can say is that I will do my best to complete the unfinished work of Nurdin in my lifetime, and you don't need to worry about that."

This statement was somewhat harsh. The teacher, supported by the eunuch, quickly knelt and begged Saladin for forgiveness. However, Saladin's words were entirely heartfelt. He was not only answering the teacher but also himself, for admitting that his child was merely average was a difficult choice, even for Saladin.

But so what? He was only forty-one years old. As long as he didn't suffer the same misfortune as Amalric I, he would have at least another twenty or thirty years to fight on the battlefield. He also believed that he wouldn't face many enemies, except for Baldwin, the king of Arathi High, the commander of the Crusaders. But he was unfortunate; the life of that young monarch was destined to have a clear dividing line.

Although it was said he might live to be thirty, in reality... Saladin had also read books about lepers. The young king could only last another ten years at most.

For the five or six years before he went to his grave, he would inevitably be confined to his sickbed, unable to stand up again, raise his banner, and wield his sword to fight the Saracens. Moreover, his castle was not so peaceful. His sister had been married to Abigail, the son of Bohemond, the Grand Prince of Antioch, for several years, but apart from giving birth to a stillborn child, no news had come out.

Baldwin—being a leper—seems to have no intention of marrying and having children, and he may not even be able to. What's even more strange is that the first to announce good news was Cesare, who had only married six months prior. If Cesare's Venetian wife gives birth to a boy, a bloody upheaval will surely erupt within Castel Santa Croce.

Saladin always scorned the love stories written by poets. How could a fearless warrior be influenced by a woman bound by heavy restrictions? Unless she was a devil, it was impossible, and he himself acted accordingly. He respected his principal wife, but he also had many concubines. These concubines were not objects of Saladin's affections; to him, they were merely vessels for producing children.

But for that emotionally charged young man, a wife might be different. He first held a seven-day funeral for his first wife, Princess Anna of Byzantium, which moved and saddened half the island.

Afterward, he implemented new tax laws for his second wife and appointed Venetians as her tax collectors. Saladin also disliked the Isaacs, but he knew that it would not be easy to carry out reforms in a strange place that affected the interests of many people.

These reforms were often accompanied by bloodshed and loss of life. For example, before the death of the last Caliph al-Aid, he had already ordered the monks in the temples to change the original orthodox rituals to traditional ones. In addition, he replaced a large number of officials in the original Fatimid court with people he considered loyal and trustworthy, such as those he had brought from Damascus.

It's laughable in retrospect, but back then, people were advising him that with Nur ad-Din dead, leaderless, and in chaos, his sudden entry into this vortex would do nothing but harm. But upon receiving Kamal's letter, Saladin didn't hesitate, leading three thousand knights day and night to the agreed-upon location.

But look, the rewards these people are giving him now are unimaginable to others. They don't seem to have brought him any money or army, but these people, like Kamal, are born into various powerful families—Raka, Idlib, Apol, Deir ez-Zor, Hama, Homs… They all have relatives, friends, and students. Each of them is like a spider, with crisscrossing threads on their bodies, and the slightest pull will unleash a tremendous force.

Since he moved the capital to Cairo, these people have been writing letters and even going to the city in person to persuade those who are virtuous, talented, and have received prophetic revelations to serve Saladin, which has helped him support the Ayyubid dynasty.

This would allow him to have no worries and could easily remove those sycophantic and deceitful people from their positions without causing chaos in the country.

In a small hall to the side, he discussed the cost of the expedition with several ministers. Of course, the problems that King Arrassal had to consider and agonize over were not exempt from the concerns of the Sultan of Egypt.

Moreover, in the years prior, although Egypt was wealthy enough, rebellions broke out in several places, leading to the interruption of tax revenue. Although Saladin was not a person who enjoyed extravagance, his Saladin Castle was still a considerable expense.

He also intended to reform the military system—at a previous military parade, the Sultan displayed his 147 square formations to the world, drawing admiration and envy from countless people. But only Saladin himself knew that he could not completely control this army, as a large portion of it still consisted of Saracen troops from the Fatimid era and Armenian mercenaries.

The former, because of their beliefs, never willingly submitted to his rule, while the latter required more money to be bought off. Would Saladin have been willing? Of course not. Why not use that money to feed those insatiable hyenas instead of those willing to be loyal to him?

His army was inherited from his uncle, the Kurdish cavalry, and also included some Turkmen soldiers brought from Zanjad. In addition, there were the well-known Ghulam—an army whose name comes from the Persian word Ghulam, meaning trained slaves, while in the Saracen world they were known as Mamluks.

Most of the Mamluks were Turks, but there were also Greeks, Egyptians, Caucasians, and Slavs. They were mostly brought there by captives and had different beliefs. After a series of selections by merchants, markets, and buyers, the "raw materials" they could obtain were of very high quality.

They were strong, agile, and intelligent—one of Saladin's biggest expenditures was buying slaves. There were originally some free men or mercenaries among the Mamluks, but Saladin didn't trust them; he preferred to promote soldiers from his own slaves—and like all slaves, everything they owned belonged to Saladin, who gave them everything they wanted.

They were fiercely loyal to Saladin and were skilled warriors—they also began training at the age of nine and decided their future path at sixteen—whether to continue as ordinary slaves in the estates or workshops, or to become warriors.

Generally speaking, this distinction can be made in the fifth year.

Because in the fifth year, the boy selected can receive his first weapon—a hammer; in the sixth year, he can receive armor and a silk robe; and at the age of sixteen, he can join the army and own his own horse.

Saladin was overjoyed whenever he saw them. Unfortunately, he could only take about two thousand Mamluks with him on this expedition—these were the few years he could truly act freely, and these children were the first to come to his side.

"So, should we hire even more Kurds and Turkmen?"

“It seems that’s the only way for now,” Saladin said. “But it’s not a big problem.” He drank some water. Just then, a monk came to remind him that it was time for the noon prayer. The noon prayer was around 12:30 p.m., when everyone rose to cleanse themselves and then knelt on the carpet to silently read four passages of scripture.

After the recitation of the scriptures, some other ministers came to have lunch with Saladin. For the ministers, this was both an honor and a torment, because Saladin was essentially holding meetings during the meal, discussing political and military affairs with them. They had to eat while anxiously awaiting the Sultan's inquiries, and everything tasted like cardboard, their stomachs churning. One minister was even pressed by Saladin's questions to the point that he almost vomited on the spot.

Therefore, during such lunch meetings, those who knew Saladin's temperament would try to eat only small bites as a formality, while Saladin could eat heartily without any distractions.

He enjoyed mixing rice with milk, stewing mutton, and frying pork chops. Sometimes he would also eat thin pancakes filled with meat. He ate cheese and fruit, as this was the season for figs, melons, and peaches to ripen. Of course, there was also jam and preserves. Thanks to the unlimited supply from Cyprus, the castle chefs became increasingly adept at making jam, and even the ministers whose minds were not on it couldn't help but praise it frequently.

In the afternoon, other sultans or caliphs would choose to listen to music, or invite poets or scholars to recite poems and tell stories to relax.

Saladin, who even used his mealtimes, wouldn't waste time like that. In the morning, he would have long talks with his ministers, and in the afternoon, he would face his generals. In his army, every general was someone he knew best and trusted most. He knew everything about them, both their past and future, and he would quickly detect any ominous signs.

Just like Nur ad-Din before him, no one dared to rebel in his presence. They knelt on the ground, trembling with fear. Even though they could defeat ten hateful Christian knights on the battlefield, they were like children and lambs in front of Saladin. They dared not utter a sound even when facing a blade or a bowstring.

Saladin was somewhat displeased with the answers of two of his generals—he had sent them to deal with the Assassin stronghold near Mayum, but they had returned empty-handed, claiming they had not found any assassins: "Perhaps they have fled in fear of your authority?"

The Sultan's response to this extremely perfunctory attitude was to immediately behead the two men and send new people to manage their army, knowing that the Assassins' threat had indeed caused some panic.

These two officers may not have betrayed him, but they certainly didn't take the matter to heart. They may have deliberately slowed their pace, allowing the Assassins to escape, so they could return to him with a clear conscience and claim they didn't see the enemy, thus masking their cowardice.

"Has someone already become a victim of the murderer?" Saladin asked.

“I don’t think I’ve heard any such rumors,” the general he was asked simply shook his head. “No. Everything is calm, both inside and outside Cairo. They may have really escaped—Sultan, to those sneaky little men, your words and actions are like the scorching sun in the sky. They’re trying to avoid you, so how could they dare to act recklessly?”

"I would like to say, thank you for your kind words," Saladin said sarcastically. "Unfortunately, even if the Assassins are just rats whose tails are being stepped on, they are still ferocious beasts that can leap up and bite you. Their formidable reputation is not earned by their tongues. Do not let your guard down. Continue to comb through the cities and villages around Cairo like a comb, even the fields and forests. Search carefully any place they might be using to hide. They will definitely not give up."

Saladin paused, then said, "With the expedition imminent, I must also consider the safety of you and the other officials."

The general's face immediately showed shame.

“You don’t think,” Saladin said, “that I’m keeping you on the hunt for the Assassins at this time to appease my own fears, do you? Look at what they’ve done on Arazar Road.”

When they realize they cannot control the monarch, they turn their attention to the monarch's trusted confidants and confidants. Indeed, they know that for a capable ruler, subjects are like limbs; to be severed would be unbearable pain and make action extremely difficult.

He looked at the crowd again, and they all knelt down to express their gratitude and shame to the Sultan.

Saladin warned and admonished his generals, and then discussed the route of the expedition with them until the Asr (afternoon prayer), which also involved silently reading four passages of scripture. This time, he prayed together with his generals.

After that, Saladin returned to the harem. After two meetings, breakfast and lunch, Saladin's ministers were finally freed from this torment. Saladin and his wife recited two passages of scripture aloud and then silently recited another passage at sunset (the twilight ceremony).

Afterwards, they would dine with their wives and sons. Saladin's dinners were usually simple: thick flatbread, vanilla-flavored yogurt, and couscous from the Berbers. Although there was rock sugar and other sweets on the table, Saladin usually refused to eat them. Although he also enjoyed sweets, he was always very careful with his desires and never indulged.

His sons, under their father's watchful eye, only took one or two pieces before stopping; the only ones who could indulge themselves were the women.

Saladin's wife's favorite dish was lime jam, a fruit that was a favorite among the Saracens, but not everyone could tolerate its sourness. However, after Cyprus sent a large amount of rock sugar, lime jam became a new and common dish.

"Please try this, sister." She personally picked up a small silver plate and placed it in front of Saladin's sister, who merely touched it with her fingertips as a gesture of gratitude, without touching it at all.

Saladin's wife felt somewhat embarrassed and involuntarily glanced at her husband, knowing it wasn't her fault. For the past few days, Saladin's sister, Emina, had been giving him the cold shoulder.

Surprisingly, the reason she frequently argued with her brother was because she wanted to return to her husband.

Although, according to doctrine, her actions were not wrong.

The problem lies with her husband—her husband is the governor of Holmes, so where is Holmes? It is an ancient great city, below Apol and above Damascus.

When Saladin heard of Nur ad-Din's death, he foresaw that Apol would inevitably fall into chaos, so he took the initiative to bring his sister out.

Because he knew all too well that his brother-in-law, Governor Holmes, was not an honest man; on the contrary, he was a ruthless and unscrupulous tyrant.

If Saladin continues to keep his sister by his side, he will be blackmailed unless he is willing to sever their familial ties.

Saladin knew very well that his territory was now in Egypt, and no matter how chaotic Syria was, it would only benefit him and not harm him. He only needed to patiently wait for those ambitious guys to kill each other until they were all bloodied and on the verge of death before he would make his move.

But the governor of Holmes was a cunning man, and Saladin's men took advantage of the chaos to abduct his wife—of course, he was unaware of it at the time, but he later wrote many letters claiming that he knew about it, and only allowed Saladin to bring her back for Emina's safety, but now that the situation had calmed down, she should go home.

His sweet words did indeed touch her heart. Emina insisted on returning to Holmes, especially when she heard that Saladin intended to attack Damascus. She became even more panicked and anxious. Although Saladin did not allow her to have too much contact with the outside world, she knew that Saladin would be content to stay in Damascus and not overstep his bounds.

No, his next step is to conquer Holmes.

Are all older sisters so frustrating?
Even Saladin couldn't help but complain to himself, but he was not a young King Alassane, who still harbored some illusions about family ties.

“Very well,” he said calmly, setting down his cup, “if you insist on returning to Holmes, then I will let you go back. You will travel north with my army, and before we clash, I will send a detachment to escort you further north, and then…” He finished the last drop of water in his cup. His wife looked at Emina with worry, for she had heard the unspoken words of Saladin—the last thing I will do for you.

But her worries did not reach Emina, who remained as calm as her brother.

“I know I have made an excessive request, Sultan, and I also know that by going there I will go from being your sister to your enemy, but he is my husband, and our marriage was made under the watchful eye of God. I must obey him, submit to him, and accept all that he has in store for me, even death.”

I am here, so please stop worrying about so-called blood ties and feelings. This is my own choice. No matter what the outcome, I will not have any complaints against you.

I even want to thank you for granting my request.

“Emina…” Saladin’s wife wanted to persuade her, but she just waved her hand, stood up from her seat, walked to Saladin’s side, knelt down, prostrated herself on the ground, and kissed the hem of his clothes.

Then she took Saladin's hand and placed it on her forehead, as if asking him to bless her. After that, she put the hand down and walked forward without hesitation, heading straight into the darkness.

(End of this chapter)