kingdom of nations

Chapter 268 Spreading Wings (4)

Although they also contracted malaria, the knights recovered much faster than ordinary people. By the third day, they could walk freely, their muscles had returned, and they looked no different from before. However, the laborers still felt dizzy, and their limbs ached or felt weak. They could do some light activities, but it was impossible for them to keep up with the group.

They felt incredibly frustrated, and some even cried out loud.

“You must have faith in the Lord,” Cesar had to say to comfort you. “Can’t the omnipresent and omnipotent Lord see your hearts and hear the vows you have made? Perhaps this was a test He set for you, to create some obstacles for this journey, but you have already overcome them.”

But these people were still crying and sobbing.

"These people didn't seem particularly devout after drinking a male witch's potion," a knight muttered to himself.

"Next, you should follow His will. Since He has not immediately welcomed you to Heaven, it means that you still have unfinished work to do in this world. Rest well. When we return, we will take you with us."

Are you...are you sure?

A laborer asked, trembling. He was worried that if something went wrong, they too would have to spend the rest of their lives in this swamp, just like those savages.

"I swear."

What reassured these laborers was that those left behind were not only the sick, but also several friends and relatives who had been persuaded by César to stay and take care of them. It was not that they were heartless, but that César, though kind, was also fair. He would not allow these people who stayed behind to enjoy the same treatment as the laborers who had followed him on his arduous journey and were now forced to work hard.

Those who remained received no silver coins. Although they could get their previous money back and perhaps some compensation, it certainly wouldn't be as much as what the others had received. In the end, Thomas ended their worries and slight complaints with a single sentence: "Think about it. What fate would you have had if you had been in the previous group?"

What fate awaited them? Undoubtedly, they were abandoned and left to fend for themselves; the sick laborers immediately fell silent.

"The farmers who stayed to take care of you also received money, you know? This money wasn't part of the expedition's expenses; it was given by that lord, by our little saint. Have you ever seen a lord like this before? Or are you going to keep arguing until he withdraws all his mercy?" Thomas threw down the line. "You should really be ashamed of your selfishness and greed."

So those people finally stopped shouting.

They left the patients' camp. Although malaria is not contagious from person to person, their camp was still some distance away from the patients' camp.

At the edge of the knights' camp, Thomas saw the savages who claimed to be Turks and had been taken in by their kind master. These savages had probably used up all the luck they had accumulated over the past ten years. It was clear to everyone that they had run out of ammunition and food, and there was an abyss in front of them.

Even Thomas did not believe these people were Turks—Christians could not be slaves to other Christians, and if they were Christians, they would have to state their names and origins—but the fact that these people could speak with their masters in the language of the upper class suggested that they were more likely a group of criminals.

Thomas stared intently at the ropes around their necks. He knew these men were “useful,” but that wasn’t why their master had kept them.

"Would you like some water?" he asked as he walked over.

The savages nodded eagerly. In fact, Thomas's question was superfluous. Since they came to the group, they had been given almost anything—clean water, food, clothes... things that had been a dream for them for the past few years.

Thomas shook his head. Once again marveling at their good fortune, he walked to the iron pot and ladled out some warm water for them. The water was quickly divided up, and the youngest was still licking the inside of the cup.

This is sweet water, the kind of water men drink. They didn't know how the little saint did it. They only knew that he poured the filthy water into a wooden bucket and then turned on the tap at the bottom. At first, they thought the bucket contained light wine, but it turned out to be some sand or something similar.

In short, after pouring in the dirty water, the water that flows out is clean and almost transparent. Boiling this water makes it sweet to drink, without the fishy or bitter taste of the past.

When the sun rose again, they set off once more.

Even Thomas wasn't sure how long they had been walking. But according to the old slave, they had walked for about three more days after encountering the savages—during which time they had followed the river, only turning back when they encountered insurmountable swamps or pools of water, but always returning to the riverbank.

Getting lost here is a real problem.

It wasn't until they reached a place unfamiliar even to the savages that César finally selected three locations—after all, no one could be sure whether things would go as smoothly as they hoped.

As it turned out, his choice was correct. At the first location, he discovered an undercurrent hidden underwater, and at the second location, he found a whirlpool that appeared out of nowhere, the kind that couldn't be seen on the surface. César had considered using a dam to slow the river's flow and see if it could make the whirlpool disappear, but after estimating the amount of work involved, he gave up on the idea.

Fortunately, the third location had a river that met people's expectations in terms of width and depth. However, in the remote Hula Valley, it was impossible for them to find enough boats to build a pontoon bridge.

But the Hula Valley is not short of timber either; the oak and black pine trees that have stood for thousands of years have never been disturbed by humans.

They were unsure whether to build ships first and then use them to construct a pontoon bridge, or to build a bridge directly—the knights debated endlessly, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. But after calculation, building a bridge directly was indeed faster than building ships first and then using them to construct a pontoon bridge, and a bridge built directly would be less susceptible to damage.

In fact, this method of bridge construction should still be considered a legacy of the ancient Romans. The Roman general Ancus Matthews built the Bridge of Subbričius, the first bridge in Rome to cross the Tiber River. The bridge was entirely made of wood and was completed in just one month in 621 BC.

The laborers immediately sprang into action, selecting logs of suitable thickness, cutting them down entirely, laying them on the ground, trimming off excess branches, and crafting a sharp bevel at the bottom so that they could be inserted deeper and more firmly into the silt at the bottom of the river.

At this point, a problem arose: the knights had always abhorred labor, and even if the king asked them to work like craftsmen or farmers, they would feel humiliated.

But the work that followed was beyond the capabilities of these laborers. No matter how calm the river was or how narrow its surface, it was beyond their ability to overcome.

Of course, in the usual practice, the laborers would make cages (filled with stones), pulleys, hoisting tools and other equipment to help the project progress, but what they lacked was time.

“The Saracens could come here at any time and then find us.”

Cesar said, then was the first to walk toward the woodpile, picked up a stake, and jumped into the water, with Gian following closely behind.

The young knights didn't care much, but the older knights hesitated for a moment before admitting that Cesar made sense. In the end, wouldn't they, the knights responsible for protecting these laborers, still have to fight the Saracens?

One by one, the knights, blessed by God, leaped into the river, immediately swept downstream. Had they not been bound by leather ropes, they would have been swept away, if not drowned, to who knows where. While battling the raging current, they also struggled to maintain their sense of location to avoid misaligning themselves. The deepest and most central section was secured by Cesar, with Gian assisting him—a task that proved relatively safe for the strong knight.

But being immersed in the dark, tranquil water always made one feel as if they had left the world behind, until Cesare was enveloped in a soft white light that everyone could see. As long as they approached him, they wouldn't have to worry about being dragged into the bottomless abyss of hell by the devil's hand. And the saint's favors to him were so great, almost overflowing.

Not only was he able to complete his own work, but after confirming that the stakes had been driven in firmly, he could also turn to the other knights and offer them assistance.

But after working together with Cesar to secure a stake, Gian's heart was pounding. He was so dizzy and disoriented, almost losing track of the stake's orientation—the stake they had initially secured was against the current, so that the force of the water would help it embed itself deeper into the mud.

The column opposite them is not tilted as much, and then, with the impact of the water flow, they will gradually tilt to the other side.

Then, longitudinal timbers connect the wooden stakes, followed by transverse timbers, and finally, rough planks are laid on top, forming a bridge.

With everyone working together, the bridge began to take shape on the eleventh day. Baldwin's messenger caught up with their group. When he encountered people who had to stay on a hill because of malaria, he was startled, thinking that they had to abandon their previous plans because of the disease.

He was slightly relieved when he learned that only a few people were sick and that most others had gone to continue exploring suitable locations.

He could never have imagined that what lay before him was a real bridge—the messenger could hardly believe his eyes. He knelt on the bridge, prostrated himself on the ground, and touched the wood. The workers simply used a scissors to peel off the outer bark, since the bark would become very slippery after getting wet, and people and horses on the bridge would fall off.

He tapped it hard, as if trying to prove it wasn't fake, and the solid feel brought him back to reality. He turned around with admiration: "Cesar, how did you build it?"

Even outside of high water season, the water level here is at least nearly a quarter of a mile, and the bridge is wide enough for twelve people to walk side by side.

As Cesar previously mentioned, knights could even gallop on it.

He had previously thought Baldwin and Cesar's plan was somewhat far-fetched, but this bridge proved that he was the short-sighted one.

Baldwin's envoy was, of course, one of his most trusted men, the Earl of Berion of Ibelin. He was a close advisor to the king in Sainte-Croix, but his position was awkward. Although Baldwin referred to him as his uncle—the exact nature of this relationship was complicated.

This relationship arose because his brother married the Countess of Jaffa, whose marriage to King Amalric I had been declared invalid. He had no blood or marital ties with the king, so he always appeared taciturn and rarely participated in any important affairs.

But his loyalty to the king was beyond question. Cesar and Baldwin were like brothers, and they also had a good impression of this reserved middle-aged man—they could tell whether he was sincere or not.

Seeing his surprise, he even had a joking thought, "Isn't that right, Earl? Angels have been with us all this way, removing poisonous insects, driving away plagues, and preventing us from falling into the swamp in the dark. We came here because the angels pointed us to this place, and later they helped us cut down trees and block the water."

That's how we were able to build a bridge in such a short time.

He thought Bélian wouldn't believe it, but to his surprise, Bélian immediately looked up, revealing an expression that said, "I knew it."

Well, now that you're explaining he was just joking, Cesar, I'm worried Bélion might jump up and challenge him to a duel, while Gian beside him is already chuckling.

During this time, Gian finally learned a bit about César. Although his admiration for him did not diminish, he also discovered that César was a young man just like him, who often did things that people could not imagine.

Perhaps it was because he unintentionally blasphemed God that César deserved to be punished—he was forced to attend a solemn Mass with Bérian.

There is no church here, but there are priests.

Berian was exceptionally devout, even more so than he was in the castle chapel or under the True Cross. César even suspected that Berian had seen through his ramblings and was deliberately tormenting him.

This good news truly put the Earl to his core. After sharing a simple meal with them, he prepared to take his leave so he could rush back to the King and tell him the good news.

"By the way, has anyone asked about my whereabouts?" Cesar asked.

Of course! César was practically the king's shadow. How could his sudden disappearance not arouse suspicion?

"I've asked, many people have asked. Besides those who know about the plan and are deliberately pretending to know nothing about it, there are also some ulterior motives." For example, Raymond and Bohemond.

Raymond asked the question directly at the banquet, and the king told him that in order to ensure victory, he had specially sent Cesare—his dearest friend and brother—as his representative to Nalissa on a pilgrimage.

What is hard for later generations to imagine is that this actually happened at that time—when a king went on a campaign, if he passed by a church or holy site and was unable to leave the army for a while, he would send his knights to pray and offer sacrifices for him and then retrieve the holy objects.

Although sending Cesar out was indeed somewhat strange—an ordinary knight could have done the job—it could be explained as the king's piety.

Raymond got the answer, half believing it, half doubting it, but Bohemond was clearly not so easily fooled. He easily calculated the time needed to travel to and from Nalissa and had been asking Cesare about his whereabouts for the past few days, intentionally or unintentionally, "Where has he gone? Has he sent a message back?"
"Has something happened to him? Should we send someone to check on him?" and so on. These kinds of questions annoyed the king, but fortunately, Baldwin's authority had been established, so he didn't dare to push too far.

The army did indeed find a suitable place to cross the Sea of ​​Galilee.

This time, Berion even brought a map—if Cesar successfully built the bridge, he wouldn't return to Baldwin's side anytime soon. Instead, he would be positioned as a surprise force, lying in ambush on one side of the battlefield, ready to launch a fatal attack at any moment.

At this moment, Baldwin strangely shared the same thought as Cesar.

Baldwin's chosen position was just right, not too far, not too close, so that the warhorses would expend less energy, their movements would be more stealthy, and their attacks on the enemy would be more unexpected—though some people disagreed.

At this point, Berian frowned, sensing that Bohemond seemed to be getting irritable. Even if he cared, he shouldn't delve so deeply into these matters, especially since he could tell Raymond might be acting provocatively; after all, everyone knew that Cesar had replaced his son David.

But Bohemond's son was already the princess's husband, and even if he wasn't as highly regarded as César, his future position was secure. Bohemond seemed even more anxious than Raymond, but being cautious, he didn't say anything—why add unnecessary worries to the young man?
(End of this chapter)