kingdom of nations

Chapter 271 Spreading Wings (7)

"They're coming!"

"They're coming!"

The shouts, uttered simultaneously in different languages ​​on both sides of the Jordan River, instantly resounded throughout the camps of the Christians and Saracens. Prior to this, they had already clashed several times, and constantly harassing the enemy army seemed to be something that any general with even a basic understanding of military affairs would do.

Each disturbance resulted in different losses for both the Crusaders and the Saracens: careless soldiers, lazy and sleepy guards, or squires tending the horses...

They came from different places, yet shared the same goal. Among them were the bravest and the most cowardly, the most precious and the most humble, the most intelligent and the most foolish.

But at this moment, all these differences and similarities had been thrown to the winds; all they were thinking about was how to cut off each other's heads.

The movements of an army of over ten thousand men were impossible to conceal, especially since the Christian crusaders needed to cross the river. Baldwin had already requisitioned some boats from fishermen in the Sea of ​​Galilee. These boats had now been towed to the upper reaches of the Jordan River.

The king's vanguard would undertake the most dangerous and noble task: to contest the position of the bridgehead with the Saracens.

Can you see it?

“Yes, Your Majesty.” David quickly connected the high ground and shallows occupied by the Saracens with the lines and colors drawn on the map. The shallows might only be able to hold a few hundred to a thousand people at most, but the high ground behind it could ensure that the Saracens would receive a continuous stream of reinforcements.

The Saracens had already built rudimentary fortifications on the shallows. They could see chevaux-de-frise, wooden walls, and arrow towers, as well as mountains of earthenware jars, which undoubtedly contained grease.

“I see some people seem to be clashing with another group,” David said in a low voice. “Your Majesty, it seems our information is true. Their Sultan Saladin was assassinated by Assassins and is now seriously wounded. His power has been divided among his emirs and the Fatah, but…” he asked doubtfully, “don’t these Saracens have considered that there should be a unified voice?”

When the first Crusade was launched, each lord led his own knights. Even so, they still chose a leader to ensure that the campaign would not fall apart due to their own agendas and result in defeat without a fight.

Baldwin recalled some things that Cesar had discussed with him before his departure.

During the Battle of the Sea of ​​Galilee, how dare they attack Sultan Nur ad-Din's camp with only a few hundred men?
It was precisely because they knew that Sultan Nur ad-Din was nearing his end, and that they could feel his weakness and deathly aura just by getting close to him, that no one dared to be the first to expose his disguise. But they did, and their desperate gamble earned Baldwin and Cesar their first great achievement. It was only after this battle that people truly began to take these two boys, who were only fourteen or fifteen years old, seriously.

Saladin was completely different, not only because he was in his prime, but also because, regardless of what people say, he had indeed fought the Crusaders for a full seventeen years. He may not have been without defeats, but he had won far more.

While Amalric I's expedition to Egypt may have condoned a sinister plot, he ultimately preserved the Saracen territory in Egypt. For this reason, many were willing to submit to him. However, like Nur ad-Din, he was an autocratic monarch who had no other capable successor to his responsibilities. Even after his eldest son came of age, he might not dare to take over his power while his father was still alive.

These emirs and the Fatahs also had their own plans. When Saladin was still on the throne, they turned all their spears against him. But after Saladin fell, their swords were turned against each other. You could say they were short-sighted, but this is precisely the lesson they learned from what has happened on this peninsula over the past few millennia.

If a tribe dies for so-called faith or hatred, it will not only fail to earn respect but will also be ridiculed for being too emotional. Once their warriors are dead, leaving only the elderly, women, and children, their tribe will find it difficult to regain its former glory, or even to survive. Their women and children will be quickly divided up like water and food, which are rare in the desert.

In the short time David observed, he witnessed a disturbance—a group of slaves responsible for building the fortifications were unwilling to follow the orders of a Saracen nobleman—judging from their attire, they did not seem to come from the same place. After arguing with them, the nobleman even killed one of them, causing a commotion as blood splattered and a head fell.

Had a troop of cavalry not arrived immediately to maintain order, the disturbance might have escalated into a riot. The slaves were then driven to another location—they were not executed; their labor was not easily wasted in such circumstances, and a new group of dark-skinned slaves replaced them to perform the remaining work.

Cesar once said that Saladin would have an army of about 20,000 men before he arrived at the battlefield, and now it seems that there are at least more than 10,000 men here.

Undoubtedly, the Saracen soldiers and warriors, once assembled, outnumbered the Christian Crusaders. What worried them most was that the enemy not only had a numerical advantage but also a terrain advantage. They were the defenders, while the Crusaders were the attackers, and the towering cliffs served as natural walls for the Saracens.

They not only had to occupy the shallows first to allow the main force to land, but also had to continue fighting the enemy who were rushing down from the mountains and resisting their tidal wave of attacks.

Baldwin glanced at David hesitantly. "Your father said..."

“I know what he’s going to say,” David said. “I am his only son. But Your Majesty, I once made a choice that I still regret to this day because I mistakenly followed his wishes because he was my father and guardian. Therefore, I will not repeat the same mistake, and please do not stop me from fulfilling this duty that I should be doing.”

Whether as your vassal or as a member of the Crusaders.

Regardless of his father's complaints, Baldwin gave him Melsin, but according to the laws they acknowledged, after conquering an enemy territory, it should belong to the commander of the army and the king, since they had come at the king's summons to serve him.

In the past, if such a war occurred and a nobleman wanted one of the territories, they would either receive a reward from the king for their merits and loyalty, or exchange it for another territory or gold. However, David did not feel that his merits were enough to exchange for the territory of Melsin, which had both iron mines and coal.

It could even be said that if Murray hadn't made raiding his primary occupation, he could have easily established a gathering place for pilgrims to rest and trade there, simply by virtue of the pilgrimage route. Fortunately, it now belongs to David—Mercy will likely soon become a new Crusader city.

David felt guilty about this, and now he wanted to repay the kindness.

"Has the Knight of Bethlehem not returned yet?" a voice suddenly rang out.

“Father.” David knew who it was without turning around—he showed a helpless expression, which then became firm.

Raymond's current feelings are hard to describe.

He had been in the Holy Land for as long as he had fought, so he knew that life and death were always unpredictable on the battlefield. David's role was that of the vanguard knight, a position where survival was always a matter of life and death. He had once hated Cesar, especially when he was by Baldwin's side, but now he longed for Cesar to appear and bestow upon David the favor that had once protected countless knights.

“You don’t need to worry so much,” David quickly explained. “I have knights by my side who can also protect their companions.”

Besides Cesare, there were many others in the Crusades who could offer protection to others or themselves. Like Count Étienne, whose "Shield of Saint Pelagius" protected his squires and soldiers from wolves.

But this did little to appease the volatile Raymond. "They are all no match for Cesar," he said viciously. David found it both laughable and absurd. Just days before, his father had belittled Cesar many times, even saying that God had bestowed such great blessings upon him, yet he displayed only chainmail, not swords or spears, which meant he was a coward who craved peace and quiet more than glory.

But now, he began desperately searching for César again, even barging into the king's tent without prior notice: "Where is he now? You know where he is, don't you?" Raymond knew he could neither dissuade his son David nor force the king to recall César as he wished, so he could only add the most reliable layer of protection for David.

To be honest, David's repentance and decisiveness did change Baldwin's opinion of him somewhat. But to say that he would harm Cesar's interests for David's sake, or even affect the entire subsequent plan, is wishful thinking.

“Calm down, Father.” David walked over and placed his hands on his father’s shoulders. He was now fully dressed, wearing a helmet and chainmail. As they drew closer, Raymond was astonished to find that he now had to look up at his son.

And his son's hands were so strong—he almost cried. He only had this one son, his only child, who had grown up and was capable of standing on his own, yet now he had to do the most dangerous work.

"If you are willing, pray for me. Father, I believe that a father's sincere prayer can protect me more than any other blessing shared by anyone else."

Raymond's chest heaved for a long time before he finally let go of his hands that were resting on David's arm. David and Baldwin watched him walk out of the tent. Before the tent flap had even fallen, they heard Raymond shouting loudly as he called for his knights to gather around him.

Since he could no longer persuade David, all he could do for his son was to ensure that he would not be trapped in enemy territory and left isolated and helpless.

David turned away, said nothing more, and bowed deeply to Baldwin: "I am leaving now, Your Majesty."

“Wait,” Baldwin called out to him, “there’s something you should know…”

------

David came to the riverbank and saw that the boats for the charge were ready.

The enemy won't wait patiently for you to connect your ships and form a makeshift pontoon bridge before charging in to fight you.

They had archers and small catapults, which, in addition to throwing stones, would also set fire to earthenware pots filled with grease and throw them at wooden boats in the river to burn them.

Therefore, they must occupy the shallows, and occupy them for a long time until the pontoon bridge is completed.

David comforted his horse, explaining that the narrow, shallow waters allowed the rider to charge, but the rider could not gallop across the water.

So they would ride in the boat and then bring the horses behind it.

The carpenters had already erected a sturdy shield wall at the bow of the ship, large enough to accommodate two or three knights. In the middle and stern of the ship stood a wooden tower, its front covered with soaked cowhide, just like the shield. The soldiers on the tower would shoot arrows, confront the Saracen archers, and protect their master's safety.

They finally decided on the crossing point three days ago, and launched their attack at dawn, when the sun was dispelling the fog and gloom, and all they could see on the opposite bank was a flash of white light—the sharp tips of spears.

David crouched behind his shield, yet his heart was unusually calm.

The knight beside him couldn't help but breathe more heavily. Few people could remain calm at this moment. He prayed softly and gripped his sword tightly.

Of course, whether Christian or Saracen, those who rushed forward were all those who had been blessed by God. He was so equal, sharing his love and power equally with his believers.

On the river surface, shimmering with golden light, charging boats tore through the orange-red silk, water droplets rising from the stern.

Accompanied by a Saracen shout of "Shoot!", a torrent of arrows flew from behind the towering chevaux-de-frise and wooden walls.

The arrows were so powerful that even while they were still in the river, they could feel the arrowheads constantly hammering against their shields. When the boats were a hundred or two feet from the shore, the small catapults began to show their power, with stones falling like hailstones and the earthenware pots shattering against their shields with a loud bang.

But the fires were easily extinguished, and David felt a surge of relief—he remembered that Cesar had once casually mentioned that while the secret of Greek fire was difficult to crack, it was not so difficult to imitate something similar.

If it had been Greek fire that was thrown this time, he might have turned back without hesitation. This had nothing to do with courage; fighting Greek fire would not only cost him his life but also be a desecration of his duty. Fortunately, it didn't—they carried large shields, the wooden superstructures of the ship were covered with thick, soaked cowhide, and the decks were wrapped or covered with wet cloth and sand.

Even so, David caught a glimpse of a burning ship out of the corner of his eye. It had veered off course, and the knights on board were leaping into the water at breakneck speed. They were untying the reins of their horses, letting them carry them back to the Crusader camp.

Just then, he heard an ominous buzzing sound, and a shrill scream came from above them. An archer, clutching his chest and the arrow that had killed him, fell straight into the river. The river seemed calm, but he fell into the water and immediately disappeared without a trace of blood.

"Hurry up!" David urged impatiently. "Hurry up! Hurry up! Even faster!"

(End of this chapter)