kingdom of nations

Chapter 303 is a trap!
Bishop Andrei realized his slip of the tongue, and Cesar could understand Heraclius's feelings. After all, when he used the pretext of buying spices to prepare ointment for Baldwin, Heraclius had severely reprimanded him and immediately took over all related matters.

Since the birth of the church, it has been inextricably linked with medicine. In fact, it can be said that the greatest duty and authority of all gods is to ensure the survival of believers. Destroying the lives of others is one means, and saving one's own life is another.

Even in ancient Rome, priests mostly performed similar work. When people went to the temple to pray, they would take the corresponding ointments and medicines as a gift from the gods. However, at that time, these things had to be exchanged for expensive offerings from the people—chickens, ducks, cattle, sheep, gold, silver, slaves… The priests never refused any of these offerings.

Records from that time have been lost in the dust of the collapse of the Roman Empire, and Cesar could not find any relevant information to prove whether the priests of that time also had this ability—to cure human diseases directly without medicine.

But one thing is certain: many Christian preachers at that time gained respect and followers by virtue of their outstanding but inexpensive medical skills. Many people who could not afford the cost of sacrifice became their followers. For example, the saints St. Gösmer and St. Damien, who were mentioned earlier and were marked by two human legs, were clearly recorded in the Bible as having traveled to many places as doctors.

Back then, preachers treated people for very little money, sometimes even waiving it altogether. And after Jesus Christ came to earth, eight or nine out of ten of the miracles he performed involved healing someone, removing a stubborn disease, or even raising the dead.

If you flip through the pages chronologically, you'll find that in the early days, the priests were relatively tolerant and even inclusive of the existing beliefs in various places, as well as the priests, shamans, or wizards that arose from those beliefs.

Traces of pagan deities can still be seen in Catholic festivals, and there are precedents of pagan priests who were beloved and even canonized. So, when did the Church suddenly begin a massive crackdown on these remnants of the past and ban the spread of all heresies?
After they finally gained abilities that mortals could not obtain.

When priests can heal deep wounds that expose bone, make festering sores disappear, enable broken-legged patients to stand up and walk again, and restore voices from the throats of the mute... what else can people think of at that moment?

From kings to beggars, everyone would be overjoyed by such a miracle.

Those lowly people never even considered whether these miracles would befall them. They always harbored wishful thinking, believing that their piety deserved God's protection. And under the Church's initial generosity, they began to identify the doctors who mingled among them—nowadays, they should be called witches or demon-possessed people.

They probably thought that these people would always be like weeds in a field, and even if they were removed, they would quickly grow back.

When the church searched for these people, they handed over the poor, innocent people without hesitation. Even when disaster struck, they immediately treated these people as suspects and threw them into rivers or burned them alive.

But what these people are inheriting may be the knowledge passed down from their ancestors, and their ancestors may not have been ordinary people—former nobles, priests, or scholars. But such inheritance requires a stable environment, spacious dwellings, abundant food, and a few servants.

Otherwise, they would spend almost all their time just filling their empty stomachs each day, leaving no energy to recite scriptures or identify herbs. They wouldn't even dare keep those books containing medical knowledge—if they were found, it would be a terrible disaster.

They either destroyed it directly or memorized it, hoping to pass it on to their children. But as they grew old, this knowledge, like sand with writing on it, gradually faded under the erosion of water, until nothing remained.

Not to mention, if an accident occurs during this period, such as being exposed by the villagers, being robbed by thieves, or the child suffering an accident—the chances of an ordinary person suffering an accident are very high—such a tradition will be interrupted and can never be continued.

After a hundred years, the church's conspiracy finally took shape and fairly enveloped everyone.

This is a vicious cycle. When someone falls ill, they rely solely on the priests. They might seek other remedies due to the church's extortion or the priests' arrogance, but then they discover that the doctors, wizards, and whatever else that used to be present in every city and village have seemingly vanished overnight. They are forced to turn back to the church.

The generous compensation they paid ensured that the Church possessed its own power. The Pope could hire an army or utilize the priests they trained—priests who possessed knowledge unmatched by knights. They might reside in churches or monasteries, or stand in the court or live among the harem.

Their profound knowledge, exceptional medical skills, and eloquent speech won them the favor of kings and lords, and they, in turn, used this power to influence them.

Thus, the stake was never short of those who dared to lay hands on the church's forbidden domain—these were still-developing wizards, or rather, folk healers, who, before they could even raise their voices or demonstrate their abilities, became a pile of ashes.

Then the story repeated itself...

The Church had reaped the benefits of this for many years, and the war between papal and royal power reached its climax at this time. The Church did not have an army. But as long as clergy remained indispensable in human life, it would always have a formidable influence.

Church officials were well aware of this, which is why Heraclius repeatedly reminded them of it.

Anyone who dares to break this monopolistic industry (which it truly is) will face a full-scale attack without hesitation. Why is there a holy war? Besides the holy sites and the relics that may bring power to people, it is also because the gods worshipped by the Saracens and Isaacs have touched the interests of the Church. There are also disputes and infighting within the Catholic Church, but when faced with these heretics and pagans, their opinions and attitudes are always unified.

The same applies to faith, and also to medicine. In fact, it could be said that the faith of the people is so firmly established precisely because the church has the power to control the life and death of others.

If Patriarch Heraclius had merely been ill, he might not have been so anxious, but before he fell into a coma, he had already guessed that this might be an outbreak of disease, and Bishop Andrei even clearly uttered the word malaria.

Heraclius certainly encountered malaria, and anyone who had participated in the expedition would have been familiar with the word.

All his previous worries erupted in his mind. He grabbed Cesar's arm tightly, with such force that it was impossible to tell he was a patient who had just woken up from a coma.

Bishop Andrei quickly added, "Please don't worry, Your Excellency Patriarch, everything is currently under my guidance, at least nominally—Cesar is merely a lord."

The Patriarch merely gave Bishop Andre a deep look. He believed that Bishop Andre, who had once been Amalric I's right-hand man, would not betray Baldwin, but having spent so long in the Knights and Bethlehem, he was completely unaware of how complex the situation on Allassar Road was now, and the hidden danger that had caused him so much anxiety day and night had finally been clearly exposed.

He originally thought that their greatest enemy was still the Saracens. The previous peace talks were only a temporary concession for the Saracens. After quelling the internal turmoil, Damascus was still their earthly paradise, a heavenly garden, which they could not give up.

At that time, the Saracens who had been pardoned in Damascus could become their inside agents—this had happened before, which is why many Crusader knights were dissatisfied after agreeing to the terms of the governor of Damascus, Lazis.

And those people in the Holy Cross Castle—the Patriarch knew this very well, but he thought the worst-case scenario was that Damascus would be besieged by the Saracens, just as Edessa had been attacked by the Zangies—and all they could do was remain inactive, refusing to send troops to their aid, just as Arrassallo, Antioch, and Tripoli had done before.

At that time, Count Joseph II of Edessa was indeed disliked by his allies. The indifference of the Crusader states in the Holy Land even contributed to the failure of the Second Crusade.

Or, like the Knights Templar, they might exert pressure on the king from time to time on matters of state and military affairs, forcing him to distance himself from Cesare.

This was the most common military and political tactic at the time, but Patriarch Heraclius overlooked two things: that Cesar was ultimately a weak figure, and that the profits from defeating him were so great that people were even willing to make a deal with the devil—and that he was unaware of what Grand Duke Bohemond of Antioch had done in the past…

This trap involves at least three major powers: the Church of Bethlehem—Bishop Andrew could not possibly betray them, but his deputy might, and he was the Patriarch of Alassa, which meant that as a priest, the only possible allegiance he could turn to was the Roman Catholic Church.

The Roman Catholic Church is full of priests who have received various "gifts," and Pope Alexander III would not hesitate because this conspiracy involves spreading the plague—don't be ridiculous! The plague was originally a form of divine punishment recorded in the scriptures!
Just as when Moses punished the traitors, the Isaacs attacked him, saying that he had killed the Lord's people, but God said, "Away from me...so that I may destroy them in the blink of an eye."

The plague spread among the people, killing more than 14,000 people.

The second time was because Isaac had an immoral relationship with a pagan woman, and God sent down a plague that killed 24,000 people.

The last one was even more inexplicable. As king, King David, out of "pride," counted the number of people in his country, and God was going to punish him, giving him three choices: a seven-year famine in the country; or fleeing from the enemy and being chased for three months; or a three-day plague in the country.

King David chose the third one.

The plague killed 70,000 people.

If the first and second could be said to have betrayed their original beliefs and deserved to suffer, what about the third? The people at that time knew nothing about it. Were they not devout and pure?
Therefore, for the Pope and his cronies, they are also acting on behalf of God, just as they have done before.

You're an innocent victim? Who said that? If you were completely innocent, how could you have contracted the plague?
Just like Prince Baldwin, those Roman priests could say without shame that if he were truly devout, he wouldn't have contracted the disease even if he were placed in a monastery full of lepers.

They used the story of St. Jerome's apparition to lure and coerce Cesar back to Bethlehem. If he contracted the disease and died, that would be good, but if he didn't—although he was protecting and covering it up, Cesar's analysis and treatment of Baldwin was a secret that had never been made public in Holy Cross Castle.

Cesar's past actions have already proven what kind of person he is. Would he be willing to abandon the people of Bethlehem? Even if he is powerless and can only leave alone, the Church has a backup plan waiting for him.

There is more than one interpretation of St. Jerome's apparition—it could be an act of praise or a warning… People terrified by the plague would believe them; they needed a scapegoat, and although it would be difficult to convince them that the “little saint” was the source—as long as enough people died.

So, what if things had developed as they have now, and Cesar had contained the spread of the plague?
"Holy Relic"?
The church will not allow it. They have spent over a hundred years establishing the ironclad rule that "only priests can heal, and everyone else is the devil and his servants." They will not allow anyone to shake their foundations.

The results of Cesar's "asceticism" when he first arrived in Arrassa are still visible today. The people's trust in him has lasted for almost ten years. If he were a priest or monk, he might have become a bishop by now. This time, his enemies will definitely not allow public opinion to continue to tilt in a positive direction.

Chiracio, in his youth, witnessed how a respectable man was transformed into a devil—the masses were ignorant and could be manipulated at will.

But these arrangements could not have been accomplished by the Roman Catholic Church and a few traitors alone. Among those involved in the conspiracy, there must have been those wearing cross cloaks. It is certain that the Count of Tripoli, even if not a participant, must have been aware of the situation—he wished he could stick David to Baldwin, yet this time he unusually left David in Damascus.

When asked to stay in Damascus in place of Cesar, he showed little hesitation; on the contrary, he was quite pleased.

Bohemond, the Grand Prince of Antioch—whose son Abigail had become practically a cripple, and whose attitude toward Princess Hibernia remained unchanged—that was the problem.

Did they not fight for Damascus because they already knew that Cesar could never return to Damascus?

Immediately, the Patriarch thought of his last enemy—the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I, whose anger had been fueled by the ridicule he had suffered.

After Anna's death, he kept sending people to contact the Cypriots, trying to incite them against César. However, while César launched a thunderous crackdown on the nobles, he also tried to appease the people with measures such as tax cuts. All his methods had little effect.

His only hope now lies in stripping Cesar of his ownership of Cyprus from the root.

There are probably only two ways to invalidate a marriage presided over by the Patriarch and witnessed by the King and Grand Duke. The first is to prove that one of the parties to the marriage is infertile, either the woman or the man. This is why Princess Anna endured great pain to complete the ceremony after her assassination.

The second point is that one party to the marriage is excommunicated, and this excommunication is severe. This means that all the covenants he has entered into under God's witness are invalid—his with the king, his with his allies, and his with his subjects.

And also, his relationship with his wife...

Yes, it is the Great Excommunication. Once the decree of the Great Excommunication is issued, Cesar will not only immediately become a sinner, but he will also be stripped of all his secular and religious powers, and he will once again become a person with nothing.

Even if Baldwin trusted him, he could no longer use him—no Christian could approach him, and he could not approach any Christian.

But just as he was about to issue a warning, he felt a sharp pain erupt from his head, a pain that felt like an arrow piercing through his skull and into his brain. He could almost feel a warm current surging through his brain.

His heart was filled with remorse. If this was God's punishment, let it all be on him! At least give him a few more minutes to deliver that crucial message, but it was too late. Darkness descended, and he fainted once more.

(End of this chapter)