kingdom of nations

Chapter 328 A Conversation About the Army (Part 2) (Two chapters combined)
Count Étienne suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He looked at César with a complicated expression, and then said, “Not long ago, a bard came to my castle. I ordered him to play and sing for us at the banquet, and he recited a little poem he had written himself. People laughed at his shallow talent. At the time, I also failed to appreciate its true meaning.”

Now I can understand his sorrow.

Perhaps he, too, stood somewhere, just as I did, unable to discern whether his feelings were joy, melancholy, or sorrow.

"What kind of little poem is that?"

“…I once loved a flower, I once hated a flower.” Count Étienne continued, “I was once moved by your loyalty, which is why I was willing to give you that complete set of identity documents and passes.”

I hope that a seedling like you won't wither prematurely in such harsh conditions. And when I didn't find you in Sancel, I felt a pang of confusion—yes, I cherish your qualities and your beauty, but if you truly abandoned everything here, abandoned the vows you made, and fled to Sancel, I couldn't help but feel a sense of contempt.

"So I should be glad that I didn't become the coward who disappointed you."

"But now I wish you had been weak even once, Your Highness, so I could see you again. You have grown up, and I have grown old. The world changes so much, so unpredictably. No one knows what path we will take next. The only thing I know is that you may be going against the grain of most people—do you know that this will make your future life exceptionally difficult and lonely?"

Jesus bore all the sins of humanity, freeing them from suffering. But how can mere flogging, processions, and crucifixion compare to the martyrs who followed? Jesus' true suffering was the betrayal of all—his former disciples, his people, and his followers. When he died, he was accompanied only by two unruly thieves.

After his death, he didn't even have a grave, and his mother was left all alone and destitute.

When he was sent to the cross, his heart must have been filled with pain, and only this immense pain could be compared to the sins of all mankind.

You must be prepared that this time you will be able to escape the schemers' trap because you also possess a determination and ruthlessness that they could not have foreseen.

Next time, they will be even more meticulous and treacherous. And everything you do could become a blade pointed at you in the future.

Ah, now I almost wish you were a coward, or even a bit foolish, so you would follow the path trodden by those who came before you. Walking that path might not be easy, and it might be met with disdain, but at least people are generally more forgiving of their fellow human beings.

César was somewhat taken aback. Count Étienne had always been a sensitive and decisive man, with a vision that far surpassed that of most people of his time. Otherwise, he would not have so brazenly rejected the warm invitations of his lord, Louis VII, and King Amalric I of Arrassa, and had almost fled from Arrassa.

He was indeed the son of the Count of Champagne-Étienne, who also possessed vast territories. However, he was the youngest son, and his father did not particularly like him. Therefore, according to the inheritance law and his father's wishes, the eldest brother received the wealthiest Champagne, the second son received Blois, Châteaudt, and Chartres, and Étienne only received the smallest, Sancel.

Sancel was just a small place, yet with just a nod, he could become the king of one of the four great Christian kingdoms of the Holy Land, the guardian of the Holy Sepulchre, and the commander of the Crusades. Even the wisest and most rational person would feel the urge to give it a try, not to mention that Princess Hibil was so young and beautiful, her appearance could almost illuminate a dim hall like the brightest pearl.

No one thought Count Étienne would refuse, or could refuse, but Count Étienne simply avoided all temptations without hesitation.

Cesar's behavior seemed incomprehensible to most, and very few could understand him. In fact, almost none. Even Baldwin believed that his kindness towards civilians and ordinary soldiers stemmed from his innate benevolence—but only Cesar knew that it was all because he had developed a firm set of values ​​in another world, along with morals and consciences that were incompatible with the present era. These values ​​constantly tormented him, preventing him from fitting in.

He even thought that if he didn't have his current identity, without Baldwin, without Amalric I, and without the care of his teachers, he might have become a hermit.

He would use his medical skills to help others—if God was still willing to bless him then, he would use all his extraordinary power to heal the injured and sick, and people might spread his name, a somewhat strange name.

But similarly, perhaps one day he will die quietly and unnoticed in the yellow sand, but even if he ends up as just a poor and old monk, he will not have betrayed the person he was back then.

Now that he has status, wealth, territory, and the support of the people, how could he not consider whether, if he can never truly integrate into this world, he can change it?

This may sound arrogant, but in another world, someone did the same thing. He wasn't a pioneer, and he might have been martyred for it—though they wouldn't know what great idea he sacrificed for, but at least he could show this generation another possibility.

His teacher Heraclius may have been aware of this, but he was, after all, a monk, and the knowledge the church taught him was his pride, but also his constraint.

Count Étienne, however, seemed to be naturally unbound by these things. He pointed out Cesar's thoughts incisively, or rather, foresaw his future—this was too difficult, as it affected the interests of too many people.

If at first Count Etienne was wondering why the two major powers of the Holy Land, Count Raymond of Tripoli and Grand Duke Bohemond of Antioch, were both dissatisfied with Cesar and even wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible, he now had a vague idea.

The masses are ignorant and foolish, and the knights are blindly obedient and stubborn. But just as water always flows to the lowest place, people and plants, like each other, will fight relentlessly for even the slightest hope of survival.

Fortunately, Cesar has not yet reclaimed Edessa. His territory is in Cyprus, which is across the sea, and Bethlehem is a small city. His actions are unlikely to affect people in other places. Otherwise, he would probably have even more opponents.

At this moment, Count Étienne was unaware that four or five thousand men had already emerged from Bethlehem to wait for César. After pondering for a long time, he asked again, "So how many soldiers do you plan to train?"

“A thousand.” Cesar did not intend to achieve this overnight. Besides the economic aspect, it was also because if soldiers were recruited from the peasants at this time, even if they were full-time and paid, they would still need to undergo a period of training and instruction. Why were the soldiers in various cities and towns so polite and refined? It was because they were all locals, and they were guarding their land and their blood relatives.

The exemption of tolls by César attracted merchants and pilgrims in droves, filling every road and corner.

This allowed the villagers to make a fortune from these outsiders without having to plunder. Abolishing the livestock tax was also a very important measure. Otherwise, only a few villages in the Franks could satisfy Count Étienne's demand for both eggs and chickens. After all, as long as the lord levied a livestock tax, the farmers would not dare to raise too many livestock, otherwise it would only enrich the lord and increase their own burden.

Therefore, these young men cannot shake off their past behavioral habits in a short period of time. It would be very difficult to get them to do so—even in a strange land, they would not bully or persecute innocent people like themselves.

At that time, people followed the law of the jungle, and a lone knight would not dare to easily go into a village, for this reason.

When those poor peasants get fierce, they can really kill a knight and then divide up all his valuables. Their lives are short and their future is hopeless. They live one day at a time. As long as there is even the slightest benefit in front of them, they will pounce on it like wild beasts with bloodshot eyes.

Therefore, César's first task was to make these villages and towns prosperous. If they were prosperous, even if opportunities for plunder were presented to these young people, they would hesitate and waver.

This is why César never strictly forbade people from continuing to call him the Lesser Saint. Sometimes, a combination of rewards, punishments, and faith is necessary to ensure that his army does not degenerate into a disorganized band of thieves.

This situation may not be truly reversed for another ten years.

But as Count Étienne had said, the Third Crusade might be imminent. This gave Cesar a headache; he had previously written to Baldwin that his desire to retake Edessa was neither a spur-of-the-moment decision nor a blind act—it might be a good opportunity.

Edessa's original owner was of course his grandfather Joseph II, but it later belonged to Zengi, and after Zengi's death, it belonged to Sultan Nur ad-Din, the "Light of Faith," who was defeated by Baldwin and Cesar. Now, Edessa is controlled by a governor sent there by Nur ad-Din.

But the governor of Edessa was not a respectable adversary; he was dissolute and cowardly, and merchants traveling to and from him would rather pay taxes to the governors of Hammar and Holmes than seek his protection.

Moreover, the County of Edessa borders the Sultanate of Rum, and Arslan II of the Sultanate of Rum had fought against Cesar. Although he was defeated, he was also a brave monarch.

In recent days, he has even managed to annex a considerable amount of land in Edessa. The latest intelligence brought by Leila says that the governor of Edessa has even considered selling Edessa for a good price, but he has sought advice from various parties, including the Caliph, the Sultan, and other governors like himself, but none of them have responded.

Why exchange gold for something that can be obtained with swords?
It's just a matter of who can swallow up such a large piece of land directly, or whether it will be divided among several parties.

But this experience also made Cesar realize how significant it was when Amalric I granted him Bethlehem.

Having land or not having land can be a clear-cut way of dividing social classes, even among knights, let alone among nobles.

Amalric I granted Bethlehem to Cesar for two reasons: first, Arrassal was unlikely to provide such a large territory to Cesar; second, he and Heraclius originally planned to give these young men ten or even twenty years to develop, and they were even prepared that the mature Cesar would assist Baldwin's successor, not Baldwin himself.

The way things had unfolded was truly beyond everyone's expectations. But this weakness became glaringly apparent when facing Raymond and Bohemond. He lacked sufficient influence in the court and the church—although Cesar possessed Cyprus, which could be considered a fairly important military stronghold, it ultimately belonged to Byzantium. Even though the current lord was a Crusader knight, it was difficult to equate him with the kings of Antioch, Tripoli, and Arrassa.

In this light, reclaiming Edessa may have become the most important thing for him to do right now.

Furthermore, Cesar was also worried that Saladin was now free from any constraints, and his army might arrive at the gates of Arrassal again at any time.

“You may not know, Count,” Cesar said, “but I was indeed discussing with Baldwin the matter of reclaiming Edessa.”

Upon hearing this, Count Etienne paused for a moment, then immediately realized, "Ah," he exclaimed, "then we must change our focus, Your Highness. The most important thing now is to withdraw the Great Punishment decree from your body."

Richard and other European monarchs originally thought that the Third Crusade would be aimed at Apollo, since they had heard that Damascus, the key link between Syria and Arrassa, had fallen into the hands of the Crusaders. They could use this rich and beautiful city as a base to continue expanding the Crusader territory in Syria and spread the glory of God to more distant places.

However, it's hard to say. If the current governor of Edessa is indeed a weak and incompetent man, the Crusaders will naturally turn their horses around and try to take it down. But here's the problem—if Cesar is still the one who has been excommunicated, he will not have the right to inherit the castle and lands left to him by his father. He may still be the lord of Cyprus and a member of the Byzantine royal family, but he will no longer be the Count of Edessa.

Edessa might be handed over to another Frankish nobleman—after all, the Flanders family has many members, several in the courts of both Philip II and Richard I, and if the Church were to grant them titles—Cesar couldn't very well go and attack his colleagues and relatives in the future.

While such succession battles have occurred before, if Cesar were to so readily turn against his own blood relatives, some might question whether his previous noble character was merely a facade.

Therefore, they had to find a way to induce the new pope to propose lifting the Great Excommunication before the Third Crusade.

Count Étienne now felt that his earlier reminder was timely, but ensuring the whole thing was handled flawlessly would indeed require some skill.

Not to mention the Roman Catholic Church, even his monarchs Philip II and Richard I had to keep it a secret—Richard I might not have taken the opportunity to extort money, but he had too many greedy people around him, and not all of them were reliable.

Otherwise, Richard I's letter wouldn't have been delivered by him.

“It seems I should write a letter soon.” Count Etienne paused again.

"There is one more thing. Please allow my brother and some merchants from my territory to..."

Cesar nodded: "It's no trouble. I'll give them the permit—do you want rock candy?"

“Rock sugar.” Count Etienne was quite frank about this. Their relationship had been too complex and deep before, so this small financial gain was insignificant.

"And I also saw your people using some coal to start a fire..."

Cesar thought for a moment, after all, in his memory, this thing was called honeycomb briquettes. "Do you need this?" He was still in the trial production stage and only used it on a small scale.

"It is necessary, it is very necessary." In fact, by the twelfth century, deforestation had reached a terrible level.

Except for some desolate areas, there are hardly any dense forests left around the city, and the nobles would absolutely not be willing to use coal that emits deadly smoke and filthy smells—even in a place like England with a large number of shallow coal mines available for exploitation.

Count Étienne had carefully studied the coal mined by César, and it did not have this problem.

"What are the reserves of these coals, and will they be difficult to mine?"

If production is sufficient, Count Étienne would like to immediately send a batch back to Frankish coal. This coal burns with little or no odor, is highly caloric, burns for a long time, and is quite convenient to use. Apart from being a bit dirty, charcoal is just as unclean, and nobles would not go into the kitchen anyway.

Most remarkably, he also saw some people carrying coal around in stoves the size of kerosene lamps, covered with brass covers, which served both as heating and to prevent fires.

He could almost see that every room in Philip II's palace had one of these things.

The count didn't inquire about the price of coal, but he also didn't want to acquire it at an excessively low price—he wouldn't use Cesar's favors for such a purpose. However, even if it were only half the price of charcoal, based on Cesar's current estimated production, it would still be a lucrative business no less profitable than rock sugar.

In fact, the yield of this coal is far less than that of coal produced in Tyne, England. Its superior quality is due to the coal washing process.

In the mines managed by Cesare David, thousands of slaves worked day and night. They would first screen and grade the raw coal, initially removing the sand, stones, and soil mixed in, leaving the fine coal, and then crushing the larger pieces of coal.

Afterwards, it needs to be cleaned—the better the quality of the coal, the lighter it is, making it easy to separate into high-grade, medium-grade, and low-grade coal, as well as coal gangue and coal slime.

They were all bought by Cesar from various places, including Turks, Saracens, and even Isaacs. Cesar made it clear to them that they could get food, clean water, shelter, and clothing here.

After three years, they can receive money; after five years, they can have wives and start families, but after ten years, they will be allowed to regain their freedom.

It wasn't that César became harsh and strict at this point, but rather that the technology involved a significant issue: after the coal was selected and cleaned to improve its purity, it could not only generate more heat but also smelt more and purer molten iron.

I don't need to explain what this concept means.

This directly impacted Cesar's final plan. He could improve the treatment of these people, but he would never allow this new technology to be disseminated before the plan was completed. As long as the secret could be kept long enough—it would be hard for anyone to imagine that fuel would need to be washed with water—he would have an advantage in military equipment that others did not have.

However, this coal needs to be sold—after all, everyone knows that Melsin owns a coal mine—and he is managing it on behalf of David. Although David doesn't care, he should still get a share of the profits.

Whether it's rock sugar or coal, he wouldn't mind giving a portion of the profit to Count Étienne. After all, the little gift Count Étienne gave him would have been a life for anyone else, so such a return was entirely worthwhile.

Moreover, besides coal and rock sugar, he had many other ways to make money—compared to the other world, the Church was more powerful in this era, and its fear and restrictions on science were stronger and more thorough. This was certainly bad for this world, but very advantageous for Cesar.

“What a pity,” Count Etienne sighed softly. “We could have adorned you with ivory, gold, and silk.” He looked at Cesar before him. According to Komnenos tradition, Cesar could now be dressed in a deep purple silk robe, with a jeweled handkerchief adorning his chest, a crown on his head, pearls embellishing his clothes, and crimson sandals on his feet. But now, his attire was worse than that of a monk.

Perhaps because he was at home, Cesar was too lazy to even wear a cross; the only ornament he wore was the ring on his hand.

He was dressed in only a simple gray cotton robe, a natural leather belt, and low-cut shoes. Although they were loose, soft, and comfortable, they were certainly not the attire of a monarch. Considering the journey he had taken, the Governor's Palace had hardly undergone any major repairs, let alone the reconstruction of a royal palace. Count Étienne thought that without Princess Anna, even the church might not have been built.

Cesare's sister Natia, his wife Portia, and his youngest daughter were not seen wearing any expensive jewels, suggesting that no matter how much wealth this monarch acquired in the future, he would not spend it on himself.

Count Étienne recalled repeatedly—it was difficult to find a monarch who had ever acted in this way, whether in myths, legends, or scriptures—that a monarch should rightfully be supported by his people, an indisputable fact. This was accepted as simply as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, a principle that had remained unchanged for millennia.

Whether in ancient Greece, ancient Rome, or now or even earlier.

"I will send you some gifts, Your Highness. I hope you will accept them."

Count Étienne, certain he couldn't bear to watch Cesar continue wasting such a precious resource, turned his head and saw a head rising from behind a clump of thorns. "It seems that 'Priest Thomas' is getting impatient. Do you wish to speak to him now, or would you like to rest for a while?"

“No need.” Cesar gestured to “Priest Thomas,” who immediately jumped out of the bushes and ran over. Before Count Etienne could even leave the hexagonal pavilion, “Priest Thomas’s” obese body had already appeared in front of them.

(End of this chapter)