kingdom of nations

Chapter 332 The Fall of Damascus

Richard's face quickly changed several expressions in an instant: first disbelief, then understanding, then anger and disappointment, and finally determination.

He leaped to his feet and shouted, "Cesare, I have to go back to London!"

Cesar understood Richard's meaning in an instant.

Previously, the Pope and two other monarchs in Rome had all intended to raise the banner of the Third Holy War, but they always maintained an ambiguous and aloof attitude—only to force Richard to concede more benefits.

Even if this is something they want to do, it doesn't prevent them from gaining more benefits from it.

However, this is based on the premise that Damascus still belongs to the Crusaders and their actions are merely icing on the cake. If Damascus were to fall again after being recaptured, it would be a resounding slap in the face to all Catholic countries and Christian knights. In that case, even a sudden surge of public opinion would force them to launch an expedition as soon as possible.

Richard quickly grasped César's arm: "You should get ready too." He whispered, "The Pope's envoy will probably arrive in Cyprus as quickly as possible."

Ironically, Damascus was actually conquered by Baldwin, the King of Arrassal, and Cesare. Had it been any other knight, his fame would have spread to every castle and church, and even the Pope would have held a grand Mass in his honor.

But in order to gain Cyprus, they not only failed to give him honor and praise, but also wronged him, portraying him as an unpardonable sinner. Who would dare to mention a devil at such a time?

To avoid embarrassment, people simply skipped this part. When it needed to be mentioned, they would only say in general terms that the Crusaders recaptured Damascus, without mentioning the real heroes who made the difference.

Now they might be thinking that they should have kept Damascus in Cesar's hands—that way, they could find a ready-made scapegoat for the fall of Damascus.

However, it's obvious that this is impossible. Without a sufficiently large sum of money, how could they possibly force Count Raymond of Tripoli to the gambling table?

The details would have to wait until they returned to the governor's palace to ask the envoy from Damascus. As Cesar was about to mount his horse with Lorenz in his arms, his eyes turned and he saw the Goru family still kneeling on the ground.

He hurriedly rode over, wanting to say some words of comfort to Goru, telling him not to punish the child who was about the same age as Lorenz too harshly.

Goru was meek and submissive, but when he occasionally looked up, Cesar saw his sorrow and a hint of ruthless killing intent. The killing intent wasn't directed at Cesar; Goru felt only gratitude towards him, and certainly not at Lorenz—to Goru, the lord's child, their young master, was like a star in the sky; even a glance at him would be considered presumptuous, let alone offensive.

His murderous intent was directed at his youngest daughter, even though she was still at an innocent and naive age, she had caused such a terrible disaster. If it had been a different knight, their entire family might have been hanged from a tree.

Their sons were indeed the lord's soldiers, but what good was that? By the time their eldest son returned from the camp, their bones would be falling to the ground from the ropes.

Did he love the child? Of course he did. But that love couldn't outweigh the lives of his entire family, or even the future of his eldest son. The moment César turned away—no matter what César had said before—he would kill the child.

He certainly wouldn't do it openly, but it's too easy for such a young child to die—being dragged away by wild animals, drowning in a stream, or even just having a high fever could take her life.

Cesar hesitated for a moment, then turned his horse around, blocking the little girl's view from her father, Goru. He then leaned forward, grabbed the girl who was unaware of what was happening, and tossed her onto the horse, making her squeeze in with Lorenz.

Lorenz's face immediately crumpled, but she could also sense that after the arrival of the Albon Knight, the atmosphere around everyone suddenly became heavy and cold, and no one dared to shout or struggle at this time. They even showed unprecedented obedience, pursing their lips and remaining silent.

They rushed back to the Governor's Palace.

The envoy who had traveled all the way from Damascus to Nicosia by ship had regained some strength with the help of the monks' treatment and the sugar water.

César remembered his face; he was always by David's side and a close friend. But when he knelt at César's feet and placed his forehead on his feet, he was overcome with grief and burst into uncontrollable sobs.

Lorenz was handed over to Portia, who had rushed over, by Cesar, while the other little girl was given to his sister Natia. He only had time to hurriedly instruct them to take the two children down to wash and rest before helping the knight to his feet.

Seeing the man's purple lips and ashen face, Cesar knew his condition was dire. A monk's healing could only address the surface; it was difficult to replenish the internal deficiencies. This knight had traveled day and night, likely having endured a fierce battle, and was probably at his last gasp, on the verge of collapse.

Especially in such extreme anger and grief—intense emotions can truly kill.

César told him to lie down, but he refused. Before him were two monarchs—Richard no longer concealed his identity because he needed to know the details of the fall of Damascus, and he was about to return to London anyway—the knight did not want to be disrespectful to two monarchs, and even though his physical condition did not allow it, even if he was propped up by his armor with a lance, he absolutely refused to lie down.

In the end, both sides had to compromise, and the three of them sat down. César even asked his servants to bring him a cup of somewhat bitter tea, reddish in color, with some strange roots in it.

If this had been brought by someone else, the knight probably wouldn't have dared to drink it so readily, as it resembled herbs that the priests had repeatedly and solemnly declared were not to be used casually.

But the knight couldn't care less at this point. He picked up the glass and drank it all in one gulp. After a short while, he found that he felt even better.

As it turned out, the devil before him did not bring any calamity to the believers of God—even those who were heretics—but instead brought them health and happiness.

And this knight wasn't the only one who benefited.

Cesar's blade was never pointed at the innocent, but he also did not forgive any sinner—whether Christian, Saracen, or Byzantine. During this time, Cesar's knights and soldiers were not idle. There were still some incorrigible villains in Cyprus, and bandits roamed both on land and at sea. The previous governors and nobles could not effectively combat them—mainly because they were stingy with their limited resources.

But for their new lord, he could not sleep soundly until all this filth and garbage was cleaned up.

As Goru's wife said, she dared to walk alone along the main road from the village to Nicosia. Nowadays, merchants and pilgrims can lie on small beds and close their eyes leisurely as their ships pass through the straits on both sides of Cyprus.

Even though the church repeatedly proclaims the cunning and treacherous nature of the Cypriot devil—urging people not to fall for his tricks—not everyone is foolish enough to believe everything they hear. Besides, even pilgrims are not empty-headed—if they were, they would still be working in the villages.

They spoke of this lord in Acre, Jaffa, Arazarus, Bethlehem, and Nalessa, praising him highly—they saw no sin in him. To be honest, even Satan would be banished from hell for enabling thousands of pilgrims to embark on a safe journey.

In contrast, his two other heirs of the same age—Abigail needs no further explanation—was a disgrace to knighthood. He was not destined to be the future King of Allazarus or regent; some even believed that his knighthood and spurs should be revoked, because he had never done anything a knight should do.

David's misfortune lay in having such a father.

The fall of Damascus was largely due to the stubbornness of Count Raymond of Tripoli.

“I remember Damascus was given to David,” Cesar said.

The knight's lips twitched slightly, as if he were about to shout an insult, but he held back: "Count Raymond of Tripoli is, after all, his father," he said in a low voice.

“I reminded David not to let his father get involved in the governance of Damascus,” Cesar said, frowning.

The return of Damascus to Christian territory (it had originally belonged to Byzantium) was, in fact, an event that occurred under extremely special circumstances.

First, the chaos in Syria and the surrounding areas left Damascus isolated and helpless. The only reinforcements they received were easily neutralized due to internal strife. Second, Damascus had already suffered several attacks from its own people, leaving everyone exhausted and on the verge of collapse. They might have continued to resist, but Lazis, who had been forcibly placed governor, had his own ideas, not just personal honor… Cesar didn't know if he was instructed to do so, but the peace treaty he signed with Baldwin, the king of Arrassa, did guarantee the survival of the people of Damascus. However, for this reason, the foundation of Damascus's rule was not solid; in fact, it could be said that the Crusaders' gains were incomplete.

Of course, there is the simplest way, which is to open the city gates by deception and then slaughter all the residents inside. But this would mean that no matter which city they conquered in the future, they would face fierce resistance, and some knights would not even be able to accept such a treacherous act.

However, with Damascus's existing population still far exceeding the Crusader garrison and their families... not adopting a compromise and moderate approach to governance would be tantamount to suicide.

César once had a long conversation with David in their correspondence. In the letter, César painstakingly analyzed the situation for him. Although the peace treaty he signed with the Damascus as a Crusader was no longer recognized, he still hoped that David could grant the Damascus freedom and some rights as he had promised. This was not cowardice, nor retreat, nor compromise, but justice.

For anyone, regardless of their beliefs or how they are believed, justice is an irrefutable truth, just as a sinner will be despised and condemned wherever he goes, while a good person will be respected and loved wherever he goes.

So apart from sinners and those about to commit crimes, ordinary people are willing to endure and continue living their lives if they encounter a just ruler.

He shared some of his ideas and strategies with David. At that time, he believed that, given David's temperament and his reply, even if he didn't follow every single one of David's suggestions, he could at least accomplish most of them.

There may still be some resentment and dissatisfaction, but everyone cherishes their own life. Even if there are some shortcomings, the Saracens of Damascus may not immediately launch a riot and fight to the death.

What he didn't expect was that while he was busy fighting the army sent by the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I, Raymond seemed to have finally found an opportunity—at first he just gave instructions, then he reprimanded him, and finally he even seized David's authority and began to rule Damascus according to his methods.

Was Count Raymond of Tripoli right to do what he did?
That would have been true fifty years ago, no, even thirty years ago.

Back then, the Crusaders and the infidels were bound by irreconcilable hatred; if one side didn't wipe out the other, it was considered a betrayal of their faith and a desecration of their ideals. Now, however, things were completely different. European envoys often mocked the Crusader kings as emperors of the East. Indeed, whether it was Grand Duke Bohemond of Antioch, Count Raymond of Tripoli, or the earlier Amalric I, all were influenced by the culture of the Arab peninsula—their diet, clothing, and way of thinking were all reflected in this. Within the army, without the replenishment of new blood, and with the original soldiers and knights having received the lands they desired, the Crusades' momentum had waned considerably. Turks, Armenians, and even a small number of Saracens were potentially hired by Crusader commanders and mixed among their soldiers.

While they fought each other on the battlefield, they had long been involved in capturing enemy soldiers or generals and demanding ransoms—when conquering a city, as Amalric I did when he conquered Folstadt, he did not kill everyone, but simply expelled them…

It can be said that the situation on the Saracen Peninsula has eased since half a century ago.

If Damascus had continued to be ruled in the way César suggested, even without political talent, David could have maintained five or ten years of peace. This is why the Third Crusade was always in the works and never actually took place – everyone thought there was plenty of time.

Unexpectedly, after Count Raymond of Tripoli gained power, he began to drastically revise the previous peace treaty, even overturning all the policies agreed upon by César and David. He ruled Damascus in a repressive manner—all temples were converted into churches (originally only one-third of the temples were converted); public worship was prohibited; free travel was prohibited; gatherings were prohibited; not only did the residents of the city have to pay a "non-belief tax" of one-fifth of their income, but even passing pilgrims and merchants had to pay taxes as long as they were not Christians. However, Christians were not much better off; they also had to pay high entry taxes and transaction taxes.

When merchants begged him to send troops to quell the bandits outside the city, even Christians were extorted—of course, Count Raymond of Tripoli did not see it as extortion, but as a reward he and his knights deserved.

And just as César had predicted, discipline loosened far faster and easier than it tightened. The knights, who had initially held some reverence for the peace treaty, became even more unscrupulous upon seeing Count Raymond of Tripoli so unrestrained—not only were there countless instances of arbitrarily beating and scolding civilians, abducting women, and forcibly breaking into people's homes to plunder their property; there were also many who killed entire Damascus families and then brazenly seized the residences, courtyards, and workshops of infidels.

Count Raymond of Tripoli not only did not stop him, but also severely reprimanded David when he wanted to punish the knights, believing that he had forgotten his status and was as indecisive and timid as a woman.

Moreover, when the atmosphere in the city became dangerous again, Count Raymond of Tripoli spent a large sum of money to hire some Turks and Armenians.

And just as César least wanted to see, these mercenaries arrived in Damascus like ferocious wasps swarming into a honeycomb, immediately beginning their unrestrained feasting.

Anyway, this isn't their city, nor are these their people. All the blame can be directly pinned on their enemies. Only a fool would abide by the so-called laws and agreements at this time.

David initially wanted to keep them in check, but once the number of mercenaries surpassed that of the knights and soldiers of Tripoli, his influence diminished.

In the end, he even had to use his body to block the Saracens in order to stop these mercenaries from running rampant. But he was only one person. Even with a few like-minded knights by his side, what did he amount to in this vast and wealthy city?

It's not even a drop in the ocean.

The final straw was the exasperated Damascus, who finally launched a riot. Although the riot was quickly suppressed, Count Raymond of Tripoli was furious, believing that someone had instigated and organized it. Unable to find that person, he brought up the former governor, Lazis, who had been imprisoned in the library.

If the people of Damascus initially hated Razis, believing he had defiled the blessings God had bestowed upon him and handed over the entire nation of Damascus to the Crusader knights—they later realized that Razis's actions were out of necessity, for the Saracens had betrayed Damascus first, forcing the governor of Damascus to do such a tragic and humiliating thing for their lives.

At first, they would glare at Lazis, but gradually they lowered their heads, ashamed and afraid to speak to him.

When news spread that Lazis was to be executed, the people of Damascus were immediately thrown into panic. Several respected elders went to Count Raymond of Tripoli, knelt on the ground, and shed tears at his feet, begging him to spare Lazis. They were willing to give their own lives to save the former governor.

But their actions only confirmed for Count Raymond of Tripoli that Lazis was the mastermind behind the Damascus. Enraged, he shouted, "Since you are willing to give your lives for Lazis, then so be it. I hope your lives will make those ignorant heretics understand that I am not that soft-hearted little slave!"

He then erected several tall gallows in the large square in front of the palace and hung the elders who came to plead for mercy on them. He then declared that he would hang Laziz in front of them on the day of the Saracens' most important festival (October 1), and cut off his head, hands and feet and burn them in the fire so that he could not ascend to heaven intact.

Upon hearing this, Richard's face went blank. He couldn't fathom why an experienced ruler would do something so insane. Did he really think that his knights and hired men could suppress the wrath of an entire city?
“Then David summoned us and told us that he disagreed with his father’s actions. He wanted to steal Mr. Lazis and send him to Arrassa or Cyprus.”

"It didn't work..., right?"

“He’s been discovered, or perhaps he’s been under surveillance all along,” the knight said with difficulty. “Especially since Count Raymond of Tripoli discovered the letters he had hidden.” He looked at César, who immediately understood. “They were my correspondence with David.”

"Yes, he was furious, believing that David had been tempted by the devil to do such a rebellious thing. He severely punished my master and refused to allow the priest to treat him. He developed a high fever that night."

Richard understood somewhat. Did Raymond really not know that doing this would provoke the Saracens' anger? He did know, but his disgust for Cesar outweighed his reason—no father wants to watch his son "go bad" under the influence of others—that is, to ignore and rebel against his own father.

His father, Henry II, was the same; he always regarded their mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, as a witch who had lured her sons one by one into becoming beasts who would fight against their father.

Richard didn't ask David why he didn't rebel. There were enough rebellious sons like him, and his brothers weren't exactly well-behaved either. David was clearly the kind of stubborn, honest, and kind-hearted man. You could tell just by looking at how David continued to correspond with him, listen to his advice, and treat the Saracens kindly after being falsely accused in Cesar.

How could he possibly turn against his own father and start a fight?

David, who once lifted a strong warhorse on the battlefield and hurled it at the Saracens more than a hundred feet away, could not now raise his hand to refuse the blow from his aged father.

"Then, that very night, we don't know when the army appeared, but they arrived silently, and were not even noticed by the guards when they entered the city—it was the Damascus who opened the city gates for them. They rushed in, occupied every key location, and killed our soldiers."

The knight's voice trailed off, as if he were too ashamed to continue: "Count Raymond of Tripoli was captured, as was David. If it weren't for Lazis's resistance, they might have been killed that very day. Now they are simply imprisoned, awaiting ransom."

"What about the mercenaries?"

"Those wretched fellows, they ran away as soon as they saw that things were hopeless. It's better that they ran away than that; quite a few of them turned around and attacked us, but they didn't have a good end either. The army that entered Damascus captured them one by one and hanged them neatly on the walls and trees of Damascus."

Now, feet dangle in the air everywhere in Damascus, and no amount of rosewater can quell the stench; the air is always thick with that nauseating stench.

Cesar took a deep breath; he finally understood how the Saracens had silently reclaimed the city.

Patriarch Heraclius had been worried that leaving so many local people in Damascus—the Saracens—might turn them into accomplices for the enemy.

But Cesar's original plan was to treat everyone in the city fairly and kindly, whether they were Christians or Saracens. After all, the Saracens hadn't seemed to give the Damascus people much of a choice before, and their previous losses weren't caused by the Crusader knights.

He believed that while faith was important, survival was equally worthy of respect. If both could be had, what difference did it make to them whether a governor was Saracen or not?

But all of this was ruined by Count Raymond of Tripoli.

Furthermore, the changes in Count Raymond of Tripoli had already begun to emerge after the death of Amalric I. He became increasingly impatient and radical, as if a whip was lashing him from behind.

He had a natural dominance over David, and was able to suppress David, who could not resist. "It was my fault," Cesar said.

Richard shook his head.

“What did you do wrong? David was a coward in this matter, and the root of the failure lies entirely with him.”

The envoy had nothing to say to the king, with whom he had once fought his father on the battlefield. He lowered his head once more and wept silently. Then he felt a pair of hands gently resting on his shoulders and instructed a servant to take him back to rest, but the lingering sorrow still weighed heavily on his heart.

What to do? What to do? Damascus, the Crusaders, God, and their young master David…

"Arthur of Aquitaine" abruptly ended his journey and flew back to London as swiftly as a falcon.

Soon after, an envoy from Pope Lucius III arrived in Cyprus. This time, the Pope was no longer evasive or hesitant—after all, Damascus was recaptured during the reign of Alexander III, but lost during his reign. If Damascus could not once again become a medal of the Crusades, endless shame awaited him. The envoy did not haggle but readily presented Cesare with the Pope's decree.

Alexander III's excommunication order was declared invalid.

In return, Cesare had to provide one hundred knights, one thousand soldiers, and himself to participate in the Crusade, and to dedicate a glorious victory to God and the Church, so as not to betray the leniency of Pope Lucius III.

The following words were pure nonsense, and Cesar didn't even bother to glance at them. However, the Archbishop of Cyprus rushed over, looking worried. He was clearly concerned that if the Roman Catholic Church blew its whistle, Cesar would, like the other Catholics, happily and without any resentment, run back to continue being their servants.

"King Baldwin of Arrassa has written to me, inviting me to participate in this crusade." Cesar smiled and said to the archbishop, "I will participate, but not as a crusader knight, but as the absolute monarch of the Byzantine Empire. I am the lord of Cyprus, am I not?"

The archbishop was overjoyed and patted his chest as if to calm his heart, which was hanging in his throat. His actions even made the worried Cesar smile. "Go tell those nobles."

Although Damascus and Cyprus are separated by a long distance and a strait, everyone knows that the Egyptian Sultan Saladin was determined to take Damascus—if Saladin had also participated in the war, Cyprus would have faced much less pressure.

Not to mention, Cesar went not as a crusader knight, but as a lord of Cyprus, and his honors were rightfully shared by the Cypriots.

(End of this chapter)