kingdom of nations

Chapter 334 Two Banquets (Part 2)

But if Joan were to look away from the silver platter before her, she would find that, although everyone present had guessed why she was there, not many people were paying attention to her.

“What an unimaginable day, isn’t it?” said Geoffroy, as Walter beside him looked up at the main table.

Because there are so many distinguished guests today, the main table is no longer one table, but three.

Beside King Baldwin of Arrassal, to his left was King Richard I of England, and to his right was Cesare, the Lord of Cyprus and the absolute monarch of Byzantium. Next to Cesare was Patriarch Heraclius, and Queen Mother Maria sat next to Richard, while on her other side was the King's birth mother, Countess Jaffa.

Seated at the main table on the right are the Grand Master of the Knights Templar and the Grand Master of the Knights of Charity, as well as important figures such as Count Bellion and William Marshall.

To Jean-François, the expression on their Grand Master Philip's face was truly indescribable. They certainly recognized the Grand Master of the Order of the Good Hall—the one who, though not exactly young, was still quite a distance from death—but now sitting here was a different person.

Although the ostensible reason for his discontinuation of his duties was his death in the line of duty, it was widely known that it was inextricably linked to the betrayal he had committed not long ago.

Geoffrey shook his head, disbelieving that their Grand Master harbored any ulterior motives.

Philip had surrendered all his lands to the Knights Templar and then devoted himself to the cause of fighting for God. Like other knights, he adhered to all the strict rules of an armed monk—but it was precisely because of this piety that he was now in a very awkward situation.

The culprits were none other than the priests of the Roman Catholic Church. They were at the third table. It was clear that Lucius III knew about the misdeeds of Alexander III and that his subsequent probing and evasions had already displeased the King of Arrassa and the lords of Cyprus. This time, he had not sent any arrogant or short-sighted fellow—but rather a well-liked good man, at least compared to the other cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church, he was indeed barely acceptable.

Even though there were hardly any other guests at the table, only him and a few accompanying priests, he showed no sign of discomfort, enjoying the food and wine served to him by his servants with a smile.

Even if someone tries to say something, whether it's flattery or provocation, he simply raises his glass and gestures to indicate that he's eating and doesn't want to discuss anything.

“The Roman Catholic Church has truly brought shame upon itself this time,” said Geoffroy, still being polite. Compared to the others in the Knights Templar, the two of them were probably the most likely to have foreseen this outcome—they knew that the little fellow was not as docile as he appeared.

Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Church, far away on the Apennine Peninsula, was unaware of the support and adoration Cesare enjoyed in the Holy Land, or perhaps they disdained to understand the power that could be contained within the poor and lowly—they saw Cesare as yet another German, Frankish, or Apennine lord.

Henry IV once yielded to the papal scepter (the rest is another story), and the emperor even repented barefoot, so what could a mere Crusader knight do?

The results speak for themselves.

Cyprus still belongs to Cesar, and they did indeed acquire Bethlehem and Damascus as initially expected, but they failed to obtain the enormous benefits they anticipated.

The plague that broke out in Bethlehem instilled deep resentment in the city's residents and pilgrims towards the Roman Catholic Church. Even after Cesare was excommunicated, four or five thousand people were still willing to leave the city with him, which thwarted the plans of some.

But to say that those who remained in Bethlehem and others who heard of this would have had their faith strengthened as a result would be nonsense. Although they were unsure whether the plague was spread by humans, the church certainly did not play a significant role in the plague.

They denounced the man who saved them as a devil—if Cesar had failed, his medicine would have caused the deaths of many more people, just as the village “witch” sometimes confuses poison with herbs, and people might have believed it, but in fact, thousands upon thousands of people had been saved because of him.

Especially since the Roman Catholic Church rescinded the excommunication order just over a year later—anyone with a brain can't help but wonder whether the Church made this punishment with good intentions and public interest, or whether it regarded it as a childish extortion.
To make matters worse, Damascus fell.

“David is a good young man too.” Walter used his hand axe to chop off a large piece of roast beef, then picked it up with his fingers and stuffed the juicy meat into his mouth.

Indeed, without Cesar and Baldwin, David's character and martial prowess would have been impeccable.

"But who told him to have such a father? If you ask me, Raymond's problem was that he was indecisive and wavering. He should have killed all the people of Damascus the day he set foot in Damascus."

You mean those heretics?

“Of course,” Walter said with a chilling smile, “it’s the simplest and least troublesome way to do it.”

But Geoffrey immediately refuted his claim, saying, "Impossible. At that time, the population of Damascus still exceeded that of our army. They were not lambs to the slaughter, but vigilant enemies."

If we were to do that, our losses would be immense, and their governor has said that Damascus is littered with oil, and whether we decide to continue the war or massacre his people, he will burn the city down, just as Shavard burned Foscat.”

Walter stopped. "Do you think he will?"

"Do you want to gamble?" Geoffroy countered. Walter grinned but didn't answer, though his attitude made it clear that even a ruthless man like him wouldn't put all his chips on the table at that moment.

Why did the Crusaders attack Damascus? While some were motivated by faith, they were few and far between. The majority wanted Damascus as an economic center and military stronghold. Even losing a section of the city wall or half of the fortress, let alone being engulfed by fire, would be heartbreaking.

"Then we can only do as César once said and treat those infidels kindly."

“There are also many heretics on Arrassa Road,” said Joeffroy.

“But what use is a moment of mercy in this era?” Walter cut off another piece of meat, examining the bloody juice seeping out: “The heretic governor is dead.”

"Is he still dead?"

"It was the combined forces of Hamas and Holmes who made them open the city gates. The governor of Holmes was a cold-blooded and tyrannical man. His wife had recently... you know, been humiliated by Abigail. Although he failed, he still considered it a disgrace. After taking Damascus, he executed most of the Christians and imprisoned the others for ransom."

Then he decided to stone the former governor of Damascus, Lazis, because he had groveled before the Christians and betrayed Damascus.

"Wait... Lazis?"

“Indeed, that poor bastard,” Walter said, quite familiar with Saracen punishments. “You know, stoning first requires all his relatives and friends to sever ties with him in person, and then they are the first to throw stones at him—but he refused, so they were killed, and their blood flowed into the pit where Lazis is buried…”

"what……"

"A merchant witnessed the whole thing. He said that Lazis didn't make a sound when he was buried in the pit, but he screamed loudly when he saw his friend's head fall off, and finally cried until his eyes bled..."

Was he pardoned?

“A pardon? How could that be? Damascus also refused the governor of Holmes, and he has no shortage of subjects and soldiers, so…”

"so?"

“He did what Christians didn’t do.”

For a moment, Frois was at a loss for words. Holding his cup, he was filled with emotion as he dodged a group of servants who were serving peacocks and wild boars. The peacocks were roasted, drizzled with sauce, and adorned with feathers, presented as if they were still alive, magnificent and lifelike. The wild boars were also covered in their original fur, and their enormous heads were so ferocious that some of the ladies even gasped in surprise.

“That must be the wild boar that Cesar hunted, isn’t it? It’s really good,” Walter exclaimed.

Some people prove they have mastered an amazing skill by shooting their prey in the eye, but this wild boar was pierced through the mouth by a javelin, the tip of which went straight to its heart. From the outside, there wasn't a single noticeable wound. Although the wild boar wasn't big, few people here could do that.

Then another plate of sea fish, over ten feet long, was served. It had also been skillfully prepared by the chefs, its body shimmering with silver light, and it required three servants to hold it above their heads at the same time.

Finally, there was a complete Persian fallow deer, a male hunted by Baldwin. Its antlers were particularly majestic, and its eyes were closed. The cook stuffed a handful of bright green bay leaves into its mouth, making it look as if it might stand up from the huge silver platter at any moment and leap away.

"This silver plate looks unfamiliar."

Walter said to Geoffroy, who only glanced at it: "Oh, that was brought by the King of England. It's said to have been given to him by a group of Isaacs at his coronation."

Walter hissed, "These people are everywhere."

To be honest, their children really suffered enough from the Isaacs.

This was something Geoffrey knew more about, having served as the Knights Templar's envoy in London and having several English friends. "At Richard I's coronation—they presented this, perhaps believing their gift was entirely worthy of an exception by the king, even though they knew that in such a solemn Catholic ceremony, the Isaacs, even with a city as their gift, would find it difficult to gain entry. Yet they managed to sneak into Westminster Abbey where the ceremony was taking place and intended to stay there until it ended." "Did they want to be witnesses?"

“That is indeed possible, but…” Geoffroy looked at the red-haired king, “The Isaacs always thought that anyone could be bought with money like they do, disregarding all principles. But this king would not tolerate them for that, and besides, he did not have the patience and mercy of Henry II. He immediately ordered his guards to kill those Isaacs.”

Not only that, but that night the blood of the Isaacs flowed everywhere like a red carpet laid out on the cathedral steps and passageways—ordinary Londoners, acting on the King's orders, stormed into the Isaacs' dwellings, dragged them all out, and executed them all, men, women, and children alike, confiscating all their property.

“Then they’ve gotten what they wanted, even if the reward might not be what they were hoping for,” Walter said smugly, raising his hand to signal his servants to take a large piece of wild boar meat.

At that moment, Richard, who was at the head table, was also talking about this matter. "I said you shouldn't have given those Isaacs such a nice look," Richard said with a mocking sneer.

Another group of servants knelt before them, bowed, and then stood up to gather up the leftover food, plates, cups, and linen cloth from the long table and take them away. Only then was the silver platter placed before them.

“I saw through these guys a long time ago. You may not know this, but when I was very young, my mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, had some conflicts with my father, Henry II. These conflicts did not disappear even after we grew up; on the contrary, they intensified. Later, with her support, my brothers and I challenged our father.”

In this process, the busiest people were not our army or priests, but those damned Isaacs, who were running around, speculating everywhere, and asking some bizarre questions and making demands that were hard to believe.

My father also provided them with some conveniences, which may be why they have this misconception.

When I ascended the throne, they swaggered in like this, carrying this silver platter on their shoulders. It was indeed a considerable fortune, but not enough to atone for their sins.

So I said, "If they want me to see the sincerity of the Isaacs, they should at least pile their heads up on that silver platter."

"So you just did it?"

Baldwin asked with great interest. Influenced by Cesar, he wasn't as tyrannical and ruthless as some nobles or even kings of today, but he truly had no liking for the Isaacs. Leaving aside their past crimes, half of the three hundred people accusing Cesar were Isaacs. The fact that he hadn't expelled all the Isaacs from Arazari was already a testament to Baldwin's rationality and strong self-control.

"Heads rolled in the streets, blood flowed like rivers, torches illuminated every corner as bright as day, and the dark rats were caught one by one, either hung on trees or thrown into the river. After that, the whole of London was cleaned up. Unfortunately, the Isaacs were like clumps of moss; no matter how clean you eradicate them, they will silently sprout again if you are not careful."

Richard clicked his tongue, then said as if he were talking about something very interesting, “You may not know that in the previous meeting about the Third Holy War, I, along with King Philip II of France and Emperor Frederick I of the Holy Roman Empire, reached an agreement with the Roman Catholic Church to collect a new war tax.”

When my will was proclaimed everywhere, the Christians all paid the money. Not only that, some were willing to donate even more, but the Isaacs—they refused. So, as I set out, along the roads I passed through, I dragged out the Isaacs of every city and put them to death. They refused to pay the tax, so I made them pay with their lives and all their possessions.”

"Did they resist?" Baldwin asked.

"What difference do you think there is between the Isaacs of England and the Isaacs of Allazarus? Rebellion, they might, but only when they have the complete advantage, or when they believe they have the complete advantage. Perhaps it shouldn't be called rebellion, but rather... like a hyena taking advantage of an opening, just like when they instigated a rebellion in Rome—in fact, the greatest protest they can make is suicide."

"Are they crazy?"

“They’re not afraid of going to hell,” Richard said, looking at Baldwin strangely. “If they don’t go to hell, how can they go to heaven? Putting aside their original sin, they’ve been doing things that God doesn’t allow—and their laws allow them to commit suicide. Anyway, they hid all their property, and then they all killed their wives and children in a castle and burned themselves alive. They thought that would frustrate me, but I still got the money.”

“There was a traitor among them.”

“And one of the initiators of this operation, huh?” Richard laughed heartily, picking up a piece of candied fruit and putting it in his mouth. He was immediately rendered speechless by the sourness and quickly grabbed a glass of wine, gulping it down to rinse his mouth. “What’s your cook doing? Call him over here right now, let me give him a good beating.”

“I asked them to prepare it,” Cesar quickly defended the poor cook. He and Baldwin usually paid attention to the balance of meat and vegetables when they ate, with less meat, more fish, more vegetables, and less fruit.

However, according to tradition and the guests' understanding, vegetables were not allowed at such banquets. To have something only lowly commoners ate served would be considered an insult to every knight present.

Therefore, besides bread, cheese, wine, and candied fruit, as well as rock sugar piled on the table for anyone to take, there was only meat, meat, meat, and countless amounts of meat. As far as Cesare knew, the castle steward and the livestock steward had prepared a total of one thousand cows, two thousand pigs, and countless chickens and ducks. And that wasn't all; there were also sea fish and shellfish provided by Cesare.

Without vegetables and fruits, Cesar could barely eat the meat, and could only use some sour candied fruit to cut through the greasiness.

The original kitchen was simply not enough, so new stoves had to be built in the square, where seventy chefs were busy working, and countless servants were recruited...

“In fact, I also advised Philip II to do so, but you know, he is the King of France,” Richard mocked without any attempt to hide his sarcasm. “Once he leaves the Parisian hamlet, he will be passing through the territories of his subjects. He may receive a grand reception and a warm welcome, but he will have no power to interfere in the affairs of those regions, and of course, he will have no way to deal with the Isaacs.”

Of course, compared to those in London, the Frankish Isaacs seemed much more cunning. However, this inevitably slowed him down; he had to wait until he received the war tax and the gifts from his vassals before he could set off again.

“His messenger has already delivered the letter, and Philip II will arrive in Acre in a week,” Baldwin said.

“Don’t count on him,” Richard said bluntly, “not his money, not his army, not even himself.”

“Don’t be too harsh,” Cesar said. “...I remember he was four years younger than both Baldwin and me.”

Richard showed a hint of disdain: "Yes, he ascended the throne at almost the same time as you," he said to Baldwin, "but by then you had already defeated Nurdin's camp with a smaller force, scattered his army everywhere, and thwarted his attempt to seize Arrasal, while he was still arguing with his vassals over ten or a hundred men."

He said casually, after all, Philip II had cooperated with him for many years and he knew his ally very well. "To put it nicely, he is rational and cautious; to put it bluntly, he is cowardly. The reason he is willing to fight this holy war is because the forces surrounding him are too numerous and too great, like an impenetrable wall. If he doesn't find a crack in it, his future life will be bleak."

"In that case, you should be more understanding of him."

“On the battlefield, who can be considerate of whom?” As a knight-king, Richard could hardly tolerate such a coward who used the name of war to seek personal gain but could not face blood and death. “You’ll see when he arrives. In short, I suggest you do not place him in any important position throughout the campaign.”

"And what about Frederick I?"

The most familiar thing to people is the origin of Frederick I's nickname Barbarossa. He had red hair similar to Richard's and a red beard of the same color, but the color lacked vitality and was a lifeless blood red.

He attacked Italy several times, and the Italians both hated and feared him, especially the people of Milan.

He did indeed kill all the Milan representatives who came to beg for forgiveness and kick their heads around like balls.

When Italian women try to lull their children to sleep, they say, "Barbarossa is coming! Barbarossa is coming! If you don't go to sleep, he's coming to take you away!"

It is clear that he is not an easy person to get along with, and he is as dangerous as a wild beast. Not to mention that he is only in his fifties, and is in his prime as a king and general. Although he has never fought against infidels, his experience on the battlefield is definitely richer than that of others.

Once he arrives here, he could very well seize the position of Crusader commander, which Richard absolutely cannot tolerate—and the Crusaders of the Holy Land are not too happy to see this outcome either, but persuading him will probably be very difficult.

Richard said with some annoyance, "He's later than us because he's supposedly going to gather an army of 100,000 men."

"One hundred thousand people?"

"Exaggeration, exaggeration. You know those priests never tell the truth, no, not even a single word. I think about half of them, and that must have included armed squires, ordinary soldiers, laborers, vassals, and soldiers given to him by allies. For example, the King of Hungary gave him three thousand men. Even so, that was still a huge army."

It is precisely for this reason that even if the Venetians, Genoese, and Pisaians built ships for him simultaneously, they could not build ships capable of carrying so many soldiers. Therefore, he will travel by land across the vast river regions of the Byzantine Empire, then through the Sultanate of Rum, followed by Antioch and Tripoli, and finally meet us at Arrassa.

Antioch and Tripoli undoubtedly touched Baldwin's heart, while Richard had already noticed that these two important ministers were not present at the main table.

Count Raymond of Tripoli needs little introduction; he is currently imprisoned by the Saracens. The disappearance of the Grand Prince of Antioch is almost a public declaration of his discord with King Arazarus, and also a provocation to the foreign monarchs who are about to participate in the Eastern Expedition.

If the king felt humiliated by this, his knights could even challenge Bohemond.

"Of course, he also has a plausible reason."

Baldwin said, "He went to Constantinople, where he will meet Frederick I."

(End of this chapter)