Chapter 126 January 1187 in the Confucian calendar
"Isaiah" is a book of prophets in the Old Testament, mainly composed of the prophecies of the prophet Isaiah.
The prophet Isaiah predicted the future of various nations and mentioned the birth of the Messiah, saying that the Messiah was born of a virgin, endured many sufferings, and finally died bearing his sins.
This has been interpreted by Christian tradition as pointing to Jesus Christ.
This section of "Isaiah 2:4" says that when the Day of Judgment arrives, Jehovah will judge the conflicts of many nations, causing the people on the earth to forge swords into plowshares, and there will be no more fighting.
This emphasizes that God will bring peace and justice.
But when Garris said this in turn, the meaning he expressed was actually very clear. It has not yet reached the day of judgment, so God will not bring peace and justice himself.
If people on earth want to fight for justice for themselves and prevent the fruits of their labor from being stolen, they need to take up arms to defend their rights and interests.
To do this, the farmer will need to raise his sword, and the craftsman will hold his spear...
Fortunately, Garris and the others can really forge swords and spears to arm farmers and craftsmen.
Of course, the output of Skaar Village is far from just weapons. Various tools needed for agriculture are the mainstream.
In order to expand production, various workshops in Skar Village have already expanded their scale, and have successively sent out invitations to recruit apprentices to surrounding villages and Alhadi Town.
Although the scale of a few hundred people is still not worth mentioning, it can gradually meet the needs of surrounding rural areas.
Relatively cheap iron products, as well as various materials that Garris purchased wholesale from passing caravans, were circulated in the territory along with the traders, truly connecting the entire territory.
North Jordan, like a living creature, is full of vitality in this winter.
……
The gears of history always jump inadvertently, and then push the entire world in a new direction.
Gareth saved a group of pilgrims from Leonard. Those Muslims lived in Alhadi Town for a period of time and were then picked up by passing caravans.
To be precise, it was accepted by Zaid's caravan, the same caravan that Garris saved in the drizzle.
Zaid has passed through Alhadi Town twice in the past few months, and his relationship with Garris and the others is extremely familiar.
The caravan picked up the survivors while passing through the town of Al-Hadi and escorted them to Damascus after they completed their pilgrimage to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
When these survivors arrived in Damascus, news that Leonard tore up the armistice agreement and arbitrarily attacked the pilgrim caravan also spread in Damascus.
This is not the first time, but it happens again and again! The armistice agreement between the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Ayyubid Dynasty was trampled upon by Leonard once again!
The Muslims were angry again. They were gathered by Islamic jurists and shouted loudly outside Saladin's castle!
They asked the Sultan to punish the Crusaders!
Damascus in this era had a population of nearly 200,000. It was known as the paradise on earth and the pearl of the Arab world.
When such a city is boiling, even Saladin can only lament the trend of the times, pushing him to the sky. If he takes a wrong step, he will be doomed.
If it weren't for the repeated threats from the Crusader Kingdom, how could the Arab world, which regarded division as the norm, be so easily unified by Saladin? This made him the sultan of a dynasty with tens of millions of people.
Saladin knew how his position was established.
Therefore, he walked out of the protection of Damascus Fort and stepped into the boiling Muslim ocean. He made his commitment in the market of Damascus, looking at the countless Muslims who showed their expectant looks.
"The Kingdom of Jerusalem needs to give an answer, and Leonard, the 'breacher of the covenant,' must pay the price with blood."
A city was mobilized, but this was not the end, just the prologue.
Messengers were sent to Baghdad, Cairo, Cordoba, Mecca...
Not just Damascus, not just the Ayyubid Dynasty, but the entire Islamic world. Like a sleeping giant, it slowly opened its eyes and cast its gaze on the arrow stuck in its body. arrow.
The Islamic world spanning three continents, from the Indus River in the east to the Iberian Peninsula in the west, will be aware of Saladin's promise and will send their own volunteers to add their own merits to this year's cause.
Zaid, who was in Damascus, witnessed this scene with his own eyes, but he was not moved by it, and was only deeply afraid.
He recalled the original dream. In that dream, whether it was the Dajjal who shattered the stars or the Mahdi who unified the world, his eyes were all light green with black pupils, and he was a young man with light blond hair.
The young man made a prophecy to him under the cover of night: next year, when the city of Jerusalem is destroyed, the cross on the Al-Aqsa Mosque will be removed.
It is now January of the year 1187, already the coming year as promised.
The gears of the world were turning slowly, just as that person expected, but no one could stop it.
If this prophecy is really fulfilled, then are the Frankish prophecies about the fall of Baghdad and the fire in the Palace of Wisdom true? Zaid did not dare to tell anyone what he knew. He was worried that he would be regarded as a madman, and he was even more afraid that he would be labeled a defeatist by those fanatical jurists.
A secret was kept in Zaid's heart. He couldn't wait to tell Garris what happened in Damascus, so that he could see whether the Frank's face would be surprised, or whether he had expected it. ……
Saladin naturally didn't know about Zaid's worries. He had something more concerned about.
While Saladin was gathering his army, out of his last respect for the armistice agreement, he sent an envoy to visit Raymond, Count of Tripoli and Lord of Tiberias.
Raymond is a very special figure. He is the head of the County of Tripoli among the Crusader countries. He also became the lord there because he married the widow of Tiberias.
In the Kingdom of Jerusalem, he and Balian represented the interests of the local nobles. They emphasized not to overly stimulate the religious sentiments of Muslims, but to concentrate on maintaining peace through commercial trade.
He belongs to the kind of person who belongs to peaceful times and is good enough to hunt with Saladin's brother.
However, Raymond refused to openly meet with the envoy, and now the faction he represents has lost power in the kingdom.
Therefore, he directly refused to serve as an intermediary and was unwilling to serve as a doormat between the kingdom and the Ayyubid dynasty.
Then Saladin's envoy went to Jerusalem to meet with the king. Guy was deeply sympathetic to this and was willing to provide all help except effective help. He even asked Leonard to compensate.
Then, when Leonard's reply was sent to Jerusalem, the head of Saladin's delegation looked at Guy on the throne with a look that looked at a dead man.
The reply was short and powerful: fart.
Guy said he was helpless and sent the delegation away.
However, the envoy did not return directly to Damascus, but chose to be guests in the palaces of various powerful lords in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
The head of the mission talked a lot with the powerful lords, mostly related to Leonard, and secondarily related to Guy's throne.
Many rumors spread about this.
For example, some people say that Bohemond III, Prince of Antioch, chose to sign a peace treaty with Saladin because of his cowardice at this juncture when the war was imminent.
For another example, Saladin expressed great sympathy for Raymond's experience and even secretly promised to support him in becoming king in the future and to help him seize the throne of Jerusalem.
These rumors were absurd, but they added a lot of suspicion to the nervous kingdom.
However, when the envoy came to Nablus, Balian de Ibelin wanted to keep the Muslims away, but his knights sent him unexpected news.
"My lord, those Saracens say they have brought news of the lady."
Balian was silent. These Saracens who were sowing discord in the kingdom did know the weakness of the human heart. It was no wonder that the other lords chose to talk to them.
He could be sure that as long as he met with the envoy, there would be another rumor in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and he would not have a chance to defend himself.
But can he say no? That’s news about my daughter!
"Yes, I will meet him in the lobby and hope he won't lie."
However, what was beyond Balian's expectation was that when Saladin's envoy left Nablus, there was no more rumor in the Kingdom of Jerusalem that was damaging to Balian's reputation.
There is always a lack of clear boundaries between truth and falsehood. Many times, three people become tigers. No matter how false it is, it can make people have to believe it.
But sometimes, just telling the truth is enough to alienate people.
What's more, without saying anything, just revealing a place name can make the direction of things develop into chaos.
It can be said that in January of the year 1187 of the Confucian calendar, the land of Levant was destined to have undercurrents.
……
Several riders with one person and two horses were walking along the Transjordan Avenue from north to south. They walked through the woods, through the Gobi Desert, and through the wilderness.
Palestine, a magical land, can cut out four vegetation type areas in this small country. Mediterranean type, dry grasslands, arid desert areas and oasis areas.
The diverse and magnificent natural landscapes add a touch of sacredness to this ancient land.
When the warm winter sun is about to set, a bustling town can be vaguely seen in the distant horizon.
"It looks like we are almost arriving at Alhadi Town, Humphrey."
The leading middle-aged man turned his head and said to the young nobleman beside him.
(End of chapter)