Chapter 127 One day, he will destroy himself!
The so-called Transjordan refers to the area east of the Jordan Valley.
In this land, as early as thousands of years ago, it was already a place where caravans must pass.
【Please allow us to pass through your land. We will not go through the fields or vineyards, nor will we drink from the wells, but we will keep the high road, turning not to the right or to the left, until we have passed through your territory. 】
——"Numbers" 20:17
This avenue recorded in the Old Testament was a camel trade road that ran through Transjordan from north to south, and it still nourishes the town of Alhadi today.
When Balian and others led their horses along the old avenue into Alhadi Town, they saw a large construction site.
On this construction site, turbaned Muslims worked alongside Frankish Christians.
They built houses one after another here, expanded the town, and dug wells and cisterns to cope with the long dry season.
This is a sight rarely seen in other parts of the kingdom.
Generally speaking, in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Franks and Muslims are two different societies after all. Except for a few unavoidable intersections, most of the time, they try not to interact with each other until death.
However, this is not the case in this small town. Different beliefs have not become barriers. On the contrary, there is a scene of vitality and competition among all things.
The Franks haunted the Arabs' shops, and the Arabs would direct the Franks to work.
Although the language is still not very convenient, relying on gestures and simple words, they can finally understand the meaning of each other's expressions. They are not indifferent to each other, but are really intertwined.
After seeing this, Balian felt a little moved, but he didn't show it.
After asking passers-by, Balian took several followers behind him and checked into a hotel in the town.
This hotel is called the Grapevine Hotel. It is a newly opened hotel half a month ago and is run by Franks.
Unlike other hotels, which mainly served passing Arab caravans, the Grapevine Hotel catered exclusively to the Franks.
As soon as he opened the hotel door, Balian was even more surprised.
Compared with other hotels that Balian has stayed in in the past, this place is much cleaner and tidier.
The entire hall looks spacious and warm. The copper lamps hanging on the wooden beams emit soft warm light, illuminating the entire hall. The flames in the fireplace danced gently, accompanied by the sound of firewood, dispelling the chill outside.
The air is filled with the aroma of freshly baked bread, intertwined with the rich taste of wine, making people relax unconsciously.
It was now dinner time, and many Franks were dining here. Although Balian could not hear clearly the content of the words for a while, they must have been very happy, which was not consistent with the misery in other corners of the kingdom.
Balian led the people to sit in the corner, called the waiter, and after throwing a silver dinar coin as a tip, he got today's best menu recommendation.
"Sir, for a generous guest like you, my suggestion is that each person have a crystal honey barbecue rib and a fine traveler's stew. In addition, the wine of Chateau Labrette is also excellent, but if you like strong wine The distilled spirits of Skal Village are enough to make your throat burn. ”
"Bring me some wine and have the ribs and stew for each person."
"Okay! A total of 6 people on your side will receive 3 gold dinars."
After hearing the price, Humphrey on the side couldn't sit still and wanted to say something, but after seeing Balian's expression, he restrained himself from having an attack.
In fact, not only Humphrey, but also several other knights on the side also showed some dissatisfaction.
Even in the holy city of Jerusalem, a high-quality dinner only costs 4 silver dirhams at most. Why are prices so outrageous in such a remote country?
How dare you rip off customers like these knight masters!
Perhaps noticing the expressions of these guests, the waiter smiled kindly in apology.
“Believe me, everyone, it’s definitely worth your money!”
After throwing out three gold dinars, Balian waved his hand to tell the waiter not to stay with them.
Then, Balian looked at the knights and said:
"Alaric, Godefroy, Amaury, you guys are still a lot less well behaved. Don't cause trouble when you go out. What's more, if you really want to have an attack, you have to wait until they serve the food."
Balian did not mention Humphrey's name, but only left a slightly meaningful look.
After a while, the traveler's stew and Labrete Chateau wine that the waiter mentioned were served first.
Smelling the rich aroma of the stew, several knights swallowed unconsciously. Even Humphrey didn't say anything critical when looking at such a stew.
"Don't be swayed by your existing experience. Many times it is more important to see, listen and think more than to take action directly."
Listening to Balian's teachings, the knights lowered their heads in shame. Humphrey on the side had already begun to stir the stew in his bowl with a wooden spoon and expressed his opinion: "Salt, onions, carrots, cabbage, there is nothing to say about these."
"But the quality of their flour is quite good, they also use lamb meat and fresh parsley, and of course the most important thing is, they put black pepper in it."
Black pepper, in this era, is a symbol of wealth and status, and has the reputation of "black gold".
It does not originate from the Mediterranean coast, but must be imported from distant India. Transportation costs are high. In some cases, pepper can even be used as a trading currency to pay rent, taxes, or as a gift to the royal family or high priests. .
Since the Kingdom of Jerusalem itself is a transit point for the black pepper trade, the knights here are not ignorant, and they can be regarded as spices that they can occasionally use.
But who are they? It is natural for spices to appear in the banquets of the Ibelin family.
But in such a tavern in a rural town, the smell of black pepper can be smelled, which really gives them some knowledge.
And after each of them tasted the "Fine Traveler's Stew", they had nothing to say. The knights could still distinguish the taste of dark beer and olive oil.
The large number of complex seasonings gave such a seemingly simple stew a rich and varied taste that was unmatched by their previous meals in Nablus.
On the contrary, there is not much to say about the wine. It is simply of superior quality. It can be said that it is full of fruity aroma and has a long aftertaste.
[Wine can please the heart]——"Psalms" 104:15
When the Crystal Honey BBQ Ribs were served, other diners around them all cast envious and jealous glances at Balian and his group.
The dinner of half a gold coin is so appalling, it is not something they can enjoy. Just when the waiter passes by them with the grilled ribs, it is enough to make the diners shed three-foot-long tears. .
"It's indeed honey. And their sauce is very good. The salt and black pepper are equally good. They even use grape seeds and yellow onions. The food of this store is famous even in the Holy City. ”
It's Humphrey again, speaking with the authority of a seasoned foodie after taking a fork to a piece of rib meat.
Listening to Humphrey's words, Balian lowered his eyelids to hide his opinions. This silence is also a kind of evaluation of people, but ordinary people will not notice it at all.
Such a smooth honey barbecue ribs. Pork ribs are generously smeared with layers of syrupy honey and then roasted delicately over an open flame to carefully control how charred the outside is and tender inside.
For this slow-roasted sweet meat, you only need to cut the membrane on the ribs to remove the entire piece of meat, which is quite convenient.
After everyone had eaten to their heart's content, the waiter who had earned Balian's tip earlier arranged guest rooms for them.
After paying a high price, we also received exceptionally good service. Even the waiter smiling throughout the entire process made the guests feel happy. Even Humphrey took out a silver coin. Ram gave it to the waiter as a tip.
Balian and Humphrey were arranged in the same guest room.
Recalling what he saw and heard in this town today, many thoughts floated through Balian's mind.
He recalled the scene that the young Leper King had described to him, and now he realized that it did not seem to be an idiot's raving.
The biggest problem with the Kingdom of Jerusalem is that religious beliefs cut the country in half.
The Franks ruled the country by force, or to be precise, they used force to enslave the Muslims.
It's just that the Muslims here are actually used to being brutally exploited and trampled by the tax collectors, so much so that they even think that the Crusaders are more human beings, so they don't think about riots every day.
But even so, it is impossible to expect the Muslims in the kingdom to have any sense of belonging to the Kingdom of Jerusalem and to mobilize them to fight.
Therefore, in this country, less than 30% of the population can actually stand up and fight.
Even the population of Damascus was greater than the total number of Franks in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
That is to say, the Crusader jihad sentiment in Europe has always been maintained, so the kingdom can receive a steady stream of pilgrim reinforcements.
But one day, Europe will be tired of the endless Crusades, and by then the Kingdom of Jerusalem will become an orphan abandoned overseas.
Until then, it will really be possible to compete with the endless Muslim world with just the number of crickets.
One day, he will surely destroy himself!
Such a vision can actually be seen and realized by the kingdom's top officials.
So different factions made different choices.
From the perspective of Leonard, the lord of Transjordan, he is willing to put the entire country on the gambling table. As long as he can defeat Saladin and crush the Ayyubid dynasty, he can go south to the Nile Delta and east to attack the Islamic holy land of Mecca and strangle it. The heart of Islam that dares to resist.
(End of chapter)