Chapter 128 Happiness ends suddenly
But for a rational person, it is clear that such an ambitious plan and grand plan will never come true.
The County of Edessa is now destroyed, and even the total number of Franks in the three remaining Crusader countries is only 250,000.
With this mere 250,000 people, even if all the knights, mercenary groups, and all free people are mobilized, an army of 30,000 to 40,000 people can be gathered to fight Saladin to the death.
But, what happens next?
If you lose, you lose everything. Even if you win, you will have to win miserably or completely. If you win miserably, do you really still have the strength to conquer Egypt?
However, the losses caused by the defeat were not worth mentioning to the Islamic world.
You must know that Egypt in this era alone has a population of four million!
Even if the Ayyubid dynasty can really be crushed, does that mean that the Crusader countries can accept the Ayyubid legacy?
Winning military victory and governing the country civilly are completely different things.
Religious barriers are imposed.
The Franks themselves are not very good at ruling, and it is already very difficult to maintain the existing territory.
In this case, the Leper King once proposed an idea to Balian.
It was in Mengisa at that time, when Balian and Leonard led hundreds of knights to directly attack Saladin's three thousand Mamluks, chasing the pagan king for more than a hundred miles, forcing the thirty thousand army to be leaderless and defeated by Jerusalem. The kingdom is easily disposed of.
On that battlefield, the strong smell of blood still filled the air, and the cheers of the soldiers and the sound of horse hooves intertwined into a victory hymn.
The young king told the knights on the side his grand plan.
"Even if we don't come, will this land be peaceful? Between the Fatimid dynasty, the Seljuk dynasty, and the many emirs, how can they kill each other less than us?"
"Did this land originally belong to the Saracens? Didn't they conquer it from the Roman Empire?"
"We want everyone to understand that we are here to quell the war and to reshape God's order. Only in this way can we achieve long-term peace and stability."
"Only when the people here can identify with the country rather than religion, can we truly be rooted in the land beneath our feet."
The Leper King at that time was really young and could speak coherently.
That energetic and high-spirited temperament deeply infected many knights.
Many knights present believe from the bottom of their hearts that one day, they will no longer be considered outsiders...
Then, so far, nine years have passed. What Balian saw before coming to Alhadi Town was that it ran counter to the Leper King's original grand plan, and there was no possibility of it being realized at all. .
A mad dog like Leonard now has no owner to chain him to, and the country is slipping into the abyss of destruction, but Balian is powerless.
It was his brother, Baldwin de Ibelin, the head of the Ibelin family. After realizing that Jerusalem was about to destroy itself, he directly refused allegiance on the spot at Guy's coronation, preferring to give up his territory or choose self-exile.
Perhaps it was because his brother did not want to see the kingdom fall.
"Baldwin, now I seem to see the fire...but, is it still too late?"
……
February in Transjordan is still winter, but it is no different from spring and autumn in other areas.
In this land, it rarely gets below 0 degrees Celsius.
As far as Garris's own physical sense is concerned, the temperature during the day is about 12 degrees Celsius.
This is the season when you need to add a few extra layers of clothes, and it’s also a particularly leisurely day.
Garris is not a workaholic, he also enjoys life, and it is precisely because of this comfortable enjoyment that he gradually shapes the world around him into a familiar look.
The Grapevine Tavern was Garris's handiwork, and the dessert shop where he is now is also the property of the cult.
When saltpeter is dissolved in water, an endothermic reaction will occur, cooling the surrounding area. Based on this principle, the ancients of the Chinese Dynasty already knew how to make ice in summer as early as the Tang Dynasty.
The whole process is actually not complicated. Collect enough saltpeter and clean water, mix the saltpeter and water, and stir until completely dissolved. At this time, the solution can be lower than 0 degrees Celsius.
Use a wooden or earthenware container to hold the water to be frozen, and immerse the mold filled with water into a large container containing saltpeter solution to quickly cool down and freeze.
After the water is completely frozen, carefully remove the mold and you will get ice cubes.
Moreover, no saltpeter is actually lost in this process.
After all, Garris is really good at making money.
On the hot land of the Arabian Peninsula, pilgrims and merchants came and went. In a small place like Alhadi Town, they saw ice for the first time in their lives because of Gairis.
What's more, Garris doesn't just sell ice.
Since the 12th century AD, there have been records of the production of sucrose in the Transjordan river valley, and goat milk and camel milk, which are relatively easy to obtain, can be used to make butter.
In addition, the principle of the early wooden barrel ice cream machine was not complicated. It was just a hand mixer and a wooden barrel with a metal partition. It was invented in the United States about 20 years before the Civil War.
When using, mix milk, cream, sugar, egg yolk and other ingredients together and pour them into the built-in metal container, then fill the compartment between the metal and wooden barrel with crushed ice and sprinkle with salt.
Salt lowers the melting point of ice and speeds up the cooling process, resulting in cooler temperatures. Then manually shake the crank to stir the mixture in the metal container so that it cools evenly and gradually solidifies.
Ice cream was born. Indeed, as a luxury product, whether it is ice cream or drinks with ice cubes, old farmers cannot afford to consume them.
But the travelers passing by Alhadi Town didn't think so.
Most of those who can go on pilgrimage these days are considered wealthy and have travel expenses in hand.
Not to mention the Arab businessmen. If they had no money, no one in the world would have money.
When such a group of people saw ice cubes for the first time in their lives in a dessert shop in Alhadi Town, they were stunned and threw money away.
Those who have less money can throw in a few copper fils and have a taste of ice cream.
Those with more money can sit in the dessert shop and enjoy VIP service.
The cold taste and sweet taste are an almost perfect combination, and it can easily become addictive.
A rough calculation shows that the net profit of this dessert shop alone can support more than a dozen knights.
Whenever a caravan passes by Alhadi Town, it will be bombarded with a wave of gold coins.
Even the wealthy people around would come to Alhadi Town from time to time to satisfy their appetites.
Even Gareth himself often couldn't help it.
For example, what is placed in front of his table now is a cup of exquisite milk-sugar pudding.
The sun shines through the glass, reflecting a warm caramel color. On top is a layer of white whipped cream, with a rich milky aroma and the sweetness of milk sugar perfectly intertwined.
This is a new product designed by Garris, but because the raw materials are too monotonous, Garris has not been able to bring out the flavor it should have.
However, it was enough for the girl in front of him.
Across the table from Garris is Isabella. Now, the girl's hair has grown again and is almost hanging down to her shoulders.
The girl held a cup of milk-sugar pudding and shook it slightly. The elastic texture made her particularly curious.
"How do you know so many recipes? Each one is more amazing than the last."
"Could it be that in the Kingdom of Heaven, the Heavenly Father will always cook?"
Hearing the girl's teasing words, Garris just raised a smile on his lips without saying anything more, and handed an iron spoon to the girl.
However, after taking the spoon, the girl scooped up a spoonful of pudding, but instead of stuffing it into her mouth, she held the spoon and brought it to the boy's mouth.
Garris never expected that the other party would be like this, but he still opened his mouth and tasted the first bite of pudding.
It's sweet, but not to the point of being cloying. Although the taste is a bit monotonous, the taste is still satisfying.
After seeing Garris taste it, Isabella tasted the milk-sugar pudding in her hand.
But unlike Garris, when the small mouthful of pudding was put into her mouth, her eyes lit up, a smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of her mouth, and her face was filled with surprise.
Because the rich milky aroma and delicate sweetness melted on the tip of her tongue, the smooth texture seemed to gently slide over her taste buds, bringing her a lot of happiness.
Not many girls can resist the temptation of desserts. The refreshing coolness mixed with the sweetness of condensed milk is like an angel stopping on earth to send blessings to the girl.
"It's so delicious!" She looked at the boy in front of her in disbelief, her eyes filled with wonder and satisfaction.
"I've never had anything so delicious."
Garris showed that gentle smile again.
Isabella couldn't help but scoop up another mouthful, generously handed it to Garris, and said with a smile: "Try another bite, it's really good!"
The two looked at each other and smiled, sweetness filling the air.
The breeze outside the window was blowing gently, and the moment inside the store seemed particularly warm and beautiful.
The chaos in the world seems to have nothing to do with this young man and woman.
They were immersed in their own little world, becoming sweeter because of each other's smiles.
However, in this beautiful and frozen world, a familiar and rich voice came from the door of the store.
"Bella?"
Garris and Isabella turned their heads to look, only to see a robed traveler standing there.
The traveler's weathered face was familiar to both Garris and Isabella.
"Ballian?"
Happiness came to an abrupt end.
The two of them, Garris, never imagined that their reunion with Balian would be in such a situation.
(End of chapter)