Chapter 177 Saladin, keep your word! 6000 words chapter
Nestled deep in a narrow alley, it underwent a renovation with the money raised from the sale of Gérès in Villeroy.
The mottled yellow-brown brick walls were carefully repaired, the roof tiles were re-paved, looking neat and simple, and the original decaying wooden doors were replaced with new ones.
Although the space inside the church is still small, it is no longer dark.
Not only were the rows of old benches carefully polished, but the once-blurred stained glass was also polished brightly.
The sunlight penetrates the glass, casting gorgeous light and shadow, coating the statue of Jesus with a faint brilliance.
Of course, the paint on the Jesus statue that was originally peeled off was repainted so that it would not look like shedding tears of blood at night.
In such a church, a wedding was being held.
Garris led a pair of young men and women of his own age to recite scriptures together.
"For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall be united to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." So they are no longer two, but one flesh. So what God has joined to his wife, let no man put asunder."
"Your wives are your clothes, and you are their clothes."
“Love is patient, love is kind; love does not envy, does not boast, is not arrogant, does not do anything rude, does not seek its own, is not angry, does not seek evil, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but lives with the truth Joy. Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, love never fails.”
“He creates you spouses from yourselves, that you may be attached to them, and that you may love and have compassion for one another…”
Paragraph after paragraph, excerpted from the Bible or the Quran, recited by Gairis,
Lorien and Amina also responded in low voices, while the guests in the audience were also sending their own blessings or watching indifferently.
It wasn't a big wedding, and there weren't many guests.
Whether it was Amina or Lorien, they only invited their close relatives.
In fact, neither Amina’s parents would have been present had it not been for Gairis himself.
The unity of the church is a long process, and even the emergence of Garris has proved to the world the possibility of unity.
But the prejudice contained in it cannot be eliminated in a short time.
Lorian's relatives and friends are okay, after all, Gareth has been getting along with them for several months.
Even according to canon law: Catholics are prohibited from marrying pagans unless they receive a papal dispensation.
But Garris's reputation in Karak City is more than a hundred times better than that of the Pope?
Just an understatement of blessing is enough.
On the contrary, the woman's side was stuck in the quagmire.
Sharia law: Muslim men are allowed to marry Jewish or Christian women, but Muslim women are strictly prohibited from marrying non-Muslim men.
Islam believes that Muslim men can be the leaders of family religious life, while Muslim women need to be protected by men of the same faith.
Therefore, Sharia law does not in principle recognize the marriage of a Muslim woman to a non-Muslim man.
In addition, Garris' reputation in Karak City was not well known, so it took a lot of effort to convince the imams here.
Even so, Amina's parents still have some knots in their hearts.
It can even be said that the grand adventure between Lorien and Amina is just the beginning.
Now there is Garris who can lead them on a certain path, but no one can tell what the future will be like...
If they don't change the world, they will be changed by the world.
This is a fight to the death that will lead to reconciliation between different ethnic groups.
"This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you..."
The scriptures were floating in the morning breeze, and everyone in the church listened quietly, as if everything in the world had stopped breathing at this moment.
Amina and Lorien, witnessed by Gareth and the statue of Brother Tian behind him, held hands and looked at each other tenderly.
Then, they each said their vows in each other's native language:
"I love you, respect you, and value you in the name of my Heavenly Father."
"In the name of Allah, I accept you, trust you, and accompany you."
At this time, Garris spoke again: "I declare the oath established. The two of you spread your hands and accept the blessing from Heavenly Father."
When the last syllable of Garris's words fell, in full view of everyone, a roll of parchment appeared out of thin air in the hands of Amina and Lorien.
This is a contract, an unearthly contract.
[In front of God and all living beings, the undersigned jointly make a sacred contract, promising to love, be loyal and support each other until the end of life. 】
Amina turned her head and looked at Garris in disbelief. As for the relatives and friends in the audience, they stood up one after another. For a while, the small church became chaotic.
But Garris signaled everyone to be quiet and calm the young couple's surprise.
Garris, who was wearing a neat white robe, said softly: "Read this oath."
Lorien naturally followed the good example and made an oath with Amina in accordance with the words in the contract.
"I, Lorien, take you to be your wife, Amina, and from now on, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in health or in sickness, I will love you and respect you until death do us part."
"I, Amina, take you to be your husband, Lorien, and from now on, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in health or in sickness, I will always love and respect you, until death do us part."
As the bride and groom, Lorien and Amina, and Garris as the witness, successively put their names on this contract.
As the last stroke was settled, the parchment rolled up on its own, then turned into a ray of light and disappeared into the church.
"As I said, with the blessing of Heavenly Father... I declare that from now on! Lorien and Amina are married! You may kiss each other."
As Lorien and Amina kissed, Garris took the initiative to take the lead and led everyone in the church to applaud together.
He didn't explain too much about the previous signs, but the various hints inside and outside the words were left to everyone in the church to guess.
This is already the most effective help Garris has given the young couple.
The door of the church slowly opened, and the young couple walked out hand in hand, under the soft morning light.
Their figures were reflected on the stone path, and to the relatives and friends behind them, they seemed to be shrouded in a golden halo.
Immediately afterwards, petals, wheat and colorful paper were thrown down from all directions, forming a small colorful rain.
In Garris's eyes, the couple drifted away, followed by many relatives and friends, who laughed, blessed, cheered, and then there were subsequent celebrations.
It’s just that Gareth won’t be attending anymore.
In the church, many guests had left, leaving only one person sitting quietly on the bench.
That was Isabella. She leaned over slightly, placed her hands on the backrest of the front row, and gently rested her head on her arms, like a quiet cat.
With a faint smile on her lips, she stared at Garris in front of the altar.
Isabella's soft voice sounded softly: "Tell me, when will it be our turn?"
He slowly came to Isabella's side, ran his fingers through the girl's short hair, and touched her earlobe.
Garris leaned down and met her eyes.
Looking at those clear and crystal eyes, sweeping over the handsome features with a slight Greek style, listening to Isabella's slightly accelerated heartbeat.
He knew that the thoughts in the girl's heart were by no means as calm as her face and words showed.
Garris replied in a low voice: "Soon, it won't be long before it's us."
At this moment, the morning sun shed a faint halo through the stained glass window, illuminating the place where the two figures met.
……
"Soon, soon, Akka will be ours."
Saladin, wearing armor, was riding on his beloved Arabian horse, standing on the high ground with his entourage, looking at the city of Acre.
Now, the outermost wall of Acre has been breached, and hundreds of soldiers are swarming into the outer wall of Acre.
As the largest port in the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the richest city in the entire Palestine, this city has three walls.
And houses not only exist in the city, but there are countless buildings rising one after another outside the city wall.
During the heyday of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, this city, which received pilgrims, merchants, mercenaries... from the West, had a population of between 20,000 and 30,000 people.
Now, the pearl of the kingdom is about to become a plaything in Saladin's hands.
Saladin, he has longed for it.
Two months have passed since the battle on the Sea of Galilee on July 4, 1187 in the Confucian calendar.
In that battle, the tip of the spear pointed at the heart of the Crusaders, the torrent of sharp swords claimed their lives, the horses' hooves raised smoke and dust, and the rain of arrows carried sparks and landed on their heads...
For Saladin, it was also an extremely difficult battle.
The armament of the Saracens, or rather the Muslims, is, in a sense, a bit stretched as usual...
In a battle with absolute superiority of troops and people waiting for work, the battle lasted for a whole afternoon.
Guy's troops even organized several counterattacks and defeated the swarming Muslim troops.
But Saladin won after all, and Guy's royal tent fell. After paying heavy casualties, he finished making dumplings and ate a pot of uncooked rice.
After the war, Saladin purchased all the Templars and Hospitallers from his soldiers at a price of 50 gold dinars each, and handed them over to Islamic priests and scholars, allowing these unarmed men to execute the captives themselves. .
Those prisoners of war were also sold into slavery. Because supply exceeded demand, the price of the slave market in Damascus plummeted, and even a slave could be bought with just a pair of shoes.
From this time on, there was no field legion in the Kingdom of Jerusalem that could restrain Saladin's army.
The city of Jaffa was destroyed, the city of Torun was destroyed, the city of Sidon was destroyed, the city of Beirut was destroyed...
Now it was Acre's turn. When the city of Acre was destroyed, in the entire north of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, only Tire was able to fight to the death.
Another hail of arrows was shot from the inner city, and the Franks were making a hysterical death struggle.
But with the towering outer city wall captured, it was only a matter of time before the inner city was breached.
Everything developed just like the oath Saladin swore to God.
Soon, immediately, the center of the world will return to the embrace of Islam.
The current Kingdom of Jerusalem is like a weak woman who has been forced into a corner. Even the weapons of self-defense in her hands have been taken away and thrown aside. It seems that she no longer has the ability to fight back and can only do whatever she wants.
As for not long ago, he received news that Adil was defeated in Transjordan.
Saladin was not surprised either. After all, victory or defeat is a matter of military strategism, and Saladin has long been accustomed to this...
Saladin has become more and more knowledgeable about the nature of war after so many years of fighting.
War is an overall issue. In many cases, tactical or operational failures will not cause the overall deterioration of the war.
Many people win consecutive battles, but all their efforts are lost as soon as they suffer a single defeat.
Another person lost consecutive battles and only won one battle before opening up a new situation.
For those who command the overall situation, the most important thing is to focus on taking care of the overall situation of the war.
He, Saladin, is the one who directs the overall situation. He also loses consecutive battles, and he is also the one who only won one battle and opened up a new situation.
As for the Transjordan battlefield, that is secondary, local, and does not affect the overall situation.
If Adil loses, he loses. Anyway, Saladin himself has already lost...
In Saladin's eyes, it was coastal port cities like Acre that affected the overall situation.
Because these ports will provide safe landing sites for European Crusaders.
Just like in EU4, if a coastal castle has not been captured, it means that tens of thousands of reinforcements can easily land without having to suffer the penalty of landing.
On the contrary, for those castles in the interior, you can go around them as much as you can, then go back and eat them slowly.
Well, Saladin didn't expect one thing at all. Now there is a guy beyond his previous knowledge who is active on the border of Transjordan.
"Soon, soon, Jerusalem will be ours too."
Saladin said this to the green wolf Muzaffar beside him. He did not blame him for what happened a few months ago, but still carried it with him.
【O Allah! O Lord who has power! Give power to whomever you wish to give it, and take it away from whomever you wish to take it away; honor whomever you wish to honor, and humiliate whomever you wish to humble; Welfare is only in your hands; you are indeed almighty in all things. 】
——"Al-Imran" Section 26
……
Don’t be afraid of powerful enemies
Be courageous and loyal, worthy of God
Loyal and upright, would rather die than surrender
Weeding the strong and supporting the weak does not go against the laws of nature
As his horse galloped in the wilderness, Balian pulled out the sword from his waist and chopped it on the head of a defeated soldier who intended to rape a woman. The blood spattered made his robe turn dark red again.
Balian didn't care which side the defeated soldier belonged to, nor did he stop his horse to accept the woman's thanks. He had a more important mission to guide him, and for this he was willing to die in pieces.
He had received his mission a few months earlier in the highlands of Transjordan, outside the town of Alhadi.
Since then, Balian has been preparing for the coming day.
He became governor of Jerusalem, but in June Guy took away every fighting man in the kingdom of Jerusalem, from every castle and every town.
Guy commanded these Frenchmen and rushed into the hell west of the Sea of Galilee.
Jerusalem is undefended!
So much so that he wanted to run around this broken land, gathering all the strength he could to gather towards Jerusalem.
He had been evacuating the city's civilians before the war, telling them the prophecy and trying to get those people to go to Transjordan.
But, there are only a few, the temple of Jerusalem, the walls of Jerusalem...
The sacredness of the past here restrains the Franks just as it restrained the Jews thousands of years ago, making them blind.
These Franks were not willing to abandon the stone church!
For this reason, Balian went to Gaza alone, and left Gaza alone.
He didn't find any reinforcements, all he had was himself, but so what?
Leonard once asked loudly: The Leper King has died a long time ago! What's the point of guarding the ruined country he left behind!
At that time, Balian's answer was: I want to see the day when Jerusalem truly becomes the Kingdom of Heaven, so I will not allow her to be destroyed by anyone.
The day when Jerusalem would truly become a heavenly dynasty had not yet come, but now it seemed to be a dying candle in the wind.
When he was knighted at the age of 21, he was slapped by his father, Old Balian, which symbolized an indomitable challenge.
Now Balian is also charging, with an abyss in front of him.
But Balian knew that when he rode across the abyss, someone was waiting for him on the other side.
[That person is the revealer of hope, that person knows that the end of history is happy. 】
[Because the Son of the Eternal God has been born, hope has been incarnated and born into the world. 】
[The eternal night has receded and it is a time of joy and celebration. 】
[The world is no longer an absurd hell, because God wants to become a human being and walk in the world...]
[The plan for man to become a god has been realized, and Utopia will become a utopia on earth. 】
A candle lit up the wilderness of the Transjordan Plateau, and tens of thousands of people cheered.
Not only among the Franks, but also among the Saracens!
The day when Jerusalem will truly become the Kingdom of Heaven—is not far off.
"Baldwin, will you cry in hell when you hear the news that Jerusalem has fallen into this state?"
However, when he rode up to the holy city of Jerusalem, the real worldly abyss had already separated him from Jerusalem.
While Balian went to Gaza to ask for help, Saladin arrived in Jerusalem earlier than he expected.
In response, Balian magnanimously led his horse towards Saladin's military camp.
He was naturally stopped, but when he revealed his identity, he walked into the Sultan's tent like a king.
Saladin saw Balian. Standing in front of him was a vicissitudes of life, a middle-aged man, with a weather-beaten face mixed with scars, and a robe stained with blood. Standing there was impossible to ignore.
It was several times stronger than the likes of Qi Yi!
"Ballian"
Saladin called him by his first name.
"Saladin"
Balian also called him by his first name.
"We haven't seen each other for some years."
"We haven't seen each other for so many years, and I never thought that our reunion would be under the city of Jerusalem."
The dialogue between Balian and Saladin competes with each other.
Even though Balian is now surrounded by Saracens, he still does not fall behind, perhaps because he is stained with blood.
Saladin walked around Balian a few times. He looked at the knight's model, tried to figure out what the other person was thinking, and then asked directly:
"Just tell me why you're here."
"I want to enter the city." Balian's eyes flickered unconsciously.
"Why?"
"My wife and children are all in the city. I hope to send them away to avoid the disaster of war."
While speaking, Balian's eyelids drooped a little, and he swallowed subconsciously, unwilling to look at Saladin.
Saladin showed a half-smiling expression. No one spoke in the tent for a long time, and Balian's momentum also weakened a bit.
Just when Balian swallowed for the second time, he heard a voice: "I agree."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
Balian opened his mouth, and finally did not dare to look directly into Saladin's sincere eyes.
A gentleman can deceive others.
Clearly, Saladin was indeed a gentleman.
Surrounded by thousands of troops, Balian returned to Jerusalem.
He summoned the knights in the city and invited Irakli, the Patriarch of Jerusalem.
Just as he was about to announce the matter to these people, someone came to tell Balian that a messenger from Saladin needed to be received by him.
The messenger walked into the hall and expressed Saladin's meaning in a condescending manner: Balian could stay in the city, and his wife and children could choose to leave the holy city of Jerusalem under the escort of the Mamluks. .
This move is to allow Balian to have no worries when defending the city.
Balian opened his mouth. Saladin's demeanor and magnanimity were broader than he thought.
Irakli, who was on the side, came to Balian at this time and whispered to Balian:
"If you send Maria and the others out, Saladin will have a hostage in his hands. Do you want to believe in a pagan sultan?"
Balian stopped Irakli from saying more.
Immediately afterwards, Balian turned around and said to the messenger: "I accept your Majesty's gift."
The messenger was also quite surprised after hearing Balian's words.
Before he came here, he always thought that he was here to humiliate Balian.
Because he didn't believe the Franks, and he didn't believe Balian was telling the truth.
Such a liar must be humiliated! Unworthy of being treated seriously by Sultan Saladin.
As Irakli said, if Balian really sent his wife and children out of the city but stayed here, he had no way of knowing whether his wife and children would become Saladin's hostages.
Such mutual trust even moved the messenger.
"Your Majesty Saladin, you must practice what you preach."
"I know."
Before leaving, the messenger saluted Balian, which was the etiquette that should be reserved for the Sultan.
Today's Balian is more qualified to represent the Kingdom of Jerusalem than Guy.
Still one update is worth two updates
(End of chapter)