Chapter 181 Going to Canaan (8000 words long chapter)
"If you know the art, put together seven parts of saltpeter, five parts of young hazel branches, and five parts of sulfur, and you will create thunder and destruction. 】
——"On the Wonderful Power of Art and Nature"
Author: English monk Roger Bacon, written around 1242.
……
Although Gareth said he would not know until he tried it.
But after thinking about it, Garris gave up the idea of loading the perfect formula of black powder into the barrel.
Instead, he spent some days, taking Marwan and some trustworthy Paladins, to sort out the maroon gunpowder.
Unlike black gunpowder, maroon gunpowder uses insufficiently carbonized charcoal, which burns slowly and is less likely to explode. In other words, it can be used as a propellant for large-caliber artillery.
The diameter is calculated by dividing the length of the barrel by the diameter of the muzzle and taking the nearest integer. It will appear together with the English letter L on the mark, which means length. For example, 40mm/70 or 40mm/L70, the 70 in the back means that the length of the barrel is about 70 times the caliber of the gun.
The longer the cannonball is exposed to the gas generated by the propellant in the barrel, the higher the muzzle velocity, the greater the energy, and the straighter trajectory.
The basic principle is that the air in the gunpowder explosion is heated and expands. The air in a long barrel does more work on the cannonball, and the kinetic energy of the cannonball is greater.
Theoretically, for the same caliber and the same charge, the larger the diameter, the more powerful the shell will be, and of course, the easier it will be to explode the barrel.
Using maroon gunpowder that is not easy to explode can not only improve the portability of the artillery, but also increase the diameter to increase the power, and even save materials.
Even maroon gunpowder was used by the British Royal Navy until the 19th century.
Of course, unlike later generations who used maroon gunpowder in order to increase the power of artillery, the main reason why Garris wanted to use maroon gunpowder was because he was worried about the poor quality of the forged iron barrel cannon.
After all, the overall strength of the barrel obtained in this way is not enough.
On the day Saladin let Balian enter the city of Jerusalem.
On the plateau of Transjordan, Garris led everyone to a location quite far away from the town of Alhadi.
Now, the ground under his feet is a little soft, because there was a little rain not long ago, but it was not enough to dispel the heat here.
The rugged mountains in the distance are like the backbone of the earth, stretching under the sky.
There was a hint of heat in the dry air, making the mountains seem to float in the field of vision.
The wind blows from the north and stirs up fine dust. This place is vast and far away from the world.
Gallist specifically chose Tuesday as a day to test the artillery.
Because today is the sun of fire, the day of Mars, the god of war, and the day of Tyr, the god of war.
Isabella and Old John were watching Garris's actions from the sidelines.
Garris first ordered Simon and the others to set up a thick wooden target about 30 paces away.
He showed Marwan and others how to load artillery shells.
First, Garris took out a maroon gunpowder cake wrapped in paper from a wooden box that was carried by a Paladin.
He weighed it slightly and found it was slightly heavier than a fifth of a pound.
Then he pushed it accurately into the barrel of the artillery. In the process, the faint sulfur smell of gunpowder wafted away.
Then, Garris took out a small iron ball from another box. It was less than two knuckles in diameter, but it was polished extremely smooth and shone with a cold luster in the sunlight.
Garris personally pushed it carefully into the cannon chamber and tamped it again with a push rod.
After this step was completed, Garris took out another iron thorn, pierced the paper bag containing gunpowder from the gun port at the rear of the gun, inserted the prepared fuse into the gun door, and took aim.
However, after this step was completed, Garris was not in a hurry to light the fuse.
Instead, take a deep breath, pinch your thumb, index finger, and middle finger together, and make a cross from top to bottom, from right to left.
The thumb, index finger and middle finger symbolize the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and Gehrys's method of making the sign of the cross is a typical Orthodox Christian way.
Then he turned around and said to the nervous people on the side:
"Let me tell you a story. In a land you don't know, there once was a saint."
"The saint's name is Stalin. He once said that 'artillery is the god of war' and wrote 'an attack without artillery is a crime' into the order."
"With the help of the power of artillery, Saint Stalin won the war against the Nazi demon who believed in fascis."
Garris' words made everyone present a little confused, but Archos reacted.
Because Garris had drawn the Orthodox Cross before, he felt that there should be some indissoluble bond between Saint Stalin and the Orthodox Church.
"Prophet, you mean to say that St. Stalin is the patron saint of artillery?"
"Yes, St. Stalin once said: Every thousand steps require 450 artillery, and this is our first artillery."
As he spoke, Garris also patted the short and thick tube.
Regarding Stalin's merits and demerits, Garris actually had no intention of commenting, but sometimes, he just couldn't hold back the strong thoughts in his heart.
Therefore, St. Stalin replaced the original St. Barbara in history and became the patron saint of artillery.
"St. Stalin, the great protector, the steadfast patron,"
"You lead us with fearless strength; let the roar of artillery become the clarion call of victory."
"Please listen to our prayers and keep the artillery from exploding."
"Please hear our prayers and let every shell hit."
"Please protect us from the Nazi devil's temptations."
"We humbly pray that God will condemn the Nazi;"
"O saint of steel, please use the power of God to throw Nazi and all evil souls into hell."
"Let the power of artillery become the sharp sword in our hands. May the enemy tremble when he hears its sound and retreat when he hears its power."
"Amen."
Garris said a prayer and motioned for the others to stay back.
Although the first charge only contained about 100g, it was still maroon gunpowder.
But be careful, no one else can stop time like him.
Garris took a torch and lit the fuse. Sparks crackled and the fire quickly followed the fuse towards the barrel of the gun.
Even Garris also took a few steps back during this process.
"Bang! Bang!"
Two dull explosions were heard in the air, deafening. The artillery recoiled violently, and the gun mount vibrated and kicked up a cloud of dust.
The cannonball flew with overwhelming force towards the wooden target 30 steps away.
This step refers to natural walking, which is the distance a person takes two steps, which is approximately between 1.4 meters and 1.6 meters.
But the wooden target, which was half a palm thick, was not beaten to pieces. It was just a hole made by the flying wood chips.
Even so, those Old John, Simon and others who came forward to inspect were quite amazed.
Because this weapon called artillery can shoot through a wooden board that is almost half a palm thick, so it can naturally kill a fully armed knight easily.
As for Garris, he took Marwan to check the condition of the gun barrel.
I have to say that the quality of the barrel cannon built by Marwan is not bad. After firing one shot, there is no deformation that can be detected by the naked eye.
"I will leave you. After I leave, if you want to protect yourself, apart from praying to God, the more important thing is to know God's wisdom."
One thing to say, it’s time for the gentlemen of the old times to be impressed by Jan Jeshka’s Hussite chariots.
……
The horse-drawn fortress tactic, or the horse-drawn fort tactic, was actually born in BC in human history.
The most classic example is Wei Qing's campaign against the Huns, using heavy vehicles in a circular formation to provide protection for Han archers, crossbowmen and infantry against the Huns' cavalry charges.
It can be seen that the car base tactic has been a unique method for confronting cavalry from the beginning, and it helps long-range soldiers attack the enemy more efficiently.
In the 15th century, more than two hundred years later in Europe, Jan Hus (John Hus) criticized the corruption of the church and the pope for religious reasons, opposed the "Atonement" and also opposed the "sale of the priesthood".
Hus opposed a church composed entirely of clergy, claiming that the common people were also members of the church.
His remarks were regarded by the authorities as being anti-secular imperial power and anti-ecclesiastical theocracy. After distortion and slander, he was finally found guilty and sentenced to death.
Before the execution came, Reichsmarschall von Pappenheim asked Hus to renounce his faith in front of the Counts of the Palatinate, claiming that this would save Hus' own life.
But Hus refused, saying: [God is my witness that I have never preached the things that are accused of me. I have written, taught, and preached the truths of the Gospel, and I have drawn on the words and positions of the Doctors, and today I am ready to die. 】
It is said that when he was about to die, he cried out: "Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us!" 】
The people of Bohemia were furious, and Hus' supporters and followers completely abandoned the Holy See and sounded the prelude to the religious reform.
Rome immediately launched the "Crusade" against Bohemia. Pope Martin V issued a papal bull authorizing the execution of all those who supported Huss.
The Crusades against the Hussites were carried out three times in total, and in terms of results...
The Czech national hero General Jan Jeschka was born, and a century later, 90% of the Bohemian population still follows the Hussite faith. Of course, it was not all smooth sailing, and the outcome of the Hussite War was not Fairy tale...
Regarding the gold content of General Jan Jeshka, four words are enough: "Never lost a single thing."
From being blind in one eye, to later becoming blind in both eyes, all the battles commanded by Jan Jeshka were victorious.
In the first battle, 400 old peasants were used to violently defeat 2,000 Bohemian royalists.
At the end of the battle, Jan Jeshka lost 200 of his own men in exchange for 1,200 enemy losses.
Relying on the tactics of vehicle fortress + firearms, Jan Jeseka's army took into account mobility, firepower, and defense. In previous battles, its own losses were often only single or ten figures.
This method of relying on firepower to beat up the knights of the old era is exactly what Garris needs today.
In the next few days, apart from teaching, Garris took the blacksmiths in Marwan and continued to tinker with firearms.
In these ordinary days.
A small guard escorted two carriages from afar, accompanied by a platoon or so of militiamen.
Arnon's militiamen were naturally not the escorts of the two carriages. In fact, on the contrary, they accompanied them because they were wary of those escorts.
This small guard comes from the Mamluks and is Saladin's personal bodyguard.
In the Islamic world, slaves are people who provide services, and those who provide war services to the master can also be slaves.
The Sultans and Emirs of Egypt, as well as various Islamic rulers, forcibly took Armenian, Turkic, and Copt teenagers away from their families so that they could receive training for more than ten years to become Slave soldiers.
Unlike the Frankish levies or knights, the Mamluks were indeed slaves, but they were also indeed professional soldiers.
These people have been trained since childhood, brainwashed since childhood, and killed since childhood...
They are the sharpest double-edged swords in the hands of their masters. They can fight in all directions, and they can also betray their master without any scruples.
And such a team was escorted by Balian's family members.
……
The atmosphere in the dessert shop in Alhadi Town was a bit awkward.
Garris and Isabella were sitting side by side, and in front of them was Maria Komnenos.
Maria, who was born in 1154, brought a kind of oppression that was different from Balian. If Garris could easily handle it when facing Balian directly.
Then Maria was much more pure. The way she looked at Garris was exactly like a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law.
After all, Balian is nothing more than Isabella's stepfather, but Maria is Isabella's biological mother.
Examining some of the subtle expressions between the young man and woman, recalling Balian's description, and the interactions between the two when they were young, Maria knew that many things were actually self-evident.
"So, you have made a private decision for life?"
"Ahem..."
The first thing Maria said when she came up was to use her big move. Even Garris almost choked.
"No, it's not that bad."
"Tsk."
Maria showed a look of regret. In a sense, she actually envied her daughter.
Today, Maria is only 32 years old. She gave birth to Isabella when she was 17 years old.
Marriage between nobles is often a cold exchange, and women are just props to obtain benefits. She, Maria, was just the great-great-granddaughter of Alexius I and the great-granddaughter of John II.
When she was 12 years old, just because she was going to marry King Amaury I of Jerusalem, she was adopted as the granddaughter of the Eastern Roman Emperor Manuel I and got the title of a princess.
As for Isabella, she was also forced to be engaged to Leonard's stepson, Humphrey IV of Torun, a few years ago.
As far as the results are concerned, perhaps today's situation is not a bad thing for Isabella.
"I heard you beat Humphrey?"
Maria was quite dissatisfied with her daughter's marriage, and this dissatisfaction was suppressed to the extreme after Humphrey took the initiative to surrender to the Guys. According to some of Maria's own opinions from Eastern Roman traditions, she insisted that Isabella's succession should take precedence over Sibylla.
This tradition is called Born in a Purple Chamber.
Isabella's sister Sibylla was born before Amaury was crowned king, while Isabella was born after Amaury was crowned king.
This tradition means that children born to parents of noble status will have been in the spotlight since childhood and are destined to play an important role in the royal power.
Listening to Maria's words, Garris could feel Maria's excitement. It was obvious that he, the future mother-in-law, had a strong interest in Humphrey's failure.
"No."
Garris could see the displeasure on Maria's face when she heard her denial.
"But I killed Stephanie."
"Ahem..."
This time it was Maria who was choked, and the offensive and defensive situation between the two reversed for a moment.
Even Maria never thought that Garris would say such a thing.
But then, Maria regained her facial expression, forced herself to calm down and asked calmly:
"What's the reason?"
"She is my enemy."
After Garris said these words, he saw the corners of the lady in front of him raise her lips and her body slightly raised back, revealing her amazing curves.
"Not bad."
When Maria said this admiration, Gareth was sure that it was from the bottom of her heart, and she might even feel that Stephanie died easily.
One thing said, Garris's stereotype of Eastern Rome deepened again. With just a look, Maria showed him what an old Greek woman is.
These Greek nobles really don't take the lives of nobles seriously. The word Byzantine is already a collection of stereotypes about Eastern Rome these days.
As for Maria Komnenos, some of the characteristics she displayed were even considered "evil" in the Frankish aristocratic circle.
"When the time is right, let's hold the wedding as soon as possible to avoid causing any scandal of pregnancy before marriage."
The pressure from her mother-in-law to get married was undoubtedly a huge pressure, so much so that Isabella took the initiative to hold Garris's hand and provide "encouragement."
In other words, it should be to apply pressure.
What can Gareth do about this? Could he say that he has never done that kind of thing so far?
Therefore, apart from nodding silently, Garris had nothing to say.
The kiddies on the side, even though they were each holding desserts, did not block their mouths and even started to make noises.
In this dessert shop, besides Maria, there are also Isabella’s four younger half-brothers and sisters.
……
[The women and children, a total of 8,000 people, were quickly separated by us. The Christians' weeping brought smiles to the faces of the soldiers. 】
[How many well-guarded women have been desecrated, how many virgins have been humiliated, how many proud women have had their virginity taken away, how many beautiful women have been kissed on the red lips, how many happy women have been made to cry, how many nobles have taken them as concubines. 】
[How many passionate men are crazy about them, how many hungry men are satisfied by them, and how many violent men can vent their passion. 】
——Muhammad ibn Hamid, recorded in 1187
Saladin was indeed of noble character, and he could mercifully release thousands of people for free without asking for ransom, but this did not mean that the soldiers under his command could do the same.
In fact, during this period of preparation for refugee migration, rape, plunder, and murder... did not disappear.
Of course, compared to what the Franks did when they captured Jerusalem in 1099, what Saladin's army did could even be called "human nature" for this era.
Even Balian endured the humiliation and stopped his soldiers from drawing their swords.
After Balian collected enough food and stocked up on drinking water, he led the 13,000 people behind him to leave Jerusalem with an almost escaping attitude.
[Judah went into exile among the nations because of her suffering and great servitude; she dwelt among the nations and found no rest. Those who pursued her caught up with her in the narrow place. 】
——"Lamentations" 1:3
Now, these thirteen thousand people have become wanderers who have left their homeland. Looking back at the walls of Jerusalem, they seem to still be able to hear the taunts from the Saracens.
For a time, countless people mourned and cried bitterly.
"O Jerusalem, her enemies have gained the upper hand and her enemies have gained the victory, and she has suffered the punishment of the Lord because of her many sins; her young children have been carried away as prisoners in the presence of her enemies."
Even Balian couldn't help but sigh, and then looked at a knight beside him.
"Mono."
"Here."
"Why do you still follow me? Now I have sinned heavily."
Balian had long since taken off his dirty burqa and put on a pure white robe.
However, no matter how Balian cleaned his body, he could feel the vague blood lingering on the tip of his nose.
As for the dead souls, they often send out their curses.
"Sir, you once said that we would go to hell together, but now I feel that I can still save it."
"Rescue?" Balian couldn't understand for a moment.
Today, there are only 500 soldiers who still follow Balian, and these 500 people come from the lower class in Jerusalem.
And there are only three knights who are still following Balian closely.
The other knights who were temporarily canonized by Balian all believed that Balian had betrayed them.
Because those knights followed Balian to fight together, but their families still faced Balian's extortion.
"My lord, it is just as you said."
"I believe that a church composed only of priests is nothing but a pile of zombies, and a church is nothing but a pile of stones. The real church is the church of the human heart."
"The human heart is not the human heart of Iraq and others, but the human heart of these thirteen thousand people."
Balian looked at the young Frank, and he was a little touched. He seemed to see the shadow of Gehrys in this young man.
He chuckled lightly and then said: "I didn't say that sentence, I just recited it."
"In a few days, you will be able to see the one with your own eyes, the prophet who predicted everything that happens today."
"How can that tangible temple resist the erosion of time? One day, it will collapse and turn into dust."
"However, the invisible temple will be rebuilt in the hearts of believers and will be passed down from generation to generation."
"His Father has revealed to him: On this broken earth, there will be a bright pearl shining, and his brilliance will illuminate all nations and illuminate every corner of the world."
"His father also announced to him: A great country will rise here. It will no longer be the disputes of the nobles in the past, but a sign of the coming of the kingdom of heaven."
"This country must purge the world of evil as its destiny, but if it deviates from the right path and becomes corrupted, it will inevitably collapse."
"However, before that day comes, we will push open the door of the Kingdom of Heaven and step into a new era, in which everyone has food and clothing, diseases are cured, and plagues are far away."
With Balian's words, even the dark clouds in the sky dispersed.
For a time, the sun shone brightly on the earth, bringing hope that was different from the past.
The refugees following Balian seemed to regard this scene as a miracle and crossed themselves one after another.
"Mono, you are not a native of Jerusalem."
"I'm actually just a pilgrim."
"Then your experience during these days is really..."
"Unexpected, I think so myself."
After a few chats and looking at the refugees who were about to assemble, Balian got on his horse and prepared to guide the team in the direction.
At this moment, Mono suddenly shouted:
"My lord! There is a question."
"What's wrong?"
"Where are we going?"
"We are going to Canaan."
[Therefore I have determined to bring you out of the oppression of the Egyptians to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey. land. 】
——"Exodus" 3:17
……
It’s actually not that far from Jerusalem to Transjordan, less than a hundred kilometers.
Therefore, after preparing food for about five days, the marching team of 13,000 people began to move.
Overall, the process is relatively smooth.
When they were approaching the Arnon Valley, Balian announced to all the refugees that Canaan was coming, where there would be food and clean water, and no Saladin's army would dare to invade.
Before he set off, he had already sent cavalry to notify the town of Alhadi.
Since this was all part of the plan, it started more than half a year ago.
After Garris made the prediction with Balian, he began to prepare for today's situation.
In the past six months, that is, after the spring harvest, Garris not only did not sell out even a single grain of grain, but also continued to increase purchasing efforts.
This purchasing direction includes not only local farmers, but also the traveling caravans, that is, Zaid and others.
In the process of this trade, Garis was frantically hoarding grain at nearly 2.5 times the price in the Nile River region.
Although the price of 2.5 times is not very prominent in the trade of this era, considering that wheat is a bulk commodity... the transaction volume is indeed a bit scary.
If it weren't for the Arnon Valley itself, it would still be able to produce goods, relying on various methods to try its best to make money from the merchants in the past.
The gold coins that the tax collector's family had revealed were really not enough for Garris to spend freely like this.
Of course, even so, Garris still felt that it was a bit too extreme, because that guy Balian actually brought a total of 13,000 Franks to Transjordan!
This number is huge enough to change the population ratio of Transjordan!
It can be said that if it can be digested well, the Transjordan region will usher in a take-off in the next two years.
But if it is not digested well, or if conflicts, famine, or plague occur during the process, it will be another huge disaster.
After receiving the news from Balian, Arnon County and Karak County, which had just finished autumn plowing, were mobilized.
Thousands of people, under the command of the holy warriors of the order, were divided into groups to transport food, gather clothing, and build more houses.
For the arrival of these thirteen thousand people, preparations were made intensively.
Nowadays, the Arnon County system can be clearly divided into two teams.
One is the parliamentary system, which allows them to centralize their power and opinions upward through internal elections in each village, and finally reach a consensus at the county assembly.
And because there are members of the parliament from each village, orders from the top can be passed on.
In the future history, this process will inevitably become more prominent in local protectionism, bureaucratic, wrangling, and formalistic...
But for now, during the years when Gehrys was still in Yanon, due to his high prestige, the operation was still smooth enough.
The other set is the religious system.
It is different from the parliamentary system which is clear and democratic and centralized from the bottom up.
The religious system of Gallis is actually much more complicated. There is not only the difference between priests and Paladins, but also the complex relationship between the central church and local priests.
It can only be said that as far as the results are concerned, the dispersed priests and Paladins all obeyed Garris and assisted Garris in increasing his propaganda efforts and mobilizing the people at the bottom to welcome this refugee wave.
Because he was fully prepared, Balian showed a hearty smile when he saw Garris again.
Behind Garis, the quantity carriage contained a large amount of cloth for the thugs to keep warm, ensuring enough food for the thirteen thousand people for two days, as well as charcoal or wood for fuel and a batch of extremely precious medicines.
With the help of the Yannen militiamen, Mono led the soldiers and refugees and began to build a temporary camp.
The pot was propped up, and the fragrance of food gradually filled the air.
Such a camp of 13,000 people was at least 400 meters wide vertically and horizontally. It was a quite difficult project in this era.
In order to ensure order, the elderly and children were in a separate camp area, the women were in a separate camp area, and the men were in the same camp area. The patients were also gathered together and isolated as one area.
And Garris can also feel the changes in Balian.
The Balian whom we met for the first time was a forthright knight, full of freedom and worry about the future of Jerusalem.
So Balian now shows a sense of knowing destiny.
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the way I should go, I have kept the way I should keep."
Facing Balian's words, Gareth's response was:
"From now on there is laid up for you the crown of righteousness."
One chapter is worth three chapters, so I have completed the additional updates for the 800 monthly tickets. At present, there are still 900 monthly tickets and 1,000 monthly tickets left to add.
(End of chapter)