Chapter 188 Life is not easy, Saladin sighs (2-in-1)
It was just a chance encounter on the street, but Irakli didn't intend to waste any words.
Balian has gone crazy. This is not a doubt, but a fact.
Two and a half months ago, Balian's body was stained with blood, and the sword in his hand was already damaged and mottled.
When such a man led an army into his home and ordered him to hand over three thousand gold dinars, Irakliu knew that Balian was crazy.
He actually wanted to put the sword on his neck for the lives of those untouchables!
If Irak hadn't realized in time, the madness in Balian's pupils was real, and he wouldn't have said a word of nonsense.
I'm afraid not. Nowadays, the grass on Iraq's graves is three feet high.
The feeling of wandering on the edge of life and death, having your life controlled by others, is not a wonderful experience.
In fact, even after two months, Irakli would often wake up from his dreams.
Under such circumstances, his attitude towards Balian was naturally quite bad.
Irakli looked at Balian again, and then saw Isabella behind Balian.
Then he snorted coldly and said nothing more except for "Balian, take care of yourself."
But Irakli's attitude also announced to Balian and others that the city was not peaceful.
However, at such a critical juncture.
However, Garris found Balian and said frankly: "You need to take full responsibility for Tire City. In a short period of time, I may not be able to care about this place."
Garris and Balian are now in a study room.
On the table between the two of them, there was a simple map spread out.
On the map, the current forces in the Holy Land are roughly marked.
Currently, in the Holy Land area, Saladin has an absolute advantage and has eaten up most of the city ports in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Only a few fortresses are still holding on.
In addition to Saladin, there was the second kingdom of Gairis, which occupied Transjordan, Mount Tabor, and the city of Tire.
It is not coherent as a whole, but Mount Tabor and the city of Tire are both crucial places and should not be underestimated.
Further north, there are two Crusader kingdoms, the County of Tripoli and the Principality of Antioch.
There were originally four Crusader countries. Among them, the northernmost County of Edessa was destroyed by Saladin's old employer, the "Sultanate of Zanji", long before the Second Crusade.
It was precisely the destruction of the County of Edessa that led to the Second Wave of Crusades.
The current situation is somewhat similar to the original one, except this time it was the Kingdom of Jerusalem's turn to be conquered first.
Saladin, the Second Kingdom, the County of Tripoli, and the Prince of Antioch, these four forces are the four chess players in the whirlpool of the Holy Land today.
Of course, in terms of population, the other three combined are less than one-twentieth of Saladin's.
The reason why Garris wanted to find Balian to say such a thing today, the first day after entering the city of Tire, was precisely for this reason.
"The current isolated city of Tirnai can obtain food from Antioch and reinforcements from Tripoli by sea, but it still lacks a real rear area."
Listening to Garris's words, Balian also nodded.
"I know what you mean. Transjordan can't give us much help."
In fact, by sending troops this time, Gairis had already emptied Transjordan's wealth.
He took away all the artillery and 70% of the standing army.
Judging from the current situation of the Transjordan territory, it will need to focus on self-preservation for a long time to come, and naturally it will not be able to assist the city of Tire.
"We need a rear, a rear that can produce artillery, obtain fresh troops, and have contact with Europe!"
When Garris said this, Balian already knew what Garris was talking about.
Balian has set his sights on the island of Cyprus. For now, the most suitable force for foreign aid is the closest.
"But will that guy Isaac support us?"
Isaac, Emperor of Cyprus, was an ambitious man who usurped the island of Cyprus from the Eastern Empire.
Although he is also a Christian, given the current relationship between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, coupled with his personal interests, it is unlikely that this guy will aid the Crusaders.
"The Emperor of Cyprus will not, but the people of Cyprus will."
Balian had been getting along with Garris for so many days, and when he heard these words, he knew that Garris was planning to take the initiative.
"How many people are needed?"
"Me, Archos, and a few Paladins are actually enough. We don't need too many people."
After hearing what Garris said, Balian frowned subconsciously: "Isn't this enough?"
"That's enough, you have to understand that Cyprus is an isolated island, and I am a [prophet]."
For a moment, Balian didn't particularly understand the meaning of Garis's words. He couldn't figure out what the connection was between the island and the prophet.
But since Garris intends to come forward in person and declare that he is a prophet, then this is actually God's will.
Subconsciously, Balian made a sign of the cross.
"But what about time? Now that Saladin's army is gathering, won't he make a desperate move to attack us?"
"I mean, if you weren't here, wouldn't it be too difficult for the soldiers in Acre to defend the city in the face of Saladin's sea and land attack and tens of thousands of people attacking the city?"
Regarding Balian's question, Garris also gave an answer.
This answer translated into Chinese characters is an idiom. As soon as Balian heard that sentence, he realized that Garris did have an outstanding strategic vision.
"The green and yellow are not picking up."
……
Green and yellow are not connected. The green in this idiom refers to the green seedlings, and the yellow refers to the yellow crops.
It means that the crops are not yet mature and the old grain has been eaten.
It also refers to the inability to connect the old and the new or the interruption of human, material and financial resources.
Today is the last day of 1187, and it will be 1188 in one night.
This is the first rain season in the Eastern Mediterranean, which means that the green crops are growing, and it also means that it has been seven months since the last good harvest.
Not to mention Saladin's troops, even the farmers who farmed the fields didn't have much food left.
The mobilization of an army of a thousand people is okay, but the mobilization of a legion of ten thousand people means that even if they burn villages, they will not be able to burn enough food.
Especially now, it is the winter rain season in Palestine. The temperature is cold and rainy, and the roads are muddy and difficult to march.
Not having enough to eat, not wearing warm clothes, and being wet in the rain, this kind of day is not the time for war!
Therefore, during this winter, Saladin dispersed his legions and stationed them throughout Jerusalem, quietly waiting for the next season suitable for fighting.
During these days, Saladin met some defeated troops in the city of Jerusalem.
These defeated troops include survivors of the Battle of Mount Tabor and survivors of the battle outside Tire.
As these defeated troops gathered in Jerusalem, the information about these two battles became increasingly detailed.
"You mean, they have a weapon that makes a loud noise and can kill you at a distance of one or two hundred steps?"
Listening to the various incoherent expressions of these defeated soldiers, Saladin frowned.
"Are you sure it's not a counterweight trebuchet?"
The answer is naturally no, because according to the description of the defeated soldiers, that kind of weapon can also spray flames and iron stones at a short distance.
Dozens of cavalrymen and their horses were riddled with bullets in an instant.
This was also the source of the initial rumors about dragon roar, because the effect of that weapon was like dragon's breath.
This made Saladin feel particularly confused. It was difficult for him to restore the original appearance of the weapon according to the descriptions of these defeated soldiers.
"You mean you heard the explosion and smelled a strange smell?"
Things are getting tricky.
A new, never-before-heard weapon that was effective at killing people at close range and could also scare horses was not good news.
After Saladin fell into deep thought, he gathered the wise men around him and discussed for a long time.
Until one of his advisors proposed a possibility: "Snow in China."
"It shouldn't have this effect, right?" Sara was a little skeptical.
Regarding the properties of saltpeter, the Arabs had clear records as early as the 9th century, indicating that they had conducted relevant experiments.
Bir ibn Hayan and al-Razi regarded saltpeter as an important raw material for alchemy.
In essence, it is not much different from the gunpowder made by Chinese alchemy Taoist priests.
But regarding the black powder formula, the Arabs did not work out it in detail.
Combined with the properties of saltpeter, the Egyptian Arabs could prepare incendiary agents.
The burning agent prepared with the help of saltpeter has some explosive effect, but it is too weak. At most, it was said that it helped the incendiary explode, splashing the burning petroleum extract everywhere, thus setting the city on fire.
In 1168 AD, during the siege of Maglizi, the last grand vizier of the Fatimid dynasty lit 20,000 jars of oil in order to resist the Franks' attack and let the fire burn for 54 days.
Later generations discovered a large number of well-preserved cupping jars among the cultural relics unearthed in Old Cairo, many of which contained saltpeter, or something similar to gunpowder.
Dr. Abdullah from Alhadi Town has been exposed to relevant knowledge because he lived in Cairo.
However, the Arabs entered a dead end. Because of the combustion-supporting effect of saltpeter, their technical route was "skewed" in a sense.
In order to confirm his guess, Saladin asked someone to fetch some saltpeter, lit it and asked the defeated soldiers to smell it.
Then I got an answer: "Somewhat similar, but not consistent."
Similarity means that it may indeed contain saltpeter, while inconsistency means that something is missing.
Saladin frowned. He still couldn't imagine the relationship between saltpeter, explosion, and killing two hundred steps away.
From a cautious point of view, Saladin felt that he needed to investigate and find out what was going on.
For this reason, even though December is not a suitable season for fighting.
Even if there is no business now,
Saladin still assembled a force of 3,000 men and planned to go to Tire City to check out the situation and prepare for a large-scale offensive in the coming year. The gains and losses of one city and one land are not particularly valued by Saladin today, but whether the offensive in the coming year can be finalized is something Saladin must consider.
If possible, Saladin hoped to completely clear the Levantine coastline after the spring harvest of 1188.
We must drive these Frankish colonists completely into the sea!
When bonfires were lit on Mount Tabor at night and smoke rose during the day, the defenders in Tire knew that another hard battle was coming.
At the same time, the defenders in the city also saw the galley with its mast exposed on the sea level.
……
January 1188 was indeed not a season suitable for fighting.
The continuous heavy rain dampened the enthusiasm of the soldiers.
What should have been a lively and passionate act of looting has become lifeless, as if it were going to work.
In fact, this siege of Tire was indeed a "job" rather than a siege for Saladin's side.
The sky in Tire City was filled with dark clouds, and the sea breeze whistled on the city walls with a salty and wet breath.
Saladin's messenger was clad in robes and had a stern look on his face.
He met Balian again, and then, as usual, submitted a letter persuading him to surrender.
Compared to another of his colleagues whose ears and nose were cut off, this messenger did not suffer any humiliation.
He even returned to Saladin's royal tent with a letter of thanks from Balian.
After reading the letter, Saladin looked calm as usual, but his eyes shone with deep thought.
Immediately afterwards, he waved his hand and ordered the soldiers to bring an old prisoner to the tent. This man was William V, Marquis of Montferrat, Conrad's father - a prisoner of war captured in the Battle of the Sea of Galilee. .
"Give me a message. If your children give up resistance, I will release you and give you wealth. The city of Tire will be mine."
William V, Marquis of Montferrat, remained silent, but no matter what his reaction was, it would not prevent Saladin from using this chess piece to test the situation in the city.
The afterglow of the sun shines through the thick dark clouds, bringing a dim light to the land.
The world was filled with a kind of silent tension, and the surrounding sounds seemed to be swallowed up by the wind, leaving only the sound of the wind passing over the sea, causing waves to hit the rocks on the shore.
When William V was escorted to the city of Tire by Saladin's soldiers, the demands were read aloud.
Balian noticed Conrad next to him and made an unexpected move.
The Italian took a crossbow from the soldier on the side and aimed it at his father.
Conrad's response made Balian feel numb.
"My father, he has lived long enough. His life is just a drama that should have ended long ago."
William V, Marquis of Montferrat, was born in 1115 and is now 72 years old. He is a truly elderly man.
But no matter what, no one present thought that Conrad would use this as an excuse to point the heavy crossbow at his father.
The Saracens below the city heard it, Conrad's father also heard it, and Balian and the Iron Masked King beside him also heard it.
"You see, this is...the character of a king, he is the same...and so am I."
Balian had never thought that such a handsome, seemingly cheerful and enthusiastic Italian would be so unhesitating at such a juncture.
William V under the city wall gave out a hearty laugh, but it was mixed with a hint of inexplicable meaning.
But in short, such a scene of persuading surrender was nothing.
When Saladin heard the whole process, he was silent for a moment, frowned slightly, and whispered to himself:
"This man is irreligious and very cruel."
Although his voice was low, it was full of coldness, for a person who didn't care about worldly evaluation at all and was able to do extraordinary things at extraordinary moments.
Saladin knew clearly that although this man was not a king, he had the appearance of a king. In such a situation, the first siege began.
On the battlefield with low dark clouds, the air was filled with tension and depression.
Thousands of soldiers pushed toward the city wall pushing siege towers, battering rams, and some simple catapults.
Among these troops, a small detachment carried a military flag made from the Kaaba curtain, which was flapping in the wind. Their team was silent and orderly, and had already approached the city wall five hundred steps away.
Proclaiming to the surrounding soldiers that their Sultan was with them.
But he himself took off all the clothes that showed his identity and continued to move forward under the escort of a small group of Mamluks.
Saladin was the Sultan, the most powerful king in the Islamic world. He was not very proficient in martial arts, but he did not lack courage.
Conrad could do extraordinary things at extraordinary moments, and he, Saladin, could do the same.
He mingled with his own army and moved forward cautiously, just to witness with his own eyes what the words of the defeated soldiers were saying.
However, everything was normal, there was no sound of explosion at all, and there was no smell of gunpowder smoke.
The siege soldiers set up long ladders and climbed the city wall in an orderly manner, as if everything was unfolding step by step.
With the roar of slings, the Saracens began to climb the siege ladder.
Then they were counterattacked and killed, and the arrows in the city fell like rain on this dark cloud-heavy day.
Immediately afterwards. With a rapid horn blast, the gate of Tire City unexpectedly opened on its own initiative!
Accompanied by gusts of wind and flying dust, a team of hundreds of knights rushed out!
Their horses pounded the ground with heavy hooves, and their armor shone coldly under the shadow of the dark clouds.
These knights leveled their lances, and the moment they crashed into the Saracen infantry formation, they made a harsh sound of metal friction and the Saracens screamed.
The horses galloped wildly, and the knights wielded their swords and slashed at the crowd.
Blood splattered on their armor and dyed their cloaks red, but they continued to charge unwaveringly.
A bloody storm broke out on the battlefield.
Saladin stood at a position close to zero distance and saw such a group of knights charging wantonly, as if he had returned to the same situation when he was being chased by the Leper King.
But if there was any difference, it was that this group of knights did not notice themselves.
Instead, they went straight towards their fluttering military flag, as if these knights believed that they were there.
In a sense, Saladin was a blessing in disguise. At least, he was not hunted down this time.
Saladin and his men left in despair.
This siege did not allow him to figure out what the smoke was about.
On the contrary, it once again proved one thing: Saracens are not good at martial arts.
This group of knights in Tire city dared to open the door during the siege by the army! Take the initiative!
One hundred knights chased an enemy force ten times their size and killed them violently!
Does this still make sense?
Who is the defender? Who is the defender of the city?
I know that you Franks are full of martial virtue, but it is not the same as trusting K.
Life is not easy, Saladin sighed.
After this battle, Saladin stopped the galleys that were originally intended to be put into the battlefield in the city of Acre.
In the short term, we no longer intend to launch a major offensive.
The main reason is that I am worried that I have fewer people, and I am afraid that I will not be able to deliver food to others.
As for the crowd?
In January in Palestine, there are not many people.
……
Acre is only 40 kilometers away from Tire. Both cities are important port cities on the coast of Palestine.
After Saladin evacuated Tire and returned to the city of Acre, a messenger came to Tire with a letter.
It was this letter that proved the correctness of Gareth's prediction.
In the letter, Saladin proposed that he hope to sign a peace agreement and that the two sides would temporarily suspend military operations for six months.
Half a year later, Palestine will enter the dry season, the spring harvest will end, and all granaries will be filled with grain.
By then, it will be another fierce fight.
Rather than saying this is a peace agreement, it is better to say it is just a six-month truce.
However, even so, the nobles in Tire City were still smiling for a while.
At least for a short time, they no longer have to bear the pressure of Saladin's soldiers pressing down on the border.
At such a juncture, something not big or small happened.
Saladin used the peace agreement to release a group of nobles.
These nobles, in addition to Conrad's father William V, also include Guy, the current king of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and Humphrey III, the lord of Torun, whose parents both died.
Anyway, Saladin felt that guys like Guy and Humphrey were much easier to deal with than Balian or Conrad.
Rather than letting those losers eat free rice every day, it would be better to send them back quickly to torment them.
It would be better to leave the city of Tire in turmoil.
No matter how incompetent and useless Guy is, at least he is still the king of Jerusalem now.
Royal power is the most special kind among many feudal powers.
Generally speaking, no matter what kind of feudal power, its essence relies on the superior feudal lord. It is obtained by the superior feudal lord through various splits, or it is the accumulation of many rights.
Attention is a right not a power.
But not the royal power. The royal power itself is the top of many feudal powers, and can even be said to be the legal basis for other feudal powers.
For such a special being to return to the dilapidated Kingdom of Jerusalem, it is not a good thing for the Kingdom.
But at this moment, what is Garris doing?
Others have already left the city of Tire and embarked on another journey of [revelation] of their own.
I wanted to add more, but failed because the detailed outline I wrote before was invalid and I needed to rearrange the story.
(End of chapter)