Chapter 207 Storm is rising in Tripoli!
The battle between life and death has lasted for countless generations and involved hundreds of millions of people.
Death is bound to come eventually, but what does death mean?
If you are not careful, you may fall into the trap of nihilism.
Therefore, people often need something to explain and something to support themselves.
For Christians, their faith is a kind of spiritual food.
The resurrection of Jesus symbolizes the victory over death, showing that death is not the end but the transition to eternal life. For Christians, this brings hope and demonstrates the possibility of life after death.
As for the question of whether Jesus was truly resurrected.
"The Apostle Paul" gave an unexpected answer in 1 Corinthians:
[If there is no resurrection of the dead, then there is no resurrection of Christ. 】
【If Christ has not been resurrected, our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain;】
[If Christ has not been raised, your faith is in vain and you are still in your sins. 】
[If our hope for Christ is only in this life, we will be the most miserable people in the world. 】
"1 Corinthians" is an epistle in the New Testament, generally believed to be written by the "apostle" Paul to the Christians in the ancient Greek city of Corinth around 55 AD.
For those who truly study the Bible rather than blindly follow it.
A fatal choice is placed before them, either believe in "resurrection", believe in "afterlife", believe in "judgment", and then live.
Either don’t believe in “resurrection”, don’t believe in “afterlife”, don’t believe in “judgment”, face the nothingness after death, and then live on.
It takes great courage and will to admit that nothing exists after death and to hold on to it until death.
It can be said that Christianity has been a "designed" religion since its inception, a "placebo" used to fight "death".
But after all, people in the 12th century could not witness the resurrection with their own eyes, so they could not defeat death by faith alone.
A person as powerful as Raymond III, Earl of Tripoli, was even more afraid of his impending death.
At dawn and early morning, the sun has spread its sunshine to the earth.
Garris walked through the ward, checking on the patients.
Because of what happened in the past few days, his popularity in Bertram has been completely established.
With his Privan platform, he is the most dazzling star in the town of Botram.
So much so that he was able to switch from one shot to another and built a large courtyard to serve as his own clinic, with five beds to accommodate some patients who needed care.
Among the patients recovering from illness, Gehrys was most concerned about the teenagers who had undergone appendicitis surgery.
Due to sufficient attention to sterilization and the use of allicin as an antibacterial drug, the boy did not suffer from wound infection.
After completing his inspection, Garris went to the other side of the compound to prepare for today's lecture.
It can be said that this clinic is not only a place where Garris treats patients, but also a "church" for marginalized people in society.
There is no Orthodox cross here, no crucifix of Christ Jesus, only volumes after volumes of the Bible.
These Bibles were obtained by Garris from the Cyprus Church, and they are extremely precious in this era.
It was around these expensive Bibles that Gehrys took Bertram's Orthodox Christians on a path completely different from the past.
This is not so much a church of shepherds and sheep as it is a gathering of people reading books.
It was through Garris's interpretation of those Bibles that the believers in the meeting truly entered into a sanctified life.
Now that the believers have not come in, Garris opened a few volumes of the Bible.
Start writing your own booklet.
Garris does not intend to completely give away the right to interpret the Bible, so he must write down his own doctrines, his own views on many things, and set up some red lines.
Those red lines are the "eternal" pillars of the temple.
Garris drew on the opinions of many theologians of later generations to create new spiritual food in this generation and to use this food to feed more people.
[When future generations look at our time, they may call us heartless, callous, and shameful beings because we turned a deaf ear to the suffering of our brothers and sisters. 】
[The Kingdom of Heaven is the destination for those abandoned by the world and a blessed place for the poor. 】
[The poor should get rid of sorrow, wake up and become children of light, put on the armor of light, and never indulge in darkness and dreams, missing the arrival of the kingdom of heaven. 】
[The poor should rejoice because they no longer linger under the oppression of power, but gain abundant life in the feast of heaven. 】
[This life is a divine and human life given by God, not just an animal existence. 】
Garris wrote a lot, not only about these teachings, but also about science and technology that can be used in this era.
There are also many contents about medical skills. These handwritten books are very forward-looking for this era.
"It's time to consider engraving and printing. In fact, there is not a shortage of paper. Just buy it from Damascus."
The history of paper in the Middle East can be traced back to the 8th century. It is said that the war between the Tang Dynasty and the Abbasid Dynasty led to the spread of paper production technology to the Middle East.
In the 9th century, paper began to be mass-produced and popularized in cities such as Baghdad, Cairo, and Damascus, gradually replacing parchment and papyrus as the main writing material.
It also made Baghdad a major cultural and intellectual center in the late 9th century.
By the 12th century, libraries and private collections in the Islamic world had become increasingly abundant.
But one thing is that in the Middle East of this era, engraving and printing had not yet become popular, so books and knowledge were still too far away for the people at the bottom.
While Garis was writing furiously, the envoy from Tripoli was hurrying towards Botlen.
The purpose of those envoys was to invite Garris, a well-trained doctor from Bertram, to Tripoli so that he could save the count's life.
At the same time, Garris heard someone knocking on the door outside the clinic.
When Garris and Alexandros opened the door, they saw many people standing outside.
Most of them were Franks who were just joining in the fun, and only one middle-aged man stood out.
He was dressed in a black cassock with a long white rope tied around his waist. He held a wooden cross inlaid with silver in both hands. The ornaments on his chest shimmered in the morning light, making his figure look particularly solemn.
When Garris opened the door and looked at him, he raised his head slightly, his eyes were cold, showing deep vigilance and scrutiny.
Without saying a word, the man presented a roll of parchment in front of Garris.
The paper was stamped with the church's heavy red seal. The seal is like a brand, symbolizing the unquestionable authority of the church.
"Doctor." The man spoke in a low voice, his voice undeniably serious.
"You will be required to attend an interrogation later, and the Bishop will personally listen to your explanation."
"The church has no lack of tolerance for you, but it still hopes that you can give a suitable explanation for your behavior during this interrogation."
The middle-aged man's eyes revealed a hint of judgmental coldness.
Then, he gently raised the cross in his hand to his chest and declared in an unwavering voice: "The way of God prevails here. May you find guidance in God's teachings and not go astray."
After saying that, the messenger lowered his hand, took back the cross, took a slight step back, and turned away before getting any response from Garris.
The black vestments swayed in the dim light of the morning sun.
This is not a consultation, but a notification.
In the eyes of the Botlen Church, although Garris had superb medical skills and had prestige among Orthodox Christians, he was still insignificant compared to the Church.
So they didn't even send anyone to capture Garris, they just asked a priest to hand over a document.
Do you need to deal with the other person?
Garris was a little hesitant. Perhaps the Bertram Church felt that it was superior, and it was an honor for the other party to invite a young doctor to attend the interrogation.
But to Garris, this is quite inexplicable. If you ask me to go, I will go?
Am I so shameless?
With this in mind, Garris didn't even look at the contents of the document, which he threw to Alexandros aside.
At this moment, just when Garris was about to turn around and go back to the house, there was the sound of rapid horse hooves on the street.
Wait until there is a long-lasting reining sound.
A man dressed as a messenger hurriedly dismounted.
"Is this Dr. Garris!"
The man shouted hurriedly towards the people in the yard.
"My lord, the Count, has an urgent invitation. I also ask the doctor here to accompany me to Tripoli!"
Entering the house, Gary paused, realizing that his opportunity had come.
Rather than accepting inquiries from Botlen Church, he might as well take a look at Raymond's current situation.
Therefore, he told Alexandros on the side: "Later, I may go to Tripoli. If there is any trouble with the church, just go and talk to Priwan, and he will help me deal with it." Side problem. ”
"Yes."
Alexandros nodded, indicating that he understood.
All in all, all in all, Garris let go of the doves of the Bertram Church here.
……
The news that the Earl of Tripoli was seriously ill could not be blocked at all, and the news was spread to all the forces in the north and south. The problem is not only that this man is critically ill, but more importantly, the Earl of Tripoli has no children.
It can be said that the nobles in the Holy Land region are indeed quite outrageous when it comes to having children.
Six of the nine generations of kings on the throne of the Kingdom of Jerusalem have died without a son, and one generation has not given birth to a son.
Today, the County of Tripoli is also facing an heirloom crisis. The only person who can truly be called the heir is his godson, the son of Prince Bohemond III of Antioch, also named Raymond.
"It is quite doubtful whether the godson can be regarded as the heir. As the suzerain Kingdom, the Kingdom of Jerusalem is bound to intervene. The best result is to take advantage of this opportunity to directly abolish the original county and make it an ordinary kingdom under the Kingdom of Jerusalem. ”
This is advice from Balian.
Isabella listened to Balian's words and frowned, thinking about the feasibility.
Indeed, she has signed an agreement with Saladin in the south, and there should be no threat in the short term.
But if Saladin really wants to wipe his ass with that piece of paper, how can they resist?
Now Gallis has also gone to Cyprus. Although a lot of good news has come from Cyprus, she still doesn't know much about Gallis' current situation.
At this juncture, if they want to interfere in Tripoli, are they beyond their reach?
"Ballian, if we don't go, do you mean that the County of Tripoli will be annexed by Antioch?"
"It's possible." Balian admitted frankly.
Isabella actually knew the situation in Antioch.
Let's just say that among the Crusader states, Antioch has long played the most restless role.
Due to its geographical location, it is difficult to be interfered by the Kingdom of Jerusalem. At the same time, it has territorial ambitions in Asia Minor, and often conflicts with the Eastern Empire.
In fact, it was also damaging the relationship between the Crusader countries and the Eastern Empire, causing the Eastern Empire to issue threats and warnings to Jerusalem more than once.
After all, Jerusalem was theoretically the suzerainty of Antioch.
But Jerusalem really couldn't control Antioch, which was very, very troublesome.
In terms of the current overall strength of the Second Kingdom, Antioch has become the strongest among the Crusader countries.
If Antioch annexes the County of Tripoli, it can be said that it will inevitably have greater ambitions, which will not be conducive to their regaining the lost territory and returning to the holy city of Jerusalem.
"If we want to intervene in the succession issue of the County of Tripoli, how many people do we need? In other words, how many troops can the Principality of Antioch spare to fight against us?"
Without Garris, Isabella must make decisions alone, and she must show a will that matches her identity.
"If Antioch mobilizes the whole country, he can have at least 6,000 troops, but considering the current situation, he will not send too many troops to intervene in Tripoli."
Balian gave a number.
When she heard this number, Isabella couldn't help rolling her eyes.
No matter how many troops Antioch sends to intervene in Tripoli, he will bring at least two to three thousand people.
But what about Tyr? Could they mobilize their troops to go north while facing a confrontation with Saladin's army?
In fact, many affairs in Tire City now determine that they lack the strength to go north in a short period of time.
The political logic of Europe is different from that of China. At least neither Isabella nor Balian ever thought of using overly violent means to cleanse the political situation.
As a result, it actually fell into a stalemate unique to the parliamentary system.
But it doesn’t matter if there really isn’t any advancement.
At least Isabella, based on an idea that Garris once proposed, came up with a plan for the upper and lower houses.
After all, the Second Kingdom is the continuation of the First Kingdom, so the status of the First Kingdom's aristocratic group is still recognized.
These nobles, whether they are Balian, Humphrey, or those knights, as long as they are members of the original Parliament of the Nobles of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
After review, they can all temporarily obtain the status of members of the House of Lords. Together with the spokesperson representatives of the church system, a complete House of Lords is actually constructed.
Then, each local constituency is used as a unit to recommend or elect members of the House of Commons.
When the two merge into one, they serve as the King's Landing Council and have the power to discuss many matters in the kingdom.
This set of things seemed to expand the power of the nobles and bishops, but in fact it violated the original authority of the High Court or the Parliament of Nobles.
After all, Isabella was trying to bring some people who were originally not qualified to participate in the kingdom's politics into the central decision-making level.
Of course, Isabella also has her own reasons. Now that the kingdom is in danger, everyone in the country must be able to work and contribute.
It seems reasonable to take care of and win over those wealthy businessmen who can provide large amounts of money.
To put it bluntly, recommendation or election is actually to recognize the strong local factions and unite them to the central government, so that those capable people and strangers do not wander around.
In addition to the reform of the parliament, Isabella is also working on another plan: the abolition of the original six-official system of the kingdom.
Because the Kingdom of Jerusalem was recently established and has been facing the threat of war for a long time, the Kingdom of Jerusalem has long had a tendency to centralize power to ensure that when war comes, it can squeeze out as much wealth and population as possible from the country. In the military.
But this does not mean that the rights of the King of Jerusalem must be higher than those of traditional Western monarchs.
In fact, during the kingdom's heyday, the Kingdom of Jerusalem was said to be an aristocratic republic, but there wasn't much wrong with it.
However, the aristocratic republican assembly of the Kingdom of Jerusalem is not a permanent institution, which gave birth to the six-officer system. They are governor, marshal, steward, chamberlain, steward and chief judge.
These official positions often have unclear powers and responsibilities, and the appointment process is often restricted by the aristocratic group.
For this reason, according to Guerris's opinion, it is best to transform it into a cabinet.
And as the permanent body of the Parliament, it became the center of the new kingdom.
Of course, there are complications and difficulties involved, as well as all kinds of wrangling.
The exchanges with those insect nobles had already made Isabella feel that her sleep quality had deteriorated.
That guy Garris is really careful. Apart from setting up a framework, now she and Balian are filling in all the trivial details.
When she thought of Garris, Isabella couldn't help but sigh.
Then he supported her and said:
"No matter what, we still have to send people to Tripoli to avoid Antioch and directly annex Tripoli."
"By the way, there is another news,"
"What?"
"I have investigated clearly regarding Leonard's current situation."
When Balian mentioned that name, Isabella's face showed undisguised hatred.
"Where is he?"
"Antioch."
……
At this moment, Leonard was in Bagras, toasting with Joslan, the leader of the Antioch branch of the local Knights Templar.
It had been half a year since the Battle of the Sea of Galilee. At that time, Leonard gathered the remaining troops. On the way back north, he escaped further than Raymond and had far more troops than Raymond.
Along the way, he looted villages, restored morale, and reorganized the army. Knowing that Jerusalem no longer had an army to resist Saladin's iron hoof, he decided to come to Antioch.
Twenty-seven years later, he returned to his hometown and was taken in by his old friend Ruoslan. He knew that only here could he gather an army strong enough for revenge.
"Reynard, I'm really fed up with Bohemond's family! They have been guarding the Armanus Pass for almost thirty years, and even asking for a manor for retirement has been blocked."
"Damn it, I can't stay in Antioch now! Those guys from the Knights Hospitallers come and sneer at us from time to time, saying that our Temple Order can't fight and will only cry about poverty. And those bastard things... ugh!"
Ruoslan, who broke the rules, started to chatter in a drunken state, ranging from the unsatisfactory life to the happy and grudges of working with Leonard. Every time he drank, he always had countless complaints.
"Do you want to go back to the old days, old man?" Leonard looked out the tower window, staring at the small town at the foot of the mountain.
Although this place is remote, Leonard is not indifferent to the world.
Whether it's Tripoli or the city of Antioch, Leonard has eyes and can collect some information from time to time.
As far as the current situation is concerned, a plan of a mantis stalking the cicada and the oriole behind gradually emerged in his mind.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is coming, and if he wants to seize this moment, Leonard must get Joslan's support.
"In the past? You can't go back, Leonard. I'm old, and so are you. This world is no longer the stage for our generation. What do you want to do when you are over sixty years old? Charge into battle like you did in the past? Life is yours. It’s too long.”
"Ruoslan, if I can give you a manor for your retirement, and can also make your illegitimate sons lords, are you willing to give me another try?" Leonard asked coldly.
After listening, Ruoslan narrowed his eyes and concentrated, staring at Leonard sharply like an eagle.
Even if Silan doesn't know everything about the information that Leonard can receive, it won't be much different.
After all, he was the head of the Antioch branch of the Knights Templar.
"The Knights Templar should not interfere in secular affairs."
"This is not the first time. Don't kid yourself, Ruoslan."
After hearing Leonard's words, Ruoslan wanted to admit that his heart was moved.
The current situation in the Holy Land is uncertain, but both Ruoslan and Leonard are full of confidence in the future.
In fact, these two people were not born in this foreign country.
They are veterans of the Crusades. As early as the Second Crusade, they followed the footsteps of their ancestors and came here.
Because of this, they knew very well what kind of powerful force would gather when the crusade broke out in Europe.
Leonard has his own ambitions, and Ruoslan also has what he wants.
Now surrounding the city of Tripoli, the situation in the Holy Land is stirred up again. It is time for ambitious people like them to surface and make a splash!
"Saladin...I am not old enough to hold a sword..."
(End of chapter)