Chapter 220 Heading north! Go north!
Leonard de Châtillon, also known as Reynaud of Châtillon in the film Reign of Heaven.
He arrived in the Levant during the Second Crusade and established himself in this land.
Twice in a row, he became lord by marrying an heiress.
The first time was Antioch and the second time was Transjordan.
In a sense, Leonard has indeed left his name in history and changed the historical pattern.
It's just that it's not that it will last forever.
But in any case, his military talent seems to be among the best in this era, but his brain is not very good and he is impulsive and irritable.
"There are only two roads from Antioch to Tripoli. Either take the valley south along the Assi River, or travel through the roads in the mountains."
"The exit on the other side of the valley is controlled by Muslims, and the road between the mountains is where we are."
Listening to Leonard's analysis, Ruoslan nodded. He has a very clear plan for Leonard now.
If Bohemond plans to return to help the city of Antioch, he will definitely pass through here. When the time comes, he and Leonard will be here to wait for work, and everything will be easy.
"Have you ever calculated how many days it will take for your adopted son to pass by here?"
"How many days?"
When he heard this question, Leonard responded dismissively.
"Today."
Ruoslan's pupils shrank instantly: "How are you sure? It normally takes six days to march from Tripoli to here. If it were today, you only gave them four days? This is a bit too hasty, right? .”
Leonard smiled slightly and tapped his head gently with his finger: "Based on experience and my understanding of that boy Bohemond. After all, I brought him up."
He was silent for a moment and continued: "Ruoslan, I admit that I am indeed old and no longer as agile as before, but my accumulated wisdom and experience are growing day by day. Now you can call me an old fox."
Ruoslan raised an eyebrow and asked teasingly: "Then old fox, if he arrives here tomorrow, what are you going to do?"
"If it's tomorrow, it won't have much impact." Leonard answered lightly.
"What about the day after tomorrow?"
"The day after tomorrow, I estimate there is still a 60% chance of winning, so I can give it a try." Leonard's eyes flashed with confidence.
"What about the day after tomorrow?"
"Then I have to retreat quickly, cross the Armanus Pass, and flee towards the Eastern Roman Empire."
"Cut."
Ruoslan hummed softly, with a hint of disapproval.
At this moment, the sound of horse hooves sounded again, but this time it was from south to north. A light Tukobo cavalry galloped over and broke into the courtyard directly across the low stone wall.
Riding on his horse, the hired light cavalry loudly reported: "My lord, they are here."
Leonard couldn't help laughing, but when he turned his head to look at Ruoslan, there was a hint of loneliness in his eyes.
"That child has never truly matured."
He thought about the memories of the past and the experience of teaching Bohemond carefully, but unfortunately, Bohemond seemed to have only learned the superficial knowledge and failed to fully understand the essence.
……
Antioch is a fertile land that was once the cornerstone of the empire's rule over the East. Even in this era, it is the terminal transit point of the Silk Road and provides a large amount of commercial grain to the Mediterranean.
To the south of the city of Antioch is a hilly area.
Here, scattered villages are scattered in the mountains, and a road leads from Latakia to the city of Antioch.
Roger was exhausted and military life was not good at all.
real! This was nothing like what he had imagined!
This was supposed to be an adventure that broke the boring and peaceful life of my past!
He was so looking forward to putting on the ancestral armor and picking up the weapons left by his father, but in the end...
The so-called military life is actually an endless march.
From the city of Antioch to the port of Latakia, from the port of Latakia to Tortusa, from the castle of one lord to the castle of another lord.
Thousands of soldiers similar to him, led by their respective lords, marched from the mountains, along the coast, and through the farmland.
robbery? People like them who don’t have enough time to eat, don’t have enough to eat and don’t have enough clothes to wear are just suffering constantly.
Moldy bread, biscuits, cooked or raw meat, if you have it today, you will be hungry tomorrow.
Occasionally, you can eat some meat or fish, but don't expect to get much prey when a legion of four thousand people gather together.
It can only be said that the army of this era is such a mess.
It wasn't until he arrived outside Tripoli that Roger felt a little bit of the atmosphere of war.
They built a reliable camp here and prepared siege equipment.
But just when Roger felt that he should prove his worth in the war and be able to get promoted and make a fortune and find a woman.
An unexpected piece of news suddenly came: Leonard, the former prince of Tripoli, suddenly declared rebellion and captured the city of Antioch.
Damn it, the day and night march has begun again. How did we come here in the first place, and we will go back now.
And this time, it is more urgent than before!
If it felt like an outing before, this time it was pure torture.
The journey from Latakia Port to Tripoli took more than ten days to complete, but it was suddenly reduced to four days.
As soon as he arrived at Latakia Port and had a hot meal, less than half a day later, Roger was arrested by his team leader and continued on his way.
When will this day end?
Lift your legs and march, lift your legs and march...
"Captain, what's going on! Captain! Who is that guy Leonard!"
During this process, Roger also took the time to complain to his captain.
When he heard Leonard's name, the veteran in charge of him didn't look too good.
"That was the last Prince of Antioch."
"Uh..."
Originally, Roger thought Leonard was some vicious person, but it turned out to be just a bunch of family trouble.
In fact, to be precise, for feudal lords, what is not a family matter?
The civil war between Baldwin III of Jerusalem and his mother was a family matter, and the confrontation between Bosmond III, Prince of Antioch, and his mother was also a family matter.
Even the various wars and peaces between Britain and France were all family affairs.
How many nobles have died in this endless family affair?
Conscripts and farmers like Roger...
They are just consumables, dead in the mud with no one to bury them, humble as grass, just dust on the glory of the nobility, insignificant.
As for the so-called Prince Bohemond of Antioch, he also looked anxious when passing through Latakia.
In Latakia, there are more and more news about the city of Antioch.
There are various efficiencies, and each has his own theory, including that Leonard received assistance from the Eastern Empire.
Or maybe there is a traitor in the city of Antioch, and someone is colluding with Leonard.
These messages were messy, but they all told Bohemond that his home was gone.
He must hurry back to his territory before Leonard gains the allegiance of the lords around Antioch.
Therefore, he was too anxious. No matter how hard the generals under his command tried to dissuade him, they could not stop Bohemond from going his own way.
He even promised his soldiers that as long as they arrived at the city of Antioch within two days, each of them would receive a bounty of two gold dinars.
However?
However, these promises will never be realized, because when he queues up in a long queue, dragging the nearly two thousand meters long team to march.
There was the roar of horse hooves, the galloping of hundreds of knights!
The blood is going to flow.
Only this time, it was a civil war between Franks.
Two veterans, Leonard and Ruoslan, each led a knight detachment and interspersed wantonly.
The two of them don't have many troops at their disposal.
But it was easy to wait for work, and Bohemond's army delayed the elder.
Therefore, this legion of four thousand people was easily cut into three sections in a short time.
……
Roger was almost at his limit. He had already drank all the water he had taken when setting off from the port of Latakia. Only the armor, weapons and dry food that could save his life were left in his luggage, and the rest was discarded.
Even so, he was still one day away from the city of Antioch.
However, according to the captain, it is a short walk to today's campsite - a village that provides water and food.
But just when Roger was about to work harder, he felt flustered, and then he saw the look of the team leader beside him change drastically.
A faint roar came from far away, as if the earth was shaking.
The sudden sight shocked him: a flag of Antioch pierced the sky, flying in the strong wind.
Behind the flag, dozens of fully armed knights and hundreds of light cavalry poured in like a torrent.
Roger had heard many people bragging about the grandeur of cavalry charges, but he never imagined that one day he would be the one to do so.
In the face of such irresistible force, everything seems so small. He froze on the spot until the captain grabbed him suddenly, and then he ducked away as if he was suddenly awakened.
As soon as the two of them fell down on the roadside, the thunderous sound of horse hooves swept over them, making their eardrums hurt.
Roger looked back and looked in disbelief at the comrades who had no time to escape and were trampled to pieces by heavy horse hooves.
His heart shuddered, and at the same time, the flag representing Bohemond in the central army fell down.
Desperate cries came from the battlefield: "Bohemond escaped alone!"
The glory of battle has nothing to do with Roger.
To be precise, the purpose of fighting this war in the first place had nothing to do with glory.
It's nothing more than a pair of adoptive father and son fighting over the family property.
Why fight?
Why fight? This world is just a playground for a few people. A small person like him, Roger, is not worthy of speaking a line on the stage.
The protagonist of the story easily abandons them when faced with danger.
There is no glory in this battle.
Leonard did not bring many soldiers. In fact, there were only one thousand and five soldiers in total.
More than a thousand of the remaining troops on the Sea of Galilee were defeated, and three hundred hired Tucpo light cavalry were defeated.
Including himself, Ruoslan and a total of one hundred knights under his command.
With such a meager force, Leonard dared to challenge his adopted son.
His soldiers attacked from villages, hills, back roads, and from all directions, showing off their power and power with terrifying force.
This is war. It is easier to win with more soldiers than with more generals, but victory does not entirely depend on the strength of the troops.
Leonard did not kill all these people. For him, these soldiers were his own soldiers, and if he wanted to regain his glory, he needed to use his currency well.
Look at the masses of surrendering troops.
Leonard took off his blood-stained helmet and gasped loudly. He could feel the weakness in Zi's body. He could no longer gallop as wildly as before, but he won in the end.
With the support of his attendants, Ruoslan came to Leonard's side, and then was laughed at unscrupulously by Leonard.
Ruoslan twitched the corners of his mouth slightly, but didn't know how to respond to Leonard's ridicule. After all, Leonard was actually older. So he turned and asked loudly: "Where is Bohemond?"
"He ran away."
"Coward, he should be ashamed."
Leonard just sighed and did not cater to Ruoslan's anger.
"What are you going to do now?" Ruoslan continued to ask.
"Reorganize the troops. I have calculated that, not counting those deserters, after this battle, I have two thousand more infantry."
"Then what's next? Siege the city of Antioch?"
"No, the loss in attacking the city of Antioch will be too great."
"Then where are you going?"
"Go to Latakia."
"Why?"
"When the news of Bohemond's defeat is passed, all the previous rumors will reach their peak and then spread unstoppably. People in the city will believe that I have captured Antioch and will be proud of my victory over Bohemond. Become the true Prince of Antioch ”
Leonard thought about this beautiful scene.
"What if they don't open the city gate? After all, Bohemond may personally preside over the defense, and they may not surrender voluntarily." Ruoslan is more accustomed to dealing with possible variables cautiously.
"At that time, my friends at sea will help me." In the past six months, Leonard not only drank with Joslan, but also reconnected with his contacts at sea.
From the beginning to the end, Leonard never captured the city of Antioch. He only made a gesture to attack Antioch, then blocked Antioch's communication with the outside world and continued to spread rumors.
One word spreads to ten, and ten to a hundred. Words move people's hearts, and people's hearts are power.
Leonard is a gambler, and this time, he won again.
“When I have enough chips, it’s time to make a comeback.”
Leonard looked south. He also received a lot of news about Garris.
As always, that guy is pretending to be a ghost and deceiving people.
Leonard dared to say that when he was waiting for thousands of troops to face Garris and shoot a hail of arrows, Garris should admit his mistake.
As long as you are still human, you have limits. As long as you can set up a stake at the stake, you can burn heretics to ashes.
……
Levant, the paradise of adventurers, the stage of lords, in this fiery land, countless heroes rise one after another.
While Saladin achieved an unprecedented victory, Garris was also integrating his own forces.
But since leaving Transjordan, he is no longer on an oasis island, but has truly integrated into the civilization of the Mediterranean.
During this process, Garris also gradually concealed his original claim, and no longer said that he was the younger brother of Jesus, the older brother of King Hong Tian who had never met anyone.
To the outside world, he only said that he was a saint from Jerusalem and the head of state (Dux) of Cyprus.
The main purpose of doing this is to avoid being too conspicuous in a short period of time.
There is a saying that the Holy See does not care about the appearance of "saints" in certain countries and certain churches. The deeds and "miracles" of those saints are the cornerstone of religious belief.
But if at this juncture of the rise of the Third Crusade, heretical remarks such as Jesus having an extra brother are revealed, God knows what will happen. It is always good to avoid the limelight.
Garris had no problem taking care of himself, but after the dishes were spread out, he was at a loss for what to do, and there would always be areas where he failed to take care of himself.
Therefore, the cult is currently unable to surface, and is still in a semi-underground state outside of Transjordan.
To be more precise, after Garris captured Cyprus, members of the Taiping Order began to disguise themselves as Orthodox Christians.
When Gallis is walking outside, he often wears the purple robe of the Archbishop of Cyprus, holds the unique imperial staff of the Archbishop of Cyprus, and calls himself the head of state of Cyprus.
The Holy See is very wary of its own heresies, but it doesn't care too much about the Orthodox Church.
Especially after the Cypriot Church publicly announced its willingness to support the Third Crusade and raised the possibility of communion with the Roman Catholic Church.
The united front value of the Church of Cyprus in the eyes of the Holy See suddenly increased.
Although the leader of the Cyprus Church is only an archbishop, it is an independent church.
Patriarch Constantine, in the Orthodox Patriarchate Council, is only the chief, not the superior of the Church of Cyprus.
If an independent Orthodox church is willing to recognize the Pope as its leader, this will be regarded by the Catholic world as a major religious victory.
Moreover, the most critical point is that the Cyprus Church is the first church in history to be converted by a Roman governor. It is an ancient church founded by the apostles and inherits the mandate of the Roman Empire.
Its symbolic meaning far outweighs its actual benefits.
"Having believed in Christ and effectively received Baptism, they established a certain, albeit imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church." For the Orthodox Church, this communion is so deep that “only a little remains of the perfection in which we can celebrate the Eucharist of the Lord together.” 】
——Article 838 of Catechism
Under this possibility, even if the Church of Cyprus behaves a bit out of line, the Holy See is willing to turn a blind eye.
Through this method of borrowing a chicken to lay an egg, Garris successfully obtained an "identity certificate" from the Orthodox Church.
Now, he is the head of state of Cyprus, and the envoys rushing to Cyprus from Rome are about to discuss various details for subsequent communion.
Communion means that each party recognizes the other's baptism, Holy Communion, and other sacraments.
To achieve communion, both sides need to engage in in-depth theological dialogue to resolve past differences and misunderstandings.
And the time required for this discussion... under the instructions of Garris, the Cyprus Church can actually extend it to infinite length.
In short, it is to whet the appetite of the Holy See and attract the other party's attention, so as to cover up some things that are not suitable for exposure in a short period of time.
As for the Archbishop of Tripoli, let’s pretend it didn’t happen for the time being.
After all, the immediate superior of the Archbishop of Tripoli is actually the Latin Patriarch of Antioch. Given the current situation in Antioch, the Patriarch there may not be able to protect himself.
When news of Leonard reached Tripoli, a meeting was also held on Gairis' side.
"Duce, there's news from Antioch."
Conrad on the side, as an Italian, had no scruple in calling Geiris the head of state.
Because of the changes in the situation in Tripoli, Tire gritted its teeth and squeezed out some troops. Under the leadership of Conrad, they provided support to Tripoli.
"How to say?"
"The city of Latakia surrendered. The original Prince of Antioch, Bohemond III, is currently fleeing south and may arrive in Tripoli soon."
Now, as the plenipotentiary envoy of the Second Kingdom, Gairis has accepted the oath of allegiance from the nobles of Tripoli on behalf of the royal authority of Jerusalem.
For Bohemond, if anyone could help him regain his kingdom, it seemed that he could only turn to the Second Kingdom for help.
"Do you think Leonard has controlled all of Antioch?"
Gallis asked the person next to him at the meeting.
José, Alexandros, and Conrad looked at each other and discussed.
"Regarding the specific information about the city of Antioch, I think the Arab caravans are more reliable than what comes from the port of Latakia."
"Antioch has not fallen yet."
There is a fog in war, and this fog was especially prominent in the Middle Ages.
But the more foggy the situation becomes, the more important it becomes of intelligence and information.
As a port, Latakia would be cut off from Antioch, but news came from the caravans on the Arabian side that normal trade was still possible.
Gehrys had no prejudice against Arabs, so he chose to believe the latter.
"There is no possibility of coexistence between Leonard and I."
Garris looked at the knights present and made no secret of his hostility with Leonard.
The time of reckoning is coming, and not just for Gareth himself, not just for his brothers who died on that stormy night, and not just for Isabella.
It is also for the people who died at the hands of Leonard.
The people who were crucified in history should not be the people, nor should it be Jesus.
A tyrant like Leonard, a "Caesar", a person who soaked the earth with blood, should be the object of sacrifice for purification.
The time of reckoning is coming.
This is not the interest of one family, at least at the moment, it is not a personal gain.
It is to help the victims down from the bloody cross. Garris and others have already lit up the beacon of hope, and they cannot extinguish it again.
At least not right now.
"Even though the situation in Tripoli is not stable at the moment, I declare that we will go north!"
(End of chapter)