Chapter 276 Please have mercy on me!
Variables, indeed, since the year 1186, the previous king's business failed halfway, and it has been three years since the end of 1189.
In the past three years, in the ancient land of Palestine, swarms of insects have appeared one after another. Which year is not a year of great change?
What year is not full of variables...
However, starting from the overall situation, at this juncture, no matter what the variables are, the overall situation is beneficial to the Second Kingdom.
1187 was a defeat, 1188 was a stalemate, and 1189 was a counterattack
Of course, for specific people, it is difficult to generalize.
The military operations of the Second Kingdom changed at this stage, when Saladin launched a counterattack on Transjordan and chose to retreat to Jerusalem.
The main mission of the army under Garis is to regain lost territory.
During this period, it was not just the capture of Nazareth. In fact, with the surprise attack of Gairis on Tashan, after suppressing dozens of Turkic heroes with the power of one person, the leaderless Turkic tribes were unable to stop a large-scale rout.
Be it Nazareth, Haifa, or even the city of Tiberias, where a large army had previously gathered to prepare for a counterattack, there was either war or peace.
For a time, Garris showed his sharpness and was busy taking over the territory.
Of course, although there are more or less companies stationed in these towns, the surrounding rural areas can only be said to be random.
Just when Garis was thinking about the problem and whether to directly penetrate the Jordan River and reach a junction with Transjordan, a messenger from Tire reported to him the situation in Tire.
According to the messenger's report, Balian and Sibylla's physical problems were already very serious.
After seeing another secret letter sent to him, Garris was silent for a long time.
"Sir?" Mono on the side was a little confused about what happened.
At this moment, the expression on Gareth's face was a little happy and a little ashamed. He seemed to have thought a lot, and finally suppressed his emotional fluctuations.
In Mono's opinion, the mood swing just now was something he had never seen in these days.
"Nothing, nothing. Maybe the plan has changed. You need to take the road further south. Be sure to establish a connection to Transjordan."
Garris will leave the remaining tasks entirely to the Order Knights, hoping that this thousand-man force can open the way to Transjordan.
And he himself needs to go back.
From the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, this section of the Jordan River is about a hundred kilometers long. If the three brigades of the Order Knights are stationed in three places, the actual length of the defense line of each brigade is only about 20 kilometers.
For the Knights of the Order, all of whom were on horseback, a twenty-kilometer maneuver would only take two hours at most, which was really nothing.
As for the war in other directions, the levies of the feudal lords in Tripoli have been demobilized. The troops of Antioch and part of the German Crusaders are alert to the enemy's movements in the direction of Damascus.
At present, the territory of the Second Kingdom is basically a narrow strip along the northern part of the Eastern Mediterranean coast. Although the shape of this territory means that it lacks depth, it can at least be maneuvered quickly by sea.
In this way, if the enemy forces in Damascus attack, on the one hand, their energy and time will be occupied by the castles of various feudal lords, and on the other hand, they can quickly receive support to prepare for the subsequent assembly of troops for large-scale battles.
As for Henry, the son of Barbarossa, the current leader of the German Crusade, he also has his own plans. He has written many letters and sent them to the great German nobles he is familiar with. He needs reinforcements from the HRE.
Not long ago, Eden got the news.
His brother Henry VI was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in Rome.
Although there are still a lot of long-term disputes within Shinra, Eden still hopes that his brother can help.
He wrote bluntly in the letter that he hoped to establish a new Crusader Kingdom on the land of Mesopotamia, the source of the two rivers.
"Those lands are in the hands of those who have gone astray, and it is our destiny to wrest back from the hands of those who have gone astray the creation of the Lord. In Damascus, a city of hundreds of thousands of people, its riches have given way to Countless Crusaders are haunted by dreams... The Second Crusade failed, but in the Third Crusade we are stronger than ever."
"In the ancient holy land of Palestine, I have witnessed many 'miracles'. The Kingdom of Jerusalem has advanced military technology. The invention of an alchemical product called gunpowder, coupled with a new weapon called artillery, is bound to change the battlefield pattern."
"Our father, in the previous war with Saladin, captured a batch of bronze cannons. Unfortunately, he also went to heaven because of this."
"I sent ten cannons back with the ship. There were also Saracen gunners on board who were proficient in the use of cannons, and Saracen craftsmen who knew how to build cannons."
"We should not shelve this weapon because of its dangers, but should use it to gain us an advantage on the battlefield. I believe these weapons from the east will surprise Henry the Lion..."
Henry the Lion, Barbarossa's old friend and rival, was now returning to Germany from England to begin the conquest of his vast estates in the former Duchy of Saxony.
"Garys..."
When Eden wrote about Garris, he was a little hesitant, not sure how to introduce it to his brother.
In the end, it was just a hasty summary, praising Garris's piety and virtue, coupled with his erudition and strict military management, rather than claiming that Garris was a prophet.
After all, writing such words rashly might cause his brother to misunderstand him.
"In addition, the current throne situation in the Kingdom of Jerusalem is in turmoil. The current Queen Sibylla is dying after persisting for a long time. I am not sure about the empire's attitude towards the succession of the throne of Jerusalem."
"But I need to point out that Queen Sibylla's husband Guy is a member of the Lusignan family. While he is French, he was also a vassal of Charles the Lionheart and King Henry of England."
"On this issue, the Anglo-French joint crusaders currently staying in Cyprus may make their own decision."
"Before you reply to your letter and express your position, I will consider it based on the interests of the empire and oppose the deepening influence of Britain and France in the Holy Land."
This is a long letter, describing in detail what Eden saw in Jerusalem, the help he needed, and his hope to inform his brother Henry VI that he could use artillery to beat Henry the Lion.
He believed that his letter would bring him a large number of reinforcements, thus helping him regain the ancient "Garden of Eden".
……
On this winter day, when the 90th year is about to come, the sky in Tire is low, and the dark clouds are like iron, blocking the light on the sea.
The air was filled with the smell of rot and salt.
Sibylla's hospital bed was placed in a somewhat crude room. Her face was pale due to high fever, and her once shining eyes were now dim.
Without her glory, she is just a woman.
Now she was dying.
The wind outside the window suddenly blew the curtains violently, bringing a hint of coolness.
Her consciousness gradually blurred, but at the last moment, a faint light penetrated the dark clouds and shone on her face. The woman's lips moved slightly, whispering a prayer.
"Lord, forgive my sins and let my soul be reunited with my children and my brothers..."
Surrounded by everyone, her fingers dropped weakly, and with a sigh, Sibylla's life came to an end at this moment.
In the distance, the waves hit the beach consistently, not caring about the passing of a queen.
"Merciful God, you are the eternal light, in charge of life and death. You have promised that those who believe in you will not fall into eternal darkness. Now, your maid Sibylla has reached the end of her life, please You had mercy on her and made her Her sins are forgiven and her soul rests in your arms, among the companions of angels and the neighbors of saints. Please accept her, Lord, just as you accepted Mary and all the saints.”
Patriarch Irakli was present here.
And the attendants on the side were also chanting: "Lord, please have mercy on you! Lord, please have mercy on you! Please wipe away the pain in her life, so that she can enjoy peace in your kingdom, please Bless her soul and protect our broken kingdom.”
As for Isabella, who watched all this silently, there was Guy beside her.
Now, Guy's face is equally pale, and his body is as stiff as a statue.
His hands turned white and his knuckles trembled slightly. His eyes were fixed on Sibylla on the hospital bed, but he seemed unable to accept it all.
From Isabella's point of view, Guy may have some self-blame, but it is unlikely that he would blame himself and feel ashamed.
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Under the protection of the guards, Isabella left first.
Behind her, under the dark cloudy sky, a queen left in obscurity, but no one in the city seemed to care.
……
History will always vilify or beautify some things, and it does not matter what future generations care about the predecessors.
With the unexpected death of Sibylla, the political situation of the kingdom, which had been somewhat peaceful before, suddenly became like a huge rock falling into a pool of water, causing ripples.
It is not uncommon for the heirs of Christian nobles in the Levant to have difficulties.
Faced with the high probability of extermination of nobles, the Franks had no choice but to admit that the throne could be passed down through female blood.
Due to the various difficulties the kingdom experienced during Sibylla's reign, as well as the fatal failure of Hercyna in Galilee, most nobles tacitly ignored Sibylla's daughter.
Of course, from an age perspective, a group of little girls no more than nine years old are indeed not suitable to inherit the throne.
Baldwin 5 was chosen as the heir because he was a male, and the support of the Leper King and a large number of noble factions contributed to his status as the heir.
As for Guy?
He was a co-king, receiving a crown for being the husband of Sibylla.
This situation can also be seen in some 21st century French. For example, duchess and duchess are essentially the same word: Duchesse.
But the powers possessed by the two are obviously not the same thing.
Therefore, when Sibylla died and he was unwilling to let Sibylla's daughter be crowned, Guy's crown was actually on the verge of crumbling.
When a successor to the throne is needed, there is only one option to trace the bloodline upwards.
The "Leprosy King" and "Amaury I"'s blood relatives left in this world - Isabella.
In the auditorium of the Tire Municipal Council, the atmosphere was tense, not to mention the sound of a pindrop, it was already the calm before the storm.
Less than two days after Sibylla left, three rounds of conflicts had already broken out regarding the succession to the throne.
Isabella is indeed the most suitable successor in theory, but theory is theory and practice is practice.
In the eyes of many nobles, when the Balian faction already controls the bureaucracy, has the upper hand in the parliament, and is completely dominant in the cabinet, if Isabella is allowed to inherit the throne, then the non-Ballian faction's nobles will I can really go wash up and sleep.
There are still three pounds of nails in the broken ship. Although the faction represented by Iraq's strategy no longer has much real power, it has not used the military to resolve political conflicts.
Having one more mouth in the King's Landing Council actually means one more voice. Even if you don't say goodbye, at least the quarrel can still be evenly matched.
Even when many people on Isabella's side entered the parliament, they brought short sticks with them, ready to shoot six sticks per second.
But the nobles on Irakli's side, after having the experience of being beaten, each wore leather armor under their clothes and prepared a lot of stones.
If a fight does break out, it is not certain who will win in this small Tire Municipal Hall.
Using the military to resolve conflicts within the system is obviously not a long-term solution, and the situation was somewhat stagnant for a while.
In this situation, the King's Landing Parliament was about to break up unhappy three times in a row. Balian, who was seriously ill, was carried into the Parliament.
Balian, who was sitting on the seat, was so thin that it was unbearable to look at him. His originally broad shoulders were now slumped and weak.
His face was as pale as wax, his cheeks were deeply sunken, and his protruding cheekbones made his face look particularly thin.
When such a patient entered the table, everyone present saluted him, even Irakli bowed his head slightly.
In the minds of everyone, if there was anyone who supported the houses of the Kingdom of Jerusalem after its defeat, it would only be Balian.
If he hadn't ensured the survival of 30,000 Franks in the battle to defend Jerusalem, how could the Second Kingdom have made a comeback?
After that, Balian was like a spiritual totem, inspiring many knights to stick to Tire.
He is the uncrowned king, the one who stands alongside Saladin.
But as that brief moment of respect ended, the hall officially broke out into quarrels, accusations, and insults.
Balian glanced at another empty seat beside him. A young man with a handsome face, full of vitality and vitality, was sitting in that seat.
The other party formed a sharp contrast with Balian. One was alive and the other was about to die.
"Made you laugh at Baldwin."
"Get used to it."
(End of chapter)