I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 68

The Walk in the Dark (3)

* * *

January 1183

The signal tower demonstration was held on Mount Zion, just outside Jerusalem.

The site of King David’s tomb and believed to be where Christ held the Last Supper.

Stone and dust.

Small trees and grass sparsely dotted the landscape.

In the distance, the walls of Jerusalem were visible.

Flocks of sheep and shepherds passed before the walls.

“You’ve built them closer to Jerusalem than I expected. I thought they’d be further out,” Baldwin IV said as he dismounted from his horse, escorted by his guard.

Only a few had come to the demonstration: Baldwin IV and a handful of nobles.

“These towers were built nearby for demonstration purposes,” I said, looking down the mountainside.

The two signal towers stood on the mountainside and the opposite mountain range, respectively.

The distance between them was about 20 kilometers [approximately 12.4 miles].

They appeared very small to the naked eye.

Baldwin IV raised his telescope and said, “They look like ordinary towers. They seem too small to hold many soldiers…”

“Building large, sturdy towers would take too much time and money. There’s no need for that. The important thing is to exchange communications as quickly as possible. Defensive towers to fend off enemy attacks are unnecessary. Besides, there aren’t enough personnel to fill them.”

I looked at the two towers through the telescope.

The new telescope had fewer bubbles and was clearer than the previous one. I didn’t expect it to improve this quickly.

Signal towers and improved telescopes.

What *can’t* Gernal do?

Perhaps the title of chief master craftsman of the Order isn’t just for show.

The body of the signal tower was made of stone. It had a structure similar to the Silla Cheomseongdae Observatory [an ancient astronomical observatory in South Korea]. The difference from Cheomseongdae was the long wooden pole extending from the top. Wooden panels resembling arms were attached to both sides of it.

“The soldiers in the tower move those wooden panels. They can exchange letters and numbers through each movement.”

“So, they’re exchanging words through gestures,” Balian said with an intrigued look.

I nodded. It was a very elaborate set of gestures. To the untrained eye, it would just look like someone flailing their arms.

“You’ll understand when you see it.”

I raised my hand and signaled. Garnier and Aig were in each signal tower. Both had been training intensely for today’s demonstration.

I looked at Baldwin IV.

“If Your Majesty decides on a phrase to send, I will send it to the first signal tower via messenger.”

The signal tower on the mountainside, where Garnier was.

“And then send a signal to the second signal tower…”

“To confirm whether they received exactly what I said. I understand,” Baldwin IV nodded. He fiddled with his silver mask.

“An appropriate phrase…” He looked at the messenger and said, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love to talk will eat its fruit.”

The messenger wrote it down with an iron pen and mounted his horse. He headed to the signal tower where Garnier was.

Before long, the wooden arms of the signal tower began to move. The creaking sound of wood. It moved slowly, one letter at a time. Perhaps they weren’t used to it yet.

Soon, the signal tower stopped moving. The second tower, where Aig was, signaled that it had received the message. It was a success without any problems.

Balian asked from the side, “Is that all?”

“That’s all,” I said with a smile. Well, the signal tower wasn’t anything dramatic. There were no explosions.

Balian burst out laughing. “It ended sooner than I thought.”

I nodded. If it were Morse code, it would have taken longer than this. How long did it take? 30 seconds? 40 seconds?

It’s frustrating not having a watch.

Another messenger came running on horseback from the second tower. He said, panting, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love to talk will eat its fruit.”

“Oh! It really worked,” the nobles exclaimed. I could feel their surprise.

“Didn’t they just shout it over?”

“Do you think you could shout that far?”

I held back my laughter as I listened to them murmuring.

Baldwin IV turned to look at me. “Impressive. If towers like these were spread throughout the kingdom, as you say…”

“We’d be able to respond much faster,” I nodded. Responding to enemy armies would be that much faster.

“Some of the other lords might dislike it. It would give me more opportunities to interfere,” Baldwin IV chuckled.

That wasn’t wrong either. If communication developed, it would speed up not only situation assessment but also the issuing of orders. Was I helping to strengthen the monarchy?

“If Your Majesty permits, I plan to build signal towers in the south first. We need to strengthen the vulnerable areas first.”

“Before that, I have one question,” Baldwin IV said.

“If you install the towers so far apart, it seems like it would be difficult to deliver supplies. How do you plan to solve that?”

“I have one method in mind,” I took out a map. The major fortresses and cities of the Kingdom of Jerusalem were marked. Supply was the first consideration.

“We’ll have the nearby fortresses manage each regional tower,” I said, pointing to the fortresses on the map. The castles were already overflowing. Most of them were built in strategic locations. It was perfect for building signal towers. If the fortresses supplied the necessary food and materials, there would be no need to set up a separate supply network.

“It seems like you’ve made plans assuming you’d get permission,” Baldwin IV said. I could feel that he was amused.

“How many of these towers would you need in total to connect Jerusalem and the southern fortresses?”

“At most, twenty to thirty would be enough,” I said. I’d already sent surveyors.

The distance from Jerusalem to the southernmost Eilat was roughly 230km [approximately 143 miles]. The distance between each signal tower was 20 to 30km [approximately 12.4 to 18.6 miles] at most. The visibility varied slightly depending on the terrain. The location and altitude of the towers were the same.

We couldn’t just build the towers in a straight line. That’s why surveying was even more important.

Ashkelon, Bethlehem, Gaza, Hebron, Montreal, Petra.

Were these the cities to connect for now?

“We’ll know for sure once the surveying is complete.”

“Even if you rotate shifts, three or four people per tower should be enough. You wouldn’t need that many people.”

“But Your Majesty, maintaining these towers continuously will cost a considerable amount,” Balian stepped forward and said. “Even if you deploy squires from the Order, there will be a loss of manpower…”

“That’s why we’re only trying it in the south first,” Baldwin IV said. “Let’s install them in the south first and see how effective they are. To see if it’s worth it.”

He turned his head towards me. “So, how long would it take to install these towers in the south?”

“I’ve already prepared everything needed,” I said with a smile. If there was momentum, nothing would be impossible.

“One month. If you give me permission, I’ll finish it within a month.”

“You knew I’d give you permission,” Baldwin IV chuckled. He waved his hand. “Alright, go ahead and do as you please.”

* * *

Headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller

Garnier exhaled and lowered his sword. He said with a smile, “Let’s stop here for today. If we do more, I won’t be able to get up tomorrow morning.”

“I can still do more. I haven’t been able to train properly because of the signal towers…” Aig gasped for breath. His sword-wielding hand trembled. “We should do more when we have the chance.”

“Swordsmanship doesn’t improve just by training a lot. Rest is as important as training. Let’s take a short break and then do it again,” Garnier said.

“By the way, Aig, it seems like you’re more focused on training than ever before. What’s gotten into you?”

“It’s nothing. Just…” Aig said, blushing. “I’m getting old now. That’s all.”

“Old age? Well, at your age, it’s about time for the Order to decide on your knighthood. Are you afraid you won’t be knighted?” Garnier said with a smile. “Aig, you’re qualified enough. The courage and bravery you’ve shown so far are enough. Eilat, Constantinople, Assassins, Hama. You were the only one who accompanied the Young Lord to the end.”

“I’m still far short of the other knights,” Aig said, standing up. He sighed. “And I wasn’t of much help to the Young Lord. Every time something happened, I just told him to run away…”

“The most important quality for a knight is courage. But recklessly jumping into danger isn’t courage. We don’t call a moth that flies into a fire brave,” Garnier said. “Our most important duty is to protect the Young Lord safely. We have to stop him when he tries to go into a pit. That also takes courage.”

“…”

Silence fell.

Garnier wiped away the sweat and said, “The Young Lord takes good care of his subordinates. That’s why I, my master, and the other knights follow him. Even if you don’t get knighted, he’ll accept you. He’ll scoff and say it’s nothing.”

“When we went to Eilat…” Aig slowly opened his mouth. “He heard that I didn’t have a helmet and put his helmet on me. The helmet that His Majesty the King wore when he was young…”

“That’s what the Young Lord is like. Those who are not bound by formality and honor will enjoy the greatest formality and honor.”

“I don’t just want to be knighted,” Aig said, standing up. “I want to prove that I’m qualified to serve the Young Lord. Even if the Young Lord doesn’t care, I…”

“That’s a manly thing to say. An excellent mindset,” Garnier said with a smile. He raised his sword and pointed it at Aig. “Then pick up your sword again. I’ll prove your swordsmanship.”

* * *

Jerusalem Royal Palace

Temporary Residence of Princess Theodora

Nobles and officials glanced at the Varangians [elite Byzantine soldiers, often of Norse or Anglo-Saxon origin] as they passed through the corridor.

The Guardians of the Holy Sepulchre.

A massive axe unit with large builds and shaggy beards. The swirling patterns engraved on the axe blades and armor gleamed in the light. The sight of them alone was enough to inspire awe.

“All the other members are complaining,” said a man with a yellow beard, grumbling. “They don’t mind guarding someone or fighting, but they’re being told to tinker with devices in a tower all day.”

“What’s so important about memorizing a few signals? These are guys who’ve spent decades on ships,” Ruark said with a laugh. He leaned his axe and shield against the wall and said, “His Majesty the King promised me directly. He said he’d pay a special allowance to those serving in the signal towers.”

“A special allowance…”

“They’ll be given fifteen silver coins per person. And he said he’d give them an additional five coins each month,” Ruark said with a smile. “The Basileus (Emperor) of Constantinople also said he would regularly pay the guards. It’s more lucrative to be here than in the guard.”

The man who heard him swallowed hard. “We’ll be able to save up retirement funds in a few years.”

“Yes, we might. But we also have to prove our abilities to maintain our value,” Ruark said. “We have to show that we are equal to or superior to the existing knightly orders. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Of course, Captain. By the way…” The man looked at the building.

The reception room, temporarily remodeled for Princess Theodora.

“I hope the Princess adapts well. If something happens to the Princess, we…”

“The Varangian Guard never interfered in the politics of the Imperial Palace. The same goes for the Guardians of the Holy Sepulchre. Don’t worry about unnecessary things,” Ruark said. “Princess Theodora was born in a purple cradle [born into royalty]. What battlefield is more bloody than the Constantinople Imperial Palace? This place is like a resort compared to that.”

“…”

“Don’t underestimate the Princess. She’s survived by chewing off the heads of vipers. There’s something else to worry about,” Ruark sighed. “Even though it’s before the marriage, Lord Baldwin is too…”

Just then, the inner door opened. Princess Theodora came out of the room with her maids.

The two men bowed their heads. “Your Highness.”

“Captain Ruark. You’re right in front of me.”

“If you’re going outside the palace, we’ll accompany you.”

“I’m not trying to go outside the kingdom. Lord Baldwin said he has something to tell me, so he asked to meet separately,” Theodora replied with a smile.

“Then we’ll go with you…” Ruark poked his subordinate in the side. He said with a smile, “We’ll be guarding this place until Your Highness returns.”

At his words, Princess Theodora smiled and shook her head. “What you’re imagining won’t happen, Ruark.”