I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 73

Blood on the Sand (3)

* * *

“Chase them! Don’t just stand there!”

Renault laughed and shouted.

The horses breathed heavily.

“Capture them all, without exception!”

The battle ended anticlimactically.

The Saracens fled as soon as they saw him.

Some even fell off their horses in surprise.

They only shot arrows as they ran, offering no real resistance.

Renault and his troops easily lifted the siege of Eilat.

“Whoever captures the enemy commander will receive a gold nugget the size of his head! Don’t give them a moment to recover, keep chasing them!”

The knights responded with cheers.

The horses charged forward.

“Deus Vult!” [God wills it! A Crusader battle cry.]

“Charge after the lord! Pursue them!”

“These cowardly bastards can’t even fight properly! So, where is Count Baldwin now?!”

He burst into laughter.

“He didn’t come because he was afraid of such weaklings! What a sight.”

Just then, his adjutant approached him from the side.

“Lord, the sun is setting. We shouldn’t chase them too far. If this is one of their tricks…”

“The real spoils come from the chase, you dull-witted fool. And does that look like a fake retreat to you?”

Renault waved his hand and shouted.

“Catch them all. I’ll have them displayed in front of Baldwin when he arrives.”

He recalled a memory.

Baldwin, holding the sea tribe captive while waiting for him.

Now it was his turn to return the favor.

What kind of expression would he make when he saw all the Saracens captured?

“Sound the pursuit horn.”

“…Understood.”

The knights chased after the fleeing enemy.

The sound of horses panting.

The shouts of warriors from inside their helmets echoed.

The walls of Eilat gradually receded into the distance.

Soon, the hills came into view.

The sun slowly set, painting the wilderness in orange.

Renault and his knights entered without hesitation.

Everything seemed perfect.

Until new horses emerged from inside the valley.

Enemy cavalry spread out from the valley, forming a long line.

“Ambush! Protect the lord!”

Archers with bows.

Saracens.

They enveloped Renault’s forces, surrounding them on both sides.

Soon, arrows rained down like a storm.

The sharp sound of the wind.

Armor made a loud clanging noise each time an arrow struck.

The horses that were hit by arrows fell to the side, crushing their owners.

It wasn’t just the horses that were injured.

Some arrows pierced through the gaps in the knights’ armor and helmets.

“My eyes! My eyes…!”

Fear and bewilderment flooded in like a tide.

The knights turned their horses, trying to escape.

Those in the front and rear became entangled, creating chaos.

The panicked horses trampled the knights who had fallen to the ground.

Brain matter and entrails that burst out from between the armor stained the dirt floor.

Renault was no exception.

Several arrows fell around him.

“Lord!”

“What are you doing! Raise your shields! Protect the lord!”

Renault pushed them away and shouted.

“Are you afraid of such a small number?! Push forward quickly! Drive them out!”

“The horses are already exhausted! We need to retreat for now…!”

The adjutant shouted.

Even at that moment, arrows continued to fall.

“If we stay like this, we’ll be completely surrounded. Lord, please make a decision!”

“You’re all useless.”

Renault growled as he glared ahead.

The glory of victory was right in front of him.

The glory of victory was there.

But he had to leave it behind.

“Retreat for now. Regroup and chase them again.”

“Retreat! Break through the rear where the encirclement is weakest! Postpone the recovery of the dead and wounded until tomorrow!”

The sound of the horn signaling retreat echoed.

Flags were lowered one by one.

The knights hurriedly turned their horses.

Now the hunter had become the hunted.

Egyptian cavalry chased after them at a rapid pace.

The bodies of Kerak [Renault’s Lordship] and Egyptian knights littered the ground.

The crescent moon rose, dimly illuminating the scene.

* * *

“I heard the sound of Franks [Western Europeans, often used to refer to Crusaders] and horses falling. How did the counterattack go?”

Al-Adil frowned and said.

He pulled on the reins, stopping his horse.

“We repelled their vanguard. They suffered heavy losses, so they won’t be able to pursue us easily.”

His subordinate officer shouted.

Other soldiers cheered and returned.

Some of them were holding helmets taken from the enemy.

Red blood dripped from the helmets.

“I’ll attach scouts to the rear to continue monitoring their movements.”

“I didn’t expect them to walk into the trap so foolishly. Was it the army of Al-Quds (Jerusalem)?”

“We didn’t see the Al-Quds flag. It was Renault’s flag.”

“So, that pig Renault was at the forefront. Their main force might be right behind them.”

“The forces they’ve gathered from nearby fortresses won’t be that large. Now is the time to counterattack…”

“No, now is the time to withdraw.”

Al-Adil said.

His gaze turned towards the hills shrouded in darkness.

In the distance, the orange glow of Eilat could be seen faintly.

Burning orchards and farms.

The land they had set ablaze.

“If the Jerusalem forces have moved, then my brother will also take action. We’ve done all we can here. Even if Jerusalem remains as it is…”

He waved his hand and said.

“This raid is already a sufficient gain. Quickly recover the wounded, weapons, and horses. We’ll move out as soon as we’re ready. They won’t be able to follow us in this thick darkness.”

“I will obey.”

“Move along the roughest route possible. Be careful not to leave anyone behind.”

The horses began to run again.

Camels carrying luggage and arrows followed behind.

* * *

One, two.

Ten, hundred.

Five hundred, six hundred.

So many hooves.

I sensed the enemy cavalry early in the morning.

The sun rose, emitting sunlight.

“We managed to get water from the well, but if we stay too long, it’ll run out quickly…”

I raised my hand to stop Garnier’s words.

Hundreds of emotions were being felt.

Joy, excitement, anticipation.

Emotions like a band of robbers with plenty of loot.

“They’re here. In the central valley.”

“…”

Garnier looked blank at my sudden words.

He seemed to come to his senses and nodded, getting up.

“Understood, I’ll inform the other units.”

It became clearer and clearer.

Several cavalrymen are at the front.

Are they scouts?

I shouted to Garnier.

“The enemy scouts will be entering soon. Tell them to retreat as far back as possible without being detected.”

Garnier nodded.

I stood up and looked ahead.

One thousand knights.

One thousand two hundred archer cavalry and support cavalry.

In fact, the entire Crusader cavalry of the south was in these mountains.

Each unit was assigned to a valley to wait.

The plan was simple as always.

Al-Adil’s army had to pass through this mountainous area to return to Cairo.

The problem was figuring out which part of the mountains they would pass through.

I’ve figured that out now.

All that’s left is to quickly gather the scattered units and ambush them in the narrow valley.

“Let’s go too, Aigh.”

I climbed onto Bulte with Aigh.

It’s my first time seeing so many knights at once.

A curtain of iron.

It was like a surging silver wave.

Numerous spears glittered in the sunlight.

And even colorful flags.

True war machines that have been training for battle since childhood.

Balian approached with his men and shouted.

“The ground is shaking, so they’ll notice us soon!”

“They’ve already come too far in to notice.”

I replied.

In these mountains, once you enter, it’s not easy to change direction.

The same picture as when we defeated the Bedouin tribe.

Of course, the scale is about a hundred times larger than that time.

“And Renault will be chasing behind them. Even if they notice us, they’ll try to break through.”

They can’t imagine that so many troops are here.

“I will command my men from here. Your Highness, please observe the situation from above!”

Balian shouted.

I nodded.

I don’t need to overdo it this time.

It was better to observe the battlefield situation from the high ground.

The Templars with axes surrounded me.

My escort and reserve force.

I climbed the hill with them.

In such a large-scale battle, a reserve force was essential.

‘A commander without a reserve force is merely a bystander in battle.’

Frederick the Great said that.

Napoleon also had the Imperial Guard as his trump card reserve.

“They’re coming!”

I raised my telescope.

I could see the enemy scouts approaching through the hazy dust.

Steep cliffs on both sides.

Where could there be a better place to ambush?

Hurry up and come inside.

More. More.

The main force was following not far behind.

So, they were being chased.

Otherwise, there would be no need to rush like this.

By the time the scouts noticed us, the main force was already deep in the valley.

At first, nothing was heard.

Silence.

An eerily quiet silence flowed.

And then everything exploded.

“Deus Vult!” [God wills it! A Crusader battle cry.]

“God wills it!”

The silver wave charged forward.

A scene like a wave sweeping through the valley.

Emotions of panic were felt from the enemies.

The panic quickly turned to fear.

Egyptian cavalrymen with spears stuck in their torsos fell to the ground one by one.

The enemies didn’t just stand still.

They shot arrows and tried to turn their horses.

But it was close to a powerless resistance.

‘It’ll be over soon.’

The knights of Jerusalem were energetic and had high morale.

And in close combat, the heavily armed side is overwhelmingly advantageous.

Before long, the enemy’s formation collapsed.

The knights broke through the collapsed formation, showing off their skills.

Sticking spears into the enemy’s torso,

And then drawing their swords again and swinging them.

Even clearing the way for other knights to charge.

It was like watching a well-choreographed group dance.

Garnier and Hugh’s figures were also seen from time to time.

But it was closer to feeling it with my intuition than seeing it.

Fear, dread, excitement.

All sorts of intense emotions poured in.

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

I took a deep breath and calmed myself.

It’s the first time I’ve felt so many emotions since Constantinople.

I couldn’t just stand still because it was difficult.

Al-Adil.

I had to find him.

Since the formation was completely broken, he would try to escape.

It was almost impossible to fix that mess now.

I rummaged through the pouring emotions and looked for Al-Adil.

Trying to escape with his guards….

“That way!”

Towards the hill with a gentle slope.

Someone was being escorted up the hill.

Opposite direction.

Whether they abandoned their horses or not, their speed was slow.

“If we cross the valley, there’s another mountain range right away….”

Aigh muttered.

I gestured to the Templars.

It seems like they’re trying to escape by hiding in the mountains….

I can’t let that happen.

“It’ll take too long to send a messenger to another unit.”

“You’re thinking of going yourself.”

“Remember the Knights Templar? Let’s do it like that time.”

I nodded.

I’m glad it’s not night, though.

We immediately got on our horses.

“Escort His Highness! We’re capturing the enemy commander!”

The Holy Sepulchre Guard surrounded us.

The battle in the valley continued.

The cries of horses that had lost their owners.

Hearing them throw away their weapons and shout for surrender.

We went around the valley and ran towards Al-Adil.

The winding valleys continued.

Al-Adil.

Even if we win the battle, it’s the same as losing if we don’t catch him.

I have to catch him no matter what.

“We’re chasing the enemy commander! Anyone who has the leeway, come this way!”

Several knights who were in the middle of the battle joined the chase.

The hill became steeper and gradually became difficult to climb.

We got off our horses and followed them on foot.

Al-Adil’s guards desperately tried to shake us off.

But we chased them at a faster pace.

I moved my trembling legs and looked ahead.

Fear was clearly felt.

“There he is! Throw the spear!”

“Don’t kill him, capture him!”

Then Aigh ran out.

* * *

Gustave Doré – Crusaders (Public Domain)