I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 75

Blood on the Sand (5)

* * *

Jerusalem

Royal Palace Central Audience Hall

“I ask you again. Are you saying that you weren’t the ones who attacked Eilat?”

Baldwin IV asked.

Nobles and knights stood in rows on either side, glaring at the delegation.

A tense silence filled the hall.

“Then whose army is attacking Eilat? Perhaps you can explain.”

“We have heard that tribes from the sea have attacked Eilat several times in the past,” the turbaned head of the delegation said, bowing his head.

“It may be their doing again this time. We don’t know the exact details.”

“How dare you utter such nonsense!”

“They are insulting His Majesty and the kingdom! We must quickly…!”

The nobles and knights shouted.

Their shouts echoed through the royal palace.

Baldwin IV sat on his throne, looking at the delegation.

Then a knight approached and handed him a paper.

He silently read the message.

Baldwin IV raised his hand, and the shouting stopped.

“I have just received news from Eilat. It is worth announcing to everyone.”

He said, rising to his feet.

“The forces led by young Baldwin and Count Balian have repelled the enemies who attacked Eilat.”

A murmur spread through the hall.

“Ah, I almost forgot the most important thing. Al-Adil, Saladin’s brother, has been captured on the battlefield.”

The murmuring grew louder at his words.

Baldwin IV looked at the delegation and asked,

“You said it wasn’t Saladin who attacked Eilat. Are you saying that Saladin’s brother, Al-Adil, did this on his own initiative?”

He added,

“The governor of Egypt, appointed by none other than Saladin himself?”

“That is….”

“They must have come to spy on Jerusalem! We must execute them quickly…!”

Baldwin IV raised his hand again.

As the commotion subsided, he spoke.

“Yes, you have come to scout whether there are still troops left here in Jerusalem.”

He burst into laughter.

Holding the silver mask that was about to fall off, he said,

“Look as much as you want. There’s no need to stand on ceremony anymore.”

He strode forward.

The flustered delegation stepped back.

“Go and tell your master. Tell him how many knights and soldiers are within these walls. Tell him how many provisions and supplies are piled up like mountains.”

He growled.

Everyone stared at him, silent.

“And if he still feels like fighting, tell him to bring his army. I have no intention of running away.”

He added,

“Stop trying to sneak in spies. Oh, and since his brother has been captured, he should prepare a hefty ransom.”

“….”

“Do you have anything else to say?”

His eyes burned fiercely.

The delegation bowed their heads and hurried out of the audience hall.

He slumped back onto the throne, and a murmur erupted.

The nobles and knights all looked at their king.

“Your Majesty, does that mean the prince and Count Balian really won…?”

Baldwin IV laughed and waved his hand.

“There’s no need to worry. I’ll explain everything from the beginning.”

* * *

Eilat

“His Majesty will spare no support for the reconstruction. So you don’t need to worry.”

“Thank you so much, Your Most High and Noble Highness.”

The old man said, tearfully.

He bowed his head repeatedly.

“Your Highness saved us from the sea tribes when we first came here. And now you’ve stepped forward again like this. I don’t know how to thank you enough.”

“It is merely the duty of a royal and a knight.”

I said with a smile.

Ahram’s son, Emanuel.

I looked at him.

The leader of the Jewish tribe.

I remembered what he had said.

He said that they had run away without fighting when Saladin came before.

This time, they fought back with weapons, so they had fulfilled their duty.

It was worth it to have military training separately.

“I’ve told them to further strengthen the walls, just in case. Now that they’ve failed like this, they won’t even dream of attacking for a while.”

“I don’t know how to thank you enough.”

“If there are any problems in the future, please let me know.”

I escorted him, who kept bowing, to the door.

Ganier came into the room and said,

“All the troops have returned to their respective cities without any problems.”

He continued,

“The restoration work is also progressing smoothly. The damage wasn’t as great as we feared.”

“The response was quick, so they didn’t have enough time to plunder.”

I said.

There would have been a limit to how much they could burn while wandering around for a day or two.

In the end, my prediction was correct.

They had no intention of launching a siege.

First, attack Eilat.

If Jerusalem’s main force came down, Saladin would lead his army out.

If the main force didn’t come, they would just plunder and return.

If I hadn’t come so quickly, they would have returned to Cairo by now.

Everyone has a plausible plan.

Until they get punched in the face.

I’m glad I took care of the spies before building the signal tower.

“Now we can make a peace agreement under much more favorable conditions.”

I said.

There had been no peace talks between Saladin and Jerusalem since the Hama and Homs incidents.

It would have been nice to have the forces to strike Egypt, but….

‘I can’t waste the opportunity I’ve gained with unreasonable moves.’

Now was the time to gather as many troops as possible and build up strength.

The signal tower also had to be installed throughout the kingdom.

“I heard that the Eilat messenger had to go all the way to the signal tower outside the city.”

I said.

“Have the signal tower extended to the inside of the city. We must prevent that from happening again.”

“There are no problems with the manpower needed for construction. We also have the prisoners we captured this time.”

Ganier said.

“Once we finish rebuilding Eilat, we can put them to other work. Just like Saladin uses our prisoners to build fortresses in Egypt.”

“Those who can’t pay the ransom should at least pay for their sins that way. Then we can proceed with the prisoner exchange.”

I nodded.

Prisoner labor, huh?

Surely the Hague Tribunal won’t chase me all the way to the 12th century.

In the first place, they were the ones who plundered innocent citizens.

If they didn’t want to end up like this, they should have stayed quietly in Cairo.

I stretched and looked outside.

No one would oppose the signal tower any longer because of this incident.

Renault also suffered a political blow for ignoring Jerusalem’s orders.

Killing two birds with one stone. And getting Al-Adil too.

The scent of the sea came in on the wind.

The same scent I remembered.

“It reminds me of when I first came here.”

“Your teacher and Lord Balian came here with you too.”

Ganier replied with a smile.

“It feels like a really long time has passed. But it hasn’t been that long in reality.”

“A lot has happened in the meantime.”

I shrugged.

Constantinople, Cyprus, and so on.

It’s no wonder, since I’ve been running around everywhere.

I looked at the harbor outside the window.

“There are definitely more ships than before. It seems like there were only a few merchant ships before….”

Now ships were constantly leaving and entering the port.

Venice must have brought the ships with great effort.

It wasn’t just Venice.

Genoa and Pisa.

Even small merchant ships that appeared to belong to Muslim merchants.

“The Egyptian navy in the Red Sea avoids fighting Venetian ships. They must have realized they can’t compete.”

Ganier added.

“That’s how important Eilat has become.”

“….”

Something caught my eye at the dock.

Black people filling the decks of the ships.

Not slaves, but sailors?

It’s not that there aren’t black people in the Levant or Europe….

But a ship with only black people was unfamiliar.

Then a memory came to mind.

The Christian kingdoms of Africa.

I walked to the map hanging on the wall.

The area below Egypt was only sketched out briefly.

The Sudan or Ethiopia side was almost blank.

But there were Christian countries here.

The Kingdom of Makuria in Sudan.

The Zagwe Kingdom in Ethiopia.

“Your Highness?”

Both were kingdoms that followed Christianity.

I closed my eyes and searched my memory.

Not many people knew that there were Christian kingdoms in Africa during this era.

I only found out about it while playing Last Crusaders [presumably a strategy game the protagonist played in their previous life].

“Eilat may be able to play an even more important role than it does now.”

I said.

In the original history, they occasionally interacted with Europe.

‘Portugal was the most interested.’

Portugal even tried to form a marriage alliance.

Later, they even sent troops to help the Ethiopian royal family.

I picked up a pen and drew their locations on the map.

The Sudan in southern Egypt would be difficult because there was no land connection.

There were no ports to approach by sea either.

It would be difficult unless they crossed Egypt.

Then the Zagwe Kingdom of Ethiopia.

This place could be accessed through the Red Sea.

Through them, it would be possible to interact with the Kingdom of Makuria in Sudan.

I looked at Ganier and asked,

“Do you know what kingdoms are here?”

“I’ve heard about them a few times through pilgrims coming to Jerusalem, but….”

Ganier shook his head.

“I don’t know much about them. They say they are descendants of King Solomon.”

“Both of these kingdoms follow Christ. The Zagwe Kingdom is ruled by a king named Lalibela.”

Lalibela.

His name is so unique that I remember it.

He was a devout Christian.

And he had an interesting event.

The activation condition was Jerusalem being captured by Islam.

King Lalibela could build a new Jerusalem in his kingdom.

Of course, it was only a ‘self-proclaimed’ Jerusalem.

They must be fighting Islamic forces trying to build colonies in East Africa by now.

“Both kingdoms will help Jerusalem if they receive adequate compensation. That way, they can also stop the expansion of Islam.”

“How can you be so sure….”

Ganier smiled and shook his head.

“No, it would be strange to ask Your Highness.”

I gave a faint smile instead of answering.

It would have been difficult if Eilat hadn’t been rebuilt….

But now it was a large port, so there was no problem.

And so many ships.

If all goes well, we can get support for the lack of manpower.

The problem is that I don’t have the time to go myself.

The work in Europe and the Levant was more important than this.

‘If I go to East Africa and a problem arises in Eilat, I won’t be able to return.’

If I’m unlucky, it could be a one-way ticket.

But it’s a shame to give up.

“If a delegation is needed, I will go, Your Highness.”

Ganier said.

He continued, with a knowing look.

“I’ll take a few dozen knights with me. If we use merchant ships, the Saracens [a common term for Muslims in this era] won’t notice.”

He added,

“Most of the Saracen spies have been caught, so it will be even harder to detect. Who else but me would volunteer for such a mission?”

“First, let’s contact Jerusalem and get permission from His Majesty. If the delegation is successful….”

I looked at Ganier and said,

I’ve felt it since the first time I met him, but he’s really reliable.

If it weren’t for the Spartan training….

“First, I’ll have them send as much elixir as possible. And let’s include as many other supplies as possible.”

I said.

If we give them a gift offensive, they won’t ignore us.

Anyway, East Africa following Eastern Rome and Europe.

A Christian multinational force itself.

“It’s enough to build a friendly relationship. We can also put pressure on southern Egypt. Then I’ll leave the composition of the delegation to you.”

“The Zagwe Kingdom. If we go all the way here….”

Ganier burst into laughter.

“I’ll be the knight who went down to the southernmost land.”

“Maybe a song will be made for you too. Bards will recite poems in the palace.”

I also replied with a smile.

Ganier’s song, like the Song of Roland [a famous epic poem].

It feels strange when I think about it like this.

I tore the map and put it on the table.

I had to tell him all the information I remembered without missing a single detail.

“I’ll give you some more detailed information. In the east of these kingdoms, by now….”