I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 76

Became a King of the Crusades – Episode 76 (76/215)

The Holy War and Relief (1)

* * *

Jerusalem Royal Palace

Theodora’s Imperial temporary residence

“There’s no need to be so formal. I’m just here for a casual conversation,” Sibylla said with a smile.

She gestured for her maids to leave.

Only she and Theodora remained in the room.

“It seems you have many documents in your room.”

“They are all letters from Constantinople [modern-day Istanbul, the capital of the Byzantine Empire],” Theodora said.

“Information about this relocation plan, and additional letters to send to the kingdom.”

“Immigrants from Constantinople to Jerusalem. No king has ever tried anything like this before.”

“No Roman emperor has ever tried anything like this either. So, there are quite a few things to prepare: necessary ships, supplies, and funds.”

Theodora gave a faint smile.

“We’ll need the support of the Imperial Fleet as well.”

“Theodora, entrusting such preparations to you shows how much the Emperor trusts you.”

“I was the only princess who supported His Majesty during the last rebellion.”

Theodora looked at Sibylla.

“If there’s something else you want to tell me…”

“You’re quick to catch on.”

“Intuition is one of the first things you learn in the Imperial Palace of Constantinople.”

“Good, then I’ll get straight to the point. Here in Jerusalem…” Sibylla said, crossing her arms.

“I’ve heard there are those who follow the orders of Constantinople. They gather information for the Imperial Family and sometimes even carry out assassinations.”

“This Levant [historical geographical area roughly equivalent to the modern Middle East] was originally Roman territory,” Theodora said.

She took a deep breath.

“There are also many believers who follow the Patriarch of Constantinople [the spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church]. If you’re referring to such people…”

“As I said before…” Sibylla opened her mouth.

“I’m just here for a casual conversation with you. I have no intention of fighting over this issue,” she added.

“Even if there are spies from Constantinople, it’s not wrong. It’s perfectly natural to plant spies in each other’s territory.”

“…”

“What I want to say is that they…” Sibylla said, uncrossing her arms, “…can be a great help to Baldwin, and the same goes for you and the Roman Empire.”

She continued, “Jerusalem’s interests will soon become Constantinople’s interests. Right now, that child needs as much information as possible.”

Silence fell.

Theodora slowly opened her mouth.

“I don’t think this is a matter I can decide. I haven’t even had my wedding ceremony with the Prince yet. But if I become his official wife…” she said.

“Then what’s mine will soon be Prince Baldwin’s. The Emperor of Constantinople will naturally think so too.”

“…”

Sibylla smiled.

“I think I can get along well with you in the future, Theodora.”

“I feel the same way,” Theodora also replied with a smile.

She added, “Mother.”

* * *

Damascus

“They didn’t behead the envoys and send them back. That’s a bit unexpected,” Saladin said.

His long silk robe fluttered in the wind.

Only he and Taqi ad-Din were in the room.

Saladin looked at his nephew and asked, “Taqi, what do you think?”

“Sending the envoys back alive is a greater insult, I’m sure, and it is in reality.”

“I think so too. It was a mistake to think this choice was safe…” Saladin tapped the table with his finger.

Silence flowed.

“For Al-Adil to be captured of all people… There’s bound to be a setback in the plan.”

“…”

“Towers. Those towers the Franks built,” Saladin said.

“They must have used them. If the main force of Al-Quds [Arabic name for Jerusalem] hadn’t moved, they would have captured him with only the southern forces.”

“But the Frankish southern forces couldn’t have…”

“…gathered so quickly. The only thing that’s changed from before is those towers. They must have used them. Find out more details.”

“Yes, uncle.”

Taqi ad-Din slowly opened his mouth.

He continued in a cautious tone, “We’ve managed to silence the envoys for now, but it won’t last long. If this news gets out somehow…” he said.

“…the vassals will surely be shaken immediately. If you allow it, I will prepare in advance.”

“No, there’s no need to move recklessly. The more urgent we are, the weaker we appear,” Saladin shook his head.

“The castle I’ve built so far isn’t weak enough to collapse from just this. Announce that Al-Adil has been captured.”

Saladin closed his eyes.

“It’ll be a good opportunity to distinguish between friend and foe. All those who openly express dissatisfaction or disappointment must be recorded.”

“I will record every single one of them without fail. After that, those people…”

“First, appease them with money. If that doesn’t work, then entrust them to the mercy of Allah [God in Islam],” Saladin said, raising his hand.

“Allah is a fair reckoner. He will take care of the judgment. How much did they demand for Al-Adil’s ransom?”

“130,000 dinars [historical gold coin].”

“130,000 dinars. The same amount Bohemond of Antioch paid.”

“To raise that much money right now, we need to increase revenue, but how the citizens will accept this…”

“There’s no need to increase revenue separately,” Saladin said, standing up.

“The nobles and merchants will provide the necessary money.”

“But uncle, whether those pig-like people will give money willingly…”

“Of course, they won’t give it willingly. So, some pressure is needed,” Saladin smiled.

“Don’t I have scholars and poets who receive monthly salaries from me? Now is the time for them to step forward.”

He continued, “They can fabricate that Al-Adil was cowardly kidnapped by Frankish barbarians. Al-Adil, the hero of the Jihad (Holy War) [a religious duty of Muslims].”

He said with a laugh, “Have the children sing songs of Al-Adil. Have the poets praise Al-Adil’s exploits. Then the citizens will come forward and donate.”

“Then naturally the rich will have no choice but to take notice.”

“That’s right.”

“But it will take a long time to create such an atmosphere…”

“Time doesn’t matter. Rather, the longer the period, the louder the voices praising Al-Adil will become,” Saladin stroked his chin.

He stared out the window with a stern expression.

“Send letters not only to the poets and scholars in Syria but also to those in Baghdad,” he continued.

“The Caliph [the chief Muslim civil and religious ruler], the commander of the believers, has pressured me several times to resume the Jihad. Then we are entitled to demand support.”

Saladin turned his head and looked at Taqi ad-Din.

“Any danger can become an opportunity. I’ll leave Egypt to you. Govern carefully until Al-Adil is released. You must manage it well so that no one rebels.”

“Yes, uncle.”

“I heard that you’ve been smoking marijuana a lot lately, Taqi.”

“Uncle, that’s just…”

“I’m not scolding you. Marijuana relaxes the body, but at the same time, it slows down the mind. Keep that in mind.”

At his words, Taqi ad-Din lowered his head.

“While you’re in Egypt, I’ll gather a large army here, a large army the likes of which has never been seen in the Islamic world before,” Saladin rose from his chair.

“The Prophet also endured many defeats for the sake of the final victory. Our destiny to take Al-Quds remains unchanged.”

* * *

Eilat

The prison was dark.

Only a faint light came through the small iron bars.

Several members of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre [a Catholic military order] guarded the prisoner in the shadows.

Still, I can hear the outside sounds well.

The sound of the waves was clear.

I looked at the prisoner.

“It’s the first time we’ve met like this, Governor Al-Adil.”

“You must be Prince Baldwin,” Al-Adil stood up.

A face with distinct features.

He didn’t seem intimidated despite being imprisoned for several days.

He said with a smile, “It’s a humble place, but please make yourself comfortable. I couldn’t prepare any food, but I hope you’ll forgive me.”

A calm answer.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

Like brother, like brother.

Al-Adil.

Later, Richard the Lionheart even considered marrying his sister to this man.

It was a condition for making a peace agreement.

Of course, that didn’t happen.

“Have you had any inconveniences during your stay?”

“The floor is crawling with bugs, and all I see are those big boars, but other than that, there’s no problem,” he said, pointing to the Holy Sepulchre members.

“Boars? An interesting analogy.”

I looked at the Holy Sepulchre members.

Northerners were generally large.

Plus, mercenaries who had received combat training for years.

They’re on a different level than ordinary conscripts.

If we’re just talking about size, they’re closer to bears than boars.

“By the way, Baldwin, you look a bit younger than I heard. Are you really Baldwin?”

“Sultan Salah ad-Din (Saladin) also said that to me,” I replied with a smile.

Everyone says that at least once.

“To think that the one who babbled about receiving the Archangel’s revelation is such a kid. It’s really funny.”

“How does it feel to be captured by such a kid?”

“…”

He glared at me.

“It was just luck that you caught me…”

“It wasn’t luck.”

The signal towers installed in advance in the vulnerable south.

That’s several attempts and trials and errors to operate them.

These aren’t all luck.

“It was just a predetermined fate.”

“Fate?” He scoffed.

“You Franks are idol-worshiping barbarians and polytheists. It’s not surprising.”

“Idol-worshiping barbarians? Why do you think so?”

I’ve always been curious.

Don’t Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all believe in one God?

“Jesus Christ, whom you call the Son of God, is only a prophet, not a body like God. Our Prophet always emphasized that he was human,” he said with a smile.

“The Trinity [the Christian doctrine of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] is a crude wordplay that doesn’t exist anywhere in the Bible, and you are obsessed with crosses, the bones of saints, and relics. You worship the crucified Jesus statue like an idol.”

He looked like a fish in water.

He continued, “The Virgin Mary is the same. When Christianity first appeared on this land, people worshiped the gods and goddesses of Greece.”

His voice gradually subsided.

“Even after they accepted Christianity, they still wanted a goddess as before. So Christian priests raised Mary, the mother of the prophet, to a position like God.”

“That’s an interesting argument,” I looked at him.

Christianity compromised with reality.

Their Islam didn’t.

“Muhammad, the last prophet, corrected such mistakes. We do not worship sacred spears or skulls. Your corrupt religion will collapse. The more the authority of the Roman Pope increases, the more those who challenge it will arise,” he added.

“When that time comes, only our Islam will remain as the true religion. Our faith is superior to yours in every way.”

“I’ve heard that a lot before,” I replied with a smile.

Our God is stronger than your God!

It’s like a fight between kids saying their dad is stronger.

Still, it’s somewhat true that the Roman Church will become corrupt later.

That’s why the Protestants came out.

He has better insight than I thought.

‘It’s not much different in Islam, though.’

You guys are already divided into Sunnis and Shias and fighting like crazy.

Al-Adil looked at me.

I felt interest from him.

“You don’t seem very excited.”

“Because there’s no reason to be excited.”

I don’t care as long as I can live in this mess.

Whether your God wins or my God wins.

In the first place, the reason I fell into this situation is also because of God in a way.

“Don’t think that you have gained an advantage just because I was captured. Individual fates cannot change the tide of the Jihad,” Al-Adil added in a calm tone.

“Sooner or later, we will take Al-Quds.”

“We’ll have to see about that.”

If it’s the original history, you would have succeeded easily.

Because all you had to do was wait until Baldwin IV died.

“It won’t be easy as long as I’m alive.”

“…”

I smiled at him.

Let’s stop the wordplay here.

There was another reason why I came to see Al-Adil.

All the high-level information in this guy’s head.

I said, standing up, “I have a few questions about the situation in Egypt, but you don’t have to answer.”

I added, “The truth always reveals itself.”