I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 143

< 143 – The March of Fools (3) >

Egypt, Cairo

“So, how many dead in total?”

Al-Adil asked, frowning.

The sound of soldiers running echoed from the hallway outside the audience chamber.

“Hisham ad-Din and Rukn ad-Daulah were attacked by unknown assailants as they left the mosque and killed,” a judge reported.

Generals stepped forward, adding, “Abul-Hayja is in critical condition after being stabbed in the neck.”

“Only three confirmed so far. A sacred day of worship has been defiled.”

Al-Adil muttered.

“Did the assassins all use daggers?”

“Yes, and they all committed suicide at the scene.”

“It must be the work of the Assassins!”

A general shouted, his face reddening.

“They’re launching a major offensive to reclaim Egypt!”

“The Assassins’ base is far away in Masyaf. How could they possibly occupy Egypt from there?”

Al-Adil raised his hand, silencing the murmuring.

“But only the Assassins are known for suicide missions. What do you think they’re up to?”

“They are trying to incite the Egyptians. We must find and eliminate these viperous men before chaos erupts in the streets.”

The generals nodded.

Al-Adil silently chewed his lip.

Something felt off.

Why would the Assassins, who have been quiet until now, do this?

“Killing a few officials and judges won’t bring down Egypt. The Assassins aren’t stupid enough not to know that.”

“They are clearly targeting Your Excellency, the Governor. If you strike the head of the snake, the rest will naturally die.”

A general said, tapping his helmet.

“We’ve already increased security at the palace. They will gain nothing and flee back to Masyaf.”

At that moment, the door to the audience chamber burst open.

A messenger, soaked in sweat, stumbled inside.

“What is it?!”

“A riot has broken out in the Mansuriya district! Armed rioters have stormed the mountain fortress….”

The messenger gasped for breath.

He drank the water given to him by a servant and continued, “They drove out the workers and occupied the fortress!”

“The mountain fortress overlooks Cairo?!”

“The rioters have occupied it….”

Voices erupted from all around.

Al-Adil raised his hand and asked, “What about the soldiers directing the fortress construction? Did they flee from just a few hundred rioters with clubs?”

“The rioters were armed with spears, bows, and swords. They were attacked….”

“So, they had no choice but to run.”

Al-Adil frowned.

“Qavam! I entrust you with suppressing the rioters. Immediately gather the soldiers and retake the fortress.”

“I will obey Your Excellency, the Governor.”

Qavam, clad in chainmail, bowed his head.

“First, offer them surrender. Those who resist to the end can be killed. We must retake the fortress at all costs.”

Al-Adil muttered, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“The Assassins’ assassinations and now the black men of Mansuriya [likely referring to Sudanese or Nubian laborers]. This can’t be a coincidence.”

“You mean….”

“The two have joined forces. The Assassins must have passed weapons and supplies to the black men. They started the riot to coincide with the assassinations.”

“But even if they are Assassins, how could they secretly smuggle in enough weapons to arm hundreds?”

“That’s not all! We didn’t find out about their plan in advance. All those responsible must be punished, Your Excellency!”

“It’s not too late to assign responsibility later, Jalal,” Al-Adil said.

He rose from his chair and began to walk.

“But why now….”

He said, “Why do you think they did this now?”

“….”

“As you said, it’s not easy to bring swords and spears into Cairo. It must have taken a long time.”

He added, “The Franks [Europeans, particularly the French] are behind them. The Franks provided the Assassins with weapons and ships.”

“It is well known that they have joined hands with idolaters. Then, shouldn’t we request support from the Sultan of Damascus?” a judge asked.

“If the Franks and Assassins have worked together, it may be difficult to handle with just the army here in Cairo.”

“We should confirm their strength before asking for help!”

“Are you saying we should ask for help before even fighting!”

The generals shouted, waving their arms.

“You are right. It is important to assess the situation first.”

Al-Adil stood still, stroking his chin.

A cowardly lion could not be a leader.

If he didn’t quickly resolve the situation, his authority would be shaken.

Since being released after paying ransom to the Franks, the citizens of Cairo had subtly ignored him.

Especially since his nephew, Taqi ad-Din, had temporarily taken charge of Egypt, that atmosphere had become even stronger.

“The Franks may want me to ask my brother for support.”

“….”

The officials and generals all stopped arguing and looked at Al-Adil.

“What do you mean?”

“If the Franks were trying to occupy Egypt, wouldn’t their army be in front of Cairo by now?”

He asked, “But they are only shaking Egypt. And if Egypt is shaken, Damascus will have no choice but to step in.”

“….”

Al-Adil put on his sword and said, reaching out to push the door open.

“First, focus on assessing the situation and suppressing the rioters. It’s not too late to ask for help later.”

As the door opened, the sweltering heat of Cairo enveloped them.

“Baldwin is said to be returning to Jerusalem. It’s too perfect, no matter how I think about it.”

A rebellion using the Assassins and the black men.

It was sophisticated and sharp, unlike the Franks’ usual methods.

Saladin would have no choice but to move when he heard this news.

‘That Baldwin….’

Al-Adil recalled the boy he had spoken to in prison.

[To think that the one who babbled about receiving the archangel’s revelation would be such a kid. It’s really funny.]

[How does it feel to be captured by such a kid?]

[I was just lucky to be caught….]

[It wasn’t luck. It was just a predetermined fate.]

Eyes full of conviction.

Recalling that image, Al-Adil shuddered without realizing it.

Could all of this really be fate?

He turned around and shouted, “What are you doing?! Go and gather the soldiers!”

* * *

Cyprus

“Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Marco. Thanks to Venice, we were able to supply the weapons on time.”

“Rather, I should thank you, Your Excellency.”

Marco bowed his head.

“If you have money, buying weapons is not a problem. And for us in Venice….”

He smiled and added, “We have a network for smuggling that we have been using for a long time.”

“There is no place where money doesn’t work.”

I answered with a smile.

Cyprus was just as I remembered it.

As soon as I arrived at the port, local dignitaries and merchants rushed to make a fuss.

But the only person I met was Marco.

I looked at the map.

The northern Egyptian port cities of Damietta and Alexandria.

These two cities were connected to Cairo in the south via the Nile River.

What I had done so far was simple.

First, provide weapons to the rebel forces in Cairo via the Nile River.

And at the same time, move Assassin members to Cairo.

‘Well, it’s something they did voluntarily.’

For Shia Muslims, Sunnis were more hateful than pagans.

I just put weapons in their hands.

By now, the rebellion would have started in Cairo.

“But even black warriors won’t be able to easily drive out Saladin.”

Marco scratched his head and said, “Among the citizens of Cairo, Saladin is more popular than the previous Caliph.”

“I know that.”

I nodded.

From the beginning, this rebellion was just a delaying tactic.

A delaying tactic to keep Saladin busy while I cleaned up the Gi and the hardliners.

Then someone opened the door and came in.

A black coat with a red cross and chainmail.

Sun-tanned bronze skin.

It was a familiar face.

“Sir Garnier!”

“Your Excellency, you seem to have grown a lot in the meantime.”

Garnier said with a smile.

We shared a light hug.

“Your skin seems to be very tanned.”

I said.

When did Garnier and I part ways?

He went to Ethiopia in my place.

That was right after I caught Al-Adil.

It felt like a distant past now.

Actually, it hasn’t been that long.

“The Abyssinian (Ethiopian) region has intense sunlight. Except when fighting, I always took off my armor and coat.”

He smiled.

We both looked at each other in silence for a moment.

I carefully opened my mouth.

“Sir Hugh….”

“I heard about it too. Everyone says he fought to the end like a Knight Templar.”

Garnier said.

“There is no more glorious end for our Knights Templar.”

“He didn’t let go of his sword until the end.”

I nodded.

Silence fell.

Then I felt awkwardness from Marco.

“Your Excellency, I’ll be on my way. I think it’s interfering with your conversation….”

“There are still things to discuss.”

I barely held back a laugh.

“How did things go in Abyssinia?”

“The situation there was exactly as you said, Your Excellency.”

Garnier said.

“King Lalibela of the Zagwe Kingdom promised support. He seems to be trying to establish his legitimacy by using Jerusalem.”

He added, “The Kingdom of Makuria has also promised help, but it is not very large. The combined support force promised by the two kingdoms will be about 1,500. If we support them with weapons and equipment, we will be able to receive more support forces.”

“That’s not bad.”

This is an unexpected harvest.

It was a force I didn’t expect in the first place.

It’s good if anything comes to support.

I looked at Marco.

“I will entrust Venice with increasing exchanges with the two kingdoms. If we continue to increase merchant ships through Eilat….”

I added, “It wouldn’t be impossible to completely dominate the Red Sea. The more trade increases with the two kingdoms, the more troops we can receive.”

“Maybe the entire Red Sea will be in the hands of Venice, no, Jerusalem,” Marco muttered.

I nodded and looked at Garnier.

“How is the situation in Jerusalem?”

“The news that Lady Sibylla had fled to Tiberias has turned the entire kingdom upside down,” Garnier said.

“Lady Theodora is also waiting for you in Tiberias.”

“Then we should go quickly.”

I said.

Now I have all the ingredients for cooking.

Egypt, Sibylla, Tiberias.

But there were problems.

‘If Saladin sees through my intentions…. No, he will definitely see through them.’

Maybe Al-Adil will quickly suppress the rebellion.

I had to make a decision somehow before that.

Time.

In the end, the most important thing now was time.

“King Baldwin IV has announced that he will not take sides in this battle,” Garnier said.

“But if the situation worsens, he will intervene at any time with his army. His Majesty also supports you….”

“Then it will look like the king is purging the lords.”

I shook my head.

Then the aftermath would be more difficult.

A son who stepped up to protect his mother from his greedy stepfather!

It was necessary to maintain this frame.

“And there must be an army left in Jerusalem to check Saladin. I have to solve this alone.”

I said as I moved.

As I left the conference room, the sea unfolded right in front of me.

Jerusalem was right in front of me.

I felt the sea breeze and looked beyond the horizon.

So far, everything was going according to plan.

The Horns of Hattin [site of a major Crusader defeat].

The worst defeat in the history of the Crusades.

It was being reproduced as it was.

Are Raymond and I going to play the role of Saladin?

“Let’s leave right now.”

* * *

Ascalon

“No Crusader lord has ever gathered a larger force than this.”

The chamberlain bowed his head and said, “Lord Reynald also sent sixty knights.”

“Eight hundred knights and seven thousand infantry. Not bad, not bad.”

Gi tapped the map.

His chainmail clanked every time he moved.

“But the more troops, the better. We need to hire more Turcopole [Turkish mercenary soldiers] mercenaries.”

“Count.”

The chamberlain carefully opened his mouth.

“Raymond has publicly announced that he has no intention of fighting you. In this situation, is it wise to bring an army….”

“That bastard kidnapped my wife! What will the other lords think if I stay still?! Huh?”

Gi shouted.

“Sibylla’s intentions are obvious. She will run away to Raymond first and then use Baldwin to divorce me.”

“But the Roman Church will never allow divorce.”

“Rome gave Baldwin the title of ‘Defender of the Faith.’ Defender of the Faith!”

Gi waved his arms.

“If he asks, he will reluctantly allow the divorce.”

“….”

“Raymond wouldn’t have moved on his own. That young Baldwin must be behind it.”

Gi growled.

“He must have promised to give him a seat next to him when he becomes king. Let him come at me as much as he wants. If the king remains neutral, I have more knights to gather.”

The chamberlain bowed his head.

“The next king of Jerusalem will surely be the Count. But Baldwin’s popularity among the soldiers and Knights Templar is not small.”

He carefully watched the Count’s expression.

“No one knows about the story of King Arthur of England and the earthquake [reference is unclear]. There are also voices worried about the news that they are fighting Baldwin….”

“Then tell them this.”

Gi said.

“I am not fighting Baldwin, but taking back my wife from Count Raymond. The soldiers just need to move and fight as I tell them to.”

He added, “And there are many members who are uneasy about this Knights Templar integration. They will follow my orders no matter what the rumors are.”

Count Gi turned his head and looked outside.

The sound of horses and soldiers was heard from outside the window.

A new war was approaching.