I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 163

< 163. The Holy City (3) >

Jerusalem

“Are you really okay with that?”

Garnier asked, watching Ayge come out of the church. Church bells continued to peal throughout the streets.

Inside the church, the faint sound of a woman sobbing drifted out.

“I had a feeling something was up when we talked about becoming a full member.”

Garnier scratched his head.

“We can overlook this incident, but if you become a full member, you must uphold the vow of chastity under any circumstances,” Garnier said.

“But His Majesty probably doesn’t care whether you stay in the Order or not. If you just wish…”

“His Majesty probably doesn’t care, but I want to stay in the Order,” Ayge replied. He glanced around the church, then turned forward again.

He muttered, “I wish I had made a choice sooner…”

The streets were already bustling with the festival.

Petals fluttered in the air, decorating the streets with vibrant colors.

“Let’s go. We’ll miss His Majesty’s speech at this rate.”

“Yeah, we can’t be late on a day like today.”

Garnier reached out and draped his arm around Ayge’s shoulder. He said with a smile, “I used to have a woman I dated back in Europe. It was a popular courtly love back then, but she happened to be the daughter of a high-ranking official…”

The two disappeared into the throng of people. The festival had only just begun.

* * *

In front of the Jerusalem Royal Palace

“The Lord has revealed through King Baldwin that the council will be successful!” Father Pierre shouted, raising his hand. The crowd responded with cheers and waves.

“And the revelation has come true! Brothers who were separated have joined hands again here in Jerusalem!”

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

Bult snorted, seemingly recognizing his name. I watched the scene unfold from atop my saddle.

‘Pierre is really amazing,’ I thought.

To gain this much popularity in just a few months.

A sage riding a donkey.

His popularity in Jerusalem was no less than it had been in Europe.

‘And he seems to be getting along well with the Patriarch of Jerusalem.’

Priests from Rome and Constantinople announced the results of the council to the public and embraced each other.

“Long live the Universal Church!”

The people cheered even louder at the sight, many shedding tears of joy.

‘But these two factions aren’t the only protagonists of this festival.’

The black delegation from Ethiopia also garnered a lot of attention, as did the Coptic Church of Egypt.

They, too, embraced the bishops of the two main churches.

They had no reason to reject this council.

[Recognize that the roots of the churches are the same and continue the dialogue]

In the first place, the only reliable route connecting Ethiopia and Europe was through the Red Sea, which meant through the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

They had no reason to fight us.

The bishops bowed and passed by me. Next was Count Hartmann from the Holy Roman Empire.

“Your Majesty, our Empire has kept its promise.”

“And I kept my promise too. I have prepared a headquarters building for the Teutonic Knights in front of the Tower of David.”

I exchanged a knowing glance with the Count.

[Give me the Knights, and I will reduce support to Duke Henry the Lion]

Emperor Frederick must have felt he had no choice.

“It would have been even better if His Imperial Majesty could have participated in the Third Crusade himself,” I said with a disarming smile.

“The Lord would have been pleased, too.”

“His Imperial Majesty also desires to fight directly to protect the Holy Land. However, the internal turmoil of the Empire must be resolved first.”

“I hope that happens soon,” I said, shrugging.

From the Holy Roman Empire’s perspective, there was probably no greater schemer than me: giving the disease and selling the cure.

‘If you had handled things well from the beginning, it would have been easier for everyone.’

The Teutonic Knights marched down the street on horseback. Other knights followed, creating a spectacle. The sight of hundreds of knights in formation was like watching a tank parade in the 21st century.

Everyone who had gathered gasped in awe.

‘By the way, the German knights all have unique helmets.’

The higher the rank of the member, the larger and more ornate the wing decorations. I was the first to commission such a great helm.

Did I inadvertently accelerate the helmet craze in Europe?

The Teutonic Knights.

In a way, they were the forerunners of German militarism, eventually leading to the German Knights State, the Electorate of Brandenburg, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the German Empire.

It felt strange to think that such figures were now serving under the Kingdom of Jerusalem and me.

After the parade, all that remained was the knighting ceremony.

I stood before the apprentice knights with my sword.

‘Knighting ceremony.’

This was the first time in the kingdom’s history that the knighting ceremony was held in public. I stood before Ayge, who was kneeling.

“Are you truly satisfied with just becoming a knight, Ayge?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I am now a king. If you wish, you could be adopted by Lord Balian…”

“If someone of humble origin like me becomes a noble in that way, there will surely be complaints,” Ayge replied with a smile.

“Those who seek to win His Majesty’s favor will increase accordingly. There will be those who take issue with it as an unprecedented event.”

“The noble families of today were all thugs at first.”

That was true even for the historic Italian families.

The nobles who built Rome, destroyed it, and built new kingdoms on top of it. If you traced their roots, they were all warriors and chieftains in the end.

It was only relatively recently that cavalrymen had become a special class called knights.

“This is the path I have chosen,” Ayge said in a firm tone. I realized that I couldn’t change his mind.

“Of course, if Your Majesty allows it.”

“I have no reason to refuse your request,” I replied with a smile. Ayge was the first friend I made in Jerusalem. I could certainly do this much for him.

I lightly tapped Ayge’s shoulders with my sword.

The cheers and applause of the crowd echoed. One down.

Before me stood nearly two hundred apprentice cadets and Teutonic Knights.

Even with a simplified procedure, the knighting ceremony took more than two hours. I walked among the members and knighted each and every one of them.

Balian approached with a worried expression.

“Your Majesty, it would be better to entrust the knighting of the rest to the Grand Master…”

“No. I want to do at least the people here myself,” I said, shaking my head. This was not just a simple knighting ceremony.

This was the first event and knighting ceremony after the Knights came directly under the royal family.

I had to demonstrate that their authority came from me.

‘And instill pride in them at the same time.’

What could be more rewarding than being appointed as a knight by the king while receiving the cheers of the crowd?

They have to maintain their chastity and fight for the rest of their lives without a family.

I could do this much for them. Just as my arm was so stiff it was numb, the knighting ceremony finally came to an end.

Just as I was about to declare the start of the festival and lead a procession down the street, Balian approached again.

“Your Majesty, please come this way for a moment. I think I should tell you inside.”

“It’s news about Reynald.”

Balian nodded and looked around before answering in a hushed voice, “He has been captured by Saladin.”

* * *

“So that’s what happened.”

I stared at the report in front of me. The signal tower situation room was bustling, regardless of the festive atmosphere outside.

Monks diligently wrote down and reported news from all over the region.

“Only Ruarc and the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre barely escaped, and Reynald was captured…”

“It’s a miracle that they advanced as far as Mecca.”

Balian sighed.

“But I didn’t expect him to be captured so easily…”

“Has Eilat completed its siege preparations?” I asked. Eilat and Aqaba were the only viable routes through the Red Sea.

There was a distinct possibility that Saladin, emboldened by Reynald’s capture, would attack that way.

“There is enough food to last at least a year. After rebuilding the port, we continued to reinforce the walls,” Balian confirmed.

“They will be able to hold out long enough until reinforcements arrive.”

“Al-Adil once attacked Eilat and was captured,” I reminded him. Since he had a bad experience there, I doubted he would attack recklessly.

“No matter how great Saladin is, he won’t be able to circumvent the densely built network of signal towers,” Balian asserted.

“If he brings a large army, it will be easier to spot. And…” He looked around and added in a low voice, “Didn’t Your Majesty also want Saladin to get rid of Reynald?”

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to,” I admitted with a smile. In truth, Reynald was a card that had to be played before the Third Crusade. Along with Count Guy, he was a leading figure among the hardliners.

“It wouldn’t be a problem if he died. But if he’s captured as a prisoner, it’s a different story.”

I tapped the table with my finger. According to the report, Saladin had only imprisoned Reynald instead of executing him immediately.

‘In the original history, he was executed immediately after the Battle of the Horns of Hattin.’

Saladin spared King Guy and all the other nobles, but executed Reynald and the Knights.

“Isn’t he trying to get a ransom?”

“No, if he releases him after receiving a ransom, the Muslim public will revolt. Saladin is not foolish enough not to know that.”

“Then why…”

“Why didn’t he kill him right away and keep him alive?”

Thoughts raced through my mind. Why is Saladin doing this?

The longer Saladin kept Reynald alive, the more the Islamic public was bound to seethe.

‘There’s no way Saladin doesn’t know that.’

Saladin was inferior to Richard the Lionheart in tactics and troop management, but he possessed a superior understanding of the broader strategic landscape.

The reason why Richard ultimately failed to recapture Jerusalem in the Third Crusade was precisely because of that difference.

‘He won all the battles, but he didn’t win the war.’

Saladin was a man who accurately grasped the political situation and used it to his advantage.

Then let’s think politically.

“The longer Reynald remains in Saladin’s hands, the more damage will be inflicted on my reputation and the reputation of the Kingdom of Jerusalem,” I stated.

“We have already informed the public about Reynald’s expedition to Mecca through paintings, writings, and bards.”

If news that Reynald had been captured became widely known, it would undoubtedly impact public sentiment in Jerusalem.

“The citizens will question why Your Majesty is not saving Lord Reynald.”

“Question or dissatisfaction. Maybe both.”

I nodded. There was no other logical reason for Saladin not to execute Reynald.

“But on the other hand, Saladin will be under increasing pressure from the Muslims as time goes by,” I pointed out. The Muslims would demand to know why Saladin hadn’t executed Reynald.

“The question is which side will tire and break first.”

“Either way, Reynald is destined to die. There’s only a difference in timing.”

I nodded. From the moment he was captured by Saladin, he was as good as dead.

“But the longer Reynald’s execution is delayed, the greater the criticism of our royal family will become. Reynald will also die as a cowardly captive, not a hero.”

I had to prevent such a situation at all costs.

“How about using spies in Damascus and the Levant cities to sway public opinion?” Balian suggested.

“That will certainly speed up Reynald’s execution. Of course, there is a risk that the spies will be exposed…”

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”

I fell into thought. The kingdom’s intelligence network had already been severely damaged by the previous rescue of Egyptian prisoners.

If the Levant was destabilized, we could be pushed back in the information war.

I had to maintain at least the spies I currently had. Then, was there a way to sway public opinion without them…?

Then, the Jerusalem flag hanging on one side of the wall caught my eye.

The flag was mass-produced using a printing press. Seeing that, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I was searching for the answer while it was right in front of me.”

“The answer? What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about the printing press. If the printing press can sway public opinion within the kingdom…” I began.

I had overlooked something so obvious.

“Wouldn’t it be the same for the outside world?”

I was initially planning to use the printing press to portray Reynald as a Christian hero upon his death.

I just needed to adjust that plan slightly.

“Send a messenger to the Venice branch immediately. Merchants can transport the printing press to other cities.”

“You mean…”

“What we need to target is the public sentiment of Muslim believers,” I declared, rising from my chair.

It was time to demonstrate the true power of propaganda.

* * *

Three days later

In front of Damascus

Three men with hoods obscuring their faces approached the castle walls, leading a string of camels.

One of them lowered his hood. It was Turpin.

Turpin inhaled deeply.

The hot, dry air filled his lungs, warming his body.

“The gate is right in front of us,” Marco, the Venetian leading the group, announced.

“I’m friendly with the guards there, so they’ll likely let us through without much inspection.”

“Just in case, I’ll keep the goods well-concealed,” Turpin said, moving to the back of the camel to check the printing press components. He felt a reassuring coolness as his hand brushed against the clay tablets engraved with Arabic characters.

“By the way, I heard that Sir Turpin recently escaped from Egypt,” Marco whispered as he approached. He produced a money bag from the camel’s luggage, as if intending to offer a bribe.

“The Knights are truly remarkable. If I had endured something like that, I would have retreated to my villa in Venice and never ventured out again for the rest of my days.”

“It is an unspeakable disgrace to be a prisoner of the Knights. I longed for death every day in Egypt,” Turpin said, forcing a smile.

“But I couldn’t bring myself to commit the sin of taking my own life.”

“…”

“His Majesty Baldwin rescued us from Egypt and even restored our honor. Even if I fight for the rest of my life, I will never be able to repay that debt.”

“That’s the same for me,” Marco nodded, glancing around before whispering, “His Majesty Baldwin promised that I would become the Doge [Chief Magistrate] of Venice. Since then, everything has been progressing smoothly.”

“Then this endeavor will also be successful,” Turpin said with a confident smile. The two men continued their conversation as they approached the gate of Damascus.

A sprawling city greeted them.