I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 184

< 184 – The Great Damascus Escape (4) >

“But didn’t Your Majesty send knights to Damascus before this happened? You even told me in advance, didn’t you?”

Raymond asked, looking at Balian.

“He might have planned this from the start.”

“If His Majesty orchestrated this, how could I not know?”

Balian replied, pulling on the reins of his horse. The two looked at Baldwin ahead.

He was leading the procession at the front.

“All the kingdom’s intelligence networks are under my control.”

“But His Majesty always hides another plan within a plan. Think about the Constantinople settlement.”

Raymond asked in a whisper.

“His Majesty spent years creating settlements for Greek migrants, and on a larger scale than necessary.”

“Are you saying…”

Balian also lowered his voice.

“That His Majesty planned this situation from the moment he first created the settlements?”

“Only His Majesty knows the truth.”

Raymond whispered. Just then, Baldwin, who was at the front, turned his head and looked at them.

Balian and Raymond gave awkward smiles and bowed their heads.

Seeing Baldwin turn his head again, the two breathed a sigh of relief.

“He even prepared food in advance through maritime cities. Food prices won’t skyrocket immediately because of the refugees.”

“Not only the Third Crusade, but also the Damascus refugees…”

Balian clicked his tongue.

Now the pieces were falling into place one by one.

Hadn’t Baldwin already planned to defeat his stepfather before leaving for the European expedition?

If he orchestrated this Damascus incident as well?

Raymond and Balian exchanged meaningful glances.

“Let’s return to Jerusalem and discuss it with the Patriarch [the highest-ranking bishop in the region].”

“I think we should.”

* * *

“What on earth are they talking about?”

I had been feeling glances from behind for a while now.

It seems to be Balian and Raymond.

Every time I turned around, the two of them would be startled and pretend to look elsewhere.

A slight fear mixed with awe.

Did I scold them about something recently?

The two’s exaggerated voices were audible.

“Haha, the late king would be very proud if he saw His Majesty’s current actions.”

“And not only that? Our kingdom is like…”

It sounds like they’re saying it for me to hear.

Surely they’re not plotting a rebellion, are they?

Well, I can’t really imagine those two starting a rebellion.

I should ask them directly later.

Just then, Garnier ran up to me.

“For now, the nearby wells should be sufficient. We can also hold out with the food until the supply unit arrives.”

“That’s a relief. Distribute the water to the soldiers, the elderly, and the children first.”

I said, looking back.

Thousands of Christians from Damascus were following us, entrusting their lives to us.

The problem is the marching speed.

Unlike when we rushed at full speed with only cavalry, now there were elderly people and children.

We couldn’t abandon them behind or divide the group just because the speed was slowing down.

‘I can’t afford to disperse the already insufficient forces.’

Everyone looked exhausted, but no one complained. I went to the back from time to time to encourage them.

“And there’s one more problem, Your Majesty.”

“A problem?”

“It’s the knights from England and the Zagwe kingdom [historical kingdom located in present-day northern Ethiopia].”

Garnier said.

I could feel a slight anger and frustration from him.

“They keep ignoring orders and speeding up or leaving the formation. Our knights had to fill in the gaps because of that.”

He continued.

“They don’t seem to like guarding the citizens from the inside. They keep trying to get to the outside…”

“They want to be the first to fight when a battle breaks out.”

As I gently pulled on the reins, 불트 [Bult, the name of the horse] sensed my intention and stopped.

The European and Levantine knights must be different.

Knights like Garnier were dedicated to the holy city of Jerusalem.

Individual merit was not so important to them.

In the first place, boasting about achievements was forbidden by the Knights Templar rules.

‘But the knights from other regions are different.’

England and the Zagwe kingdom.

For them, gaining merit and recognition on the battlefield was the most important thing.

Tactics that are standard in the Levant must be unfamiliar to them. They might even think we’re trying to monopolize the credit.

“They’re frustrated because there was no fighting in Damascus, but it’s also a problem if they don’t follow orders.”

You can’t fight with hands and arms that move separately.

As I was lost in thought, Aig ran up this time.

“Your Majesty!”

The guy stopped in front of us.

Garnier asked.

“What’s wrong, Aig?”

“It’s a report just in from the scouts. It seems Bedouin warriors are approaching near here.”

“Bedouin warriors?”

Garnier and I looked at each other. We could tell what each other was thinking without having to say it.

What kind of messed up situation is this?

* * *

“What exactly are these Bedouin tribes?”

“They are tribes that have lived in this Arabia for a long time. They are people who don’t settle in cities and herd camels.”

Garnier stepped forward in response to Henry II’s question. The tent was crowded with kings, nobles, and knights.

“They value camels and horses as much as their own lives. And they learn to ride and fight on them from a young age.”

“In short, they’re guys who ride around on camels and brawl. Aren’t they just a bunch of bandits at best?”

Henry II shrugged and looked at me.

“Are you saying that these ragtag guys are going to attack us? Aren’t they mistaken about something?”

“More and more camels are gathering as the days go by.”

I shook my head.

I had confirmed that the number of those guys was increasing by directly scouting the outskirts.

“But didn’t Saladin promise not to hit us from behind? So why now…”

“Bedouin tribes don’t necessarily follow someone’s orders.”

I said.

The Bedouin tribe I subjugated in Eilat was only a small part.

The remaining tribes walked a tightrope between the Crusaders and the Islamic sultans, taking profits.

Henry II stroked his beard.

“I see. But those bandits wouldn’t have proper armor or weapons.”

Henry II asked.

“If those guys come, can’t we just crush them?”

Other English knights nodded in agreement.

“Those guys won’t fight head-on unless they’re fools.”

What are those guys aiming for?

If they were commissioned by other sultans to fight us…

No, that would be too risky. The Bedouin tribes were unlikely to accept such an offer.

Just the numbers we’ve identified so far are at least a thousand.

It was clear that dozens of Bedouin tribes had joined. All of them had something to gain…

There is one thing.

“Those guys are targeting the refugees.”

“The refugees?”

“According to the laws of the Saracens [medieval term for Arabs or Muslims], the same Saracens cannot be enslaved.”

I said.

So Muslim pirates and bandits mainly targeted and kidnapped Christians or Jews.

From the Barbary pirates of the Mediterranean to the Bedouin tribes of the Middle East.

“But they can enslave infidels as much as they want.”

Marshall nodded as if he understood what I meant.

“Since there are thousands of Christians in the desert, there couldn’t be a better opportunity.”

“Then our Zagwe army will stand in front and drive those guys away.”

King Lalibela, who had been silent, said. He slowly turned his head.

“If the King of Jerusalem is right, shouldn’t someone take the lead and stop those guys?”

“Are you trying to monopolize the credit alone? Our English knights haven’t fought properly yet.”

Henry II said.

“Besides, the Zagwe knights don’t even have enough chainmail. Leave this to us.”

“Are you insulting me and my kingdom now?”

“Both of you, stop there.”

I intervened between the two.

Both of them are underestimating the Bedouin warriors.

‘Well, it’s not unreasonable.’

Europe doesn’t have Middle Eastern-style horse archers. They haven’t even experienced the nomadic swarm tactics yet.

“Those guys will try to make us scatter. In the meantime, they’ll dig into the gaps and attack the refugees.”

If arrows rained down, the refugees would be terrified and scatter in all directions. Then control would be impossible.

The Bedouin warriors only had to roam around the chaos and grab the refugees.

A few wolves lure the sheepdogs, while the rest of the wolves drag away the sheep.

“Both of you promised to respect my command here in Jerusalem.”

I looked at Henry II and Lalibela. Lalibela also had a calmer expression than before.

The conversation I had with him when I first met him came to mind.

‘I want to move Jerusalem to my kingdom.’

I didn’t even understand what it meant then. Move Jerusalem.

Later I found out that his words were closer to ‘I want to inherit the spiritual value, culture, and technology of Jerusalem.’

He even asked me to establish a Knights Templar branch in Ethiopia.

Of course, I agreed to his offer.

The only thing I asked for in return.

Like the other Crusaders, respect my command.

“There’s no need to play along with those guys’ tune. Let’s focus on defense as much as possible. Then those guys won’t have any way to do anything.”

“But shouldn’t there be a chance to fight at least once? We couldn’t fight in Damascus either.”

Henry II sighed.

“The knights need a chance to fight. You can’t keep a horny bull tied up with a rope.”

“Then the only thing left to do is castrate him. Anyway, my decision is firm.”

I answered with a smile.

The meeting continued after that, but the conclusion was already decided.

Focus on protecting the refugees and don’t step out rashly.

As I came out of the tent, Aig approached.

“Everyone had a dissatisfied expression.”

“They must think I’m trying to steal their credit.”

“Then…”

Aig looked around and whispered in a small voice.

“Will those guys properly follow Your Majesty’s orders?”

“···.”

I burst out laughing in spite of myself at Aig’s cautious tone.

I grabbed the guy’s shoulder.

“Maybe they’ll only pretend to follow at first, and then they’ll step out on their own later.”

“Then we have to stop them somehow…”

“Even if you say a hundred times that fire is hot, you can’t stop a child from playing with fire.”

I said.

“But once they’ve been burned in the fire, they’ll know how to avoid it without saying anything.”

“Are you saying Your Majesty… wants the English and Zagwe knights to fall for the Bedouin guys’ trick?”

“If they maintain the formation according to my orders, that’ll be the end of it.”

No matter how much the Bedouin guys stir up trouble with bows, it wasn’t very effective against knights wearing armor.

Horse archers were generally weak in close combat.

On the other hand, Frankish knights were masters of close combat.

“If we stand still and hold out like a barrier, those guys won’t have any way to do anything.”

I said, climbing onto Bult.

“But let’s prepare in advance in case the English and Abyssinian (Ethiopian) guys fall for those guys’ trick.”

Anyway, I’ve given all the warnings I had to give. If they don’t follow it, it’s not my fault.

If you can’t stop the children’s playing with fire, the only thing left to do is prepare a fire extinguisher in advance.

“Tell the refugees that a battle could break out soon. Position the Knights Templar in the middle to prevent them from panicking.”

“I understand.”

I looked at the sand ridge in the front. Even at this moment, the number of enemies was increasing.