I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 200

Egypt Expedition (5)

“Who the hell issued the retreat order?!”

Taki ad-Din shouted.

His command tent was crowded with officers.

Before one messenger could finish his report, another burst into the tent.

“So, you’re saying the Rums [Byzantines/Romans] didn’t return to their empire?”

“According to the report, it’s definitely the Rums. They’re advancing so quickly towards the Nile that we couldn’t even respond in time…”

Meanwhile, outside the tent, the groans of the retreating soldiers could be heard. As time passed, more and more stragglers poured in.

The failure of the Damietta siege was now an undeniable fact.

Taki ad-Din muttered.

“Trojan horse.”

“Pardon?”

“The Greeks left a wooden horse in the camp and pretended to retreat. The Rums are using the same trick.”

Taki ad-Din clenched his fist without realizing it.

He thought he had driven a wedge between the Crusaders and Rome, but he had been tricked himself.

Baldwin’s advance, which had seemed like a last-ditch effort, had now become a brilliant move.

“If it’s true that the Rums have returned, we must return to Cairo immediately.”

“…”

Silence fell.

No one spoke, but they all thought the same thing.

‘The path to Cairo is blocked by Baldwin’s Crusaders!’

Now they were the ones being besieged. The Roman army to the north. Baldwin’s Crusaders to the south.

The hunter had become the hunted in an instant.

Taki ad-Din struggled to suppress the sigh that rose in his throat. A commander should not show signs of panic.

“First, let’s gather the retreating soldiers. There’s no point in worrying about it here; it’ll only waste time. We must somehow open a retreat route to Cairo.”

He said.

Only then did the other officers nod one by one.

“We still have far more troops! Baldwin’s army must be running out of supplies by now!”

“Let’s advance towards Cairo immediately!”

The officers who received the orders hurried out of the tent.

“Everyone, prepare to march! We’re returning to Cairo right now!”

* * *

“Taki ad-Din made a decision quickly. But it’s already too late.”

I lowered the telescope I was holding.

I was the first to notice the enemy’s agitation.

Fear and chaos.

The restless emotions were clearly felt from the enemy’s camp.

I, riding on Bult, looked at Aig.

“How is the readiness of the troops?”

“As Your Majesty said, the last of the rations were distributed this morning. We should be able to fight without much trouble, at least for today.”

“By now, the Roman army will be moving south from Damietta. We just need to buy time until they arrive.”

It’s like a scene from a movie.

The King of Jerusalem and the Crusaders facing the enemy head-on. And the Roman Emperor coming to the rescue.

‘It’s actually just a well-written script, though.’

Aig handed me my helmet and said.

“I didn’t expect Taki ad-Din to fall for this so easily. He was always so cautious…”

“What determines the victory or defeat of a war is who succumbs to temptation.”

I replied with a smile.

It’s always been like that in war history.

You have to be most careful when the plan is proceeding smoothly.

Taki ad-Din aimed for the division between the Crusaders and the Roman army, and it actually happened.

The moment he was convinced that his plan had succeeded, Taki ad-Din boldly came out of Cairo.

He thought he was in control of the situation, but in reality, it was the exact opposite.

“But it’s useless if we can’t stop them here.”

I looked ahead.

The knights marched slowly, forming a charge formation.

I traveled with them to Eastern Rome and Europe. Now I was familiar with each and every one of their faces.

No one was unaware that a battle was about to take place.

I ran forward.

“Just once! We only need to stop them once! Our Jerusalem army will lead the charge!”

“Waaaaa!”

The knights responded with a shout.

Ganier, Luak, Aig.

Green, black, white, etc.

All kinds of cloaks fluttered in the wind.

In the far left and right wings, Richard and King Lalibela were seen commanding the knights.

We were in charge of the center.

Then the sound of a trumpet rang out.

A signal that the preparations were complete.

I waved my arm without hesitation.

“Everyone forward! Don’t run yet! Conserve the horses’ strength!”

“For the Holy City of Jerusalem!”

The Lazarus Knights were the first to charge forward. I had the illusion of briefly seeing Wieg amidst the heat haze.

“For the Holy City!”

* * *

“Capture Baldwin!”

“Taki ad-Din must be captured first!”

The arrows that flew through the air struck the sand with a thud.

The Muslim horse archers rode out wide and fired their bows.

As the horses that were hit by the arrows fell, the knights were thrown to the ground.

But the Frankish knights did not stop.

As the left and right wings charged forward, the knights of Jerusalem continued to gallop forward without stopping.

Soon, spears collided with shields and pierced armor.

They headed towards Taki ad-Din’s banner.

“Spread out wide and surround them! Prevent them from coming here!”

“Keep running! Cut off their waist so they can’t escape!”

A battle of strength against strength unfolded.

The Jerusalem knights trying to break through at all costs, and the Muslim cavalry trying to surround them at all costs.

At the center were Baldwin, Richard, and Lalibela.

“May the Lord and the Holy Mother protect us!”

Richard, the Duke of Aquitaine, shouted and swung his axe.

His horse was hit by arrows and fell several times, but Richard immediately switched to a new horse.

As he cut down dozens while charging, a clearing was created on the battlefield for a moment.

The place he passed was lined with decapitated or shattered corpses.

“Anyone who wants to die, come at me!”

Lalibela also wielded his spear at the forefront, commanding the knights.

The Zagwe Kingdom warriors charged at the enemy, shouting their unique battle cries.

Baldwin was in the middle of the battlefield.

The Muslim cavalry flocked to where the royal banner was.

“Capture the King of Jerusalem! If we capture him, we can win!”

As dust and sand covered everything, nothing could be seen anymore. It was then that the cry that Baldwin was dead spread.

“The King of Jerusalem is dead!”

“His Majesty Baldwin has fallen!”

At someone’s cry, all the knights turned their heads at once.

“His Majesty has fallen! What does that mean!”

“Gather in the center! We must protect His Majesty!”

As the cry spread, the knights on the left and right wings began to waver. The Muslim soldiers seized the momentum and advanced forward little by little.

Then someone took off his helmet and shouted.

“Your king is here! But why are you retreating?!”

Baldwin.

He threw off his helmet and ran towards the hesitating knights.

“Charge! Keep charging!”

“Waaaaa!”

In the midst of the shouts, the Crusader knights’ charge began again. The Muslim soldiers retreated, counterattacked, and retreated again.

As the tense tug-of-war continued, someone shouted.

“It’s the Roman banner!”

Hundreds of banners fluttered over the sand dunes north of the battlefield.

A strange letter that combined X and P, the Labarum [early Christian symbol].

Following behind, the Cataphracts [heavily armored cavalry] wearing Rome’s unique armor appeared.

They stood on the hill and looked down at the battlefield.

Both the Crusaders and Muslim soldiers could only stare blankly at the sight, and no one moved.

And finally, the Roman knights began their charge.

An attack aimed at the rear of the Muslim army. The shouts shook the battlefield.

“Rome has come!”

“Waaaaa!”

* * *

Two hours later

“I’m sorry for being late. I came as quickly as possible, but…”

“Your Majesty Basileus [Emperor] came just in time.”

With those words, I hugged Alexios. Cheers erupted from the surroundings.

“The Saracens in Damietta were too busy running away as soon as they saw us.”

Alexios said with a smile.

The next moment, he asked with a worried expression.

“I heard you were injured in battle, are you alright?”

“One of my guard knights was injured. Someone must have mistaken it and shouted that I was dead.”

The one who was injured was Aig.

He was fighting right next to me when he was injured in the arm and fell.

‘There shouldn’t be any problems.’

The wound on his arm was shallow, but Aig fainted as he fell to the ground. We’ll only know how severe the concussion is when he wakes up.

“We found Taki ad-Din’s body. It seems he was in the rear and was caught up in the charge.”

Alexios said in a calm tone.

“Now that the supreme commander is dead, Cairo won’t be able to hold out for long.”

“At most, about a month.”

I nodded.

It would have been nice if we could have captured him alive.

Since the main force was annihilated today, even Cairo will have a hard time holding out.

One month.

It would fall in just about a month.

Then Ganier came running on horseback. He was also wearing a bandage on his head, probably injured during the battle.

A sense of urgency was felt.

“I’m sorry to interrupt. A messenger just arrived from Jerusalem, but…”

“It doesn’t sound like good news.”

“Yes, the Crusaders who were besieging Damascus were defeated in battle and are returning to Jerusalem…”

“What?!”

Richard, who was standing in the back, stepped forward. He glared at Ganier with a predatory look.

“Explain in more detail. Right now.”

Ganier’s explanation continued.

The fog that suddenly covered the surroundings while besieging Damascus.

And al-Adil’s surprise attack using that gap.

The English army recklessly charged and suffered heavy damage, but the French army gathered their troops and retreated.

“How is my father?”

“His Majesty Henry II was hit by an arrow in the side. He is currently receiving treatment in Jerusalem, but the exact situation is…”

“I see.”

Richard said.

“I can’t understand why my father would charge so recklessly.”

“…”

I fell into thought.

I’m glad I sent Philip with him.

Henry II had been obsessed with salvation ever since he came to the Levant.

An opportunity to be forgiven for his sins.

Is that why he charged recklessly this time? Well, only they know the exact situation.

“Then shouldn’t we return to Jerusalem right now?”

Alexios said.

“Even if we take Egypt, it’s useless if we lose Jerusalem. Saladin will probably use Jerusalem as a price…”

“To ask for Egypt back.”

I nodded.

Will Saladin march straight to Jerusalem?

No, going to Jerusalem without occupying Tiberias in advance is like suicide.

It was more likely that he would go to Tiberias first, and then to Jerusalem.

Tiberias was relatively lax in its defenses because it was focused on defending Jerusalem.

It won’t be able to hold out against Saladin’s large army for long.

“Your Majesty is right. If we lose Egypt, this Crusade will be virtually a failure.”

Richard said.

“Now that the situation has become like this, shouldn’t we change our plans?”

“We will proceed with the plan as is.”

I said.

Saladin’s aim was now clear.

Jerusalem.

But in order to completely defeat Saladin, we couldn’t go to Jerusalem right now.

Even if we go back to Jerusalem now and drive out Saladin, we’ll just be repeating the same thing next year or the year after.

‘There won’t be any Crusaders from Europe then.’

Richard, Henry, Philip, etc.

We had to finish it while they were here.

“We can only completely destroy Saladin by conquering Mecca.”

I looked at Alexios.

Not only him, but everyone else had a surprised expression.

Only Richard had a calm expression. I looked at Alexios.

“I’ll leave the occupation of Cairo to Your Majesty.”

“You’re serious about advancing to Mecca now?”

“I only ever tell the truth.”

I replied with a smile.

That was the original plan.

But things got complicated when Henry II and Philip lost.

Those two should have held Saladin back.

‘Well, there’s no war that goes according to plan.’

There wasn’t much time left now.

“We must act now to save Jerusalem.”