I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 164

< 164 – The Holy City (4) >

“It seems this is the first time we’ve faced each other like this, Lord Reynald,”

Saladin said, looking at the man kneeling before him. As the man tried to rise, Kurdish soldiers struck his legs with spears.

“To abandon your men on the battlefield and try to flee alone. Aren’t you ashamed?”

“Didn’t you also desperately try to escape alone during the Battle of Montgisard?”

Reynald spat on the ground as he replied.

“I heard you even stole a racing camel to escape. Have you already forgotten that?”

“How dare you speak like that in front of the Sultan….”

“Enough.”

Saladin raised his hand to stop his agitated subordinates. He smiled as he looked at Reynald.

“You seem thirsty. What are you waiting for? Bring the lord some water.”

“But….”

“Bring him water.”

Reynald chuckled as he received the cup.

“I didn’t expect the Saracens to be so courteous. Or are you trying some trick?”

“Drink without worry. It’s not poisoned.”

“It’s not the poison I’m worried about. I just don’t want to drink something touched by filthy Saracen hands.”

“Sultan! Behead this man immediately!”

“How dare this insolent fellow…!”

Agitated officers pointed and shouted. Reynald looked at them and burst into laughter.

“There is no one who provokes the Muslims as much as you do, Lord Reynald,”

Saladin raised his hand again. Silence filled the tent.

“You have broken peace treaties dozens of times. You have stained your filthy hands with the blood of hundreds, even thousands, of innocent Muslim people,”

Saladin said.

“Do you think you have the right to call that water dirty?”

“Didn’t your precious Muhammad, or whatever he’s called, also raid caravans going to Mecca?”

Reynald said, gulping down the water.

“He also attacked innocent merchants, stole their goods, and demanded ransom. I just did the same thing.”

He shrugged.

“So why am I the only bad guy?”

“Our Prophet waged *ghazw* [raiding warfare] only to eradicate idolatry in Mecca, not to pursue selfish desires like you,”

Saladin said.

“The Prophet used the spoils from the *ghazw* to maintain the *Ummah* [community]. In his final moments, he departed more impoverished than anyone else.”

“So that’s why he left so much inheritance to his wives?”

Reynald burst into laughter. As he continued to speak, the expressions of the officers inside the tent turned red.

“Anyone can make things sound plausible. But wrapping dog poop in silk doesn’t make the poop smell go away,”

He said.

“I spent 15 years in your prisons. I’ve heard your dirty, disgusting lies for 15 years.”

“The Prophet Muhammad….”

Saladin wore a faint smile.

“He is not someone you can speak of so carelessly. And he never massacred those who couldn’t pay their ransom, unlike you, Reynald, Lord of Kerak.”

“You’re just like our king. Full of plausible words.”

Reynald said.

“But you never step forward yourself.”

“I didn’t lie that I received the Lord’s revelation,”

Saladin replied with a smile. He turned his head and walked out of the tent.

“Rest well here, Lord Reynald. The time to leave will come soon.”

“You think I’m afraid of you?! Just try it! How dare you Saracen bastards who only know how to screw your mothers…!”

Reynald’s roar echoed from inside the tent. Some officers frowned, but Saladin calmly continued walking.

Reynald’s voice faded.

“You sodomizing, heretical, pig-like swindlers…!”

Saladin’s brother, Al-Adil, wore a worried expression.

“Are you really not going to kill that man right away, brother?”

He asked.

“You publicly promised to execute him yourself. If the execution is delayed, everyone will be dissatisfied. Many soldiers and officers lost family members to that pig’s hands.”

“There’s no need to worry. I will keep my oath,”

Saladin said.

“He defiled the holy city of Mecca. There have been many times when Shia attacked Mecca, but this is the first time that cross-worshipping idolaters have invaded.”

He added.

“We must make an example of him. Prepare to behead him in the Valley of Mina.”

He said, looking at Al-Adil.

“No, first strip him naked and put him on a donkey. Make him go around Mecca like that….”

“The citizens of Mecca will be satisfied.”

“And the story will spread to Al-Quds (Jerusalem). There’s no need to kill the pig right now. Reynald is in our hands anyway.”

Saladin nodded. The sandstorm brushed past his body.

“Let’s see how Baldwin reacts. If he doesn’t try to save Reynald, he will have abandoned the kingdom’s hero….”

Saladin added.

“If he tries to save Reynald, he will only show his incompetence.”

* * *

The news that Reynald, who invaded Mecca, had been captured soon shook the entire Levant.

In Muslim-ruled cities, cheers and shouts of joy echoed.

“Long live Saladin, the protector of Muslims and the faith!”

“Protector of Damietta and Mecca! There has never been a hero who has achieved greater feats than you!”
Praise poems for Saladin were recited everywhere. But this atmosphere was shattered within a few days.

Papers with the following content spread throughout major cities, including Damascus.

‘Sultan Saladin is negotiating with the Franks to release Reynald in exchange for ransom!’

Hundreds of papers filled the streets and alleys. People stared at the papers on the walls and whispered.

As time passed, the rumor was accepted as truth.

“Is it true that the Sultan is going to release Reynald?”

“No, what does that even mean! Releasing the mad dog of Kerak!”

The caravans that had been attacked by Reynald openly expressed their dissatisfaction. They visited the Emirs (princes) to inquire about the truth.

Some even offered to pay the ransom themselves, asking for Reynald to be killed.

“Who on earth spread these rumors!”

“Burn all those papers immediately and catch those who distributed them!”

The Emirs of each city began to respond, but it was already too late. The ones who were paid to spread the papers on the streets were innocent children.

In some cities, attempts to flog the children led to protests.

All of this happened in less than two weeks.

“Wait for confirmed information! Reynald’s execution will be carried out soon!”

“No confirmed information! Does that mean the rumors are true!”

In contrast, in Jerusalem, poems and paintings praising Reynald continued.

He had become a hero who sacrificed his life for the kingdom.

Many believers prayed for Lord Reynald every night. Amid such contrasting atmospheres, time in the Levant slowly passed.

* * *

Jerusalem

“These are the Saracen signal towers we have identified so far.”

Balian placed a pile of documents on the table. The sheer volume was intimidating.

“The data is based on scouts and intelligence, so there are still many shortcomings.”

“There are more than I thought. And the intervals are dense.”

I flipped through the documents one by one. Saladin had built a signal tower system following my example over the past few years.

‘But without telescopes, the distance between signal towers must be short.’

It’s not only inefficient but also expensive to operate.

“Are you suggesting we use these signal towers?”

“Yes, according to my understanding, Saracen merchants also use these signal towers frequently.”

“Merchants use signal towers?”

“They say that before a caravan departs, they check the market prices and conditions in other markets in advance.”

Balian nodded.

“In principle, such private use is prohibited, but if you pay enough, you can send any letter.”

“Then other information must be going back and forth.”

I tapped the table. The signal towers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem were under the strict control of the Canons of the Holy Sepulchre and the Knights Templar.

From the beginning, those who operated the signal towers were all members of the orders. Unauthorized private use was virtually impossible.

‘But Saladin’s side is different.’

According to the information we have, Saladin did not build all the signal towers with his own money but entrusted some to the governors of each city.

As a result, communication management was bound to be haphazard.

“I guess I should say it’s typical of Arabs….”

I couldn’t help but smile. There’s no way Arab merchants wouldn’t use these signal towers.

Information is like money to merchants. In the first place, the Islamic prophet Muhammad was originally a businessman.

“I know what you’re trying to say.”

I looked at Balian. A communication system where information is leaking.

It was certainly possible to use this to sway public opinion.

“If we send false information using the signal towers, all the cities will fall into chaos.”

“And Saladin will have no choice but to rush Reynald’s execution. We already have several spies planted in the signal towers, so it’s entirely possible.”

“…”

Balian was right. In a way, it was the easiest method that didn’t cost any money.

But there was a problem.

“But if we use this card now, we won’t be able to use it later. There’s no need to show our hand now.”

I said.

“If Saladin realizes there’s a problem with the signal towers and improves them, it will be difficult for us to interfere afterward.”

Such important cards should only be used at the right moment.

‘Churchill of the British Empire did the same.’

During World War II, the British army succeeded in breaking the German code system.

They learned that the German Air Force would bomb the city of Coventry, but they delayed the evacuation order to hide the fact that they had deciphered the code.

They sacrificed a city to maintain information superiority.

“Then I will follow Your Majesty’s will.”

Balian nodded.

“The rumors have already spread, so there’s no need to do anything more.”

“Saladin will eventually have no choice but to execute Reynald. The atmosphere has already shifted.”

I said with a smile. No matter how great Saladin is, he couldn’t have imagined the media warfare from the 21st century.

The combination of propaganda and the printing press was certainly powerful.

“We might as well create a separate organization within the Knights Templar.”

“An organization….”

“A special organization dedicated to the printing press and public opinion warfare.”

I looked out the window at the city. I saw streets filled with citizens, merchants, priests, and knights.

“The Knights Templar are spread not only here but throughout Europe. Who is more suitable to sway public opinion than them?”

Already, the people of the Levant were moved by the ‘exaggerated’ story of Reynald’s expedition. Add to that the biography of Baldwin IV that I spread.

If we spread this atmosphere throughout Europe, more support will come to Jerusalem.

What about a regular publication reporting on the situation in the holy city of Jerusalem?

I turned to look at Balian.

“And have them infiltrate more spies into their signal towers.”

I said. Holding the enemy’s communication in our hands would give us an advantage at any time.

“The time will soon come when we need to use them.”