I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 172

< 172. The Siege of Kerak (2) >

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! You must wake up at once!”

“…What is it?”

My eyelids felt like they were glued shut. I managed to sit up and saw Aig’s excited face.

“Are they attacking again?”

As the sleepiness faded, the surrounding emotions and senses rushed in: tension and bewilderment.

“Not that, but…”

Aig scratched his head and said, “They’ve sent an envoy.”

“An envoy?”

I donned my armor with the help of Aig and the other attendants.

“I didn’t expect Saladin to send an envoy so soon.”

As I stepped outside, the soldiers cheered, welcoming me. My ears were about to burst.

I waved casually and went up to the ramparts.

The soldiers were already looking towards the gate below.

Aig gestured. “They’re over there.”

Several camels loaded with goods stood in front of the gate. A man on horseback led them.

It was a familiar face.

“Al-Adil.”

Saladin’s brother, the one I had captured in Eilat. He raised his head and looked towards me.

“Your Majesty, what should we do?”

“Open the gate. Al-Adil didn’t come here to fight us alone.”

Just then, Ruark approached. He looked exhausted, as if he had just woken up.

He waved his axe and said, “We can’t be sure. What if the Saracens sent assassins…?”

“Al-Adil is the Sultan’s brother. Even a Sultan wouldn’t send his own brother on a suicide mission.”

I said with a smile, though that would be interesting in its own way.

I signaled Aig to bring me my cloak.

“Treat him as an honored guest. Anyone who draws their sword or acts disrespectfully will not be forgiven, understand?”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

The soldiers bowed their heads in response. Soon, the gate opened and the camels lumbered inside.

I stared intently at Al-Adil.

‘His intentions are obvious.’

But there was no harm in indulging in a little game.

* * *

“Greetings to Baldwin, King of Jerusalem.”

“Welcome to Kerak, General Al-Adil. It seems this is our second meeting since Eilat.”

“Indeed. Back then, Your Majesty was not yet a king.”

Al-Adil replied in a calm tone. Surprisingly, he didn’t seem angry.

His words to me in prison were still vivid.

‘Your corrupt religion will collapse. When that time comes, only our Islam will remain as the true religion. Our faith is superior to yours in every way.’

The atmosphere was subtly different from then. Has Al-Adil matured over time?

“The Sultan has sent gifts for Your Majesty. He was concerned that there might be a shortage of fruit in the castle.”

He pointed to the camel train outside the window. The camels were laden with leather pouches.

So that’s all fruit.

A simple gift?

No, it’s more of a show of force.

To imply that they have so much fresh fruit that it’s overflowing, and we should just surrender.

But Kerak’s supply situation wasn’t so bad that we’d fall for such a trick.

In fact, we had more than enough.

Al-Adil must have come to scout the situation inside the castle.

I’ll let him see as much as he wants.

“The Sultan is most considerate. Please convey my gratitude.”

I said with a smile.

“It would be even more appreciated if he would withdraw the army surrounding Kerak.”

“The Sultan no longer wishes to shed the blood of Christians and Muslims,” Al-Adil said.

“The Sultan’s proposal is simple: if you abandon Kerak now and leave, he will guarantee a safe retreat.”

He added with a serious expression, “Not only the people, knights, and soldiers, but Your Majesty as well will be able to return to Jerusalem unharmed.”

“…”

Instead of answering, I stroked my chin. So they just want us to give up the castle and leave.

Saladin wasn’t one to lie.

He probably meant the offer sincerely.

I asked, “I thought the Sultan was coming to capture me. Are you saying he’ll just let me go?”

“The Sultan desires peace, not war. And right now, the price for that is only Kerak,” Al-Adil nodded.

“But if the siege continues, even the Sultan may not be able to control his soldiers. If the castle falls, all the soldiers and people of Kerak will be killed.”

“That sounds more like a threat than an offer.”

I replied with a smile. Saladin’s offer was rational.

If I were in a disadvantageous situation, I would have accepted it without hesitation.

“I’ll make the same offer to the Sultan. If he lifts the siege now and retreats…”

I said, “We will not pursue in any way. I promise on the Kingdom of Jerusalem and my honor. So return to Damascus now.”

“Sultan Saladin will take Kerak, no matter the cost.”

“And I will defend Kerak, no matter the cost.”

Silence fell. Al-Adil must have checked the morale and armaments of the soldiers as he entered the castle.

He must have realized that we were well-prepared.

Then, an interesting thought crossed my mind.

“Since the Sultan has sent such gifts, I will also give him a small gift.”

I gave a faint smile. “Soon, King Henry II of England will arrive in the Levant [historical region encompassing the Eastern Mediterranean] with the vanguard of the Crusades. It’s only a matter of weeks now.”

“…”

Al-Adil frowned. He seemed to think my words were a bluff.

“It would be wise to leave Kerak before they arrive. Please convey that to the Sultan.”

“…Understood.”

He said with a stiff expression.

I stood up and shook hands with him.

“Ah, the Sultan also wants to know where the women and children are sheltering,” he said in a tone as if he had almost forgotten.

“Women and children, you say? Why is he curious about that?”

“So that we don’t throw stones in that direction. The catapults will be completed soon, so it’s better to know in advance.”

“The Sultan is truly chivalrous.”

I replied with a smile.

Was he subtly pressuring us by saying that the installation of the catapults was nearing completion?

Regardless, he was avoiding attacking civilians. Saladin was an interesting figure in many ways.

After a brief conversation, Al-Adil went back outside the gate.

The camels, having unloaded their burdens, left the gate with lighter steps.

Aig approached.

“What should we do with the fruits and meat that Al-Adil brought?”

“Distribute them fairly among the soldiers and the people. Saladin wouldn’t have poisoned them.”

I said. Come to think of it, we received gifts like this in Eilat as well.

“By the way, why did you tell Al-Adil about Henry II and the English army?”

Aig asked.

“If we had attacked when they didn’t know…”

“Saladin doesn’t have much time right now,” I said. “The increasing war expenses and casualties… What if the pressure of the Third Crusade arriving was added to that?”

“Once the English army arrives, he’ll eventually have to turn his troops around. Now that he’s heard my words, Saladin will also send out spies to confirm it himself.”

“Then he’ll know that Your Majesty’s words are true. If we just hold out as long as possible…”

“It will be our victory. So let’s do our best.”

I gazed outside the ramparts.

The huge mangonel [a type of medieval siege engine] catapults that the Muslim engineers were working on were visible.

* * *

The mangonels began to move two days later.

“Stones are coming!”

Saladin’s army set up even larger mangonels to prevent our catapults from retaliating.

Aig shouted, ducking his head.

“It seems Saladin is not shooting at the civilian areas as promised!”

“They’re concentrating their attacks on the ramparts to break them down.”

I said, putting on my helmet.

The vibrations shook my body every time a stone hit the ramparts.

Fortunately, no areas had collapsed yet. Kerak’s ramparts were sturdy.

“It seems we can withstand this much!”

“The problem isn’t the catapults.”

I looked through the telescope at the opposite side. Tall towers were visible through the dust.

Siege towers.

Three or more siege towers were under construction.

“It will be difficult to attack them with catapults before they get close.”

If the siege towers were to stick to the ramparts, it would become problematic. No matter how advantageous the defense was, the ramparts could be taken in an instant if enemy soldiers poured out.

We had to stop that at all costs.

“Is there any need to worry about those wooden towers? If we set them on fire with Greek fire [incendiary weapon used in ancient and medieval times], they’ll burn in an instant.”

“Saladin isn’t stupid enough not to prepare for that. Can’t you smell this?”

I said, shaking my head.

A faint yet repulsive smell of stale urine stung my nose.

“They’ve soaked them in stale urine to block the Greek fire. They probably soaked the leather thoroughly and wrapped it around the siege towers.”

Vinegar, sand, stale urine.

Mixing these could extinguish Greek fire.

“So you’re saying we have to get covered in stale urine?”

Aig made a disgusted face.

“That’s not a sight I particularly want to imagine.”

“We’ve prepared it in advance too. We’ll have to wear that if necessary.”

I said with a smile. Reality was different from the movies after all.

Who would have thought we’d be fighting wearing leather soaked in urine?

“If Greek fire doesn’t work, then the only way is…”

“We can just build the ramparts higher.”

I said. It was a method also used in Goguryeo [ancient Korean kingdom].

If they attacked with siege towers, we could just raise the ramparts so they couldn’t get down.

When it came to siege warfare, East Asia had done its fair share. Aig frowned after hearing my explanation.

“But we don’t have the time to build new ramparts now, do we?”

“We don’t need to build ramparts out of stone. Wood and mud are enough.”

I looked at the inner city of Kerak. Most of the buildings were made of brick, but there was a lot of wood in between.

If we destroyed these, we could build temporary ramparts.

“We’ll have to tear down all the wooden houses in the city. Go and summon the soldiers and knights.”

Most of the citizens had evacuated to the underground facilities, so there shouldn’t be any problems.

“The homeowners will be surprised when they see it later. We’ll have to say they were destroyed by catapults.”

“Tell them that the royal family will compensate them for everything. It’s better than Kerak being occupied by the Saracens [medieval term for Muslims].”

I replied with a smile.

We could always build houses later anyway.

The priority now was to fend off the attack.

‘They wouldn’t have only prepared siege towers and catapults.’

Perhaps the next attack will come…

From underground.

“Jars or beer barrels. Bury jars or beer barrels halfway in the ground near the ramparts, and then cover the top with thin leather.”

I said.

“Place people with good hearing nearby. Bury them in all directions, east, west, south, and north.”

“Suddenly burying jars in the ground, what are you talking about?”

Instead of answering, I smiled.

The military textbooks I had read so much in the academy were helpful here.

“You’ll know soon enough.”

* * *

“What are you doing! Swing your axes faster!”

Ruark shouted.

He ran through the streets, supervising the work of the members.

The Holy Sepulchre members were diligently swinging their axes, chopping wood. Next to them, the Teutonic Knights were helping with the work.

“We came here to fight the Saracens, not to chop wood like this!”

“Hey, Max! Shut your mouth and swing your axe!”

“As if they’re anything special, running around with wings on their backs.”

“Hey, you bastards, what did you say?! Do you think I can’t understand German?!”

A quarrel broke out between some members during the work.

As the atmosphere turned hostile, Ruark intervened, swinging his axe.

“If you have time to fight, chop wood faster, you sluggish bastards!”

He shouted at the Teutonic Knights.

“I heard that my German knights are brave and full of strength, but your wood-chopping skills are not so good.”

Ruark grinned.

“Or are you already running out of strength with just this much?”

“You’d better watch your next words, Commander Ruark.”

Grand Master Albrecht of the Teutonic Knights stepped forward and said, “We Germans don’t just let insults pass.”

“Neither do the Northmen.”

Ruark replied with a smile.

“Then how about we make a bet? We’ll see which of the two knightly orders dismantles more houses.”

Just then, several stones passed over the ramparts and fell near the city.

Some members flinched, but Grand Master Albrecht and Commander Ruark stared at each other without moving.

“I’m always welcome to such a bet. Then we have to decide what to bet.”

“I heard that you Germans drink beer and wine like water. The losing side will only drink water for a week.”

“That sounds good.”

Albrecht said with a smile.

“Don’t come crying and changing your mind later.”

“You’d better prepare the water in advance.”

Ruark also smiled and turned his head. As soon as he gestured, the Holy Sepulchre members swung their axes forcefully.

The Teutonic Knights also hurried to the next house. Ruark muttered as he watched them.

“This reminds me of the old days.”