I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 173

< 173. The Siege of Kerak (3) >

Outskirts of Ascalon

“Why did you issue the order to stand by?”

Balian asked as he dismounted his horse.

Count Raymond was holding a telescope to his eye.

“Take a look over there. They’ve dug trenches around the walls. And the soldiers are holding long spears.”

Count Raymond handed over the telescope.

“The scouts report they’re receiving supplies from the sea, probably using Egyptian ships.”

“We came to rescue Ascalon, not to confront them.”

Balian frowned.

“We should drive them away right now.”

“Taqi ad-Din has brought a considerable force.”

Raymond replied.

“And charging into those trenches is like sending our cavalry to a slaughterhouse. If all the cavalry die, who will go to rescue Kerak?”

“Then what do you suggest we do?”

“We have no choice but to pressure them, even if it takes some time. First, we need to contact Venice and Genoa for naval support.”

Raymond answered.

“We need to cut off their supply lines and demoralize them.”

“That will take at least a few weeks.”

Balian bit his lip.

At this very moment, Kerak was likely under Saladin’s fierce attack.

“Our wasting time here is exactly what the Saracens want.”

“Us charging into those trenches is exactly what the Saracens want.”

“If we attack, Ascalon will surely respond. Then we can pressure them from both sides.”

“What if they repel our attack?”

Raymond stood in front of Balian, their eyes locked in a fierce gaze.

“Once the supplies from the sea are cut off, they’ll eventually have to flee. That’s when we attack.”

“There’s no guarantee Kerak will hold out until then.”

Balian replied.

“If His Majesty is captured by Saladin, the Third Crusade will be for nothing.”

“We have no choice but to trust in King Baldwin now.”

Raymond said.

“His Majesty entrusted me with the main force. I cannot gamble the future of Jerusalem on a risky move.”

“If something happens to Kerak…”

Balian turned his head and added. A sandstorm swept past them.

“The Count will have to take responsibility.”

* * *

Kerak

“Your Majesty! We hear sounds from the fourth jar!”

“Understood! Tell the workers to stand by there in advance!”

I put down the crossbow and descended the walls, soldiers stepping aside. Arrows and stones rained down from all directions.

Arriving at the base of the wall, Ayyg approached, panting.

“Jernal and the other workers are already there. We’re just waiting for you, Your Majesty!”

I nodded instead of answering and moved my feet. Just then, I felt something big approaching.

A boulder launched from a catapult flew in an arc.

Two soldiers were standing at the point where the stone would land.

I shouted at them with all my might.

“Hey, you two! Get out of there now!”

“Huh?!”

The soldiers looked at me and shouted with bewildered eyes. *Why don’t they move when I tell them to?*

“Get out of there now!”

Before I knew it, I was running towards them. I stretched out my arms and pushed them, tackling them out of the way.

*Thud―――*

The jagged boulder fell where they had just been standing. The dust that covered the surroundings settled, and Ayyg ran over.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty, are you alright?!”

“I’m fine.”

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like I was hit by the stone. No broken bones either.

The two soldiers were still lying on the ground with dazed expressions.

“Are you two alright?”

“Yes? Ah, yes! We’re fine!”

“Alright, no need for thanks, just get back to your positions.”

I said.

My arm throbbed, probably because I used too much force when pushing them. *It’ll be very sore tomorrow.*

“And in the future, when I tell you to move, move promptly. Don’t just stand there blankly.”

“Ah, understood!”

The two men bowed their heads and hurried back up the wall. Ayyg let out a sigh of relief.

“What on earth were you thinking? If something happened to you, the kingdom…”

“Don’t worry, I don’t plan on dying yet. Now, let’s hurry to the jar.”

I ran, surveying the surroundings.

The enemies were attacking, ramming siege towers against the walls.

But thanks to the temporary walls built higher than the siege towers, we had the advantage. Soldiers climbed onto the wooden planks and fired crossbows and arrows.

The stench of blood and sweat mixed together stung my nose, coupled with the ear-splitting noise.

“Your Majesty! This way!”

Jernal shouted, waving his hand. His face and clothes were covered in dirt.

“When did you start hearing the sound?”

“Not long ago. Before the first siege tower reached the wall.”

“So they’re tunneling while attacking with siege towers at the same time. A classic feint.”

I looked at the wall. It was a ploy to prevent us from interfering even if we noticed the tunnel.

*‘We could lose the tunnel if we’re not careful.’*

But I had no intention of going outside the walls to try and take back the tunnel.

That’s why I had installed the jars in the first place.

Listening to the Earth.

By placing jars or water bowls on the ground, you could detect the enemy’s tunneling through vibrations. [This technique uses the principle that sound travels through the ground, allowing defenders to hear digging.]

It was a common method in Asia, but here in the Levant [historical region encompassing the Eastern Mediterranean], it was like cutting-edge new technology.

“It’s amazing that such a simple method is really effective.”

“When have I ever lied? Go and get the shields I had prepared in advance, Ayyg. The rest we’ll have to leave to the Holy Sepulchre Knights.”

“Understood.”

Ayyg nodded and ran off in the opposite direction.

“As I’ve said before, there’s no guarantee that the counter-tunnel will reach in time, Your Majesty.”

Jernal wiped the sweat from his brow and said.

“Even if we know the general direction of the enemy tunnel, we don’t know the exact location. We have no choice but to dig tunnels in several directions and hope they meet.”

He added.

“Even if we’re lucky, it will take at least a few weeks.”

“No, there’s no need for that.”

I shook my head. In fact, Jernal was right.

Even if we found out the direction the tunnel was coming from through the jars, we couldn’t know the exact location.

The enemies’ goal wasn’t to reach inside the castle, but to tunnel only to the base of the walls.

That meant time was short.

*‘We’ll have no choice but to dig several tunnels and hope they eventually meet.’*

But I had a sixth sense.

Finding out the location of the tunnel was a piece of cake.

“I’ll go in myself and tell you the direction.”

At my words, Jernal threw his arms up and shouted.

“You’re going into the tunnel yourself, Your Majesty? That’s absolutely impossible!”

He wasn’t the only one who was surprised.

Bewilderment spread through the group.

“No matter how much we reinforce it, the tunnel could collapse at any moment! Please leave the work to me and the workers.”

“I trust you. But I need to go in myself to find out the location of the enemy tunnel.”

I didn’t need to go in deep in the first place. Once I found out the direction and location, we could dig a counter-tunnel straight towards it.

“But it’s too dangerous.”

Jernal muttered, dripping with cold sweat.

“If the tunnel collapses while you’re inside…”

“Then we just need to dig so it doesn’t collapse, right?”

I answered with a smile. It would be funny if I died because the tunnel collapsed.

*‘King Baldwin, who formed the Third Crusade and led the Council of Jerusalem, buried alive in a tunnel during the Siege of Kerak.’*

I didn’t want to be remembered in history like that.

In the meantime, Ayyg ran back with the shields and the knights.

The shields, modified for use in the tunnel, had holes drilled in them for inserting spears.

*How would the Muslim soldiers digging the tunnel react?*

*I’d be surprised too if enemies suddenly appeared in the dark with shields and spears.*

“Leave the tunnel to us Teutonic Knights, Your Majesty.”

Commander Albrecht said, sticking his face out. I didn’t remember calling the Teutonic Knights.

“Fighting in a tunnel is a bit different from the ‘holy battle’ you want, isn’t it?”

“Anything is holy if it’s a fight to protect the holy city, isn’t it?”

Albrecht said, looking at Ruark. His expression was full of anger.

“And those big-bellied Holy Sepulchre Knights won’t even be able to fit properly inside the tunnel.”

“Then why don’t you suck in that gut of yours before you talk? Last time I saw you, you couldn’t even carry the wooden planks properly, could you?”

Ruark answered with a smile. At my questioning gaze, he shrugged as if he didn’t know.

*Looks like the two of them had another squabble.*

“What?! These Vikings who can’t even fight properly…”

“Then let both the Holy Sepulchre Knights and the Teutonic Knights go in together.”

*Well, I guess you could say this is still healthy competition. It’s not like they’re grabbing each other by the hair and fighting.*

“Now is the time to focus on the enemy. Are you going to keep fighting each other until the enemies cross the walls?”

Both Ruark and Albrecht shut their mouths. I, the youngest, was playing the role of teacher.

I picked up one of the pickaxes lying around.

“If you have the time to argue like that, come and help dig the counter-tunnel.”

“If we don’t reach the enemy’s tunnel in time…”

Jernal muttered.

I smiled at him.

“We’ll reach it in time. So just dig in the direction I tell you.”

* * *

“How much longer is it going to take?”

“The tunnel is narrow, so we can’t put any more soldiers in.”

The officer flinched at Al-Adil’s rebuke.

“Also, if we rush the construction, the tunnel is more likely to collapse. I’ve told them to work as safely as possible for now.”

“It’s already taken too long.”

Al-Adil clicked his tongue. Saladin had entrusted him with the tunneling operation.

After digging a tunnel to the base of the wall, they would set up wooden pillars and set them on fire.

If successful, they could easily collapse the wall. So far, tunneling operations had always been successful.

Al-Adil turned his head and looked at the emirs [high-ranking military commanders or governors] behind him.

A look that seemed to glare.

They were openly keeping Al-Adil in check.

“They made all sorts of excuses, saying they didn’t have enough wood to use for the siege towers. It turns out the siege towers were useless.”

The enemies built the walls higher to counter the siege towers. Even if the siege towers somehow reached the walls, the soldiers couldn’t cross over.

In addition, the enemy catapults hit the siege towers with surprising accuracy.

“Keep replacing the workers without stopping. Move the tired ones to the tents inside. The work must not stop even for a moment.”

“I will follow your orders, General.”

The officer nodded and hurried towards the tunnel. Soldiers covered in sweat came out of the tunnel, and other soldiers filled their places.

Outside, soldiers carried dirt in carts. Al-Adil commanded the cavalry and surveyed Kerak.

“They might open the gates and come out at any moment! Prepare thoroughly so that the tunnel is not taken!”

Even at that moment, mangonel catapults [a type of medieval siege engine] were constantly pouring stones towards Kerak.

*‘They only have two choices left.’*

Al-Adil thought to himself.

Sit still and watch the walls collapse into the tunnel, or try to take the tunnel and be repelled.

No matter how great Baldwin was, he wouldn’t have any special measures.

“Remember! You must light the fire and come out at the last moment when preparations are complete! Do not waste a single log!”

He shouted.

“The final victory will be won by us Muslims!”

“Ya Mansur!!! (Hooray)”

The soldiers answered with a shout.

Al-Adil smiled as he listened to the sound of pickaxes echoing from the tunnel.

The image of Baldwin being dragged out in silver shackles was vivid in his eyes.

He muttered in a small voice.

“When that time comes, you won’t be able to act so high and mighty anymore, Baldwin.”