I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 188

< The Third Crusade (3) >

“Alright, now that everyone’s here, let’s start the meeting.”

There were more than ten people gathered in the room.

Henry II and Richard of England.

Philip II of France.

Lalibela of Ethiopia.

Count Hartmann of the Holy Roman Empire.

Guido and other former Podestas [chief magistrates] from Italy.

A scale surpassing all the Crusades from the 1st to the 9th in the original history,

A sight I had dreamed of since I first became Baldwin.

To think it would become a reality like this. I could cry.

Then Henry II stood up abruptly.

“We’ve gathered more troops in the holy city of Jerusalem than any other Crusade! Isn’t this the will of the Lord?”

Everyone nodded at his formal words.

“I, too, have come to the Holy Sepulchre with my beloved son, Richard, so I have no regrets even if I die now.”

“How can you say such a thing, Father?”

Richard said with a faint smile, a playful expression.

“How sad would my brother Henry in England be if he heard that?”

Everyone chuckled at those words.

‘When Henry II dies, his eldest son, young Henry, will become the sole king of England.’

No one was unaware of this.

Henry II glared at his son and muttered.

“Yes, Henry would be very sad.”

By the way, I heard he’s been getting close to King Lalibela lately. He might even move London to the Zagwe Kingdom.

Henry II looked at me and asked.

“Didn’t the Basileus [Emperor] of Constantinople also say he would join this Crusade? I don’t see him here.”

Before I could answer, Count Hartmann of the Holy Roman Empire interjected.

“Isn’t it obvious? The Greek emperors always make grand pronouncements. How many times have they actually brought an army to Jerusalem?”

A chuckle escaped at his words.

The checks and balances are quite something.

Count Hartmann was participating in this Crusade on behalf of Emperor Frederick.

Perhaps the Emperor himself was busy dealing with Henry the Lion.

“Even if they do come to this holy city, who knows what schemes they might be plotting.”

Count Hartmann looked at the others as if seeking agreement.

But no one showed any particular reaction.

‘He’s trying to emphasize how dangerous the Eastern Roman Empire is.’

In fact, Count Hartmann’s words weren’t entirely wrong. Even before Islam, this Levant was Roman territory.

The Eastern Roman Empire also sought to bring the Crusader states under its influence.

About 40 years ago, the Emperor himself had led an army and abandoned Antioch.

‘But the Eastern Roman Empire is different now.’

The probability of Alexios trying to seize the Kingdom of Jerusalem was extremely low. There was no justification for it in the first place, and no practical benefit either.

If he did such a thing and failed, Jerusalem would be forever hostile to Constantinople.

The Ecumenical Council for church unification would also be out of the question.

“The Roman Emperor is preparing a fleet in Cyprus. By now, he should have finished preparing for departure.”

It would be better to emphasize this with a calm tone here.

I carefully surveyed my surroundings.

Philip remained silent.

The same went for King Lalibela.

“What’s important now is deciding where to attack during this expedition.”

With those words, I pointed to the map. The Levant, Syria, and Egypt.

Henry II was the first to speak.

“Shouldn’t we strike Damascus? We didn’t prepare properly last time…”

He said.

“If we install siege towers and catapults to attack, Saladin won’t be able to do anything. He’ll either come out of the city gates or call for reinforcements.”

“You mean we should face them in the field then.”

“That’s right. If we crush them when they’re all gathered, wouldn’t that be the end of it? No matter how many bugs there are, it’s over once you step on them.”

“I agree with King Henry’s words.”

Philip opened his mouth.

“If we occupy Damascus, the Saracens will have no choice but to split. Saladin will naturally lose power.”

“Perhaps that’s how it will be.”

I looked at Philip.

It was the same argument as Henry II, but the reason was different.

‘He’s trying to end the Crusade as quickly as possible and return.’

He’s making his displeasure obvious.

But only attacking Damascus was too one-dimensional.

Just as I was about to speak, Richard interjected.

“First, we need to clearly define the goal of this expedition.”

He looked around at the assembly and said.

“The reason we’ve led tens of thousands of troops all the way to the Levant is solely to protect the holy city.”

“Isn’t that why we’re striking Damascus?”

Philip shrugged.

Despite his mockery, Richard’s expression remained calm.

“Even if we strike Damascus, there’s no guarantee that Saladin will lose power. After we return to Europe, he might launch a jihad to retake Damascus.”

His gaze turned to me.

“Egypt. As long as Egypt exists, Saladin can continue to obtain the necessary funds and manpower.”

He asked.

“Isn’t the reason Emperor Alexios is preparing a fleet in Cyprus ultimately to strike Egypt?”

“The Duke is right.”

As expected of Richard the Lionheart.

To think he would cut to the core so directly.

If Egypt wasn’t secured, Jerusalem would continue to be under pressure.

That’s why Saladin regarded Egypt as his lifeline.

“No matter how great Saladin is, he won’t be able to avoid collapse if he loses Egypt.”

“Then we can divide the troops and have one side strike Damascus and the other strike Egypt.”

Henry II shrugged.

“That way, it’ll be easier to divide the spoils.”

“…”

Even considering the spoils, it was better to divide the troops. England, France, Germany, Ethiopia, and even Germany.

They couldn’t all share just one Damascus.

Complaints would surely arise from one side. If internal strife were to occur, it would only benefit Saladin.

“Well, then, let’s decide who will attack where. We have plenty of soldiers anyway, so even if you choose one side…”

The meeting continued after that, but nothing was clearly decided.

After all, today was just the first meeting.

It was more like a preliminary battle to gauge each other’s intentions. As the atmosphere grew increasingly sluggish, I ended the meeting.

“Let’s end the meeting here for today. We’ve prepared food in the banquet hall.”

Everyone got up and headed to the banquet hall. Then someone approached me.

Richard.

He smiled and said.

“Damascus and Egypt. It doesn’t seem like you only plan to strike these two places. Am I wrong?”

“…”

I stopped and looked at Richard.

This is interesting.

I didn’t think even Richard would see this far.

“I wonder. Then where do you think I’m going to strike?”

“Mecca.”

Richard’s eyes sparkled.

“Isn’t Mecca what you’re really after?”

* * *

“Mecca. Why do you think so?”

“Because striking that place is the only way to draw Saladin out.”

Richard smiled as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“We could strike Baghdad, where the Saracens’ Pope, the Caliph, is. But it’s too…”

“Too far to advance with a large army. There are also many Saracen cities in between.”

The two of us stared at each other in silence for a moment.

“But that would be the same for Mecca, wouldn’t it?”

“I don’t think you can’t do it, not after Renaud did it. Plus, there’s Abyssinia [Ethiopia].”

“Then why didn’t you ask in the meeting room earlier?”

“Isn’t it because you didn’t want others to know that you didn’t say it on purpose?”

Richard shrugged.

“It’s better to keep the real plan to a minimum. If it’s a guy like Philip, he might leak information on purpose.”

“So, you’re saying that you’re included in that minimum number of people.”

Mecca.

If Jerusalem is the holiest place for Christians, then Mecca is for Muslims.

It’s no wonder the Muslims went crazy when Renaud attacked Mecca.

‘If you get that place, you can get a much more advantageous position.’

Saladin, like any sultan, styled himself as the ‘Guardian of Islam’. He would try to prevent Mecca from falling into the hands of infidels at all costs.

If successful, it could inflict more damage than Egypt.

“But Mecca must have strengthened its defenses after Renaud’s attack. They must have installed fortresses and garrisons at points where landing is possible.”

Saladin wasn’t stupid.

He wouldn’t be fooled twice by the same method.

In addition, the points where ships can land in the Red Sea were limited.

“I think you would have come up with a new plan?”

Richard said with a playful expression, a reaction like talking about toys with a peer friend.

“It’s not certain yet. Something else might happen in the middle.”

The final plan was only in my head. I can’t tell even Richard now.

Seeing my expression, Richard raised both hands as if surrendering.

“You don’t have to tell me right now. It’s fun to imagine what kind of gift I’ll receive. I’ll keep my mouth shut about you aiming for Mecca. In return…”

He raised his index finger.

“There is one condition.”

“Please speak comfortably.”

“Let me go with you. You’ll probably be in charge of Mecca yourself. I want to go with you.”

Richard’s words were sincere.

There was not a trace of emotion.

“Damascus or Egypt will be more likely to succeed. The risk is much less.”

“That’s why I’m going to Mecca.”

Richard said as he moved.

Richard lowered his voice each time a maid and knight passed by.

“That seems more fun. What’s the fun in catching easy prey?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at his words. Should I say it’s like the Lionheart.

Saladin probably doesn’t know Richard’s power yet.

I wonder what kind of expression he will show.

The force of Lu Bu and the strategy of Cao Cao.

Perhaps if a cheat character existed in reality, it would be Richard.

“Okay, then I’ll let you know my plan soon.”

I said.

It would be better to get Richard’s help than to suffer alone.

Richard is not a fool who will spread secrets.

“Oh, I have one more question to ask you. Why are you scattering papers in large quantities in Saracen cities?”

“Papers…”

Ah, he must have seen the list of military supplies I gave him. There was paper on it.

“Are you preparing something using those papers?”

“You could say that.”

I smiled.

Richard probably doesn’t know my propaganda tactics yet.

We weren’t the only ones with the possibility of internal strife.

Saladin’s nephew, Taqi al-Din, retreated from Ascalon without suffering a defeat.

On the other hand, his younger brother, Al-Adil, did not achieve any significant achievements in the siege of Kerak.

With a little agitation, it was easy to exploit this relationship. No matter how great Saladin was, he couldn’t easily control it.

He couldn’t kill anyone in his family. But it wasn’t a problem that could be solved by telling them not to fight.

“Actually, all I did was print and distribute poems praising the Governor of Egypt.”

Richard tilted his head at my words. I smiled and entered the banquet hall with him.

The smell of chicken, elixir, and wine.

Behind it, kings and lords were chattering.

Seeing it this way, living in the Middle Ages isn’t so bad.

I need to get Richard drunk.

‘He’s too sharp when he’s sober.’

But a few hours later, it was me who had my head on the table.

Richard laughed and patted me on the back.

“I used to sleep with my brother in Europe. How about the four of us, Philip, my father, and me, sleep together this time?”

“Ah, it seems that sleeping in the same bed is a sign of friendship in Europe. Then I want to sleep with you too.”

Even King Lalibela joined in.

Ah, please stop sleeping with men now…

Amidst my screams, the Third Crusade began.