I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 191

< Masiyaf and Alamut (1) >

Masiyaf

“Prepare for battle!”

“Everyone, draw your swords!”

Count Joscelin shouted, raising his sword. Knights and soldiers, who had been checking their weapons, rose one by one.

“Once the gate opens, everyone charges!”

A knight approached Joscelin.

“My lord, can we really trust these people?”

He gestured towards the Saracens with his chin. Assassins with their faces covered in black cloth.

Like those in Masiyaf, they called themselves Fidais (self-sacrificers).

“So far, the information they’ve given us hasn’t been wrong.”

Joscelin said.

It wasn’t just information.

They were also the ones who captured the assassin who infiltrated the camp a few days ago.

Sinan was trying to sneak assassins in every night.

The Assassins of Syria.

And the Assassins of Persia, who were hostile to them.

“We received help from the Assassins when we occupied Hama and Homs. Now we’re receiving help from the Assassins again to strike at the Assassins.”

Count Joscelin let out a hollow laugh.

“There couldn’t be a more ridiculous sight than members of the same faction fighting each other.”

“Even wolves fight each other.”

Joscelin said.

“Have you forgotten that the Knights Templar attacked His Majesty here a few years ago?”

“…”

The subordinate knight fell silent.

Joscelin patted him on the shoulder and waved his hand.

“Don’t overthink it. We just need to do as His Majesty commands.”

He thought of Baldwin.

It was Baldwin who had occupied Hama and Homs and handed them over to him.

A man who joined hands with the Assassins and then joined hands with other Assassins to eliminate them.

‘How far does His Majesty’s sight reach?’

No Frank knew that the Assassins were divided into such complex factions.

Numerous Saracen forces and their internal strife. How could he know such a complex web?

At that moment, the Assassin Fidais, their faces covered, approached.

Joscelin asked.

“Is everything ready?”

“We’ve contacted our people inside. The gate will open soon.”

The Fidai replied in fluent Romance [a medieval dialect of French].

“Sinan has been preaching false teachings and blaspheming the sacred Imam for years.”

He added.

“Now he will pay the price.”

“I don’t care how you deal with Sinan.”

Count Joscelin said, raising his sword. The Assassins from Alamut were merely guides.

It was up to him and the other Frankish knights to subdue the fortress.

“Just don’t interfere with our fighting.”

Then a shout rang out.

“The east gate is opening!”

“Everyone, charge! Secure the gate and head to the citadel!”

“By order of Emperor Baldwin!”

Knights and soldiers rushed forward. They ran, ignoring the arrows pouring down from the walls.

The enemy soldiers rushed to the gate, but it was already too late.

Count Joscelin and the knights, having broken through the gate, cut down the resisting enemies.

The sword clanged against the chainmail.

“Kill all the Assassin members! Don’t leave a single one alive!”

* * *

“They’ve already crossed the walls?! What does that even mean!”

Sinan shouted.

The sharp sound of metal was heard from outside the window. Shouts and groans followed.

“They say these men approached the east gate last night.”

Three men were dragged before Sinan. All of them were pale and trembling.

Sinan glared at them and growled.

“Traitors. Were you bribed by the Franks?”

“W-we received orders from the rightful Imam!”

One man shouted.

He twisted his body and lunged at Sinan.

“By order of Muhammad II, I will take your life… Keuk!”

Sinan swung his sword, and blood stained the floor.

“The brat from Alamut has grown up. Joining hands with the Franks to stab me in the back.”

Sinan muttered, wiping the blood from his dagger. The man whose throat had been slit staggered and fell to the side.

Sinan went up to the citadel with his guards.

The women and warriors in the garden were all half-collapsed, intoxicated by drugs.

“Now that they’ve crossed the walls, this citadel won’t last long either.”

A subordinate whispered to him.

“You should evacuate quickly, even now. If you go through the secret passage, you can definitely…”

“Foolish talk. They’ve already found out about the secret passage. Going out there would be like walking into the enemy’s hands.”

Sinan said.

In fact, there was one more secret passage that only he knew about.

But it wasn’t time to escape yet.

“Lock the citadel gates tightly. Now that we’ve caught the traitors, they won’t have any other options.”

“But there are still many members fighting outside the citadel. If we just give them a little more time…”

“And wait until those Frankish bastards come crashing in?”

Sinan turned his head, and the man flinched.

“The members are fighting to buy time. Close the gate quickly.”

“…I will follow the Imam’s orders.”

Sinan looked at the front of the citadel and snorted. He could see the Knights of Jerusalem rushing in.

The Fidai members were not much of a threat to them, clad in chainmail.

The power of the Assassins came from surprise and fear.

They were at a great disadvantage in this kind of battle.

Sinan pointed to the warriors lying next to the women.

Those who had been waiting to be sent on assassination missions.

“Give those guys daggers and send them out. It’s better to reduce the number of mouths to feed, considering the food situation.”

They grabbed daggers with half-glazed eyes and rushed out of the citadel.

Red blood splattered everywhere in Masiyaf.

“We’ll hold out in this citadel until the enemies retreat.”

“But if the Franks have joined hands with the Imam of Alamut, they won’t give up easily. If it goes on for weeks…”

“Then we’ll have to make them retreat somehow.”

Sinan replied.

“Send a carrier pigeon to Aleppo. Tell them that Count Joscelin is here.”

If it was Masoud of Aleppo, he would definitely not miss this opportunity.

‘The main force of Jerusalem hasn’t moved yet.’

It was clear that Count Joscelin and his knights were all that was here in Masiyaf. If Hama and Homs were under pressure, would they be able to stay here?

No, they wouldn’t.

If they retreated, everything would return to normal.

“I should start thinking about how to get my revenge.”

* * *

“Count Valerian should have arrived in Damascus by now.”

Aigue said, pulling on the reins.

I nodded and looked back.

“I hope we can buy as much time as possible.”

Only a hundred knights directly under Jerusalem.

There were no other knights belonging to the Third Crusade.

To avoid Sinan’s suspicion, we had to move with as few troops as possible. We disguised the camel artillery and knights as caravans and escorts, respectively, before setting out.

The plan was simple.

While Joscelin attacked Masiyaf first, Valerian would stall Saladin under the pretext of a peace treaty, and I would go to support Joscelin.

“What if Saladin accepts the peace treaty?”

Aigue asked with a worried tone.

“Then the Third Crusade will lose its meaning.”

“Saladin himself probably wants to accept the treaty.”

I said with a smile.

If you think about it simply, Aigue would be right.

Once he accepts the peace treaty, he just has to wait until the Third Crusade leaves.

But would the citizens of Damascus allow that?

“After the last incident, hardliners will be dominant in Damascus. In that situation, can Saladin accept a peace treaty?”

“Indeed… That’s true.”

Aigue muttered.

“Count Valerian is risking his life to go to Damascus.”

“You could say that.”

I nodded.

While Valerian was in Damascus, we had to deal with the Assassins.

We had to finish it within two or three weeks at the latest.

At that moment, Richard and Garnier approached from the front.

Richard was the only one among the Third Crusade who noticed my plan and decided to join me.

He had begged me relentlessly.

‘We’re going to Mecca together later anyway, so wouldn’t it be better to practice in advance?’

Garnier approached and said.

“Your Majesty, Count Joscelin crossed the walls last night.”

“So they haven’t captured the citadel yet.”

The most ideal scenario would have been to cross the walls and capture the citadel right away.

It couldn’t be that easy.

“But the real problem is something else.”

Garnier said.

“According to reports from Hama and Homs, Aleppo seems to be taking action.”

“Masoud has caught on.”

I frowned without realizing it.

Masoud Atabek.

The lord of Aleppo and the surrounding area, and a man who once received supplies from me.

After surrendering to Saladin, he had been participating in the jihad [holy war].

But he found out about the situation in Masiyaf in just one day?

No, maybe the Assassins tipped him off.

“Since Hama and Homs are empty, there couldn’t be a better opportunity. He must have been sharpening his sword ever since he lost those places.”

“Then shouldn’t we tell Count Joscelin to withdraw his troops?”

Aigue interjected.

“Masiyaf has also suffered a lot of damage, so they won’t be able to counterattack rashly. We can easily capture it if we attack next time.”

“That’s exactly what Sinan wants.”

I said.

If Count Joscelin withdrew like this, Sinan would ferret out the spies inside.

Then there would be no reason to join hands with the Alamut Assassins anymore.

Now that we’ve drawn our swords, we have to settle the score somehow.

“But we can’t fight the Aleppo army with the troops we’ve brought.”

“…”

Garnier and Aigue both looked at me in silence.

Then Richard said.

“Why is everyone so gloomy? Isn’t this the kind of situation we came here for?”

He grinned.

“It’s no fun when everything goes according to plan. Isn’t that right? We can go to Hama and Homs to help with the defense.”

“The Duke is right. And there’s always a way.”

I said with a smile.

Richard was burning even brighter now that there was an obstacle.

“But with the current troops, it’s difficult to defend both Hama and Homs at the same time.”

I said.

A small number of cavalry and camel artillery.

“Aleppo can mobilize about 4,000 to 5,000 troops right away.”

“Then there’s about a 6 to 1 difference.”

Garnier said with a sigh.

“If you take out the camels, the difference in numbers will be even greater. I trust Your Majesty’s choice, but they haven’t even fought a real battle yet…”

“I know what you’re trying to say.”

I said.

The camel artillery had been training for months, but this was their first real battle.

It was no wonder the other knights were worried.

I looked at Richard.

“What do you think, Duke?”

“The fact that it’s their first real battle isn’t necessarily a disadvantage for us.”

He shrugged.

“The enemy is also encountering them for the first time. Even the famous Roman legions were busy running away when they first saw elephants. We can use that to our advantage.”

“…”

The enemy is also seeing them for the first time.

I hadn’t thought of that.

Unlike the Muslims who used camels in battle, the Franks only preferred horses.

Camels were only for mercenaries or transportation.

What would the Muslims think if they saw so many camels?

A transport unit and Frankish knights escorting it.

Thanks to Richard’s words, an interesting idea came to mind.

“Come to my tent for a moment, Duke.”

I said with a smile.

“I have something to review with you.”