I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 201

Became the King of the Crusades – Episode 201 (201/215)

The City of the Prophet (1)

Jerusalem

Royal Palace

“Then why aren’t you sending reinforcements right now?”

Theodora asked, looking at the lords in front of her.

“Are you suggesting we abandon Tiberias as it is?”

“If we march the army up there now, it’s the same as playing into Saladin’s hands,” Balian said.

“There aren’t many water sources on the way from Jerusalem to Tiberias. And Saladin probably poisoned them all by now.”

He glanced at Sibylla, who was standing next to Theodora.

“The place where Count Guy was defeated is Hattin. If we run out of water and get exhausted by the heat, even knights won’t be able to fight.”

“….”

In the silence, Theodora looked at Count Raymond.

The lord of Tiberias.

“Count Raymond, what do you think?”

All eyes turned to Raymond.

He was so attached to the city that he was known by the nickname ‘Tiberias’.

“My wife is currently defending Tiberias. And we only left a small number of troops there for this expedition.”

He clenched his fist tightly.

“They probably won’t be able to hold out for more than a few weeks. But it’s better to give up Tiberias than to lose Jerusalem and the entire Levant [the historical geographical area encompassing modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan].”

“The royal family will cover the ransom for Lady Eschiva,” Theodora said.

“Then we have no choice but to give up on rescuing Tiberias. We will focus on defending Jerusalem.”

With that, she sighed. Fortunately, no one expressed dissatisfaction.

‘What if the hardliners in the royal family were still around?’

Balian bowed his head and replied.

“We will evacuate all the surrounding residents into the city and check the defenses.”

“How are Henry II and King Philip?”

“Henry II has regained consciousness, but he still has difficulty moving. King Philip has finished his treatment and is ready for battle again.”

“That’s a relief.”

Theodora said. Fortunately, the King of France did not mention returning to Europe after the retreat from Damascus.

‘I don’t have to use the method Baldwin mentioned.’

When will Baldwin return to Jerusalem?

Until the king returns, Jerusalem had to be protected by her and the other lords.

Then Balian spoke.

“New ships arrived from Italy this morning. As the news spread that Saladin was going to attack Jerusalem….”

He said.

“More and more knights and soldiers are flocking here. The European Knights Templar branches are also supporting the fares, so the number will increase in the future.”

“Then I should welcome them myself.”

Theodora said, standing up.

“If they came to save Jerusalem, shouldn’t the queen show her sincerity?”

“But with your pregnant body….”

Balian and Raymond.

Other lords and clergymen turned pale and spoke up.

“You should take care of yourself as much as possible right now.”

“The only one who can stop me is Baldwin. And he’s not in Jerusalem right now.”

Theodora said with a faint smile. Balian waved his arms and half-shouted.

“Then I’ll prepare a palanquin [a covered litter carried by poles] in advance! Please don’t overdo it….”

Meanwhile, outside the palace, soldiers and citizens were busily moving around preparing for the upcoming war.

The atmosphere in Jerusalem was calm yet tense.

* * *

Eilat

“Aren’t you guys sad to leave Cairo?”

I looked at Ruark, who was standing next to me.

There were faint bloodstains here and there on the white feathers on his back.

“If we had occupied Cairo, we would have obtained spoils that couldn’t even be compared to Damietta.”

“Wouldn’t it be strange if the Holy Sepulcher Knights only cared about money?”

Ruark shrugged.

“We are just following His Majesty’s orders.”

“For someone who says that, you seem to be getting paid regularly.”

He burst out laughing at my joking words.

“Let’s just say that’s our Nordic habit. Where would the Viking blood go?”

We laughed and marched together.

Ruark looked at Richard and said.

“I didn’t know that the Duke of Aquitaine was such a good fighter. This terrain is completely different from Europe, so how….”

“Richard is a born monster.”

With that, I shrugged. Richard enjoyed the battle as if he had come out for a hunt, not an expedition.

Plus, I took care of all the minor things like supplies, so it must be even more comfortable for him.

It is an ideal situation where he can concentrate only on the battle.

“Isn’t the tamer who tamed the monster scarier than the monster?”

Ruark said, looking at me.

“It was His Majesty who brought Duke Richard from Europe. Perhaps no other man could have handled the Duke like that.”

“I just showed the lion the meat.”

I replied with a smile. Meanwhile, we arrived in front of the walls of Eilat.

Kang and the camel unit in green clothes greeted us.

“Your Majesty! I didn’t expect you to arrive so quickly!”

“I didn’t know I could come this fast either.”

I replied with a smile.

A forced march from Egypt.

Arriving in Eilat in just three days. It’s a speed that rivals the Mongol army.

But the soldiers and horses were all quite exhausted.

‘I want to rest if I could….’

The most important thing now is time.

Now that Saladin has launched an offensive, there is not much time left.

The citizens of Eilat came out of the castle gates and handed out food and water to the soldiers.

I watched the scene and asked Kang.

“Have you prepared everything I told you about?”

“I’ve already printed it all on paper. We also received additional stocks of Greek fire [an incendiary weapon used in naval battles] from the Roman side.”

Kang nodded.

“If only we had followed Your Majesty to Egypt….”

“There’s a reason why I kept you guys here.”

I shook my head.

Paper and Greek fire. Besides that, camels were essential to conquer Mecca.

‘If there was a problem in Egypt, it would have been difficult to fix.’

We had to save as many camels as possible. Kang let out a hollow laugh after hearing my explanation.

“You’re really planning to advance to Mecca by land. But it would be faster to take a ship from Eilat….”

“It would be much faster. That’s why it’s not possible.”

Reynald and Ruark had approached Mecca through Eilat. The two advanced to just in front of the castle walls without any particular interference.

‘Of course, Reynald was captured and executed.’

Then Ruark interjected.

“The Saracens must have built new defenses and fortresses after I visited. Landing from the sea will be that much more difficult.”

He stroked his beard.

“But it is not easy to cross the desert with this many troops. In fact, no one has ever tried….”

“That’s why it’s hard for the Saracens to predict.”

I said with a smile.

A long desert area. Scattered villages.

And a road that the Crusaders had never attacked.

“Hannibal was able to raid Rome because he crossed the Alps. If he had safely attacked Sicily or Massilia, would he have succeeded?”

“…Hannibal crossed the Alps and we are crossing the desert.”

“If we advance to Medina, we can receive supplies by sea from then on. Supply ships from the Zagwe Kingdom must have already left by now.”

“But there are not many people who know the geography there. Unless we hire a guide separately from the local area….”

“You don’t have to worry about that. The best guides are already prepared.”

With that, I shrugged. The Bedouin tribes.

They attacked us when we were retreating with refugees from Damascus.

There were hundreds of chiefs and prisoners captured at that time.

Most of them were released after offering camels or tributes, but there are still many who are being held hostage.

“Where else can we find people who are more familiar with the geography there than the Bedouin tribes?”

“Since we have prisoners, they won’t be able to think of anything else.”

“That’s right. But there’s another problem I’m thinking about.”

With that, I paused for a moment.

Capturing Mecca.

Unlike Egypt, there would not be many spoils to gain. And I had no intention of looting Mecca or Medina.

‘Both cities should be occupied as peacefully as possible.’

Turning the Islamic holy sites into ashes would not help in negotiations. It would be better not to occupy them at all.

I looked at Kang and Ruark.

“All I can promise you is blood and tears. All you can get from occupying Mecca is fame. Will you still follow me?”

“….”

Silence flowed.

Before I knew it, other knights and soldiers had gathered around.

The English were the same.

Richard was on horseback, looking at us with an amused expression.

“Blood and tears.”

Ruark said with a smile and knelt before me.

“This is all we can give to Your Majesty. Will you accept it?”

“More gladly than any other gift….”

I reached out and pulled him up. I could feel the excitement erupting around me.

“I will accept it.”

* * *

“The King of Jerusalem sent a messenger. Is that true?”

Yaghi Siyan asked with a frown. A sandy wind passed outside the tent.

“What’s the matter this time….”

It has been several months since his sons were captured by the Crusaders. Not only Siyan’s tribe, but also many Bedouin tribes had to pay the price for touching the Crusaders.

‘Just capturing the refugees from Damascus can earn you a huge fortune!’

Most of the warriors from the tribes who participated in the attack were either killed or taken prisoner.

Tribes who could pay the ransom somehow squeezed out the money, but most tribes had to offer camels as tribute.

Since then, all the Bedouin tribes in Arabia have refrained from attacking and continued only with commerce.

“They say they need a guide to cross the desert. If they provide a guide, they will consider it as if they paid the ransom….”

“Is that true?!”

Siyan shouted, jumping up.

He could not afford to pay both the ransom and the camels to release his sons.

The desert was becoming more barren day by day, and the conflict between tribes became more severe as the attack failed.

In that situation, it was impossible to raise a large sum of money or hand over the camels.

But they will accept just a guide as a ransom.

“What on earth are those Franks up to….”

“Why do they need a guide in the first place?”

A young warrior muttered.

“Sultan Saladin is fighting the Jerusalem army in the Levant, isn’t he?”

“Yes, but now they are trying to find a guide to pass through Arabia. Something is strange.”

“Should we contact the Sultan now….”

“And let all my sons die?!”

The young warrior cowered and lowered his head at his fierce cry.

A brief silence passed, and finally he opened his mouth.

“Bring the messenger into the tent. I need to hear the story in more detail.”

He added, muttering.

“If I can get my children back with just a guide, it’s not a bad deal.”