I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 53

Assassin’s Creed (3)

* * *

Aleppo.

The wind blew, scattering sand and dust.

Two men in armor gazed at the fortress walls.

Saladin and Taki.

Kurdish guards surrounded them.

“Days like these remind me of your late father. Your uncle always shared the hardships with his warriors,” Saladin said with a smile.

He reached out and patted his nephew’s shoulder.

“Seeing you grow up so strong, your uncle would surely be proud.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Uncle. If you hadn’t taken me in, how could I have come this far?”

“I’ve said this to my own son as well…,” Saladin said.

“The only ones you can trust in this world are our kin. We Kurds must always be united by blood.”

He looked at his nephew and asked, “So, how’s the mood among the Emirs (princes)?”

“Not very good. They’re anxious about not having captured Hama and Homs.”

“They’re the first to step forward when winning, but the first to hide when things get tough,” Saladin scoffed.

He stared at the fortress walls before him.

The long walls were hard to completely surround even with tens of thousands of soldiers.

“Perhaps we should have captured those places after all….”

“Both cities put up more resistance than expected. With our current forces, we would have only wasted time. The key is the head.”

Saladin pointed to Aleppo with his finger.

“Taking out Masoud, who’s in there, then the remaining cities will fall into our hands on their own. Hama and Homs as well.”

“Then why aren’t you giving the order to attack? Didn’t you say this yourself, Uncle?” Taki asked.

“Those cowardly bastards will surrender as soon as they see blood.”

“No. We must wait until he raises the white flag first,” Saladin shook his head.

He stroked his beard and continued, “Now is the time to preserve our forces as much as possible. Besides, it doesn’t look good for Muslims to fight each other. There’s a time for everything.”

He muttered, “Hama and Homs. And now Aleppo, completing their defenses so quickly….”

“Information must have leaked from somewhere,” Taki waved his hand and exclaimed. “It’s the complete opposite of what our spies reported, isn’t it?”

“Yes, the complete opposite of our spies’ reports. And Baldwin started his attack from Damascus as if he had been waiting…,” Saladin muttered.

“Information about the expedition must have leaked from somewhere.”

“But only our clan knew about this expedition in advance. Unless you suspect us, Uncle….”

“I would never suspect you,” Saladin said in a soft tone.

He sighed. “Perhaps we should have delayed this expedition.”

“There wouldn’t have been another opportunity if not now. Didn’t you say so yourself, Uncle?”

“Yes, I did say that. But the more time passes, the more it benefits the Franks [Europeans, often used to refer to Crusaders].”

He continued, “Cairo is like our vault. If something happens to Damietta, Cairo will inevitably be shaken.”

“By now, Al-Adil should have besieged Beirut. The Franks can’t ignore that.”

“Perhaps,” Saladin nodded.

“The Franks started their offensive as soon as I left. That’s what bothers me. It means they knew in advance…,” he frowned and said.

“Tell each Emir to lead their troops and raid the surrounding villages. Take all the supplies, livestock, and food.”

“I will obey.”

“If his reputation plummets, Masoud won’t last long either. The people will rise up immediately,” Saladin raised his finger.

“A coward holed up in his fortress. We must make everyone think that way.”

At that moment, a messenger approached and knelt before Saladin.

“Commander of the brave warriors.”

“What is it?”

“Masoud Atabeg has sent his mother and sisters out of the city gates. He wishes to discuss peace terms with the Sultan….”

“Masoud has sent his family as envoys. Bring them all to my tent. Treat them with the utmost respect.”

“Understood.”

The messenger left.

Taki spoke immediately, “It’s a clumsy trick to buy time.”

He scoffed and crossed his arms. “He didn’t send a single envoy before, and now suddenly he wants to negotiate. Isn’t he just trying to stall until we get tired?”

“Perhaps. But I have no reason to turn away the envoys. If we talk, we can find out what their situation is,” Saladin turned his back and said.

“Keep a close eye on the Emirs. Make sure to keep a tight rein on them so they don’t have other ideas.”

“I will keep that in mind, Uncle,” Taki bowed his head.

Saladin looked at the fortress walls one last time before heading to his tent.

* * *

“You need to focus!”

Two wooden swords clashed in the air.

A thud echoed through the training ground.

Aig muttered, shaking his wrist, “No matter how I think about it, this seems unfair. Isn’t the Young Lord supposed to be able to hit targets with a crossbow while blindfolded? How can I possibly beat him?”

“Shooting a crossbow is a separate matter from swordsmanship. Aig, you’ve been practicing archery too much. This is the price for neglecting your swordsmanship training,” Guinier said with a smile.

He looked at me. “The Young Lord is excellent compared to others his age, but he still needs more training.”

“When will this training ever end?”

“There is no end to swordsmanship. You must continue training until you die or can no longer hold a sword.”

“I’d rather avoid battles altogether,” I said, shaking my head with a smile. I feel like I’m going to die from training alone.

The types of training Guinier taught were diverse: horsemanship, spearmanship, swordsmanship, martial arts, archery.

There were countless types within swordsmanship. The style changed 180 degrees depending on whether the opponent was a spearman or a heavily armored knight.

“Then let’s practice spearmanship again. When you charge, like last time, try to be a bit more…,”

At that moment, a man entered the training ground. He knelt down, panting.

Guinier asked, “What is it?”

“A letter has arrived from Jerusalem for the Young Lord. I was ordered to deliver it only to him,” the messenger said, handing me the paper.

“I was ordered to deliver it as quickly as possible, as it is a matter of utmost urgency….”

“I understand. I’ll read it right away,” I looked at the panting messenger. What could be so urgent?

The seal on the outside was familiar—Sybil’s seal.

“It’s from my mother.”

“What could Sybil want….”

“We’ll know if we read it now.”

A letter from Sybil. I tore open the letter and began to read.

The contents of the letter…. Hmm. I can’t believe this.

I rubbed my eyes and read the letter again, but the contents remained the same.

An awkward silence fell.

Aig asked, “What does it say, Young Lord?”

“You wouldn’t believe it even if I told you. The Knights Templar…,”

I threw the letter into the nearby hearth. The paper crackled as it burned.

“The Knights Templar are going to attack us soon.”

“The Knights Templar are attacking?” Guinier frowned and approached. He strapped his sword to his waist.

“What are you talking about, Young Lord?”

“Exactly what it sounds like,” I told them the contents of the letter: the plan of Guy and the Knights Templar to attack the supply train.

Both of them blinked in surprise.

Guinier muttered, “The Knights Templar… the Knights Templar accepted such an absurd proposal?”

“If the letter is correct, then yes,” I nodded. Sybil had no reason to give me false information. Even if someone had fabricated it… there would be no benefit in sending something like this.

“My mother’s spy must be near Guy.”

I’m glad I told her to let me know if anything happened. The relationship between 12th-century noble couples is indeed brutal. Will Theodora and I end up like that?

Aig opened his mouth. “I can’t believe it. Even if the Knights Templar receive tribute, doing something like this is….”

“It’s crossing the line. It’s practically helping Saladin,” I nodded.

It was natural for any country to have factions within it. Imperial Japan during World War II is a good example. At the time, the Japanese Navy and Army snarled at each other and clashed over everything. The army even created its own warships and submarines. They may have even pointed guns at each other.

The knightly orders of this era were the same. Sabotaging each other was actually common…. But this goes beyond sabotage and is just plain stupid.

How can you do something like this if you only think about short-term gains?

Guy or the Knights Templar—these stupid guys will eventually seize power, and that’s why the kingdom will fall.

Guinier sighed and said, “King Amalric, the former king, once pursued an alliance with the Assassins [Nizari Ismailis, a secretive religious sect]. The Assassins also sent envoys and showed a friendly response.”

He added, “The only condition the Assassins set was to reduce the tribute paid to the Knights Templar.”

“The Knights Templar must have interfered then too.”

“Yes, Knights Templar knights attacked the returning envoys and massacred them all. The king arrested the perpetrators and interrogated them, but…,”

He said, “They insisted to the end that it was self-defense. They claimed the envoys attacked first.”

Guinier scoffed. “In the end, only those members were executed, and that was the end of it. The alliance talks fell through.”

“Then it’s not surprising that they’re doing something like this,” I looked at the remaining ashes.

The reason the Knights Templar did this was actually simple: to maintain the annual tribute they received from the Assassins. And Guy must have encouraged them to do this from the side.

The Knights Templar and Guy’s faction had a strong relationship. The Knights Templar were the biggest supporters when Guy later became king.

“I’m glad we found out this information in advance,” Guinier said.

“I’ll tell them to increase the escort to more than double right away. If our knights directly protect the supply train…,”

“It will be difficult for the Knights Templar to attack. They won’t have many troops to infiltrate the mountains secretly,” I nodded.

The Knights Templar who come to attack will be few in number. If we increase the escort, we can definitely stop them. But is that the best option?

‘Increase the escort to prevent the attack.’

If we do this, we can stop them, but we can’t punish them. You can’t pursue a crime that hasn’t happened yet.

The information obtained through the spy can’t be called evidence either. That’s why Sybil sent me a letter instead of making it public.

Even if I prevent the attack… Guy and the Knights Templar will suffer no loss. From their perspective, they have nothing to lose.

We can’t do that. We need to make it clear that there’s a price to pay for doing something this stupid.

I slowly opened my mouth. “I’ve heard that the relationship between the Knights Templar and Guy is strong. We need to cut it off completely this time.”

“What do you mean, Young Lord….”

“Someone I know once said this: Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”

Napoleon isn’t my friend, but…. Well, Napoleon has to be born in a few hundred years, so it doesn’t matter.

“We’ll set a trap first. They don’t know we’ve noticed…,” I put down the wooden sword and picked up the real sword.

I put the sword in the scabbard on my waist and continued, “They’ll come right in.”

Then there was only one thing left: to end the life of the stupid boar that fell into the trap.

* * *

Guinier’s story about the Knights Templar’s attack on the Assassin envoys is a true story. (Reference material – The Templars and the Assassins , The Crusades: It Was God’s Will!)