Chapter 123

Philip, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, mercilessly crushed the ideas of Baldwin and Cesar.

This was also a helpless matter. In any case, they were only fifteen or sixteen years old now, and in the Knights Templar, the elderly in their thirties and forties made up the majority. After all, once they entered a knightly order of the armed monk type like the Temple or the Hospital, they had to cut off everything in the mortal world.

If they had not fulfilled their duties as a son, husband, father, and subject before this, they could not serve God, unless, like the first Godfrey, they were willing to hand over everything to another male heir—people revered him precisely because he truly abandoned a huge asset that even a king would be moved by, rather than like most Crusaders, who had to leave their homeland and go to the Holy Land because they had no inheritance rights or titles.

Philip was also forty-seven years old. He had already watched his son get married and have an heir. For an old man like this, how could you expect him to obey a young man as if he were obeying God?

Although Philip had also been extremely briefly tempted—but he had always been an introverted and mediocre person. He could not override past experience and the current situation to make a judgment that seemed rebellious but was actually decisive—the latter was often called a "genius" or a "madman."

"I heard that you like to take risks when playing chess." He looked at Cesar with reproach, although this sentence was said to Baldwin, but who let Baldwin have Cesar by his side? Even if Cesar had not incited the King, as long as he had not discouraged him, it was a crime, not to mention that Cesar's attitude was clearly supportive of Baldwin.

"I thought you were a steady and good child," the Grand Master of the Knights Templar said somewhat angrily. He had just made a rough estimate of the Sultan's army with several other knight commanders. This expedition could be called Sultan Nuerding's last battle. He brought nearly twenty thousand soldiers, half of whom were cavalry. They also brought a large amount of military supplies, weapons, and siege equipment, and merchants were continuously transporting grain and various supplies for them.

Nuerding was much better off than Amalric I. After all, Amalric I only owned one Jerusalem, while Nuerding owned the entire Syria. Relatively speaking, how many people did they have now? Although they had the advantage of the prepared against the unprepared when engaging that thousand-man unit earlier, their losses were not large. But even if they united with Nazareth and several other nearby cities, they could only recruit at most two or three hundred knights and two or three thousand infantry.

With such a disparity in numbers, Philip had not considered engaging the enemy head-on at all. Not only that, they had to hide their tracks, especially not letting Nuerding know that Baldwin IV was here. They should return to Jerusalem as soon as possible, and then hold the city until the main force returned.

But Philip also had no great confidence in his heart—the time for a siege battle could be long or short. Some might take a year or two, but if it was short, it might only take a week to break the city's defenses. When the Crusaders took Jerusalem, it took a month and a half. When they attacked Fustat, it took about two months.

What worried him was that Nuerding might commit all his strength at the beginning, regardless of loss or casualties. This would not only put great pressure on the people in the city, but if he really caught a glimpse of a weakness, perhaps before the main force returned, Jerusalem would...

"And you cannot prove that Sultan Nuerding is at the end of his rope. At least the knights saw him still riding on his horse, not lying in a palanquin or sitting in a carriage.

He decided to go on an expedition, perhaps indeed a bit hurried, but there was a reason," speaking of this, Philip could not help but show a troubled expression: "Yes, we made a mistake, and he seized this opportunity, but that does not mean you can take risks, Your Majesty."

He knelt half-way before Baldwin solemnly and said earnestly, "Your father, Amalric I, was a brave warrior. He did not fail the duties and status his brother bestowed upon him, nor did he fail the expectations the Christians had for him. Although the two expeditions to Egypt were unsuccessful, we could all see that he was not at fault, but was just ruthlessly teased by the devil.

You are his only son. Even if you contracted leprosy, facing the church's harsh criticism, people's questioning, and the ministers' remonstrance, he never wanted to give you up. At the last moment of his life, he exhausted all his strength and planned everything, so no one can question your legitimacy and legality.

Even if there were the Count of Tripoli and the Duke of Antioch, their greatest significance was not to hold you back, but to support you through this most difficult time.

Not to mention, even if you are plagued by illness, God still blessed you and gave you the Spear of Saint George—please do not look down on your own life so much. Perhaps one day, this terrible curse will leave you, and you will have a long life and endless glory. Perhaps many years later, when you look back on today, you will only smile.

Your Majesty," he sighed and then said: "I can swear that as long as you are willing to endure, every day from now on, as long as you are the King of Jerusalem, the Guardian of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Knight of Christ, I will always be willing to obey your will."

After speaking, he lifted the young monarch's hand and pressed it against his forehead.

If Philip had adopted an overbearing posture or a contemptuous attitude, Baldwin could have pretended to comply while secretly disobeying, or even found a way to detain or execute him to seize his power. But after he said such heartfelt words, Baldwin felt ashamed of his previous bad thoughts.

As we said, the relationship between the Knights Templar and the monarch of Jerusalem had always been quite tense. After all, no ruler would want such a force in their capital that could not be completely controlled, and compared to the Hospitaller knights, the actions of the Templar knights were indeed much more arrogant...

They firmly believed that they were serving God, and what about secular monarchs? They still had to wait for judgment in hell, rather than like them, who would ascend to heaven immediately upon death.

Just like this, they squeezed each other and despised each other, while having to stand together when facing infidels. This relationship seemed very strange to later generations, and it was even hard to believe. How could you dare to hand your back to someone who would cross swords with you?

But the fact was just like this. No matter how fiercely they quarreled in Jerusalem, once they reached the battlefield, whether it was the Hospitaller knights or the Templar knights, they would fight to the death. Their piety to their faith was both hateful and likable—and Philip being able to speak to this extent could be said to have made a great concession.

Baldwin hesitated rarely. Philip was not wrong. Returning to Jerusalem was a relatively conservative way, but precisely because his identity was too special, if he made a wrong decision and Philip decided to follow it, once their judgment was wrong and he was captured or killed in the enemy camp, this Grand Master would not only lose all his current status and glory, but would also be nailed to the cross of shame.

They would mock themselves, and even more, condemn the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, because he was both an elder and a strong man. Yes, even if Baldwin and Cesar were knights now, people would still say it was he who did not protect these two children. He could be willful, but if this price was not paid by him, but by others, he had to be more cautious.

Baldwin asked Cesar for help with his eyes, but Cesar could only give the same answer. This was the limitation of this era. Almost all intelligence was chaotic and unclear. Whether it was merchants or knights, it was impossible to approach Sultan Nuerding's main army, let alone walk up to Nuerding to observe his situation carefully.

The Saracens around him would not leak any intelligence about him, not even a bit. They could only guess. This would be a gamble. If they won, the gains would be huge, but if they lost, they would have nothing.

"My lord...?"

Breaking the deadlock was Philip's squire, "There is an Isaacite outside the door," he said, "He wants to see the Knight of Bethlehem."

Philip's eyes immediately became sharp as needles: "How does he know the Knight of Bethlehem is here?"

Baldwin IV always brought the Knight of Bethlehem with him. Many people knew this. At this time, a profit-seeking Isaacite suddenly visited and named Cesar, which was not a good thing. "Did he say who he is?"

In any case, Philip had already decided to keep him or simply hang him on the charge of being a liar.

"He asks you," the squire turned to Cesar: "If you still remember when you were in Fustat, you, as an inspector, made a fair judgment between him and a Crusader knight, and he and his family were saved because of this. He always remembers this kindness, and now he has finally found an opportunity to repay it, as long as you are willing to see him."

"Bring him up," Philip said: "I will see him with you."

That Isaacite was soon led in. As soon as he saw him, Cesar immediately remembered. He was the Isaacite craftsman who had a lovely daughter. He had left a deep impression on Cesar, of course, not because of his wife and daughter, but because his Saracen neighbors were willing to speak for him and pay his ransom.

You must know that Jews, whether in Syria, Jerusalem, or Egypt, were second-class or even third-class citizens. People hated them because they always hoarded goods, speculated, and even practiced usury. For Jews, this was a last resort, because they had no land, could not farm or herd, and could only rely on this method to support themselves.

But for others of this period, this kind of thing not only violated the doctrine—whether it was Christian or Saracen—but was also often mixed with deception, intimidation, and distortion. Their contempt and hatred for Isaacites were completely justified.

This Isaacite was actually able to get the full support and help of the Saracens, which showed that he was indeed a rare and upright person among the Isaacites. "Your name is..."

"Haridi." The Jew reported his name.

"It seems you still remember me." His voice was hoarse, his eyes were bloodshot, his hair was disheveled, and he was stained with large patches of blood, especially on his thigh. Although the bleeding had stopped, the wound exposed at the tear was still terrifying and dangerous. A dark red scar had bulged there, like a devil's mouth.

And the blood on his chest, face, and hands indicated that he had once held a blood-soaked body in his arms.

"You said you owed me a kindness, and now you have finally found a way to repay it," Cesar asked, "So, how do you intend to repay me?"

Haridi showed a bleak smile: "I first want to tell you one thing. My hometown, the Jewish settlement in the wilderness of Qumran, has been completely destroyed by Sultan Nuerding's vanguard.

They killed almost everyone and burned the village. I escaped, and perhaps there are a few survivors like me, I don't know..."

"You came with hatred," Philip asked, "Are you begging us to take revenge for you?"

"If I had such a thought, let me go to hell," Haridi said: "My lord, I will not ask anyone to take revenge for me. I am a sharp blade tempered by hatred myself. I came here hoping you could take me and then stab me into the enemy's heart."

"You are not a knight."

"I am not a knight, yes, there are no knights among the Isaacites. But my lord, not all revenge must be accomplished by swords. I brought a prophecy, which was said by my teacher, a noble sage."

He turned to Baldwin: "The old man's star is falling, and a new star is rising," he did not say the next sentence of the prophecy: "My lord, please do not be deterred by the dull roar and bristling mane of that old beast. That is just the flash of a dying person, the last dream-talk of a soul that has become corrupt and dull due to aging...

His journey ended three months ago. What is walking on the road now is just a walking corpse with a shiny surface. His defense is like a thin sheet of paper, which will be torn open with a light pull. And for those Saracens, once their master dies, they will not take revenge for him, nor will they achieve his wish. They will kill each other to decide on a new master."

Philip frowned. He looked at Baldwin worriedly. Previously, he could be said to have tried his best to persuade Baldwin, but he did not expect to have complications at this time—the nonsense of this Isaacite would obviously rekindle the dead fire in the ashes, causing it to burn fiercely again.

He wanted to rebuke, wanted to drag him out, lock him in a dungeon, torture him, and make him tell the whole truth—he suspected whether he was a Saracen spy, but if so, the Sultan's army should have surrounded this place long ago.

Baldwin stopped him: "Words are empty, pale, and powerless, and they will change from time to time like sand dunes at night. If you only have this tongue, we will not only not believe you, but also punish you. Because you gathered the lives of Christians on the water waves. But if you can produce any evidence, as long as you can prove your words..."

"I have," Haridi said frankly: "The sage of Qumran is my teacher. He has always had high hopes for me. He is dead, died in a night of flight. But before leaving, he left me a most precious treasure."

"Gold?"

"No, more precious than gold. Your Majesty. That is an incomparably ancient collection. In the year 70, the ancient Romans broke into Jerusalem and destroyed our temple. And when our scholars and sages escaped from Jerusalem, they took away the classics and documents there as much as possible. Now a part of them is collected by my teacher, and I know where they are. I even brought a part of them."

This was indeed precious. The room was silent for a good while, and then Philip raised his head and asked, "But what does this have to do with the current war?"

"You are unwilling to believe me because you do not trust the prophecy of the Isaacite sage. But if there is a chance to determine Nuerding's current condition? If he is as I said, with only a frail shell, and the fire inside has long been crumbling—"

"How do you determine?" Philip asked: "They will not allow an Isaacite to walk up to the Sultan."

"I have something that, as long as the Saracens know, they will inevitably want to get."

(End of chapter)