[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-nation-of-ten-thousand-nations":3,"chapter-the-nation-of-ten-thousand-nations-the-nation-of-ten-thousand-nations-chapter-123":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Nation of Ten Thousand Nations",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2333091,4562,"Chapter 123: First Battle (4)","the-nation-of-ten-thousand-nations-chapter-123",123,"\u003Cp>Grand Master Philip of the Knights Templar ruthlessly crushed Baldwin and Cesar’s ideas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was an unavoidable matter. After all, they were only fifteen or sixteen years old, while the majority of the Knights Templar were elderly men in their thirties or forties—once one entered an armed monastic order like the Templars or the Hospitallers, one had to sever all ties to the secular world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they had not yet fulfilled their duties as sons, husbands, fathers, and subjects, they could not serve God unless, like the first Godfrey, they were willing to entrust all their possessions to another male heir—people revered him precisely because he truly abandoned an asset so vast it would move even a king, unlike most Crusaders who left their homelands only because they had no inheritance or title.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Philip himself was already forty-seven; he had watched his son marry and produce an heir. How could such an elder be expected to obey a youth as faithfully as he obeyed God?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Philip had briefly been tempted—he was, by nature, a reserved and mediocre man, incapable of overriding past experience and current circumstances to make a decision that seemed mad yet was truly decisive—the latter often called “genius” or “madness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I hear you enjoy taking risky moves in chess,” he rebuked Cesar with a glance, though the remark was directed at Baldwin—after all, who else was beside Baldwin but Cesar? Even if Cesar had never urged the king, his silence was already a sin, let alone his clear support for Baldwin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I thought you were a steady, good boy,” said the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, his voice tinged with anger. He had just finished estimating the Sultan’s forces with several other knight commanders; this campaign was surely Nur al-Din’s final battle—he had brought nearly twenty thousand soldiers, half of them cavalry, along with vast supplies, weapons, and siege engines, and merchants continuously delivered food and provisions to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nur al-Din was far wealthier than Amalric I; Amalric I possessed only Ascalon, while Nur al-Din ruled all of Syria. So how many men did they have now? Though they had caught the thousand-man unit off-guard and suffered minimal losses, even if they united with nearby cities like Nablus, they could muster at most two or three hundred knights and two or three thousand infantry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With such a disparity in numbers, Philip had never considered engaging the enemy in open battle. Worse, they must conceal their movements—especially ensuring Nur al-Din did not learn Baldwin IV was here. They must return to Ascalon as soon as possible and hold the city until the main force arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Philip had little confidence himself—sieges could last years or merely weeks; when the Crusaders took Ascalon, it took a month and a half. When they besieged Fustat, it took about two months.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What troubled him was Nur al-Din might unleash all his strength from the outset, disregarding losses and casualties—this would crush the morale of the city’s people, and if he spotted a weakness, Ascalon might fall before the main force returned…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Moreover, you cannot prove that Sultan Nur al-Din is already spent. At least the knights saw him still mounted on horseback, not lying on a litter or seated in a carriage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He may have rushed into this campaign, but there is reason,” Philip said, his expression darkening. “Yes, we made a mistake, and he seized the opportunity—but that does not mean you may take such risks, Your Majesty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knelt halfway before Baldwin, speaking with solemn gravity: “Your father, Amalric I, was a valiant warrior. He never betrayed the duty and status entrusted to him by his brother, nor disappointed the Christians’ expectations. Though his two expeditions to Egypt failed, we all saw he bore no fault—only cruel fate toyed with him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You are his only son. Even with your leprosy, despite the Church’s condemnation, the people’s accusations, and the ministers’ counsel, he never once considered abandoning you. In his final moments, he exhausted every effort, planned every detail, so no one can question your legitimacy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the Counts of Tripoli and the Princes of Antioch serve not to restrain you, but to support you through these darkest days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than that, though you are afflicted by illness, God still blesses you and has granted you the Spear of Saint George—do not so lightly disregard your life. Perhaps one day this terrible curse will leave you, granting you long life and endless glory; years hence, you may look back on today and smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Your Majesty,” he sighed, “I swear: as long as you endure, so long as you are King of Ascalon, Guardian of the Holy Sepulchre, Knight of Christ, I will forever obey your will.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lifted the young king’s hand and pressed it against his forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had Philip adopted a domineering or contemptuous stance, Baldwin might have feigned obedience—or even imprisoned or executed him to seize power. But Philip’s heartfelt words made Baldwin ashamed of his earlier wicked thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As we have said, relations between the Knights Templar and the monarch of Ascalon have always been tense; no ruler wishes a force he cannot fully control within his capital, and compared to the Hospitallers, the Templars were indeed far more arrogant…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They believed they served God alone—what were secular kings? They still awaited judgment in hell, while the Templars, upon death, ascended instantly to heaven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, they clashed and despised each other, yet were forced to stand side by side against infidels—a relationship later generations found bizarre, almost unbelievable: how could you trust your back to someone who would turn his sword on you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet such was the truth: no matter how fiercely they quarreled within Ascalon’s walls, on the battlefield, whether Hospitaller or Templar, they fought to the death with unyielding fury. Their piety inspired both hatred and admiration—and for Philip to speak thus was already a great concession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baldwin hesitated, rarely so; Philip spoke truly. Returning to Ascalon was a cautious path, but because of his unique status, if he made a wrong decision and Philip chose to obey, should he be captured or killed in enemy hands, the Grand Master would not only lose all his rank and glory but be nailed to a cross of shame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They would mock themselves, and condemn the Grand Master of the Knights Templar—for he was both elder and warrior. Yes, even though Baldwin and Cesar were now knights, people would say he failed to protect these two children. He might act recklessly, but if the cost was paid by others, he must be far more cautious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baldwin looked to Cesar for help, but Cesar could offer only the same answer—this was the limitation of the age; nearly all intelligence was murky and unclear. Neither merchants nor knights could approach Nur al-Din’s army, let alone stand before him to observe his condition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His own Saracens would not reveal even a shred of information about him. They could only guess—it was a gamble: win, and the reward was immense; lose, and everything was lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The deadlock was broken by Philip’s squire: “There is an Israelite outside—he wishes to see the Knight of Bethlehem.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Philip’s gaze sharpened like a needle: “How does he know the Knight of Bethlehem is here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many knew Baldwin IV always traveled with the Knight of Bethlehem. At this moment, a profit-driven Israelite suddenly appearing and demanding to see Cesar was no good omen. “Did he say who he was?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Philip had already decided to detain him—or hang him as a fraud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He asks you,” the squire turned to Cesar, “whether you remember when, in Fustat, you served as inspector and rendered a fair judgment between him and a Crusader knight—saving him and his family. He has never forgotten that debt, and now he has found a chance to repay it—if you will see him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bring him in,” Philip said. “I will meet him with you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Israelite was soon led in. Cesar recognized him at once—he was the Israelite craftsman with the lovely daughter who had left a deep impression on him, not because of his wife or child, but because his Saracen neighbors had all spoken for him and raised money for his ransom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remember: Israelites, whether in Syria, Ascalon, or Egypt, were second-class, even third-class citizens. People despised them for hoarding, speculation, and usury. For Israelites, this was unavoidable—they owned no land, could not farm or herd, and survived only by such means.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to others of this era, such practices violated doctrine—both Christian and Saracen—and were often laced with deceit, intimidation, and distortion. Their contempt and hatred for Israelites was entirely justified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That this Israelite had won the full support and aid of his Saracen neighbors proved he was indeed a rare upright man among his people. “Your name is…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haredi,” the Israelite replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems you remember me,” he said, voice hoarse, eyes bloodshot, hair disheveled, his body stained with blood—especially his thigh, where the wound had stopped bleeding but the gash remained terrifyingly exposed, swollen with a deep red scar like a devil’s mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blood on his chest, face, and hands showed he had held a bleeding body in his arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You say you owe me a debt, and now you’ve found a way to repay it,” Cesar asked, “how will you repay me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Haredi offered a grim smile: “First, I must tell you this: my home—the Israelite settlement in the Qumran wilderness—has been utterly destroyed by Nur al-Din’s vanguard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They killed nearly everyone, burned the village. I escaped. Perhaps a few others survived like me—I do not know…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You come bearing hatred,” Philip asked. “Do you beg us to avenge you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I ever entertained such a thought, let me burn in hell,” Haredi said. “My lord, I will not ask anyone to avenge me—I am the blade forged in hatred. I came here to be taken, and then thrust into the enemy’s heart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You are no knight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am no knight—yes, there are no knightly Israelites. But my lord, not all vengeance requires a sword. I bring a prophecy, spoken by my teacher, a noble sage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to Baldwin: “My star is falling; a new star rises.” He did not speak the next line: “My lord, do not be cowed by the dull roar and bristling mane of that old beast—it is but the dying gasp of a dying man, the final delirium of a soul worn thin by age…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His journey ended three months ago. What walks now is merely a hollow shell, his defenses as thin as paper—pull once, and they tear. And when their master dies, the Saracens will not avenge him or fulfill his wishes—they will slaughter each other to choose a new master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Philip frowned, casting a worried glance at Baldwin. He had just spent great effort persuading Baldwin—only for this Israelite’s nonsense to reignite the dying embers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to rebuke him, drag him out, lock him in a dungeon, torture him into confession—he suspected him of being a Saracen spy, yet if so, Nur al-Din’s army should have already surrounded them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baldwin stopped him: “Empty, pale, powerless words shift like desert dunes at night. If you have only this tongue, we will not believe you—we will punish you. For you risk Christian lives on the waves of chance. But if you can produce proof—any proof to substantiate your words…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have it,” Haredi said calmly. “The sage of Qumran was my teacher. He always placed great hope in me. He is dead—died after a night of flight. But before he passed, he left me his most precious treasure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gold?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, more precious than gold, Your Majesty. It is an ancient collection. In the year 70, when the Romans stormed Ascalon and destroyed our Temple, our scholars and sages fled, carrying as many texts and documents as they could. Some of these are now in my teacher’s possession—and I know where they are. I even brought part of them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room fell silent for a long while. Then Philip raised his head and asked, “But what does this have to do with the war now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You do not believe me because you distrust the prophecies of Israelite sages. But what if there were a way to confirm Nur al-Din’s true condition? If he is, as I say, merely a frail shell, his inner flame already flickering…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How would you confirm it?” Philip asked. “They would never let an Israelite approach the Sultan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have something the Saracens would kill to possess.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2097,"2026-06-20T20:58:34.857Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f483e4ad0c4a71cbb0aeef3a79f22352ffdf0353af8545ddf1ee7d8ba88e1b6b","the-nation-of-ten-thousand-nations-chapter-124","the-nation-of-ten-thousand-nations-chapter-122",168,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-nation-of-ten-thousand-nations-cover.jpg"]