Chapter 159: White Eagle (Part 2)

Then he moved a chess piece, defeated Saladin's "Vizier," picked up the defeated piece, held it in his hand, and rubbed it gently. "I don't know how you view this child, but are you really not worried that some people will be jealous and hateful because of your special favor for him?

And no matter what, he is a Christian.

When I was still in Aleppo, I used to read extensively. In the great library of the capital, just like rivers bringing sand, merchants also brought countless classics, records, and documents. Among them, I once read a philosophy book of the Seres translated by an elderly scholar, in which there were several brief but profound maxims that I remembered deeply in my heart.

My lord, one of them says this: when a precious medicinal herb or herb grows in the middle of the road, even if you feel regretful and reluctant, people coming and going on this road must still painfully eradicate it.

I admit that Cesar is the young man I have seen who is most noticed and loved by Allah, but he is ultimately not a Saracen, but a Christian. If he is allowed to return to Jerusalem unscathed, he may encounter us on the battlefield in the future. Your mercy at this time may cause the defeat of the war and the death of countless Saracens.

You have also seen that those knights can't be called stunning geniuses in any way. They can achieve the result of defeating and devouring enemies several times their own strength with weak power because they have Cesar, have such a leader who is respected, convinced, and has extraordinary great power, to achieve such brilliant results.

And I also heard that in the Battle of the Sea of Galilee that led to Sultan Nur ad-Din's great defeat, it was also him who stood firmly by the side of the King of Jerusalem. He was known as the Shield of the Shengcheng at that time, and the doctor also said that the revelation he obtained was by no means just what people saw. It can be said that as long as he is there, the King of Jerusalem will never fall on the battlefield.

So are you really going to let him go back? Why don't you take this opportunity to take him back to Cairo? When he arrives in Cairo, you treat him like a son or nephew, give him money, give him a palace, give him power. You can even tell him that as long as he is willing to work for you, you are even willing to slow down the offensive against Jerusalem and other Christian countries."

Hearing this, Saladin finally couldn't help laughing. He was not laughing at Kamal. Kamal's words indeed hit his heart. He could indeed do this. After all, in the next few years, his focus would not be on the Christian countries along the coast, but on Egypt, on Syria, and even on those lands still occupied by the Seljuk Turks.

As for the Crusaders, he could even be said to be contemptuous. From what he understood, they had long lost their initial sharpness and devotion. Rusty knives might still retain some of the sharpness of the past, but they could no longer pose a threat to him.

Moreover, if he kept them, it would have a considerable benefit for his cause of unification—he could use this sacred name to combine all the Saracens together, combine them tightly, and never be able to separate again.

"I have indeed thought about it," Saladin sighed long, but unfortunately, "The young man I fancy is so smart. I once talked to him outside the palace of Caliph al-Adid. He saw through my intentions at a glance. He would never believe that I wouldn't launch an offensive against those Christian countries for his sake, and he also knew that I was just using a void gift to exchange for his loyalty to me.

Not only would he not listen, but maybe, for the sake of his brother, the King of Jerusalem, he would give me a hard stab."

"Would he?"

"Yes, he is that kind of child who has his own opinions, confidence, and acts decisively."

"If your generals heard you say this, they would even more want you to execute him, or detain him so that he can never return to Jerusalem."

Saladin closed his eyes and stretched comfortably, "But if so, the King of Jerusalem alone would have no way to deal with those hungry jackals.

I'm not talking about Saracens, but the Christians surrounding him. They have never given up on grabbing benefits for themselves in anything. Kamal, I don't believe you haven't noticed the weirdness in it—those people, whoever it is, the First Lady, Salih, or those two princes, what is the benefit of killing Count Joscelin III of Edessa and his wife?

Joscelin III poses no threat to us. He has been a prisoner of Zengid and Nur ad-Din since he was five years old. The reason he was able to grow up and get married was because Nur ad-Din didn't completely swallow Edessa, and he could be brought out to make a fuss when necessary. Such a person returning to Jerusalem only adds some trouble to Jerusalem, and there is no benefit, but they still did it. Why do you think that is?"

"Someone wanted them to kill Count Joscelin III of Edessa—and his successor," Kamal said: "It's indeed not right." The number of those pursuers, and their overly enthusiastic attitude...

"Cesar's head is worth 1,000 gold coins," Saladin said. Cesar and his knights did kill the previous two batches of people, but since Saladin was also a Saracen, how could he not understand the fighting style of these Turks? He ordered his soldiers to strangle the subsequent pursuers. This information was obtained from the captives.

Don't think that 1,000 gold coins is very little—when the second prince bought the Christian knights, he gave 1,000 gold coins of jewelry for one person, but to be honest, whether there was a component of turning his face and "taking it back" after the event, only that head hanging on the south gate wall knew.

The First Lady originally wanted to use this sharp blade in the most critical place—those Emirs and Fatahs who had strength. Being able to extract such a sum of money was enough to embarrass her.

Moreover, the prices of Christian knights and Turks were also different, whether buying or selling.

Saladin reached out and pressed his forehead. He also felt a headache. The First Lady was not a woman who acted recklessly because of a moment of willfulness. This indicated that she, or someone she couldn't abandon, had a handle firmly held by the Christians. He didn't know what it was, just hoped that this handle wouldn't affect the entire Saracen world.

He exhaled slowly. He still needed to figure out this secret.

Kamal still felt it was a pity. The time spent together had made him like this young man. If he was willing to stay by Saladin's side, even if this behavior would stain his character, his future would definitely not be just a Fatah or a vizier, at least a Grand Vizier or Emir, and might even be sent out to become a viceroy of a place. If he stayed in the court, he might also become an "Atabeg."

This title once belonged to the founder of Zengid, and later his two sons also inherited this title. In the Saracen language, it means "Royal Teacher, Protector."

Along the way, this Christian knight's compassion and gentleness toward the commoners, he also saw in his eyes. He would become a very good ruler. His actions would not tarnish Saladin's reputation, but would make his glory even higher.

Saladin held his chin, "Don't be anxious, Kamal," he said, moving his "King": "He is still so young, and we have plenty of time.

Kamal, I said, Jerusalem is not a pure sacred place. Perhaps it once was, but now it has been polluted by those pagans. If one day I take back the Shengcheng, I must use rose water to scrub every stone brick and pillar there, destroy their statues and crosses, and burn spices for three days and nights to remove this disgusting filth.

And this child—do you really think he can be like a fish in water in the court of Jerusalem?

Indeed, the King of Jerusalem loves him very much, but no matter how much he loves him, they are also two young men. Cesar's family is equivalent to non-existent and cannot give him any help. Moreover, the King of Jerusalem has leprosy and has not yet recovered. His life might end abruptly one day before the age of thirty.

No, not even until then.

If Cesar was still that servant of unknown identity, it would be fine. Now he has become a real nobleman, Count of Edessa, and the cousin of the King of Jerusalem. He can touch that throne—whether he wants to or not," Saladin looked down at the chessboard: "He will always be a thorn in some people's eyes."

Kamal heard these words and only felt cold all over. Saladin's care for this Christian knight, they all saw in their eyes. He was even willing to love the house and its crow, releasing all the Christian knights, as well as those squires and slaves for him, but he could also calmly watch Cesar walk toward the cliff, fall and break his bones, and be covered in bruises.

But he could only sigh. Now he himself was Saladin's prisoner—he wasn't naive enough to fantasize that he could get the same treatment as Nur ad-Din here. Saladin treated them so courteously, firstly because he had just become the Grand Vizier of Egypt and had no usable people around him; secondly, it was for legitimacy—presumably, Saladin would soon claim that he was Nur ad-Din's successor. If there were Nur ad-Din's old ministers around him, his persuasiveness would be much stronger.

Kamal even changed his original idea—he originally wanted to wait for Cesar to wake up and visit him, but now, he'd better not meddle. If the other party knew or guessed Saladin's intention, Saladin might suspect that he had leaked the secret, and a person like Saladin would never easily act until the last moment. He didn't want to spend the next few decades trembling.

However, with things on his mind, the next few steps he played were indeed a mess.

"Don't think about it," Saladin said: "If you want to see Cesar, go see him. What I said, he can probably guess, but his temperament is stubborn—just a little lamb with horns! It's you who don't go to see him, and he will feel strange," he looked up: "Go, perhaps soon, you will meet in Cairo or Aleppo."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 160 =====