Chapter 58: Killing?

"Have you ever killed a man?" Geoffrey asked.

Cesar froze for a moment, subconsciously lowering his eyes. "I have."

Although this was not his wish, nor was it his hobby, when Witte and the others issued their ill-intentioned invitation, he knew that his relationship with these original beneficiaries could only be one of life and death.

They could also be said to be his first examination paper; the answer he gave on this paper was directly linked to his future destiny.

He was a cowardly person. He did not believe that if he disappointed Amalric I, Amalric I would generously forgive him as he had claimed. He had already seen that in this era, a person's life was as small and fragile as sand in the wind.

Cesar could only tell himself that this was self-defense; they wanted to kill him, so he could only retaliate.

"That is not what I meant." Geoffrey waved his hand casually. Since he had taken a fancy to Cesar, he had naturally looked into his past. Before being rescued by Amalric I, he had been a slave of the Isaac people. Even though people did not know where he came from and he had no memory of his past, what he displayed was indeed the bearing and talent that only the son of a knight could possess.

As for Witte, despite this fellow having also received a blessing, to the Templars, he remained a piece of dried dog shit on the road; if one accidentally stepped on it, one would still have to disgustedly scrape the sole of their shoe. His death would not have any impact on the Holy Land, the Holy Cross Castle, or the Order.

Except for his mad mother. Geoffrey spat in his heart. After Witte died, his mother was unwilling to let it go—earlier, she had always wanted to get her son out of the monastery, but she had never succeeded. Hearing that he had died, she even brought people to secretly dig Witte out of his grave.

She had once appealed to Amalric I, of course, with no result. So she ran to appeal to the Patriarch at the time, but the Patriarch was too lazy to bother with such a penniless little woman. In the end, she actually went to the Templar Order; it was truly ridiculous.

Although the Templar Order had many conflicts with Amalric I, in this situation, they would not stand on the side of an Isaac woman. She was wantonly mocked and almost beaten to death by the sergeants, and in the end, she could only curse as she took her son's corpse and went far away.

When Geoffrey heard this, he could not help but curse these fellows for not being thorough enough—he immediately took men to chase after her, but the woman was very cunning. The Templars had only just followed her to the neighborhood where the Isaac people lived when she, like a fish entering the sea, slipped away without a trace.

Although the knights could break into the Isaac neighborhood to search, unfortunately, at this time, Amalric I was preparing for the ceremony of welcoming the Byzantine Princess into the city. A large number of craftsmen were building the arena for the Biwu Assembly here, and there were people, materials, and warehouses everywhere... In the end, it could only be left unsettled.

But it should not matter. Geoffrey thought to himself, how much of a stir could an Isaac woman cause?

"No, that is not what I meant," he pulled his attention back to the conversation with Cesar. "You already know that your King has decided to attack our castle in Tortosa, right?"

Cesar nodded: "This is no secret." When Amalric I heard the accusations from the people of the "Eagle's Nest," he immediately summoned the Grand Master of the Templar Order. He might have intended to mediate, but unfortunately, both sides were at daggers drawn, and there was simply no room for easing tensions, especially since the Grand Master of the Templar Order's attitude was unprecedentedly tough. He and Baldwin could almost hear Amalric I's roaring in the left tower.

Speaking from the heart, he also felt that the superior-subordinate relationship in this era was very strange, or rather, only in the Holy Land was there such a loose and deformed relationship.

Amalric I was the Lord of the Holy Land. That was correct, he was also the leader of all the Crusaders. Antioch and Tripoli, as well as the surrounding Christian cities, could all be said to be his vassals, but apart from the Holy Sepulchre Order directly under his jurisdiction, the Hospitaller Order and the Templar Order would only listen to the will of the Pope.

Just as the Grand Master said, they fought for God, not for secular kings. Their relationship with Amalric I was merely one of cooperation. Perhaps when resisting the Saracens, they would be willing to listen to Amalric I's deployment, but in normal times, not only would they not be subservient to Amalric I, they would also frequently challenge his authority.

The several forces in the Holy Land were like a group of monsters forcibly glued together by faith. Each head had its own will, always noisy and fighting endlessly. Although they could barely maintain consistency when facing the Saracens, people were emotional animals after all. Cesar felt shocked just watching from the side, not knowing when this thing, barely kneaded together, would suddenly fall apart.

"Last time, Amalric I hanged twelve of our brothers, which made many of us feel angry and uneasy. But in the final analysis, they were indeed derelict in their duties. Not only did they lose an important military stronghold against the Saracens, but they also surrendered to the Saracens. Even if they returned to the Templar Order, they would still be held accountable and might even be executed.

Although what Amalric I did was a bit excessive, it was still within his authority," Geoffrey analyzed calmly: "After all, the reason the Templar Order can continuously receive various donations, privileges, and new blood is because we are fighting for Christ, exterminating those hateful heretics, and ensuring the safety of pilgrims along the way."

"This is the foundation upon which the Templar Order was established and stands to this day. If we cannot do what we promised God and the believers, the Templar Order is a palace built on sand and will collapse sooner or later. But this time, it is slightly different. The brothers in Tortosa were striking at heretics, even though your King has been saying that he intends to win over this force that split from the Seljuk dynasty and have them convert to God.

But haven't they not converted yet?

The Templars striking them is like a lion hunting a goat. This was originally a reasonable and fair matter, but standing from the perspective of your King, Amalric I, this is a naked provocation, and he cannot tolerate it.

Therefore, you can regard it as a small punitive war. The scale of this war will not be very large, and Amalric I will inevitably win."

"The Templar Order... will not intervene?"

"Not intervene. Neither side will intervene." Geoffrey said bluntly.

Cesar could not help but raise his hand, "May I ask a question?"

"Go ahead." Geoffrey answered readily.

"Do you not have jurisdiction over the branch in Tortosa?"

"We do indeed have a Grand Master, a Chaplain, a Marshal, and managers and supervisors of all sizes in various aspects. But according to the original doctrine, everyone in the Order has equal status. The brothers are like monks in a monastery. When a brother is stubborn, as long as he has not violated his vows, abandoned his faith, or blasphemed God, we can only advise, not attack them.

Otherwise, we would be killing each other under the gaze of God and would surely be abandoned by the saints and cursed. We would never do that."

Geoffrey then lowered his voice and said: "Of course, those brothers stationed outside can, and should, obtain more freedom." He said pointedly, "You also know that to maintain the operation of a military fortress, we need a lot of money."

Knights do not engage in production. Templars often say they are armed monks, but they also hate and despise labor. But what does not require money? Food, water, clothing, armor...

They can collect taxes from tenant farmers and merchants on their own land. What to do in Al-Salu? Of course, the same old routine: collect taxes from passing merchants and pilgrims, as well as tribute from surrounding forces.

"The new master of the 'Eagle's Nest' only took this position a few years ago," Geoffrey said: "But there are also voices of opposition in the 'Eagle's Nest.' We all know that the founder of the 'Eagle's Nest' was Hassan, and the one who inherited his position was his son, Hassan II. After Hassan II passed away, the one who should have obtained this position was his child. But the problem is, his son was still very young, so Rashid ad-Din Sinan became the new 'Elder'."

Geoffrey gave Cesar a "you know, I know" look: "Sinan was once a close friend of Hassan II. Some people suspect that he took advantage of Hassan II's trust in him to seize the power left by Hassan II to his heir.

And when he was still in Tortosa—life was very difficult, so he signed a covenant with us, paying a sum of money to the Templars in Tortosa every month. The amount of this money was not small.

But later they signed a new covenant with your King, and one of the terms in the covenant was to cancel this tax."

Hearing this, Cesar suddenly realized. So Amalric I was generous, but he was generous with other people's money.

The Tortosa branch of the Templar Order suddenly lost such a large sum of money, so they certainly would not let it go, which is why they brazenly sent troops, wanting to destroy the covenant between the "Eagle's Nest" and the Holy Cross Castle.

And the Templars in Al-Salu decided to remain neutral this time because the root of the matter sounds very ugly—regardless of whether the master of the Holy Land, Amalric I, makes peace with the Saracens—others will not care what faction or position the "Eagle's Nest" belongs to; they only know that those who do not believe in God are heretics.

And the covenant that the Templars in Tortosa signed with these Saracens could actually be traced back several years—their attack on the Saracens this time was not for morality or faith, but for money.

"But your King also agreed on a condition with the Templars, which is that he can only arrest the Templars of Tortosa—if they do not die immediately on the battlefield, he cannot execute them. The Templar Order is willing to pay ransoms for them, including some sergeants and squires on the list, but there are some ordinary soldiers who are not included."

Geoffrey said seriously: "In order to manifest authority and vent his anger, your King will definitely choose to kill them all. Do you understand?" He stared fixedly at Cesar: "Not one or two, not ten or twenty, but more. You, and Baldwin, since the King has let you onto the battlefield, you must fulfill the duties of a squire. One of them is to walk on the land and in the fortresses where a tragic war has just ended, and finish off those who are still groaning and crying.

For those things that have no value, you must thrust your sword into their chests, or slit their throats with a dagger, to ensure they are thoroughly dead.

There are about fifty Templars in Tortosa, each knight will have one or two squires, three or four armed attendants, and a portion of sergeants—the kind that will be left behind—about one hundred or so. The clerics are of course among those pardoned, as are the craftsmen."

Geoffrey counted on his fingers.

"The remaining soldiers and handymen are also a full four or five hundred people. In order to temper your character and let you see blood, Amalric I will definitely call on you to do it. This is a rare and good opportunity. But can you do it? Facing people who want to kill you, you can fight back, but in front of those who are unarmed, dying, and perhaps crying and begging for your mercy, desperately trying to survive, can you take action?

If you cannot, from now on, you must prepare yourself.

A knight is a hunting dog," the Templar said without shame: "Whether it is God's or Amalric I's, a hunting dog, if it cannot gallop on the hunting ground to hunt rabbits and geese for its master, it is a useless fellow, no matter how agile, intelligent, strong, or loyal it is.

Swords that cannot be used will be broken and recast. Hunting dogs are like this, and people are too, especially since the master you serve, Baldwin, has already received a blessing, and those who approach him have not been infected, so the position beside him has become hot again.

If it were not for his insistence, there would certainly not be only you beside him now.

Amalric I probably will not feel gratified by this. If you cannot show greater value, Baldwin will not be able to protect you," he placed his hand on Cesar's shoulder and pressed down hard. "You are the child I have seen who is most favored by God. You seem to be perfect, and perhaps because of this, He gave you such a greatest weakness.

You must overcome it. Do not regard those who fall to the ground wailing and groaning, looking at you with helpless eyes, as innocent people like those pilgrims. If it were you lying on the ground, they would not have the slightest hesitation in taking action, and might even be more cruel.

They are your enemies. Treat them as you once treated your enemies," he shook Cesar's shoulder hard, his expression grave as he whispered: "Do you understand? This is something you must do."

——————

"Do you really like him that much? You are teaching him as if you were teaching a newly joined brother."

Not long after Cesar left, a Templar who had been watching the whole conversation walked up and sat opposite Geoffrey.

"Is he not worth it?" Geoffrey asked.

"He is not even willing to listen to your advice and leave Baldwin to come to the Templar Order." The other person said with a smile.

But they both knew very clearly. If Geoffrey said so, and Cesar immediately and joyfully abandoned his original master to join the Templar Order—

Of course, Geoffrey would not break his promise; he would still accept him, but he would probably no longer be able to gain the respect of the Templars.

Even if the blessing he obtained could make people envious, or even jealous, he would only become a spear or shield that the Templars would not be stingy with. Even if he luckily did not die, he could only ever be a sergeant and would be unable to be formally promoted to a knight, let alone go further.

If a person is disloyal to his original master, he will inevitably be disloyal to his new master. This is an idea engraved in everyone's heart.

"Many people are inquiring about the attendant beside the Prince," the later Templar said: "Also, what lord, noble, or even king would not want such a beautiful and capable little attendant beside them? Anyway, for them, raising such a pleasing little thing in the court is not a difficult matter."

"He refused?"

"No, those invitations were not even delivered to him." After all, for those who knew the inside story, these invitations were already close to a kind of humiliation. They did not understand the affection between Baldwin and this attendant, and only blindly thought that they could buy him with money.

"However," the later Templar said, "once William Marshal emerged in the arena, the attention of these people was diverted one after another. After all, even if a nine-year-old little attendant has an immeasurable future, how can he compare to a knight who can be used right now? Amalric I even wanted to invite him to join the Holy Sepulchre Order, but William Marshal did not agree."

"As expected." Geoffrey said.

William Marshal was not only an Englishman, but had also received the favor of Wang Hou Eleanor not long ago—the Templar recounted the matter between William Marshal and Wang Hou Eleanor, and then continued: "With such a favor, Amalric I could not continue to force him, and could only give this heroic knight a set of silver-plated chainmail and some money.

But I think after William Marshal returns, Wang Hou Eleanor and King Henry the Young will also not be stingy with rewards."

"Of course, didn't he come to participate in this Biwu Assembly just to establish the authority of King Henry the Young?" Geoffrey said. At this time, the situation of two kings ruling together was very common. Sometimes it was the Wang Hou Mother and the King ruling together. Sometimes it was even the old king and the new king ruling together. King Henry the Young encountered this situation. Henry II was still alive, and he still had a huge court and a team of courtiers. Although he had abdicated, he still held most of the power.

King Henry the Young was also very young and immature. Even with Wang Hou Eleanor's support behind him, he could not confront his father head-on.

Since that was the case, William Marshal had to make a name for himself so as not to bring shame upon his master.

"He did it. The prices offered by those lords or envoys were truly mouth-watering." The later Templar teased, "Even I was tempted."

Geoffrey nodded in agreement, "After hearing a few prices, I felt that even if William Marshal was shaken, it would not be an incomprehensible matter."

"Hey," the later Templar asked with a smile, "didn't you always believe that a person's character is like a flawless porcelain plate, and once it has a crack, it cannot be mended?"

"William and Cesar's situations are different," Geoffrey said frankly, "William Marshal was originally the second son of a count. He passed the 'Selection Ceremony' and was knighted before meeting Wang Hou Eleanor. Wang Hou Eleanor merely redeemed him from others. What she redeemed was only his body, not his soul.

But Cesar... although I very much hope that he can become a Templar, I also have to say that if it were not for Amalric I at the beginning, he would still be just a slave of the Isaac people, a slave who would be sold to heretics.

Do you understand? Even if he had been baptized before, when he died, no one would perform the sacraments for him. His soul would fall into the lake of fire in hell, to be burned for ten thousand years, and only at the end of the world might he obtain salvation.

The favor Amalric I showed him is completely different from Wang Hou Eleanor's favor to William Marshal. The two are simply incomparable."

——————

"Baldwin?"

"Hmm?"

"If..."

Baldwin waited patiently. It was the first time he had seen Cesar show such a hesitant expression.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 59 =====