Chapter 61: Little Fish (Part 1)

With war imminent, Amalric I certainly could not continue to stay in the Holy Cross Castle. Although the Holy Cross Castle was a magnificent building, it absolutely could not accommodate the thousands of people needed for this battle, not to mention that there were many people conscripted or hired, and there might be a few spies with ulterior motives.

Amalric I set up the camp in the hilly area outside the Golden Gate, near the Garden of Gethsemane. This place was planted with lush olive trees, and under the shade of the olive trees were countless rows of gray-white stone coffins—some were Isaac people's, some were Christians', and some were Saracens'.

It is said that the Savior will enter Al-Salu from the Golden Gate, at which time the Third Temple will reappear in the world, all those who have died will be resurrected, and those closer to the Third Temple will be resurrected sooner.

After retaking Al-Salu, some people proposed moving the Saracen bones, but they were rejected by the then King of Al-Salu, Baldwin I.

He said that the Saracens buried here were once followers of Caliph Omar I, who was a virtuous and enlightened king who once allowed Christians, Isaac people, and Muslims to worship here together. Even though he had left the world six hundred years ago, they should not be subjected to such humiliation.

Since Baldwin I had decided this, the subsequent Kings of Al-Salu would certainly not disturb these sages who had long since passed away. Amalric I did not even allow the soldiers to cut down the nearby olive trees, preferring to harvest cedar and cypress from further away.

Tent after tent was set up, and bonfire after bonfire lit up in the dark night. People set up racks over the bonfires, hung black pots on the crossbars, and smoke and steam swirled between the tents, smoking the prey hunted by knights and squires or the meat strips bought, as well as their clothes—surcoats, cotton armor for inner lining, and long shirts, and perhaps socks.

However, most of those who did this were knights who could not afford laundry maids. Their squires and attendants often needed to work like a woman.

Laundry maids walked in the camp, often laughing at the fabrics that still had obvious stains. They usually carried a large wooden basin containing the employer's clothes. They had to take these clothes, soaked in sweat, sand, and blood stains, to the river to wash them clean, dry them, and then bring them back—you ask why there would be blood stains?

Yes, the war had not yet started, but how could those young people who prided themselves on bravery and fighting be able to spend this long preparation time peacefully and according to the rules?

A knight might argue with another knight about which noble lady was more worthy of respect, or it might be that one side occasionally heard the other side mocking themselves, their friends, or their lord (this kind of thing is very common), or even just a small collision, a look...

Although they could not launch a formal duel like in the Biwu Assembly, finding a small open space and using fists and swords (they would negotiate this themselves) to complete the confrontation after the verbal exchange was also a pleasant and satisfying thing!

Sometimes their squires or armed attendants would also participate together, or rather, some things were provoked by these fellows.

People who followed knights, whether squires or armed attendants, were not necessarily of the same class as their masters. They might be the sons of craftsmen or the sons of wealthy farmers. They were more fierce than their masters and did not know how to hold back.

Gold is of course good, and silver coins are not bad. Even if the opponent's attendant only had a few copper coins, being able to strip a few pieces of clothing could also make them satisfied.

A squire unfortunately lost his hand in such a contest and had his arm broken by his opponent's hammer. He lay on the ground with a piece of wood in his mouth. A monk was setting his bone, but the situation did not look good. He did not shout loudly, not because the injury was minor, but because he had already fainted.

His master was frowning and talking to the monk. The monk shook his head, while the master was pinching his money bag. The money bag was empty. It seemed that the Isaac merchants outside the camp had work to do again.

People who had just watched this contest were walking past them. They were commenting on the contest just now, still unsatisfied or angry. Being angry was of course because they lost money—this kind of contest would soon have bookmakers coming to call people to place bets, and the knights and squires participating in the contest would also place bets, as long as they thought they could win.

A gorgeously dressed herald, followed by two monks, walked through the noisy crowd, brushed past the squire lying on the ground, and walked toward a tent hanging with flags, heraldic wooden shields, and ribbons. People looked up, guessing what kind of will they had brought to the master of the tent again, was it a commendation, or a reprimand? It should be the former mostly.

After the herald left, another attendant holding a vigorous falcon walked into the tent. He was wearing chainmail and a falcon-style iron mask. In his master's castle, he should have an official position—it was not strange for nobles to bring their favorite hawks and dogs when they were summoned to fight, and there were even people who would bring dwarfs, cooks, and herds of livestock.

Perhaps someone would ask, would they bring their wives or lovers?

Basically not. Merchants and prostitutes outside the camp could be said to have been looking forward to it for a long time—they did business with lords and knights, and also did business with squires and soldiers. They did not refuse inquiries from mercenaries, handymen, and grooms.

This time Amalric I recruited about one thousand mercenaries. Most of them were wandering knights like Longinus who had nowhere to go. They were very enthusiastic about the King's recruitment and did not care much about the remuneration, which made some clerics' teeth ache—usually, to hire these people, they would negotiate the price coin by coin, haggling over every ounce.

This was not strange. This war could be seen as another type of Biwu Assembly. Those wandering knights who could not afford the entrance fee dreamed of galloping on the battlefield, being invincible, and immediately attracting the attention of the King or the Order's Grand Master, thereby embarking on a shortcut to the clouds.

However, all the above people added together were not as many as the peasant soldiers summoned for this battle.

Their sources were very complex. They might be farmers or craftsmen drawn from surrounding villages and towns at a ratio of thirty to one, or fifty to one. There were also pilgrims who had come to the Holy Land but could not return to their hometowns for various reasons. Even more, there were escaped slaves or criminals.

They gathered here, whether out of obligation, money, or faith, and undertook all the trivial and heavy work.

Such as setting up and dismantling tents, collecting fodder, food, and fuel, taking care of horses and dogs, building crude fortifications—wooden fences and trenches, as well as siege machines that might be used later, making consumable weapons—wooden spears, round shields, and arrows, and preparing simple dry rations such as cheese, unleavened bread, oats, and mixed fruits (the kind Geoffrey had eaten)...

These peasant soldiers were required to bring their own armor and weapons, and because of this, they looked mixed, dirty, and chaotic. Some brought bows and arrows, some brought hammers, some brought flails (wooden farm flails), and some simply made a wooden stick or wooden spear on the spot.

Few of them could bring a helmet. Occasionally, one could see someone wearing a skull cap. This kind of small hat that looked very much like a cleric's but was made of black iron or hard cowhide in a bowl shape was used by knights to put over their chainmail hoods to enhance defense, but sometimes, you know, on the battlefield, it might roll into the sand and dust, and then be picked up by peasant soldiers cleaning the battlefield.

Chainmail, scale armor, and lamellar armor were even less likely to be seen on them. They might just have that one set of clothes. You might be able to see some things similar to leather armor and inlaid armor, but if you look closely, you will marvel at human imagination and creativity regarding piecing together and making do.

They could not become the main force on the battlefield. Even though sometimes they were also classified as "infantry," they were completely different from the sword and shield infantry of the Templars, the spearmen and crossbowmen in the Crusaders, the heavy infantry of the Holy Roman Empire, and the heavy shield soldiers of Byzantium—they were just consumables used to interfere with the enemy's vision, consume the enemy's arrows, and fill trenches.

Even if they luckily survived on the battlefield, few people would be willing to spare their lives—because they were not worth money, and their value might not even be enough to offset the wheat they ate.

And until today, Cesar knew that before the siege, there was a team in front of the army, which included scouts, arsonists, and foragers.

What they had to do was very simple, which was to comb through the surroundings of the enemy castle like a fine-toothed comb, burning houses, expelling people, looting food, and destroying fields, so as to cut off the enemy's supplies.

More commonly, the enemy would take the lead in doing so. If they encountered a benevolent lord, they would allow the people to enter the castle for refuge, but if he was cruel enough, or had decided to hold out for a long time, he would block these people who had neither houses nor food outside the thick city walls, leaving them to starve to death, or be killed by the invading army.

"This time... my father might not do that... after all, this is a war between Christians and Christians." Baldwin also felt a bit guilty when saying this.

In Frank, there were also many wars between lords and lords, lords and kings, and kings and kings. And when it involved a siege, even if the church said "killing Christians is a sin," it could not stop the lords' horses from trampling the fields and the soldiers from setting fire to houses.

But what responsibility did the civilians have?

It was the Templar Order that coveted money, and it was Amalric I who proclaimed authority, but they had to bear all the sins.

The only thing to be glad about might be that there were no overly dense villages and towns between Tortosa and Al-Salu.

"Can you lend me something precious, a relic, a weapon, or jewelry, anything will do." Cesar asked in a low voice.

"In my box, you can take whatever you like. But you have to tell me, what do you want to do?" Baldwin said.

"I want to find Geoffrey and ask him, what kind of person is Walter de Mesnil of Tortosa?"

"And then?"

"I want to see this person and persuade him to surrender to Amalric I."

After Baldwin confirmed his meaning, he could not help but show a look of confusion: "Why," he said sincerely: "Why, Cesar, we have already made a vow to each other. If someone wants you to do something you don't want to do, you just need to say that you have already made a vow to me, never to kill someone who has never raised a weapon against you—whether he is a man, woman, old person, child, or heretic.

That will be enough. If they question you, I will guarantee for you, making them unable to hold you accountable."

"I also know this is a... very strange and even somewhat ridiculous idea, but in these few days, I have seen so many people... This matter is not unchangeable."

"But this is war." Baldwin said: "This is Al-Salu."

"I might be the cowardly person you thought I was before. I cannot just watch, Baldwin. It is not just the one thousand people here, nor just the one thousand people there, more people will lose their lives in vain."

Baldwin laughed angrily: "Cowardly? No, Cesar, this is not cowardly. You are so bold as to be shocking. You actually want to be a messenger? Not the King's, but a messenger for a group of pilgrims and peasant soldiers. How are you going to persuade the Templars of Tortosa? Perhaps tomorrow I will be able to see your head used as a stone projectile and shot into my father's tent by a ballista!"

"So I want to know, what kind of person is the Templar Marshal of Tortosa?"

"Geoffrey won't tell you, my father won't allow you to go, and Teacher Heraclius won't either—even if you go, how could a Templar Marshal listen to you? He would see it as a humiliation and be at daggers drawn with my father..."

"That's right." Cesar said.

Baldwin stared at him for a while and understood: "You have already decided, haven't you?"

"I need your support."

"And then watch you go to your death."

"Baldwin, I thought you could understand," Cesar said, "There are always some things in this world that you know you cannot do, but must do."

He thought he would never forget the mother and son standing in the snow peeling tree bark to eat, and the three people who rushed out of the simple mud house.

——————

Geoffrey must have long forgotten the people in that house. Otherwise, what, did he count the people he had killed as sheep to hypnotize himself before going to sleep every day?

He said the same thing as Baldwin: "Are you looking for death?"

"No," Cesar said: "I am not a person who does not know how to weigh the importance. Besides, there are people here who care about me and people I care about. But if you know what kind of person Walter de Mesnil is—if he is indeed what I think... I might be able to try one or two."

"What good will this do you?"

Cesar raised his head and thought for a while: "More people will call me 'Little Saint'?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 62 =====