Chapter 88: Siege! (8)

This decree was not the end, but the beginning.

People who haven't experienced war personally always have an illusion—that war is exciting, intense, makes one's blood boil, and is full of madness, joy, and sorrow—but the facts are not so, and it can even be said to be the exact opposite.

By the eighth day of the siege, Cesar and the other young knights had lost their initial fear and excitement. Unprecedented fatigue shrouded them. This fatigue couldn't be relieved by sleep, eating, drinking, or the clerics' treatment; it came from the disregard for life and the indifference to death.

When Geoffrey killed those civilians without warning, just to have a place to stay on a snowy night, Cesar only felt it was hard to accept, although he had to bear this bloody favor.

But after this, even though Geoffrey showed enough kindness to him, he still felt it hard to let go. Even without Baldwin, he thought he wouldn't be able to calmly accept the olive branch thrown by the other party.

Now, he still couldn't say he accepted it; he could only say he already understood why those battle-hardened knights would be so contemptuous of others' and their own lives.

Every day, every hour, every moment, as long as they opened their eyes, whether it was day or night, whether it was intercepting reinforcements from other cities, guarding supply caravans, or rescuing some reckless noble or pilgrim group, they were only constantly killing and being killed.

Accompanied only by nerves that were always taut, chainmail that was filled with the smell of blood no matter how much it was scrubbed, and weapons that had rolled edges because of too frequent hacking...

The young knights who used to joke often and argue about which noblewoman was more noble, purer, or more beautiful gradually became quiet.

When they returned to their tents, they either drank incessantly until they were dead drunk and fell asleep; or knelt before the icons to pray and repent, murmuring to themselves until dawn; or they stayed with their friends, like Baldwin and Cesar, reading books, playing chess, and acting according to their original life trajectories as much as possible.

Some immature knights had begun to be unable to control themselves—they would even attack their companions or pilgrims. If it weren't for the fact that there was always an incomparably calm Cesar in their team, it was hard to know what they would do.

"I'm actually a bit envious of Richard now," Baldwin said.

"He is different from us," Cesar said, shaking his head.

Richard had been baptized by the battlefield, but this wasn't the most important thing. There were also people in their team who had been tempered on the battlefield but still felt overwhelmed. And Richard? He was really a bit like the wild boar Baldwin had described. The bloodstains congealed on his body weren't a burden to him, but medals and shields. He always held his head high, declaring that he had killed many pagan "devils" in his battles.

Cesar had to be glad that at least Baldwin and his thoughts were the same, although if they could treat the Saracens as "non-human," the things they had to bear in their hearts would undoubtedly be much less.

"How is the situation in Fustat?" Cesar asked.

"Still in a stalemate," Baldwin said, showing a worried look. "Some people have already begun to slack off and neglect their duties, and some people want to attack Fustat according to their own methods."

"Haven't they suffered enough from the previous lessons?" Cesar moved the "siege tower" on the chessboard.

That noble who was self-smart, designed and built the siege tower himself, not only died but also lost the twenty knights who came with him. Fortunately, there were no figures like William Marshall among these knights, which didn't make people feel too heartbroken—but it did give the Saracens a big laughingstock and made their own people feel unlucky.

Not only that, just the previous night, a noble swore to the King that he had bought an Isaac merchant in the city. They agreed that when the sky turned dark and people couldn't see the situation under the city wall, they would ask a small team of Crusaders to sneak to the front of the left tower of the Victory Gate and call him in Greek. As soon as he heard it, he would immediately throw down a rope.

They could climb up along the rope, enter the tower, kill the people inside, and then find a way to occupy the other tower. Finally, open the Victory Gate.

But he also said they had to be very quiet and fast, because there were always patrols on the city wall, taking turns holding torches to check everywhere. If they were timid and hesitant, not only would they suffer, but even that Isaac merchant would be exposed.

Of course, no one would care about that Isaac merchant, but from Amalric I to several other military leaders, they all felt that the possibility of this loophole existing was not great. After all, the people in Fustat city knew the nature of Isaac merchants very well. They should have locked these people up or even killed them long ago. How could they let a merchant out to sell them such secrets?

But there were always daring and impulsive people. Although the noble's proposal was rejected, he still insisted on his idea. He managed to recruit about a hundred knights, promising them rewards from God and mortals. When some knights felt confused, he even said they weren't going to die, but to be happily with Christ, to obtain the eternal life bestowed by Him, rather than a short moment like morning dew.

His words convinced them. So, a hundred knights held shields, tied long swords to their waists, and carried rope ladders made of cowhide, approaching the left tower of the Victory Gate in the night. They made a call, and the dark window of the tower quickly sent back the agreed signal. The rope was thrown down, and then the cowhide rope ladder was hoisted up. The first batch of about twenty people climbed up.

But after they climbed up, there was silence for a long time. The people waiting couldn't help but feel anxious and fearful, thinking they had been betrayed by the Isaac merchant and were all dead. However, soon, someone stretched their head out from the battlements, telling them everything was safe, encouraging and urging them to follow up as soon as possible.

So, the remaining eighty people also climbed up one after another.

"You know what happened after that," the whole army was wiped out. Their heads were cut off, put into a catapult, and thrown outside the city wall. The naked corpses were hung on the tower. "They actually wanted to call you to go together at that time—fortunately, it was rejected by my father," Baldwin moved the "King," saying with relief.

Not to mention the battle for the Rawda Island fortress, Cesar had fought side-by-side with the knights many times since then—there were many knights who could provide protection for others, but no one could be more firm and long-lasting than him. They even discovered that as long as they were within a general range of Cesar, everyone could get his help.

The best thing was that the halo like scales or a shield could resist the enemy's attacks, but they themselves had no burden or hindrance when moving.

There were more than just Richard who wanted to "borrow" Cesar from King Amalric I, but so far only he had succeeded. This was because he had a kinship with Amalric I and was the son of Henry II—and Baldwin often acted with him—but if he wanted Cesar to leave Baldwin, Amalric I was not very willing.

"We might have to go up the siege tower tomorrow," Baldwin said.

"Hmm." Cesar had expected this long ago. Heraclius had come to remind him before.

This was also because the siege battle had reached the most white-hot stage. "I heard from the Master that we all have to go up the tower."

"That is the siege tower my father is most proud of. He calls it the Tower of David."

——————

The Tower of David stood by the Jaffa Gate of Arasalu, about fifty feet high, while Amalric I's "Tower of David" was twice its height, nearly one hundred feet. If the suspension bridge at the top was lowered, it would be level with the city wall of Fustat.

It was made of hard oak, covered with cowhide and sheepskin soaked in vinegar, and hung with leather bags filled with sand. Not only that, on the front facing the city wall, Amalric I spent a lot of money to fix a layer of iron plates. These iron plates were enough to arm five hundred infantrymen with shields. From this, one could see how much hope Amalric I placed in it.

The base of this siege tower was also spacious, accommodating twenty fully armed knights standing inside without any problem.

Cesar only felt a tremor in his body and could also feel the vibration coming from under his feet. Such a behemoth needed more than a hundred soldiers to push. They were lined up on both sides of the siege tower, with colleagues holding shields and wicker fences in front to avoid being pierced by arrows shot by the Saracens or smashed by stones thrown by catapults.

But inevitably, there were always people who groaned or exclaimed and fell down, followed by chaotic footsteps. They were dragged away, and the soldiers walking along with the siege tower would replenish them in time. The closer they got to the city wall, the more frequent and intense the vibrations they felt. Through the gaps in the siege tower walls, Cesar could see ignited flames, and stone debris bursting from the gaps, cutting a knight's face.

He seemed to have suddenly lost consciousness, making no indication of wiping away blood or checking the wound. Richard saw it and reached out to wipe it for him. "Don't be nervous," he said. "We are about to welcome a feast."

Perhaps only Richard would feel that way. The road the siege tower traveled might be the longest distance these young knights had ever passed—in the past week, they had seen too many siege towers smashed to pieces or collapsed by stone projectiles, or ignited by Greek fire and burning fiercely. If they were lucky, the knights could escape from them; if they were unlucky, they were part of the siege tower...

The Saracens' voices became clear, and the smell of blood and gunpowder became rich, as if in the next moment, the siege tower shook violently with a loud bang. A knight screamed in shock, but was immediately slapped by Richard, making him wake up quickly—"The time has come!" Richard shouted loudly. "For Christ, for God's cause!"

He was the first to rush out, and Baldwin and Cesar followed closely behind. They climbed the narrow wooden ladder, climbing seven floors in a row. As soon as the soldiers saw them, they immediately lowered the suspension bridge.

Richard leaped onto the still-trembling suspension bridge in one step. Facing him was Greek fire in clay pots. As soon as they fell to the ground, they immediately exploded. The flames ignited by the naphtha, sulfur, saltpeter, and other things inside immediately burned on the suspension bridge and Richard's body.

The Crusaders once said that Greek fire was something like God's lightning, and also said that when encountering it, there was no other way except to kneel down and pray. It might be slightly exaggerated, but part of it was true. It wasn't easy to be extinguished by water, and it would stick to solids. Once burned, the possibility of rescue was slim.

And those Saracens indeed let out joyful shouts, but almost at the same time, Richard had already rushed into the crowd. He swung his battle axe, and the Saracens' heads rolled in the air and on the ground like thrown dice. Even though the flames still surrounded him, they couldn't burn him to death, instead affecting many Saracen soldiers who hadn't reacted in time.

Someone immediately shouted: "This is a Christian knight enlightened by the prophet!"

Immediately, a Saracen warrior with a full beard and a fierce face met Richard. He waved a short-handled heavy hammer, the hammer head like an onion, gilded and silvered, flashing with dazzling light in the sun—no, wait! Cesar caught up with Richard, and when he covered Richard with another layer of protection, the Saracen warrior's hammer had already hit Richard!

Richard shouted subconsciously. He hit the city wall, but found that he only felt severe pain, but didn't suffer heavy injuries.

He had no time to express his thanks to Cesar, jumped up, and fought with that Saracen warrior again.

"There are also—Saracens who have received enlightenment here," Cesar stepped back, stood with Baldwin, and said in a low voice.

He had already seen several warriors rushing toward them, each of them surrounded by amazing light.

Ever since he received the saint's favor, he had raised this question to Heraclius: if it was said that Crusaders, or Christ's knights, could receive God's blessing, what about their enemies? Their enemies should also have corresponding ways to predict and counter, otherwise Amalric I would have taken Egypt long ago, and even Baldwin III or Baldwin I before him could have.

Indeed, Heraclius said, among the Saracens, there was also a "Path of Ascension" corresponding to the "Rite of Selection." They said this to commemorate their prophet Muhammad, who, on a night when he was fifty-two years old, accompanied by the angel Jibril, rode a flying horse from Mecca to Arasalu, where he "ascended to heaven," traveled through the seven heavens, reached "Paradise," watched "Hell," and visited the ancient "prophets," returning to Mecca at dawn.

And their way of being chosen was very similar to the Christian "Rite of Selection," also spending a day and a night in a temple before coming of age, waiting for the prophet to descend, and then listening to his teachings, receiving enlightenment from them...

They had also encountered some Saracens who had received "enlightenment" in the battle for the Rawda Island fortress, but clearly, the people of Fustat had left the sturdiest shields and sharpest spears here.

Baldwin and Cesar let out a sigh in unison and charged forward at the same time!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 89 =====