bookbashuk Page 2658
Page 2658
"The nobles and soldiers were terrified and fled one after another."
Fulke angrily drew his sword: "What kind of heretical myths are you telling me?"
The minor nobleman quickly pointed to the other defeated soldiers: "What I said is true. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you can ask them."
Fulke questioned each of the defeated soldiers carefully, and all of them gave the same answer, which instilled a strange fear in him.
After pondering for a long time, Fulke asked, "Even if we suffered a defeat at the seaside, how come the fortress was also breached?"
The minor nobleman said, "The enemy brought many strange weapons from the ship and pushed them all the way outside the fortress, like very long logs."
"Then there was smoke and thunder, and countless iron balls fell, hitting the fortress walls like an earthquake."
"The soldiers believed it was the devil's weapon and disregarded orders, abandoning the fortress and fleeing..."
Fulke stood there in silence, completely at a loss for what to do.
An unknown enemy, unknown weapons.
They even went to war without any clear reason; the other side was just there to trade, but their own people tried to plunder them with armed force.
After much deliberation, the King of Jerusalem, who had only reigned for a few years and had barely quelled rebellions in various countries, had made a decision:
First, return to Jerusalem immediately and call upon nobles in various regions to conscript soldiers to prevent the enemy from continuing their attack.
Second, send envoys to the seaside to make contact, ascertain the other party's strength and weakness, and see if the dispute can be resolved diplomatically.
The messenger had just been sent out when he returned quickly, bringing with him some defeated soldiers who had delivered the message, as well as Arab merchants who had temporarily acted as messengers.
This Arab merchant did not belong to Egypt or the Seljuks; he came from the Ibad sect of the Arabian Peninsula.
"Your Majesty, the pagan king, I am an envoy temporarily hired by the Ming Dynasty," the Arab merchant greeted.
Fulke returned the courtesy, having food and water brought to him: "Where exactly did the Great Ming Dynasty come from?"
The Arab merchant said, "That place is in the far east, and can be called Peach Blossom Stone or Seris."
"It is a powerful, wealthy and civilized place, the origin of silk and porcelain."
"Their king is called Emperor (phonetic translation), which means son of the sky god."
Chapter 3643 Redemption of the Fortress
“They believe in the sky god, which is different from all the other religions here.”
Fulke asked, "Is the Ming Dynasty really here to trade?"
Arab merchants said, "They have come to trade, but also to engage in diplomacy with other countries. Their main envoys have already gone to Seljuk."
"What would it take for them to return Helim Fortress?" Fulke asked again.
An Arab merchant said, "The Ming envoy asked me to convey a message: they have no intention of going to war with any country, but they are not afraid to go to war with any country either."
"In this war, your country launched the first attack."
"If they want to take back the fortress, they must buy it back with gold and silver; otherwise, they will sell it to the Fatima dynasty."
"How much money do you need?" Fulke asked.
“Fifty thousand taels of silver,” the Arab merchant said. “If converted to Jerusalem silver coins, that’s roughly 13 silver coins.”
Fulke then asked, "What about the nobles and soldiers they captured? How much money is needed to ransom them?"
The Arab merchant said, "This time, they released several dozen soldiers to bring me here to negotiate with His Majesty."
"As for the rest, they have all been executed, and their heads are hung on the fortress walls."
"Of course, they won't kill women and children."
"Depending on their status, the ransom for each woman and child ranged from approximately 100 to 1000 silver coins."
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was not wealthy; years of war had emptied its treasury.
Moreover, each city had a lord, and the taxes all went into the pockets of the nobles, with only a small amount being handed over to the king each year.
The nobles certainly had money, but they wouldn't use it to redeem the fortress for the king.
Once the ransom of more than 13 silver coins is paid, Fulke will have very little money left. How will he then be able to intimidate the nobles in the country and the three vassal states?
Fulke found his wife and explained the situation: "I must go to Helim Fortress myself to negotiate with the Eastern infidels there. It's very dangerous; you must return to Jerusalem!"
Melissant's eyes darted around, and she smiled, "Okay."
Fulke was greatly disappointed by his wife's choice.
He knew what his wife was thinking; she probably hoped he would never return, or better yet, that he would be killed by the Easterners.
Then the wife can welcome back her banished lover and rule the country together with him.
Even worse, his wife might betray him, making it impossible for him to go back!
Fulke said, "I've changed my mind. You'll come with me to the negotiations."
.....
Fulke brought gold and silver coins with him, originally intending only to buy some Eastern treasures and inquire about that mysterious country.
Now, the only option is to store the gold and silver coins in the oasis and have a squad of infantry guard them.
Then, with his army and wives, he rode to the vicinity of the fortress—to negotiate if possible, and to flee if not.
Helim Fortress was built relatively recently and is the southernmost stronghold of the Crusaders.
Fulke stopped a few miles from the fortress and sent someone to contact the Ming officials. The two sides agreed to send ten people each to talk in the wilderness.
Envoys Cheng Yu, Yu Yunwen, and Hu Quan are currently still in Seljuk, and the leader of this group is Qian Mian.
Qian Mian was the third son of Qian Jingzhen, the former imperial son-in-law of the Song Dynasty. His father had recommended Zhao Yuan for his poetry, and his elder brother also had some connections with Zhao Yuan.
He had previously served as a minor official, eventually rising to the sixth rank.
For the sake of his future, Mao Sui volunteered to go to sea as an envoy, hoping to be promoted after returning home.
"Are you the king of this place?" Qian Mian had no idea what the Crusades were.
Fulke observed the cavalry around Qian Mian; apart from the slightly small horses, their weapons and armor were of elite quality.
He dared not act rashly, and returned the greeting from his horse, saying, "Greetings, I am King Fulke of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. May I ask what your title is?"
After translating, the Arab merchant cautioned, "They value titles. If the title is too low, they might not continue the discussion."
Qian Mian gave a cold laugh: "My father was the Duke of Kangguo in the Song Dynasty, and my mother was the Grand Princess of the Song Dynasty."
"Now that we're in the Ming Dynasty, I'm too lazy to argue with you about titles."
"A mere envoy from my Great Ming Dynasty is more noble than the kings of these foreign lands!"
The Arab merchant said, "This man before us is also a nobleman. His mother's status, in the East, would be equivalent to that of the sister of a Roman emperor. His father is a duke."
Upon hearing the translation, Fulke was immediately filled with respect and bowed again, saying, "It is a great pleasure to meet you, sir."
“Since they are such nobles, we can seriously discuss the ransom.”
"Fifty thousand taels of silver to redeem the fortress, not a single tael less," Qian Mian said.
The Arab merchant translated: "More than 13 Jerusalem silver coins, not a single coin less."
Fulke said, "I'll only give you 3 silver coins. If you need more, I'll lead my army and take it back myself!"
Qian Mian smiled and said, "You're welcome anytime."
Fulke asked, "You come from the far east, can you really leave troops to defend the fortress indefinitely?"
Chapter 3644 The Green-Clad Arab
“If you are unwilling to buy it, I can sell the fortress to the Green Crows,” Qian Mian said.
Fulke laughed: "That Egyptian king? He was a notorious tyrant, only interested in killing."
"He has wantonly slaughtered the nobles of his own country, and no local nobles dare to go to the capital anymore."
"He won't spend money to buy the fortress, because even if he did, he wouldn't be able to hold it."
Qian Mian lowered the price, saying, "Forty-five thousand taels of silver."
Fulke said, "4 silver coins."
"See you on the battlefield." Qian Mian reined in his horse and turned around.
"Wait a minute!" Fulke shouted.
Qian Mian asked, "Have you thought it through?"
Fulke said, "I'll only give you 5 silver coins, but I promise to buy all your goods."
Qian Mian questioned, "Do you have that much money? Your country seems quite poor."
Fulke said, "I'll pay for some treasures first, and then send the rest of the gold and silver coins over soon."
"After this trade is successful, I can purchase goods from the Ming Dynasty for a long time to come."
Fulke certainly didn't have that much money, but the Mediterranean merchants did!
After the Crusaders captured Jerusalem, they killed all the local pagans, leaving the city severely underpopulated.
While continuing to lure immigrants from Europe, they also entice persecuted Christians in Syria.
As it gradually gained popularity, merchants began to appear.
Merchants from Genoa, Pisa, Venice, and other countries established communes (commercial districts) in various Crusader cities and helped transport European immigrants who had been lured to the Crusades.
All four of Italy's maritime republics have signed trade treaties with the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
The Crusaders launched a fierce attack to capture Hailim and built a fortress in the port of Hailim in order to gain access to the Red Sea and obtain Eastern goods from Arab merchants.
However, the Crusaders did not have a decent fleet in the Red Sea, and the Egyptians forbade merchants to trade in the Crusader ports.
Fulke suddenly had a flash of inspiration and decided to turn a bad thing into a good thing!
The conflict between him and his wife was nothing more than a struggle for interests between outsiders and local nobles.
As long as one can purchase goods from the Ming Dynasty in the long term, one can resell them to Italian merchants.
The enormous commercial profits could be shared with the local nobles, while also fostering good relations with the four Italian maritime republics.
If the deal goes through, Fulke's position as king will be secure.
Qian Mian thought for a moment and said, "Okay. We can put the matter of redeeming the castle aside for now and finish the deal first."
Fulke asked, "Can I go to the fortress to inspect the cargo?"
"If you're not afraid of being killed, then come with me," Qian Mian said with a smile.
Fulke said, "You have come from afar, surely not to kill anyone."
"If the goal is to occupy land, there is no need to occupy the barren land of Hailim."
"So, you're here to make money."
“If I let you make money, you won’t kill me; instead, you’ll protect me.”
Qian Mian nodded and said, "You are a smart person."
Fulke sent men back to the oasis to retrieve the gold and silver, and then, with his wife and army, followed Qian Mian straight to the Helim Fortress.
When they were still two or three miles from the fortress, Qian Mian said, "Your troops are not allowed to advance any further."
“You can bring up to 30 people with you to the port.”
The Ming army in the castle was not large, only three hundred men.
But another 600 sailors went ashore and entered the castle to help with the defense.
Fulke and his group of thirty were not allowed to enter the fortress and were taken directly to the transport ship to inspect the cargo.
Boxes of different kinds of goods were carried out, and samples were pried open and placed on the deck.
"God, what treasure is that?"
Queen Melisandre's eyes shone as a mirror reflected sunlight in front of her.
Fulke asked, "May my wife go and take a look?"
Qian Mian smiled and said, "Of course."