Chapter 188: Search
Arslan II indeed kept his promise, and his army had already withdrawn from the necessary road. Even if they occasionally encountered light cavalry wandering outside, they just reined in their horses and coldly watched them pass.
Not long after, they rescued a group of troops that were being besieged by Turks. Upon careful inquiry, they learned that they were the guard team of a provincial financial official.
That official saw Baldwin, and a gleam of hope burst from his eyes, mixed with a trace of fear. He tightly grasped Baldwin’s robe, prostrating himself on the ground, both crying and appeals: “Please go quickly. The Emperor has been waiting for you…”
And this official did not know that after he left the castle, riots due to insufficient provisions had already broken out several times in the castle.
Manuel I had already lost his former faith. He was no longer obsessed with revenge for his nephew, or rather his illegitimate son, nor did he crave to seize that juicy piece of meat from Arslan II’s mouth. He was ill, very seriously ill. He felt headaches and constantly had hallucinations, as if he could always see shadowy figures holding weapons moving around him. He would shout and scream at midnight or in the afternoon, causing constant unrest among the people.
The Emperor wanted his guard to escort him to break out, but the nobles around him disagreed. They believed that Manuel I should stay here and continue to fight Arslan II, at least to rescue those besieged troops. Although they had lost a good number of men in the previous canyon battle, fortunately, this group all belonged to the Duke of Antioch—the Byzantine Empire’s army had almost no losses.
In other words, as long as Manuel I could rally, they might not be unable to turn defeat into victory. They also had to hold on—otherwise, this expedition would inevitably become a pit that needed to be filled for a hundred years.
Even if provisions had long been cut off, they could still plunder food everywhere—they could also hire and conscript nearby Armenians or Turks. This place did not belong to Arslan II before, so perhaps some were willing to continue their loyalty and follow their original lord.
But no matter what they said, the Emperor just held his head and said nothing, and none among them dared to make decisions for Manuel I.
When Baldwin led the army to the castle, what he saw was only a group of dejected Byzantine Empire officials, generals, and a gloomy Duke of Antioch.
“Where is your Emperor?” Baldwin asked. A Byzantine Empire official slightly moved his lips; he seemed to want to say something but only felt it hard to speak. He avoided Baldwin’s gaze, and the others also lowered their heads. Finally, only the Duke of Antioch Bohemond stepped forward. He was not a likable guy, but his current complexion was pitiable even to his enemies.
“He is not here,” he said. “Manuel I is not here. Just the night before you arrived, he quietly rushed out with some people. As for where he is now, we do not know.”
This answer was completely beyond Baldwin’s expectations. He looked around, seemingly finding it hard to accept this fact. Even removing the Duke of Antioch’s over ten thousand men, there were still more than twenty thousand here. Even without provisions, this force was still not to be underestimated. Even properly utilized, it could stir the soldiers’ desire to survive, fight back with all their might, or escape the Turks’ harassment and control, or even negotiate again with Arslan II—it was not impossible.
Then what did he hear? He heard the Duke of Antioch say that Manuel I had actually abandoned these ministers, generals, and nobles, as well as over ten thousand soldiers, and just fled with some people.
He did not want to use the word “fled.” But besides that word, it was hard to describe Manuel I’s current behavior. He even doubted whether the brilliant military achievements Manuel I had previously accomplished were all fabricated by him. Even if a monkey were put here, ten thousand monkeys could at least scratch a few marks on those Turks.
And before leading the great army on the expedition, Manuel I had been so heroic and confident, even rejecting Arslan II’s repeated pleas for peace, single-mindedly determined to crush this insolent subject underfoot.
How suddenly had he completely lost the courage and boldness a monarch should have, becoming muddled and foolish?
But no matter how puzzled Baldwin was, the fact was right there. He had no time to say more to these people who were both in despair and anger. “Can you find his tracks?”
“We are not sure.” A Byzantine Empire general stepped forward. He had a brightly colored purple silk piece inlaid on his cloak, and his collar also featured inlays of pearls and rubies, indicating some relation to the royal family.
He showed great respect to Baldwin, first bowing, then saying: “The traces of so many men and horses are hard to hide. We can roughly know which way they went, but we are not sure where they have reached or whether they have broken through the Turks’ encirclement.
If you want to pursue, I can send a guide to lead the way for you.”
“Call him over.” Baldwin said. They had already come this far. Whether Manuel I had suddenly turned into a fool and a madman or not, they had to find him. And that guide was reassuring; he was not a Turk or a Saracen, but a Byzantine guard. He had once served the Sultan here, so he was somewhat familiar with the terrain.
And when Caesar brought out the map, he immediately recognized their current position and the direction Manuel I might have gone. With the guide and map’s help, they soon reached a river. This river flowed out from a dark gray fir forest. A knight used his spear to pick up a piece of milky silk fragment stranded on the bank, the bloodstains on it foreboding ill omen.
But not being purple was already quite comforting.
And before they could hesitate whether to enter the dense forest, a team of Byzantine cavalry charged out from behind the hills on one side, pursued by a group of Turks. Upon seeing the knights of Ayyarasa Road, they pounced over in ecstatic joy.
The outcome needless to say, after solving their pursuers for them, Baldwin asked if they were the group that had followed Manuel I in the breakout. Yes, they were that group, but unfortunately, they had not found a gap in the Turks. On the contrary, not long after setting out, they were discovered by the Turks. They engaged in combat with the Turks, and because of this, in the darkness, their team quickly scattered. He only vaguely saw Manuel I’s mount charge into the dense forest.
Baldwin sighed deeply. This dense forest was exceptionally vast, with a river running through it. That meant there could be wetlands and swamps in the forest, and in such an uninhabited place, there were no paths for men and horses to pass through. Some places could not even be traversed on horseback.
Baldwin thought for a moment and finally decided helplessly. They had to enter the dense forest to search for Manuel I’s tracks. To find the Emperor as quickly as possible, they decided to temporarily disperse—a knight handed over several eagle whistles. These whistles could produce sharp and long sounds. If anyone encountered the enemy or Manuel I, they should blow the whistle.
The group entered the fir forest. At first, they could still ride forward, but soon after, they had to leave the horses by the river, leaving several knights to guard them. Someone advised Baldwin to stay outside, but helplessly, the missing one was not just anyone…
“It is 150,000 gold coins and a hundred purple silk robes.”
Baldwin said. The people around immediately turned their heads to suppress their laughter. Even that Byzantine could not help but grin. If the Crusaders marched for faith, they could only aid the Duke of Antioch. If the Byzantine Empire wanted their Emperor, they had to pay.
And the agreed price was 150,000 gold coins and a hundred purple silk robes, gifts not included.
“And with Caesar by my side.” This was the real reason that convinced people. Only Bohemond showed a wry smile, but during the split, he stayed by Baldwin’s side. After all, Manuel I was still his in-law monarch.
What followed was hard to say whether it was the Emperor’s luck or theirs. Before the sky darkened, in the sunset’s glow, they saw gold ornaments reflecting the sunlight.
Then they heard faint cries.
Baldwin immediately put the eagle whistle in his mouth and blew it, while not staying in place to wait. Instead, he took Caesar straight toward the direction of the sound. Caesar followed closely, pressing on Baldwin to add a layer of protection. No one knew whether awaiting them were Byzantines in urgent need of rescue or Turks lying in wait.
Without archers, as soon as they passed through the intertwined branches and leaves, the view ahead suddenly opened up, presenting a quite typical forest clearing before him.
This had originally been a depression, probably formed after a giant tree fell due to lightning strike, fire, or insect infestation. Rainwater quickly accumulated in the hollow, and thick green algae soon grew in the water. Fine grasses and plants grew on the algae, looking at first glance like a flat clearing.
And as time passed, the water vapor constantly eroded the surrounding mud, causing this swamp to grow larger and larger.
Some could still cling to the dead wood and vines at the edge, struggling toward the swamp’s edge. Others could barely lift their heads to keep their mouths and noses above water. Some had only their clothing floating on the surface, and the most conspicuous among them was a deep purple cloak with gold edging. Even stained with mud and water, the silk’s soft luster was still so alluring, and on the gold edge were pearls the size of a fingertip pad.
Undoubtedly, its owner should be Manuel I.
