Chapter 113: Bethlehem
Caesar stayed in Bethlehem for more than a month.
Over these dozens of days, there was hardly a day when he stayed quietly by himself; the people of Bethlehem were eager to come and learn about this new master, and he also wanted to learn about them—from Bishop Andrew, to the Knight Commander, from guild leaders to merchant chiefs, and then to representatives of Christians, Saracens, and Isaacites; there were banquets and receptions almost every day, along with countless gifts, letters, and contracts.
They all showed great courtesy, and Caesar did not disappoint their hospitality; except for prostitutes, he did not refuse any invitation or gift. This also dispelled people’s greatest concern—that the new master was an ascetic or a rash fellow who did not understand romance—after all, Caesar’s reputation as the “Little Saint” had long reached Bethlehem.
A person who could have a seat in the Mass in Bethlehem would not foolishly think that a clean-living person was a good person; humans have desires and original sin, they always commit sins, if not this one, then that one—gold coins, wine and women, even jewels and fine clothes, were all things they could easily provide; Bethlehem was the holy land second only to Ayyarasa Road, prosperous enough to support a king.
As for those young knights, they were instead the easiest to win over by Caesar; although Caesar was not the type to boast about his merits, if they asked about the previous expedition to Egypt, he could not possibly keep silent.
He spoke of the tents stretching continuously from the port to the city in Ghazalafa, like clouds or wasteland grass; walking on the main road, the army was like a river, and the flags raised by knights and lords were like sails rising on the water surface; the olive groves and fig groves outside the City of Bilbeis were so lush, blocking out the sky, like the night sky, with fruits like stars twinkling within.
He said how the people of Bilbeis respectfully walked to the tent of Amalric I, prostrated themselves on the ground, and offered him the keys to the city, along with boxes of silk robes, a golden crown, and silver holy vessels; and how the ransom money paid by the Saracens in the city piled up into shimmering hills on the sandy land; they entered the city, cleaned the heathens’ temples and converted them into churches, and called priests to hold Mass inside—just as they did later in Fustat.
Regarding the matters in Fustat, Caesar did not say much; after all, this involved Amalric I—his carelessness became the root of this disaster, and the disaster led to the expedition ultimately ending in failure for the Crusaders—although the knights of the expedition all obtained the gold coins and glory they wanted, if according to Amalric I’s original idea, both Bilbeis and Fustat should have become Christian cities.
He also spoke of Prince Baldwin, and Arthur（Richard） from Aquitaine, as well as several other knights who left a deep impression on him.
Then, they went hunting outside the city together, exterminating the thieves and heathens who robbed pilgrims on the roads—those who had received Caesar’s protection during the expedition all liked him, and in Bethlehem, the dangers the knights faced were much smaller, but they could still feel that exhilarating sense of freedom to kill and gallop, and the sense of safety.
Before long, they grew accustomed to crowding around Caesar, happily and noisily going here and there.
“I heard that the knights who followed King Amalric I on the expedition all liked him very much; unexpectedly, my young men are no exception,” the Knight Commander of Bethlehem said. He was at the window, watching the knights file in from the square: “At first, they really disliked him.”
“No matter his origin or character, the saint’s favor is real,” Bishop Andrew said: “Not just these worldly young chicks; several years ago, I heard that Templar Knight Geoffrey, John of the Gerard family, and Count Etienne of Francia all asked the king for him, but were all refused by the king.”
“The one who refused was probably not Amalric I but his son Baldwin; the Prince cherishes this companion very much. They received God’s blessing in that holiest of places, escaped the sinners’ murder under Christ’s care, they are brothers without blood ties, and swore to each other to stand guarantee—” the Knight Commander said: “Do you know some people are approaching him?”
“What they want to approach is not him; what they want to approach is the king—Baldwin IV.”
“By the way, Amalric I is dead, and the election ceremony for the Grand Master of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre should already be in process. Have you received the summons?”
“Probably in these few days,” the Knight Commander said. The three major knight orders of the Holy Land—the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, the Knights Templar, and the Knights Hospitaller—all have similar methods for electing Grand Masters: initiated by the Provost’s call, then voted on by all the Knight Commanders—but often, this voting is symbolic, especially for a familial knight order like the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre.
Even if Prince Baldwin did not receive God’s blessing and was still that patient who could not even lift a long sword, could they elect another Grand Master? Not to mention that Amalric I perfectly fulfilled all his duties; every King of Ayyarasa Road is the “Guardian of the Holy Sepulchre”; it would be the biggest joke if the Grand Master of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre was not the King of Ayyarasa Road.
“When you go back, the Knights of Bethlehem will follow as well.”
“Of course,” the Knight Commander nodded, “Are you worried he will do something? In Bethlehem, or in Ayyarasa Road? I think he is not that impulsive; no matter how good he is as people say, even if he were a vicious person, he should know that in these years, his foundation is not yet that solid.”
Bishop Andrew sighed deeply: “I don’t know what to do. If standing from the position of Knights of the Holy Sepulchre members, we should stand behind the young King Baldwin IV, resist Bohemond, Raymond, and the Knights Templar for him. But I am also worried that if Baldwin IV gains real power, he will favor the Knights of Bethlehem too much—like those Eastern emperors…”
He made a gesture, and the Knight Commander nodded in understanding. They came here from Francia or the Apennines, or Great Britain, only to discover there were places in the world as strange and wondrous as the courts of Eastern emperors—from the Byzantine Emperor, to the Caliphs of Syria and Egypt, or Sultans—their administrative systems were completely different from those of kings or queens’ courts.
They could truly achieve having only one sole ruler—whether that ruler was a Caliph, Sultan, Grand Vizier, or some Emir…
So initially, it was impossible for Prince Baldwin to have only one person by his side; people like David, Abigail, William… were sons of vassals and ministers, and would become the king’s left and right arms in the future, checking each other while supporting one another. But who let the Prince contract leprosy? At that time, they retreated; on one hand because of fear of this terrible contagion, on the other because they thought Baldwin would only have the path to enter a monastery in the future.
As the saying goes, things are unpredictable. They could still understand Amalric I’s arbitrariness and persistence toward Prince Baldwin, but that Baldwin could still gain the saint’s favor and be very strong was beyond expectations; and Amalric I probably did not expect to pass away so soon either, nor that the Byzantine princess would give him a little daughter.
The only one who could inherit his throne was Prince Baldwin.
Bishop Andrew smiled mockingly; fortunately, he was already in Bethlehem at that time and did not get too involved in the political struggles of Ayyarasa Road. But now it seemed that if he did not act soon, it would be too late; but which side should he stand on?
“This time when you go back,” he said to the Knight Commander: “Why not take a look at the king for me.”
“Look at what?”
“I know some people are trying to send some intelligence to Baldwin IV through the Knights of Bethlehem,” Bishop Andrew said: “A few bold Isaacites; they want Damascus.”
The Knight Commander showed an incredulous expression: “They, Damascus?”
“Who doesn’t want Damascus?” Bishop Andrew pointed meaningfully at the dagger at the Knight Commander’s waist, which was from Damascus: “They have always had dealings with the Asamira family of Acre; although they are Saracens, merchants are merchants—they have always wanted to sell their soap to Europe.”
“For… soap?”
“There is also the reason that old lion Nur al-Din can no longer suppress those arrogant generals,” Bishop Andrew crossed his fingers, “The behavior of that pair of Kurd uncle and nephew has already explained many problems, and compared to Fustat and Alexander, Damascus is obviously more attractive. I can even say that if Nur al-Din really dies, the Zengi court and army will surely be in chaos, and at that time…”
“We have a king who has no merits at all, and the previous expedition ended dismally,” the Knight Commander quickly continued: “Even if it takes a year, or even two, three years to launch another holy war, it will be very difficult—our Majesty will still try.”
“If he can really take Damascus, even for the next fifteen years, twenty years, until his death, no one will defy his will; but if he cannot…”
“He is still the King of Ayyarasa Road, Guardian of the Holy Sepulchre, and even Godfrey did not win every campaign.”
The Knight Commander suddenly became worried, “Should we give the Knight of Bethlehem a reminder…”
Will he listen? Or think they want to seize power or deliberately exclude him?
“Give him a reminder, at least don’t let him publicly encourage the king in public; those ministers whose children cannot be sent to the king’s side have long been red-eyed with hatred; once they can catch his handle, they absolutely will not rest until they pull him down.”
————
Caesar also felt it; he had only been away from Holy Cross Castle for more than a month, and this castle suddenly became crowded.
Not only Abigail of Antioch, David of Tripoli, but also young men like William of Acre, Nasi of Galilee, Guy of Arabia—these sons of vassals or nobles; although they had all held the “Choosing ceremony” in churches everywhere and could not be “blood brothers” with Baldwin, they were sons of dukes and counts, and after becoming knights, they could fully serve as attendants by the king’s side.
Raymond also knew that Caesar was completely different for Baldwin—he did not plan to immediately sever the relationship between them; if it were that simple, Bohemond would have done it long ago, and Heraclius would not have kept Caesar away for so long—but he could let these young men, including his son David, become people serving the king.
No king has only one person alone by his side, not to mention that Bethlehem is also an important military fortress and economic hub, with a sacred status second only to Ayyarasa Road; Caesar could not stay by Baldwin’s side forever without going anywhere—since Amalric I gave him a fief, he must bear the responsibility of a lord.
When David saw Caesar, his heart immediately felt like it had a tangled ball of hemp thread stuffed in it—hard, astringent, and suffocating; his father had already explained the pros and cons to him. They were all grown up and could no longer be as willful and reckless as children—refusing to return to Baldwin’s side out of guilt for the past would be foolish for both Baldwin and David.
“Caesar is neither Count of Bethlehem nor Duke of Bethlehem; he is only a Knight of Bethlehem. To gain a title, he must establish sufficient merits in one or more wars, or the king must find him a female heir with a title; in any case, it will be years later. And then you refuse to stand by the king’s side because of a momentary lapse at that time?
Don’t you know that the current Baldwin needs you the most? You, Abigail, and Guy, William, Nasi… are the ones who can accompany the king on expeditions or stand in the court in the future—as for Caesar, I admit he is very smart and has a deep friendship with the king, but he is ultimately only one person, while Baldwin has to rule a nation.”
Yes, David thought, he could admit that Caesar surpassed him in every aspect, but there could not be only one person by the king’s side. He reached out his hand, “Caesar,” he said, “long time no see—welcome back.”
He would accept Caesar and would also require others to do so; they should work together, for themselves and for Baldwin.
Of course Caesar would not refuse; he grasped David’s hand, and at the same time, his gaze swept over several faces that were not too unfamiliar—years had passed, they had all grown up, but one could still see the features and traces of their youth.
“Abigail is not here,” David misunderstood his meaning: “He…”
“Is always accompanying the princess.” An attendant said, causing a burst of laughter; this laughter was not very friendly.
——————
“Whose letter is this?” Abigail asked with an unfriendly expression; as he approached, he saw that the princess was holding a letter and reading its contents with a slight smile.
“This has nothing to do with you.” The princess’s handmaid replied rudely, but before Abigail could rage, Princess Sibylla raised her hand: “It’s nothing,” she said, “This is a letter from Damara of the Gerard family to me.”
Hearing it was the princess’s handmaid, Abigail’s expression softened, “I see you seem very happy.”
“Yes,” the princess said: “She agreed to my request.”
“What request?” Abigail asked curiously; Sibylla rarely used the word “request.”
“She will release the oath that Caesar swore; Caesar is no longer her knight.”
