Chapter 179: Bohemond Still Unlucky
“Ah, this…”
Queen Mother Maria slightly parted her lips, and after uttering two words, she froze there. She was not an uneducated woman, but at this moment, all the books, poetry, and scrolls she had read over the past decade or so seemed to turn into a blank slate, with no suitable words to pick out to respond to Baldwin.
After a brief stalemate, a smile appeared at the corner of her lips, one that she herself might not even have noticed.
“So their situation now is quite dire.” She paused, thought for a moment: “This reminds me of Sultan Nur al-Din of Syria.” Without that last sentence, her earlier sigh would have sounded like nothing more than the helpless lament of a woman.
But precisely because of that one sentence, even Baldwin showed a surprised expression—Nur al-Din’s ending was plain for all to see. This once renowned lord of his generation had fallen on enemy territory in his final moments of life. He had led tens of thousands of troops confidently from Acre on an expedition to the Holy Land, even making a bold oath that even if he died, he would die on Ayyarasa Road.
In fact, before he even reached the Holy Land and caught sight of those sacred hills, he suffered a thorough defeat at the Sea of Galilee, losing many soldiers and nearly all supplies, and he himself fell from his horse and died.
The Saracens even had to pay much property through negotiation to retrieve his body back to Acre.
But now Manuel I was not dead yet, and for Queen Mother Maria to say this was practically cursing her great-uncle.
Maria, however, acted as if she hadn’t seen Baldwin’s expression and urged: “Go on, I’m listening.”
Although there was still some resistance and wariness toward Queen Mother Maria within the Crusaders, since she could sit beside Baldwin at any important meeting, it meant people had no intention of hiding anything from her, whether outside Holy Cross Castle or inside—after all, before Baldwin’s wedding, she was the mistress of Holy Cross Castle.
Therefore, when the latest intelligence came from the battlefield of Manuel I and Sultan Arslan II, Baldwin did not ignore his stepmother; instead, because of her relationship with Manuel I, he came specifically to inform her, though the Queen Mother’s attitude truly puzzled him.
Whether Amalric I or the Countess of Jaffa had other thoughts in their hearts, they always appeared impeccable in front of Baldwin. Baldwin deeply loved his parents and naturally could not imagine that in some other families, the relationship between child and parents could be like enemies rather than kin.
The connection between Queen Mother Maria and Manuel I involved even more unspeakable and sordid matters—curiously, Heraclius had reminded Caesar of this, but no one had told Baldwin—some out of caution and mercy, others perhaps planning to use it as a trump card.
“In short, Manuel I, due to his nephew’s death, suffered from excessive blood loss and black bile reflux. Filled with anger and unable to control himself, he harshly rebuked the Turkish envoys, humiliated their Sultan, then expelled the envoys, rejected Arslan II’s ceasefire agreement, and swore to beat him until he discarded his armor and prostrated at his feet begging for mercy.”
Hearing Baldwin say this, the smile at Queen Mother Maria’s lips deepened a bit. Of course she knew that so-called nephew; they had plenty of such nephews, nieces, and grandnieces.
And among these children born in the Sultan’s Harem in complete defiance of ethics, boys fared better than girls.
Boys could become officials, generals, priests; they could receive God’s blessing and become the chosen one. In this case, having an emperor as father was far better than having an ordinary one. Manuel I was always very tolerant toward them and supported them greatly.
But while they were still in Constantinople, they had to endure this tainted origin while fawning over their nominal uncles or great-uncles. Their mothers saw them as a disgrace, their nominal fathers constantly wished them dead, and their brothers, uncles and elder cousins… saw them the same as flowers that could be casually crushed, after all…
With Manuel I setting the example, they were just following suit.
Without Manuel I’s protection, they would be sleek-furred little animals curled up in the corners of the palace, clinging to survival day by day. What was even more tragic was that they could not help each other but had to scheme against one another.
Manuel I’s favor was only so much; if one took it, the others were left empty-handed.
Thus, whether willingly or forced, they had to shamelessly please the Emperor, even those around him—even a eunuch. If they didn’t, their fate would be no different from the women without favor in the Sultan’s Harem!
Even worse, because those girls wouldn’t have so many enemies or such laughable and pitiable origins.
And she had always been the primary target; the Emperor even remembered her name!
But now it seemed— the favor Manuel I bestowed on her was probably not even a ten-thousandth of that “nephew’s.”
He had his head chopped off by the Turks. But what if not? If this great battle ultimately ended in complete victory, undoubtedly he could rely on this merit to become one of Manuel I’s generals, and perhaps in a few years, be sent out as a governor of some territory.
In the future, even if he couldn’t return to Constantinople as Emperor of Byzantium through this status, he would inevitably be courted by the new Emperor.
Compared to Queen Mother Maria and the other illegitimate children, his future was so smooth and brilliant.
Baldwin also sensed the strange atmosphere permeating the room. Queen Mother Maria seemed lost in reminiscence of the past, indifferent—even somewhat pleased—at the danger her great-uncle might face.
Caesar, sitting beside him, pointed to a pure gold wine cup placed by the King’s hand. This wine cup had a typical Byzantine style and was one of the Queen Mother’s dowry. He immediately recalled that Queen Mother Maria had married into Ayyarasa Road, but not only had there been an assassination attempt by someone in her wedding procession, her dowry was also lackluster— the most important part of a Byzantine Princess’s dowry was of course not gold and silk, but army.
Yet only fifty nominal Byzantine cavalry had come with her to Ayyarasa Road, and they later proved their incompetence and cowardice on the battlefield.
And during the attack on Fustat, the Byzantine fleet’s performance was extremely disappointing.
The Byzantine envoy had only hurriedly visited for a few days when Queen Mother Maria gave birth to Isabella—probably to confirm whether she had borne a boy or a girl. Upon learning it was a princess—in Ayyarasa Road, a princess certainly had inheritance rights, but the claim it brought was far too weak—the envoy’s face was full of disappointment, and he hastily returned. Presumably, Manuel I, hearing his report, wore the same expression.
This was evident from the fact that the Byzantine envoy never appeared before Queen Mother Maria again, but frequently met with Grand Duke Bohemond of Antioch.
Clearly, Manuel I no longer had the will or energy to wait another decade or so. He preferred to start supporting Ayyarasa Road’s Princess Sibylla and his grandnephew Abigail now.
He might even see their children—Manuel I’s suspicion was correct. Queen Mother Maria didn’t know if she had convinced him, but from a long-term perspective, her behavior was reckless and impulsive, regardless of consequences. And if coupled with her hatred for Manuel I, it would just balance out.
But Manuel I might never think of this, just as an elephant can never see the ant underfoot.
“So what happened next,” she repeated her question: “Did the Emperor give those barbaric Turks a sufficiently severe lesson?” This sounded utterly sarcastic.
Caesar took up the thread; he knew about this matter well and could even more keenly sense the malice Maria nurtured in the darkness.
“Manuel I was hesitant at first, but too many people urged him to continue fighting the Turks.”
Accompanying the Emperor on the expedition were not only the original Greeks but also some new vassals, such as Hungarians and Serbs, and some hired Franks. They had come a long way at great expense.
Although Manuel I had promised that even without killing a single Turk—upon returning to Constantinople, they would still receive rewards, everyone wanted to know that Manuel I’s rewards certainly wouldn’t be very generous. Otherwise, in future real wars, how would he reward those warriors who fought fiercely and accumulated merits?
“Not to mention those hired ones…” He glanced at Baldwin, who just waved his hand. How could he not understand those Frankish knights? The so-called knightly virtues and Crusader laws were mere feathers and silk decorating their armor to them. What’s more, on heathen lands, all their actions—including killing, rape, and plunder—had received God’s permission.
They wouldn’t go to hell for the sins caused by these acts. With that, what did they have to worry about?
But if Manuel I decided to turn back now, they surely wouldn’t dare sack and plunder Constantinople—though not impossible, their numbers and strength were still insufficient for their ambitions to succeed for the time being.
They were the most vehemently opposed group, along with some young generals who believed Manuel I’s nephew’s killing was an indelible humiliation. Although knowing he just wanted to gain enough merit in this war, this reason was truly hard to refute.
Thus, in the end, Manuel I still rejected Arslan’s peace proposal and decided to continue the war with Sultan Arslan II.
And as they advanced toward Arslan II’s territory, they had to pass through a long and deep canyon.
Even as just a woman, Queen Mother Maria immediately realized upon hearing this that Manuel I would suffer a severe blow here.
They might have sent light cavalry to scout ahead, but they evidently failed to play their proper role.
As the thirty-thousand-strong army crawled forward in the canyon like an elongated ant column, the Turks launched an attack.
This was somewhat like the Battle of the Sea of Galilee back then. Caesar glanced at the candied fruit on the tray, took a few dates and some raisins to demonstrate.
The raisins were lined up in a long row, representing Manuel I’s army, while the dates were the Turks scattered on the ridges and peaks. But Manuel I’s army was evidently more solid than Nur al-Din’s—perhaps because in Christian countries, those under Manuel I were generals and subjects rather than slaves. When unable to get Manuel I’s response, they each made the correct reactions.
And the Turks’ numbers were indeed too few.
At first, the Turks did inflict some damage on the front half of the army, but they soon organized resistance. Relying on their weapons and numerical advantage, they in turn drove the Turks out of the canyon, forcing them to flee outward. But the troubles brought by the massive numbers of the thirty-thousand army soon followed.
There were capable generals and brave soldiers among them, but crammed in the narrow canyon, they could hardly move. Caesar reached out and scattered the raisins—”Some wanted to break out, some to retreat, some to hold position. But even at this point, we can’t say Manuel I’s army was doomed to defeat.”
Queen Mother Maria very much wanted to ask, then where did the problem lie?
But as a woman, as an outsider, she knew her best posture now was to smile silently, as if understanding nothing.
“Grand Duke of Antioch,” Caesar placed a hand on the rear half of the raisin army, “as Manuel I’s son-in-law, his wife’s brother, and subject, Manuel I entrusted him with a very important task: guarding the siege engines carried by this army.
A group of Turks charged down the ridge carrying naphtha. They crashed into the army but didn’t linger, instead hurling ignited earthenware pots directly into the center of the wagons piled with apparatus. The sky was clear that day with strong winds; in an instant, everything—wood, ironware, cloth, rope—burst into flames.
The knights and soldiers around the wagons fled in droves. No one could put out the fire, nor was it possible. After all, where would large amounts of water come from in a canyon? Even if someone shoveled sand to extinguish the flames, watchful Turks nearby would interfere.
The Turks were already known for guerrilla tactics; before Manuel I’s army, they never entangled, striking and withdrawing almost instantly.
Unless Manuel I had a slave force willing to die for him, using their blood and lives to defend the cold apparatus, otherwise he could only watch, as now, a great fire burn all his hard work to ashes.”
At this point, Caesar and Baldwin, who had personally seen siege engines being built, both fell silent— To attack Fustat, Amalric I could chop down all the olive groves from Ghazalafa to Fustat.
And for this campaign, Manuel I hadn’t come just to attack one city. Besides the newly built apparatus, he brought all the Empire’s stockpiles. Those tall, majestic siege engines made of oak and olive wood, which chilled the heart at first sight, hadn’t even reached the battlefield or shown any effect before becoming a pile of expensive fuel.
After such a blow, Manuel I could no longer hold out and had the army withdraw back to Miliosephalon Castle.
At this time, the Turks sent envoys again, but this time, the conditions they brought were undoubtedly much harsher than before. Arslan II withdrew all his previous promises and demanded that Manuel I leave immediately, at once, and dismantle the three fortresses built in the new territory.
“By the way,” Queen Mother Maria asked as if casually, “Did the Grand Duke of Antioch, who guarded this batch of supplies and apparatus, receive any punishment?”
“Manuel I hasn’t decided yet,” this time Baldwin answered her, “but I think he has already been punished.” Baldwin said helplessly, “Antioch lost twelve thousand men in this campaign.”
