As the sun rises, a day begins for Jerusalem under its new masters.
The Crusader spearmen wearing red cross robes opened the city gate and allowed the rural residents who came to the city to enter. However, the people who came now were mainly local Christians, mainly believers from Eastern churches, and the Crusaders did not embarrass them.
As for the Islamic believers, most of them dare not come here for the time being. The massacre is still fresh in everyone’s memory.
However, the Temple Mount is still crowded with devout believers of all religions. For true believers, this is something even more important than life. Of course, the last ones on the Temple Mount are Catholics.
Due to the large number of dead, it took a while to clean up the dead in Jerusalem. However, although there were no corpses on the streets, there was still blood, and the smell of blood still filled the streets, telling people what had happened here.
The Christian residents of this city are still focused on cleaning up the blood stains in the city, but it seems that they still have to spend a lot of time because there is indeed a lot of blood.
But these Christian residents had no complaints. The return of Jerusalem to Christian rule was enough to make them loyal to the new conquerors.
However, this massacred city is also rejuvenating. Many Crusaders are unwilling to return to Europe. For example, the civilian Crusaders came to the East driven by a difficult life and planned to settle down in the Holy City.
Economic factors are important, but another important factor that led the Crusaders to settle here was religion.
Jerusalem is regarded as the place where the Doomsday Judgment begins, and countless Christians want to bury themselves here. Therefore, it goes without saying that settling here is a huge temptation for believers.
Therefore, you can see Latins choosing houses everywhere on the streets. As a huge city, after the Crusaders massacred the Islamic population of the city, there were a lot of houses left behind, which allowed the settlers to pick and choose.
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At this moment, there was a burst of noise in the street. Northerners wearing red crosses and armor escorted two elegantly dressed Crusader lords. Seeing this, people on the street moved out of the way.
Many people bowed respectfully to the team.
The recapture of the Holy City gave the Crusader lords great prestige, and even gave them a sacred halo, so the people also respected the jihadist heroes more.
"What my father used to say before is to free the cage and change the bird. I guess this is it." Volorida looked at the Latin people who were either choosing houses or renovating their houses with interest. "That's fine. This Latin regime wants to
If we want to continue on this land, it is better to have more immigrants. The Crusaders will eventually leave, and they are the only ones that the Catholic Church can trust."
"The number of immigrants moving to Jerusalem will surge soon. I estimate that Latins will soon come here in a steady stream. The desire for salvation will make many people flock here." Vasiliko looked around.
, seeing those Catholics who were excited to settle down in the Holy City, "Now that the roads have been successfully opened, I think Latin people can also come to the Holy City smoothly, and Jerusalem will soon be filled with Catholics."
of."
"But it will take time. The land controlled by this regime is still too small. What's more," Volorida raised her head and looked at the high tower of the Jerusalem Palace with a slightly sarcastic look. "My lords, what's more?"
They were arguing about who should be the ruler of the Holy City. It was such a boring thing. Instead of listening to them arguing, I might as well play with the Persian dancer the slave trader sent me, that guy Abdul.
The one who has been doing business with my father for decades, how about you ask him to give you one too? That waist is so swaying, I want to take her back to Ross..."
As usual, Volorida changed the topic to the lower third road, causing a look of disgust on the brother's face.
"Shut up, Volorida, I don't have the same hobbies as you. I already have eight lovers in Rus, and now I'm still looking for them. Are you planning to find hundreds of wives and concubines like our ancestor Vladimir did?"
?"
After entering the city during this period, Volorida sprouted solidly, which made Vasiliko couldn't help but miss his brother who marched hard in the desert with him in the morning. At that time, he had no time to think about these things, and he would not stay up all day long.
Change the topic three ways down.
"Hundreds are not bad. Anyway, I must have had hundreds of women... Okay, okay, I won't continue. Let's get down to business."
Seeing that her brother's expression was getting worse and worse, Volorida stopped talking nonsense. It was only because of his attitude that Vasiliko's expression relaxed and the topic returned to business.
"Admalik is dead and the Pope is dead. Since it is impossible for the church to take over Jerusalem, it must choose among secular lords. The most suitable one is Godfrey. Isn't this obvious? Why still?
Not selected?"
The anger in Vasiliko's tone was greater than confusion. During the time he was sweeping the coast, why hadn't a king been elected in Jerusalem?
As a Crusader lord who did not participate in the competition for the ruler of Jerusalem, Vasiliko, together with Tancred and Edgar who were eliminated immediately, took on the task of sweeping out the villages and towns around Jerusalem and establishing Christian rule. Vasiliko was responsible for sweeping up the coast.
, Tancred is responsible for sweeping the interior, and Edgar is responsible for clearing out the remaining bandits in the territory controlled by the Crusaders.
Their achievements were great. Within a week, Tancred's northward march doubled the land that Jerusalem could control, greatly increasing the kingdom's buffer zone.
Vasiliko's coastal raids greatly widened the narrow Jaffa-Jerusalem corridor, which was now the only channel through which the Crusaders could receive aid.
As for Edgar, he successfully expelled the remnants of the Fatimid army near Jerusalem, putting the land firmly under the control of the Crusaders.
"Why not Raymond?"
Volorida said with a bad smile, and Vasiliko replied subconsciously, "Although Raymond is powerful and highly respected, his relationship with other Crusader lords is too bad, and he has a good relationship with Alexios."
Relationship is also a negative point for him, the Crusaders don’t like the Greeks…wait, you mean because of Raymond?”
Vasiliko also came back to his senses. Was it because of Raymond's obstruction that he was not selected for so long?
"It's not that they were not selected. In fact, not long after you left, there were only two candidates left, namely Godfrey and Raymond. The two in Normandy and Flanders tended to return to Europe. Some
People wanted to make Raymond the king of Jerusalem, but he gave in and called on everyone not to be the king. Then the throne was given to Godfrey. Godfrey said that he took over the responsibility, but he was not
He was called the King instead of the Guardian of the Holy Sepulchre. This made the old man so angry that his army occupied the Tower of David and refused to come out, so that's what happened now."
"Ah, this is true. The old man must feel that he has been fooled. The problem will not be solved in the next week or two." Vasiliko was a little defensive. He did not expect that things would develop like this.
While Vasiliko was complaining, a group of heavily armed Crusader infantrymen walked through the street. These soldiers were sent to show the prestige of the new regime. Such groups could be seen from time to time on the street.
"No way, no way." Volorida shrugged, "Let's go and see the lords and see if we can persuade them. But I have little hope for this. If Raymond can do that,
Even if it is easy to persuade him, will he still be Raymond?"
While talking, they had already arrived at the palace in Jerusalem. The former owner of this place was the Fatimid Governor. The Crusaders wanted to use the Ba Asak Mosque as a royal palace, but it would take a lot of time to renovate there, so the Governor's Palace was used for the time being.
An extremely fierce battle once broke out here. A group of fanatical Muslims defended the palace. The Crusaders paid a lot of money to capture it, and its corridors were almost stained red with blood.
But now there are no traces of the fighting here, and the blood on the walls and decorations has been wiped away. With the arrival of the Crusader lords, under the red cross, the palace has regained its former power.
From time to time, craftsmen could be seen busy shoveling away the inscriptions related to Islam on the walls. Seeing the arrival of the two Crusader lords, the guards immediately straightened their backs and paid tribute.
The palace is very strictly guarded. After all, I don’t know if there are any enemies still there. There are fully armed defenders in front of every door, and archers are monitoring every platform. After all, God knows if there are any crazy believers lurking in the city.
, we must be more vigilant.
"By the way, you said you had dealings with Abdul before? Has that businessman taken his business so far?"
Walking in the forest composed of pillars, the two Prince Rurik chatted as they walked. Many of these pillars had marks of slashing with knives and axes, which shows how fierce the battle was at that time.
"He is now the most popular businessman in the entire Monomach Empire. His cooperation with Monomach has made him the most successful existence in the entire country."
Volorida said it as if she accepted her own family affairs. The Persian businessman had a very close connection with the Kiev court and sent many things to Rostislav. Before the relationship between Monomakh and Rostislav normalized.
He also acts as a liaison intermediary.
Vasilko did not know much about these matters since he had not been in the Kiev court for a long time.
Just as the two were chatting happily, they were suddenly stunned. They smelled a familiar smell here, which was a strong smell of rust. This is a smell that will never be lacking on the battlefield, but why is it here?
The smell made them subconsciously draw their weapons, a habit they had developed over many years of fighting.
At this time, they were standing in front of the last door into the palace. There were two Crusader knights standing on both sides of the door. Their bodies were covered in blouses with red crosses, and on their heads were barrel helmets that made their expressions invisible.
The two people were leaning against the left and right walls respectively, as if they were lazing around. From a distance, no one would think there was anything unusual about this, but when you get closer, you will find that there are problems.
Volorida cautiously came to one of them, but the man didn't react at all. Then he saw the thin blood stains hidden under the collar. Rostislav's second son made a gesture to his brother, indicating that it was them.
Just as you thought.
Then Volorida became eager to try. This was something he had never encountered before, which made his desire for adventure continue to rise. Vasiliko looked at him like this and quickly gave him a sign to tell him not to think about it.
Go on an adventure.
"I'll go find some soldiers first. Don't take any chances. Just keep an eye on the door."
After leaving these words, Vasiliko left in a hurry, leaving Volorida here. There was a reason why he left so fast, because he knew very well that his brother could not stay idle at all. In other words
Even though they were staying here together, the brother's desire for adventure would prompt him to go in.
So he had to hurry up and find the soldiers. The sooner he found them, the better.
Just as Vasilko expected, Volorida couldn't restrain his curiosity at all. After waiting for a while, he chose to go in.
Past the two dead men who were deliberately on duty, Rostislav's second son carefully opened the door and walked into the former Fatima Governor's Palace. The first thing that came into view was the red cross flag hanging in the center of the hall.
Represents the Crusader rule over the city.
The scene in the hall was very messy, with many tables and chairs tilted here and there. The smell of rust in the air was even stronger, almost suffocating people, and blood stains could be seen in many places.
Volorida's many years of combat experience told him that a short and fierce battle had taken place here, otherwise the sound of fighting would have attracted the Crusaders outside. Moreover, these people were very experienced and had packed away the corpses and returned them.
I know that two dead people with duty certificates are placed at the door.
Prince Rurik felt a sudden regret in his heart. Seeing this scene, he realized that he was afraid that he had met a professional. There were at least seven or eight knights and soldiers in this hall every day. They could kill people so quickly. The attackers
His conduct is not shallow.
Volorida likes taking risks, but that doesn't mean he has no brains. In fact, he knows where he can go and where he can't go, and right now it's obviously a place he can't go.
He slowly backed away, looking around with vigilant eyes. He first approached the table closest to the door, and just when he was about to leave, a sudden change occurred.
I saw a man in black robes holding a crossbow suddenly appeared from behind a fallen table. He directly pulled the trigger on Volorida, but the crossbow arrow was passed by the Russian. Volorida watched intently.
Looking at every place in this hall, the attacker was noticed the moment he appeared.
But what Volorida didn't expect was that suddenly there was a sound of piercing the air beside him, which made him suddenly realize that it was just a shot from east to west. He quickly twisted his body, but the thrown dart still hit him.
However, due to Volorida's quick reaction, the dart hit the chainmail on his body instead of the throat area expected by the launcher. Volorida felt that the chainmail was pierced, but that was all.
That's all, the armor at the back offset the remaining kinetic energy.
Just when he was still congratulating himself for not taking off his armor because of the heat, two attackers attacked again. The crossbowman actually loaded the crossbow in such a short time, but his blow was struck by the Russians.
Blocked by a kicked over table.
As for the other person, he was holding a scimitar in both hands and was also wearing a black robe. He waved the scimitar like a whirlwind and rushed towards Volorida. If ordinary people saw this scene, they might be frightened and at a loss. But
Volorida is not.
He pulled a chair next to him and threw it directly at the man. The attacker had to stop swinging for the chair, and the next moment Volorida's long sword had cut off his head, and blood spurted everywhere.
Next, the Russians huddled behind the table that he had kicked down before, and then there was the sound of crossbow arrows being fired on it again. Volorida saw that the arrows of the crossbow arrows had penetrated the table, and she couldn't help but feel scared.
Then Volorida heard the crossbowman say something in a language he couldn't understand. He knew that the words were Arabic. His tone was very urgent, and he shouted very loudly, as if he was giving a warning.
The thoughts of the suppressed Russian people were interrupted by the sudden opening of the door. They saw eight archers rushing into the station decisively and releasing arrows that had been prepared for a long time. The arrows immediately killed the crossbowman who could not react in time.
However, at the next moment, five or six men in black robes rushed out from behind the door leading to other rooms. They were either holding scimitars or daggers. They were not surprised to see the Crusaders who had already rushed in.
The darts were thrown directly, and an archer who was caught off guard was shot in the throat and fell down. Then these men in black robes rushed forward shouting Arabic slogans that he did not understand.
"Destroy them! Destroy these infidels!"
Vasiliko's voice came from behind the Crusaders, and then a group of Crusaders rushed up and started a fierce battle with the black-robed people, and several more supports came from the black-robed people, making the battle more intense.
Volorida leaned out from behind the table and watched the fight outside, and then he understood why these men in black robes could explain the guards so quickly. They were all masters in using scimitars and daggers.
He also knew the weak points of the armor very well, so he frantically called to it, and at the same time he could effectively defend himself.
Moreover, these guys had a completely lifeless style of fighting, without any regard for possible dangers, and would dare to do even the most dangerous things, which caused several Crusaders to fall to their weapons.
Just when Volorida wanted to observe further, he was suddenly pulled by Vasiliko, "Let's go, brother, we have to rescue Godfrey. I just asked, but Godfrey is still inside.
These people are just trying to delay time, we must move forward quickly, otherwise God knows what those people are going to do!"
Volorida immediately followed and followed the elite team organized by Vasiliko across the melee battlefield. The men in black robes tried to stop them, but unfortunately they were all in vain.
Both Ruriks were very nervous. Godfrey was too important to the Crusaders. He was the only one who could convince the crowd and lead the Crusaders in the Holy Land. If they lost this man, they couldn't even imagine what would happen.
Their father even said that Brother Godfrey is the key to the Near East. No matter what the reason is, they must rescue Godfrey. They must not lose this guardian of the Holy Sepulchre.
Volorida and Vasiliko led the knights through the corridors of the palace at high speed, and sent people to investigate every corner. Sometimes there would be battles, but after making sure that there was no one they were looking for in this direction,
No one cares about those battles except those involved. The most important thing now is to rescue Godfrey.
Godfrey's location is the current headquarters of the Crusaders. It used to be the office of the local governor and is now a meeting place for the Crusade lords. If Godfrey cannot be found anywhere else, then there is no other place.
.
At the door of the room, the people who came to the rescue saw five men in black robes, all holding daggers and crossbows. Seeing this, everyone knew that they were in the right place.
"Go ahead and rescue the Guardian of the Holy Sepulchre!"
Volorida took the lead and held the small round shield that came from the road in front of his head. Then he felt the impact of the crossbow arrows hitting it. When he got close to the enemies, he threw the shield away.
The shield was easily avoided by the opponent. Just when Volorida thought that he would win next and slashed with the long sword, he found that the person on the opposite side had dexterously avoided the attack and went around like a snake.
behind him.
The gleaming dagger came towards the neck. If it was stabbed, Volorida would be dead. But the man forgot one thing. He had to face more than one enemy. They were a group of people coming from the passage.
Crusader knights, and there is also an excellent warrior among this group of people.
Originally, the man in black robe planned to use the pitiful time to kill the one at the front to weaken the momentum of the Crusaders, even if he died as a result, they were here just to delay time, but they met that person.
For an excellent warrior, the time originally judged to be enough is not enough.
Vasiliko quickly sent the sword into the back of the black-robed man, and finally fell down helplessly.
What happened in other places was similar to this. Although these people could use their flexible bodies to avoid attacks and kill the enemy, but when the knights blocked all the space that could be moved, the final result would not be necessary.
Talk too much.
The closed door was smashed open. The inside of the door was a mess. Important documents were scattered everywhere, along with corpses. The most important thing was that two men in black robes were guarding a knight who was tied up.
That man was none other than Godfrey of Bouillon.
Needless to say what happened next, after a brief confrontation, the two men died in front of the swarming Crusader knights. They rescued Godfrey of Bouillon, and the Crusaders carefully untied the guardian.
With the rope around his body, when the accompanying doctor came to confirm that Godfrey was fine, everyone cheered from the bottom of their hearts, and everyone was happy that the guardian of the Holy Sepulcher was safe and sound.