Chapter 33: Decision
'Swish, swish, swish.' About a quarter of the nobles in the hall raised their hands.
Count Raynald spat a thick wad of phlegm onto the luxurious carpet, his face filled with disdain. "So, our once brave and fearless Crusader warriors have already had their courage shattered by Saladin and his running dogs before the battle has even begun!"
Someone immediately chimed in, "Exactly! We cannot hide in the city like frightened turtles! We must fight the infidels to the end!"
Grand Master Roger of the Knights Hospitaller retorted angrily, "Fight? Fight with what? The enemy has one hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, perhaps even three hundred thousand men! How many do we have? Twenty thousand, thirty thousand?"
Regent Raymond shouted loudly, "Silence! Silence!" He repeated "Silence!" over and over until he stood up, slammed the table, and berated them, "If you want to argue, then get out of here and argue right now!"
"Next proposal."
The nobles in the hall finally restrained themselves somewhat, but arguments were still unavoidable. Every proposal had numerous supporters, yet none could gain the approval of more than half the assembly. Thus, the nobles divided into smaller factions and began to attack each other, arguing incessantly.
Regent Raymond was thoroughly exasperated. Just then, he saw the persistently silent Godfrey and his eyes lit up. "Baron Godfrey, do you have any insights?"
The fervent atmosphere in the hall instantly cooled. The sounds of argument lessened considerably. The four top dignitaries—Count Joscelin, Count Raynald, Grand Master Gerard, and Grand Master Roger—all looked over. Admittedly, Baron Godfrey usually had a low profile, but anyone who dared to truly ignore this influential noble in the Holy Land would be utterly foolish. He was also one of the few remaining core figures of the King's Party, and his relations with all factions were relatively harmonious.
Godfrey pondered for a moment, then gestured for Lothar to answer for him.
"Me?" Lothar was somewhat puzzled.
Baron Godfrey lowered his voice and whispered in Lothar's ear, "Yes, you. I need to let these old dogs know that the Habsburgs have once again stepped onto the political stage of Jerusalem."
Lothar thought for a moment and realized that Baron Godfrey was specifically creating a stage for him to distinguish himself. 'Come on, we just met. Is it necessary to trust me this much? What if I'm a complete good-for-nothing?'
Lothar hesitated no longer, stood up, and said, "Lord of Tiberias (a respectful address for Raymond), allow me to express Baron Godfrey's views."
"Who is this?"
"Werner's shield emblem?"
"Has that cold-blooded butcher and executioner returned to the Holy Land?"
"He doesn't look much like Werner, but that surcoat is clearly the old uniform of the Royal Knights."
A flurry of whispers arose around them. Their gazes towards him were not friendly, but contrary to his expectations, hardly anyone seemed to quibble over whether a mere landless knight like him was qualified to be present and speak here.
Raymond nodded slightly. "You may. But before that, please state your identity."
"I am Lothar von Habsburg, second son of Count Werner von Habsburg of Aargau. My father once fought to defend the Holy Land, and now I too have come to the Holy Land, following his command."
Raymond nodded. "So you are Sir Werner's son. I also fought alongside your father. You are qualified to speak here. Please proceed."
Lothar nodded slightly and, ignoring the murmurs about his identity from the people below, said, "The proposal to hire mercenary companies need not be discussed further for now. You should all be aware that although those mercenaries come with their own weapons and equipment and have decent combat strength, they possess no sense of honor or faith as warriors. They might fight well when the wind is in their favor, but once they fall into dire straits, they are unlikely to continue fulfilling their contract. Against Saladin, it will clearly be a hard-fought battle. Even as far away as Germania, I have heard of his formidable reputation. Hiring mercenary companies is inferior to Count Raynald's suggestion of using this money to arm the pilgrims. Their morale is higher, and they are cheaper."
Raynald, upon hearing this, nodded slightly and showed a satisfied smile. "Indeed, Werner's son does have some discernment."
Lothar smiled at him and continued, "As for the proposal to reserve this money to urge King Richard the Lionheart to gather his army quickly… As far as I know, Richard the Lionheart is a wise and capable monarch. He will not hasten or slow his war preparations because of this sum of money. He will participate in the Crusade, that is certain, but it will definitely be after he has settled his relations with the French and domestic affairs. This is something that absolutely cannot be accomplished within one or two months, or even half a year."
"My lords, ask yourselves honestly, would you place yourselves in a dangerous situation where your throne is unstable or you risk being attacked from the rear by old enemies, all for a sum of money?"
The nobles all shook their heads repeatedly. In reality, quite a few among them would indeed be tempted by this wealth, but none would say so directly. Greed was one of the Seven Deadly Sins. They were unwilling to admit they were avaricious.
"As for the Hashashins of Hassan Al-Sabbah, the Old Man of the Mountain... please forgive my frankness, but to enlist this 'Hashashin King,' who possesses over a hundred castles in places like Persia, how much money would it take to satisfy his appetite? Moreover, cooperating with such vile infidels who rose to power through assassination is truly an insult to the reputation of our Crusade. You must know, many Crusader princes died at his hands in the past. In this regard, not only should we not spend money to hire the Old Man of the Mountain's Hashashins, but we should also declare our support for the Sasanian and Ayyubid siege against Hassan's Hashashin kingdom."
Hassan had already attempted to assassinate Saladin, and not just once or twice, but all attempts had failed without exception. The two were already mortal enemies. If Hassan could have succeeded in an assassination, he would have done so long ago; there was no need for the Crusaders to waste this money. Lothar said this merely to save face for the idiot who had proposed the idea. In reality, secret dealings between Crusader lords and Hassan, the Old Man of the Mountain, occurred from time to time.
Regent Raymond nodded slightly. "Indeed. For now, only reinforcing the city walls and using this money to arm the pilgrims are the most reliable options."
Three proposals were successively rejected, yet these great nobles showed no defiance, but rather considerable approval. Knowledge in this era was concentrated in the hands of theologians. Apart from church schools, there were virtually no other schools. This meant that the vast majority of nobles were, in fact, illiterate. Their limited perspective and stubbornness also meant their eloquence was far from outstanding. Someone like Lothar, who could clearly articulate his views, was already a rarity.
Lothar continued, "We must admit, the danger facing the Holy Land today is unprecedented. The Ayyubid Kingdom's infidel armies outnumber us many times over. Even if our knights are exceptionally brave and skilled in battle, they will be hard-pressed when facing enemies swarming from all directions."
As soon as these words were spoken, a wave of dissatisfaction arose. Someone shouted, "Nonsense! The knights of the Heavenly Father fear nothing! Most of Saladin's men are serfs conscripted from the fields, their trouser legs caked with mud, or cavalry units made up of slaves! How can such a rabble be our opponents?"
The speaker was a very handsome knight. Though his demeanor was somewhat coarse, in this era, knights who weren't coarse were few and far between. Those polite, humble, kind, and virtuous knights mostly existed only in novels.
Lothar did not get angry. He asked calmly, "And who might you be, sir?"
The knight said proudly, "I am Guy of Lusignan. I brought twenty-five knights from my homeland to participate in the Crusade. They are all brave and skilled warriors, each capable of fighting a hundred men, without a doubt."
Lothar didn't take the bait, instead asking, "You are Gallic, are you not?"
Guy nodded. "That's right. My fief is Lusignan in Poitou." Poitou was located in western France and was currently under the control of Richard the Lionheart.
Lothar nodded. "I know of it. I once spent some time in France. You must not be very comfortable in Jerusalem, as the climate here is entirely different from Poitou. There it is humid and warm; here it is so unbearably hot." Lothar smiled. "I wonder, in such weather, when you don your armor, how much of your strength can you exert? Can your warhorse still outrun a native Arabian horse?"
Knight Guy paused, not answering. He was somewhat arrogant, but by no means a fool.
Lothar said earnestly, "I do not deny the valor of the knights under the Heavenly Father, for I am one of them. But the enemy is stronger than us; they are more numerous and more familiar with the climate here. This is undeniable. Therefore, whether it is forming new armies or reinforcing the city walls, both have their merits."
Count Raynald scratched his red beard, dissatisfied. "Both have merits? Isn't that just a load of empty talk?"
"Count Raynald, as you say, it is just empty talk, because determining which of these two policies is superior is extremely difficult. But I am very clear on one point: if we continue to bicker and disperse our already limited forces, the fate of the Holy Land being seized from our hands by Saladin is already foreseeable. So please, make a decision as soon as possible, my lords. Whether it's reinforcing the city walls or training new armies, a decision must be made. As for what that decision is, it's not actually that important, as long as you all agree on it," Lothar said gravely.
The unspoken meaning was: 'Go on, keep fighting, keep arguing, keep bickering. When Jerusalem falls, what will you have left to fight over?'
The difference in faith made them all aware of what terrifying consequences they would face once Jerusalem fell. Those infidels they had mercilessly slaughtered would repay everything these Crusaders had inflicted upon them onto their descendants.'
The people in the great hall looked at each other.
The Regent, Count Raymond, said solemnly, "I agree with Knight Lothar's statement. We must make a decision."