Chapter 941 - 164: Conflict
Early the next morning, news of the turmoil from last night quickly spread like wildfire through the entire Crusader camp.
A large group of Gaul nobles were furious, all clamoring for severe punishment of the culprits.
But since last night, the Germanic Crusaders had shut their camp gates tight, ignoring the insults from the outside, refusing to open the doors.
Below the camp walls, more than a dozen Knights in barrel helmets surrounded a nobleman in fine clothes.
"Good day, Sir Leopold, I am Manuel of Poitiers, son of Bohemond, the sole legitimate heir to the Duke of Antioch. Allow me to extend to you my sincerest greetings."
Raymond had also served as Duke of Antioch, but he entered Antioch as a son-in-law. After the death of his first wife Constance of Poitiers, he lost control of Antioch.
"Good day, nobleman."
Leopold, standing atop the camp walls, sneered internally; Antioch had been in the hands of Heretics for many years, yet still holding onto a title as the son of a Duke,
Similarly, Edessa Count Georgelin was in a much better position, at least he had some scattered territories within the Kingdom of Jerusalem, enabling him to maintain a fairly strong army and basic dignity.
Take these Antioch Knights, for example; the old-style barrel helmets they wear are covered in tarnished marks, likely antiques passed down from their ancestors.
"In that terrible conflict last night, those barbarians killed two noblemen. Their attendants, weapons, and supplies were looted completely. This is blatant robbery and must be punished."
Manuel shouted, "Your Grace the Duke, under orders from the Lords of Aquitaine and Albion, I demand you hand over those barbarians who attacked our allies."
Though the Poitiers-Antioch branch had grown distant from Eleanor’s Poitiers family of Aquitaine, they were very close relatives indeed; when Richard the Lionheart arrived in Syria, the exiled Royal family of Antioch quickly aligned with him.
"Honorable son of the Duke, ambassador of the King, I swear by God and the honor of the Babenberg Family there is a hidden truth behind this terrible conflict."
"Yet the details need investigation, and until then, I will not allow you to apprehend my soldiers, because everyone knows you’ve treated my compatriots unfairly."
Manuel frowned and said, "Sir Leopold, I must reiterate this is a unanimous decision of the Military Council, involving the two Majesties the Kings and Prince Raymond of Tiberias."
Leopold smiled and said, "Regrettably, as a loyal servant of Emperor Henry, I will only obey him, the master of the Frankish people in Europe, or the King of Jerusalem, the acknowledged master of the Holy Land."
"Why not this way, nobleman, the new King of Jerusalem, Lord of Egypt, and all Frankish rulers in the Eastern lands, His Majesty Losa is about to arrive at the front. I believe His Majesty will make a decision satisfactory to us both."
Manuel grew somewhat anxious: "Your response may not satisfy Prince Raymond; from today onwards, he shall no longer bear the military supplies for your army."
"Then report to your Majesty, my soldiers have already had enough of eating that moldy bread and beans like pig food. From today forward, we shall no longer follow any decision of the Military Council; all military supplies will be provided by the Austrian forces."
The logistics Leopold carried, even having newly purchased many from Alexandria Port, certainly wasn’t sufficient for all the Germanic Crusaders’ long-term consumption.
Yet everyone knew the plight of the Germanic would not last long. When King Losa arrived at Holmes, he would surely not stand idly by.
No one doubted the financial power of Losa owning Egypt; apart from the Empress of Constantinople, probably no one in the entire Mediterranean World could rival the wealth of the newly crowned King of Jerusalem.
Finishing his words, Leopold turned and left very decisively.
Leaving Manuel and a team of cavalry in a stupor beneath the walls.
"What should we do, Sir Manuel, do we just report back to His Majesty?"
Manuel clenched his teeth, his face full of anger.
He was not the sole heir of the Duke of Antioch and did not possess enough power under him. Having finally managed to align himself with Richard, he failed at the very first task handed down to him.
"What else can be done!"
He said angrily: "Deploy troops against our allies? Even when Crusaders confront Greek heretics, Losa has to intervene. If we truly fight, can you handle slaying a dragon?"
Handling his feelings, he scoffed and said: "Let’s go, let’s return to see His Majesty Richard."
...
At the Military Council, the members of the Tripartite Alliance looked rather displeased.
Though they had anticipated that Leopold would not readily hand over the people, they hadn’t expected he would refuse so bluntly, without giving even a semblance of respect to the Military Council.
Raymond coughed lightly and said: "Gentlemen, Losa’s scouts have already arrived at the camp, requesting us to construct a camp for his troops."
The entire Kingdom of Jerusalem was only so large, and Holmes City was only three hundred kilometers in a straight line from Jerusalem. Even accounting for some distance along the coast, so many days should be sufficient for arrival.
Richard asked, "Prince Raymond, what do you think?"
Losa had now been coronated King of Jerusalem, yet Raymond and other Northern Lords had yet to swear allegiance to the new king.
If Raymond agreed to accept Losa’s order, it would convey an attitude of compliance, minimizing potential conflict between the two sides.
If refused, a civil war could indeed break out.
Honestly, although Richard was a war enthusiast, both he and Philip had fought alongside Losa before and were very aware of Losa’s Power. It would probably take immense national force to contend with him.
Raymond fell silent for a moment.
He had thought about this issue for many days; either to submit to the new king or to raise the banner of rebellion, yet even with two kings supporting him, he had no real confidence in resisting Losa’s military might.
Furthermore, he didn’t believe these two kings would truly help him.
Raymond softly said: "Since the new king has been crowned, as a vassal of Jerusalem I naturally will fulfill my obligations."
Philip frowned: "So how do we address the concerns of the people below?"
Raymond smiled wryly: "Continue negotiations, striving for Leopold to voluntarily hand over the culprits. We can’t go to war with our allies over this, can we? If we do, when Losa comes, how do we explain it?"
"Damn Leopold."
Philip rubbed his brow, for the nobles and knights slain were connected to his lineage, all urging him to step forward and uphold justice.
As the most esteemed Augustus of Gaul, he never acknowledged any higher authority than the crown of Gaul, yet in the Holy Land, Losa’s golden banner evidently surpassed him.
"Since Losa’s banner is significant, we can use his name to appease them."