Chapter 959 - 182: Treasure
Knights strolled through the streets of Damascus in small groups of threes and twos, carrying themselves with the arrogance of conquerors, yet not lacking the awkwardness of country bumpkins visiting a big city.
Bang—
Several martial monks lifted iron picks, smashing the reliefs on the lintel of the Holy Fire Temple’s entrance. They hung a large wooden cross they carried over the temple and looked at their handiwork with satisfaction.
The monks of the Saint Lazarus Order immediately sealed off the library of Damascus, where they discovered tens of thousands of valuable manuscripts. The span of these texts ranged from the successors of Greece to the Ancient Empire, the Eastern Empire, and even various Saracen dynasties, many of which were not even available in the famously well-stocked library of Constantinople.
"Your Majesty, wonderful news!"
Bishop Urding, a small old man with a rigid temperament, displayed an unusually joyful expression for the first time: "You’ll never guess what I found in the library—a book on geometry and Avicenna’s Medical Canon. The entire essence of Saracen civilization is here."
Losa clearly understood the value these pieces of knowledge represented, far better than those coarse Crusader lords. Medical books can heal and save lives, drive away plagues; books for craftsmen can improve farming tools and develop irrigation systems. Many other books on handicrafts, astronomy, geometry, and even ancient alchemy all have significant uses.
"How do these compare to the collections in Cairo?"
"Even richer. In Cairo’s collections, theological books take up too much space, with many being commentaries or records of debates left by masters of the Fire Worship faith."
Seeing Urding so excited, Losa couldn’t help but laugh: "From now on, this library is under your supervision. All soldiers from the Order are at your disposal. Organize and translate these books as quickly as possible."
"No problem. Among the Saracen books, many are legacies from the Empire era, and quite a few still retain their original Latin and Greek, greatly easing the translation work."
Urding pledged confidently, his eyes unblinkingly fixated on the Medical Canon in his hands, while Losa subconsciously lowered his steps and walked out of this priceless treasure trove.
Losa was well aware of the importance of these manuscripts. How did the Saracens, beginning with nomadic roots, build such a vast empire and become the beacon of medieval civilization?
Saladin’s territories in Syria had three core cities, among which Antioch was initially the most prosperous. However, by the time the Crusaders captured it, it had declined to only tens of thousands of residents.
Next was Aleppo, which was also highly prosperous as the capital during the Zengi Dynasty. But a devastating earthquake fifty years ago severely damaged Aleppo, costing nearly two hundred thousand lives, and it has not regained its former glory.
Finally, there was Damascus. Since the Umayyad Dynasty, this city had been the capital of the vast Saracen Empire, acting as an important hub through the Abbas, Fatima, Zengi, and Ayyubid dynasties, comparable to Alexandria, Tarsus, and Baghdad, and only slightly less significant than Constantinople.
"Have you heard? His Majesty is going to publicly execute Reynard in the central square. Everyone with nothing to do is to come and witness!"
"Reynard?"
"Which Reynard? It can’t be the King of the Dead Sea, can it?"
"My God, such a significant figure is going to be executed? What crime did he commit?"
Though merely a clown in Losa’s eyes, Reynard, even stripped of his count title, was unquestionably one of the most prominent nobles in the Holy Land.
The territories of the nobles in the Holy Land were generally small. In the early days, the entire Kingdom of Jerusalem had only four barons.
Baron Godfrey, for instance, could arm several hundred light and heavy cavalry under his command, making him a considerable power within the kingdom. Otherwise, he couldn’t have raised the banner of the King’s Faction all by himself.
"If His Majesty wants him dead, he surely deserves it."
"And if His Majesty wants you dead?"
"Then I deserve it too!"
"You!"
"This is madness. His Majesty’s actions will make everyone feel endangered."
In the East, the Song Dynasty had the Emperor and officials ruling the country together, while in Europe, the tradition was for the King and the nobles to co-govern the realm.
According to the Jerusalem Ordinances issued by the Holy Tomb Guardian, Godfrey of Bouillon, the King had the right to execute a vassal who committed serious offenses, but Baldwin IV had never exercised this authority.
"Does His Majesty not have the power to execute a criminal?"
"Of course, he does... It’s just that, I think, merely for Lord Reynard leading his knights and killing a dozen heretics, as a great noble, that hardly warrants an execution."
Furthermore, many Crusaders were secretly engaging in robbery, extortion, and other acts violating military regulations, as the citizens of Damascus and the clergy were too wealthy—wealth that tempted human hearts. In the face of such interests, Losa’s authority was not entirely effective either.
However, their actions were more covert, and they weren’t caught by the Supervision Team. The extorted citizens thought they were in cahoots, so they didn’t complain.
"Your Majesty,"
Groups of captives were being escorted together, their expressions bewildered, filled with fear of the future.
Will we be sold into the mines as slaves?
These Saracen soldiers, especially the Mamluks who possessed decent combat skills, were considered unstable elements and could not be released indiscriminately.
Losa’s response was simple: establish a reform camp, select those who excelled and cooperated, and recruit them into the army. Ordinary ones would labor until they redeemed themselves as civilians, and the hard-core ones would be driven into the mines.
Groups of captives were being escorted together, their expressions bewildered, filled with fear of the future.
Will we be sold into the mines as slaves?
These Saracen soldiers, especially the Mamluks who possessed decent combat skills, were considered unstable elements and could not be released indiscriminately.
Losa’s response was simple: establish a reform camp, select those who excelled and cooperated, and recruit them into the army. Ordinary ones would labor until they redeemed themselves as civilians, and the hard-core ones would be driven into the mines.
Groups of captives were being escorted together, their expressions bewildered, filled with fear of the future.
Will we be sold into the mines as slaves?
These Saracen soldiers, especially the Mamluks who possessed decent combat skills, were considered unstable elements and could not be released indiscriminately.
Losa’s response was simple: establish a reform camp, select those who excelled and cooperated, and recruit them into the army. Ordinary ones would labor until they redeemed themselves as civilians, and the hard-core ones would be driven into the mines.