Chapter 968 - 191: Valmond Treaty
The hall of Damascus’s administration was filled with stacks of documents before Losa.
Viviana, Jeanne, Prajna, and others had already led the Crusaders in a scattered attack, capturing the remaining territories of the Ayyubid Dynasty.
Losa and Lavinia, meanwhile, remained at the rear, providing logistical support to the front line.
Having been a golden judge in the past, Lavinia was more than capable as Losa’s personal secretary, sharing quite a bit of the administrative burden with him.
"Losa, the ’Shadow of Darkness’ has sent word that the remnants of the Ayyubid Dynasty in the north are stirring. They are gathering supplies, forming an expedition team, and consistently moving north to explore. It appears as if they intend to abandon Aleppo and Antioch."
"Knowing they can’t win, it seems these Ayyubid remnants are preparing for strategic redeployment."
Losa suddenly revealed a look of realization: "I seem to understand why Saladin orchestrated such a grand performance before his final moments."
His duel with Saladin, in some respects, also represented a legitimate transfer of power in Damascus, which wasn’t a bad thing for him.
It seems now that Saladin deemed they could not prevail, and began seeking a fallback route for his family. His own demise might be to provide the Zoroastrian World with a justification for his defeat.
Even if one dies on the battlefield, the fame afterwards will not be poor.
At this moment, more attendants handed over new documents: "Your Majesty, Queen Tamar of Georgia and her consort Yuri have each sent a national letter, hoping for our support."
Queen Tamar is the daughter of "King George III" of the Bagrationi Dynasty of Georgia, previously a co-ruling queen, crowned as the King of Georgia after George III’s death.
In Losa’s historical memories, this very Queen Tamar propelled the Kingdom of Georgia to its peak, establishing rule over the entire Caucasus region at one point and was later canonized as the "Holy and Just Queen Mara" by the Eastern Orthodox Church after her death.
Losa was slightly perplexed: "Why send two national letters?"
His knowledge of the Kingdom of Georgia was limited; this mountainous country had close ties with the Eastern Empire, but previously had jointly resisted Turkic people with the Crusader Kingdom, though after Edessa and Antioch fell, there was no further interaction.
The attendant explained: "Your Majesty, I inquired with their emissary. It is said that Queen Tamar faced domestic aristocrat resistance due to her gender upon her accession, and was pressured by nobles to ’marry’ Yuri Prince from Kiev Rus. With her power now consolidated, she naturally intends to act against opposing nobles."
Losa realized: "No wonder the Ayyubid remnants are preparing to move north. Saladin must have seen the internal weakness of the Kingdom of Georgia and plans to exploit it."
Under normal circumstances, the Kingdom of Georgia, situated in the Caucasus Mountains, wouldn’t be easy to conquer.
"Send a reply to Queen Tamar, saying I look forward to joining forces with her in future to cleanse the Turkic Chiefdoms between our countries and open a trade route connecting the two Christian nations. As for King Consort Yuri, he is not an orthodox king and can be disregarded."
Between the Kingdom of Georgia and the Kingdom of Damascus are several Turkic Chiefdoms, these Seljuk Turks govern the Armenians and are closely related to the Rum Turks.
After the attendant withdrew, Lavinia couldn’t help but say: "So this Georgian queen is the Mara Queen recorded in the history books?"
Losa nodded: "A legendary figure indeed, though it remains to be seen if she can withstand the Saracen army."
The strategy for the Ayyubid remnants to advance northward likely originated from Saladin himself.
"And here’s one more, a national letter sent by Armenian Prince Ruben."
Losa briefly glanced over it, finding nothing substantial, merely a reiteration of Cilicia’s historical role as a fortress in the East for Christendom against the Crusaders, including its support during the First Crusade.
Hopeful for continued brotherly relations between the countries under Christ, becoming closest allies, and jointly launching a holy war against the northern and eastern Turkic barbarians.
In essence, the Overseas Empire has already replaced the ecological niche of the Ayyubid Dynasty, prompting surrounding forces to start pledging allegiances.
"
"Your Majesty, representatives of the Venetians, Pisans, and Genoese have all arrived."
Jeanne was somewhat surprised: "It’s strange that the three parties can gather together."
The Venetians and Genoese are mortal enemies, while the Genoese and Pisans are mortal enemies as well. It’s strange that they can gather together without coming to blows.
Losa sneered: "Merchants driven by profit would even sell their souls to the Devil if the profits are sufficient."
"Congratulations to Your Majesty for conquering Damascus, slaying the heretical monarch Saladin. Henceforth, your name will be celebrated throughout Christendom."
The attendants of these Latin merchants respectfully presented treasures that were clearly precious.
"These gifts are merely a token of our admiration for Your Majesty’s achievements."
"Is that all?"
"Your Majesty is astutely wise, so let us speak plainly: Your Majesty has established a vast domain, yet Damascus, Egypt, and other territories have long been held by heretics, stubborn in nature and resistant to governance. Establishing effective control will surely be challenging."
Losa responded without affirmation: "So you claim to have a solution to this problem?"
"Indeed, Your Majesty.""Debtor to the benevolence of the Former Monarchs of Jerusalem, we established the Valmond Treaty with the city-states, ensuring that the Army’s resources were never scarce, and the Holy Vault remained full."
The so-called Valmond Treaty was an alliance agreement signed by Baldwin II with the Venetians during the Fatimid Dynasty’s invasion.
The essence was to grant Venetians autonomy and tax-exempt privileges, alongside the use of Venetian laws, for a third to a quarter of each city, excluding Jerusalem City itself, under the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Later, not only the Venetians but many other Latin city-states acquired similar privileges.
"Oh, after my coronation as King of Jerusalem, I haven’t had the chance to abolish these privileges, and now they’ve reminded me."
Losa sneered internally.
"It seems the Venetians’ experiences in the Aegean Sea haven’t taught you humility and reverence."
The Latin merchants were briefly bewildered.
"Your Majesty, please remain calm. We are not here to deceive you. We can swear by the name of God that delegating these territories to us will undoubtedly yield far greater returns than allowing autonomy or assigning officials and governors would."
Losa doubted not these Latin merchants’ ability to accumulate wealth. If the so-called "Valmond Treaty" didn’t provide benefits that made generations of Jerusalem kings envious, it could not have been implemented.
Even Alexius I of the Eastern Empire, talented and adept at strategy, succumbed to this series of tax-exempt privileges; who can deny the allure of the sugar coating on this poison?
Losa clapped his hands, and the Varangian Guard poured in, filing orderly through the palace gates.
Even Alexius I of the Eastern Empire, talented and adept at strategy, succumbed to this series of tax-exempt privileges; who can deny the allure of the sugar coating on this poison?
Losa clapped his hands, and the Varangian Guard poured in, filing orderly through the palace gates.