paranoianovel Chapter 885: The Arrival of Damascus
Chapter 885: The Arrival of Damascus
Chapter 885: The Arrival of Damascus
Ten days later, Damascus.
As the undisputed military and political hub of the Ayyubid dynasty, no matter how wealthy Egypt was, Saladin never shifted the focus of his rule.
The industry and commerce here are well developed, and the swords and handicrafts produced here are famous overseas. The Genoese and Venetians have set up trading posts in this city. In addition, many pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem would transit here.
Like Cairo, this place is also known as the city of a thousand minarets, with countless minarets, sacred fire altars, fire temples, and religious schools.
But today's Damascus is obviously no longer as prosperous as it was in its heyday.
The residents on the street were in a panic. Many people stayed indoors. If they went out, they walked in a hurry with their heads down, not daring to stay. The refugees huddled on the streets, numbly stretching out their hands to beg for food from passers-by.
Some people with connections once again embarked on the journey of fleeing south.
But the vast majority of people chose to stay.
Because they have almost no way to escape.
Imams held scriptures, preached to the refugees and gave alms, but beneath their kind faces, there was still an unconcealable worry.
Since the terrible "pagan lord Lothar" took over the Northern Crusaders, it only took the Franks one day to capture Homs, which had been held for more than a month.
Without any delay, he left behind a garrison and quickly went south around the Qalemmon Mountains, capturing several cities in succession. Now his troops were heading straight for Damascus, the heart of the Ayyubid dynasty.
At present, the Ayyubid Dynasty's Syrian territory has been cut in half, and provinces such as Aleppo in the north would be blocked by the Crusaders if they wanted to send troops to rescue.
As for the governors of the provinces south of Damascus, they also showed a tendency to disobey orders. When Saladin summoned them, they just made excuses to raise troops and food, but remained inactive.
"Losing Egypt is like losing both legs. Losing Adil and most of the elite soldiers is like losing both hands. Now that Homs is lost, the most tender heart of the kingdom has been exposed to the iron hoofs of the barbarians. What strength do we have left to resist?"
Farooq Shah’s expression was compassionate, the kingdom was dying, falling into hell step by step right before his eyes.
A year ago, Ayyubid was still the overlord of West Asia. Arsalan of Roma, the Reuben dynasty of Armenia, the remnants of the Zengid dynasty, Tunisia, Yemen and the Saracen states all sent envoys to pay tribute.
Sitting next to him was his fellow sufferer, Turanshah, the former governor of Upper Egypt.
Turanshah couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Who could have thought that those Franks would progress so quickly?"
He crossed the Red Sea and passed through the Hejaz back to Damascus, hoping to live a peaceful life, but who would have thought that the French were not much slower than him.
He felt that he should simply carry the jewels and wealth shipped from Egypt and cross the sea directly to Elamshahr or the more distant Ghur Turkic Empire.
Farushah smiled bitterly and said, "What's so hard to imagine? The spellcasters are unwilling to take action, and the dragon can melt the city wall with just one breath of fire. No matter how strong the city is, it will be nothing in front of them."
Turanshah could not help crying and said, "Is it because we have lost our faith in the Holy Fire over the years? Why did the Holy Fire abandon us and make us face the knives of the pagans?"
Farushah said softly, "Don't worry, His Majesty is still here, he will definitely find a way."
Although they all belonged to the Ayyubid clan and were all "royal descendants", the relationship between them had never been very harmonious. It was only in this desperate situation that the looks they gave each other became more sincere.
"Mr. Governor, His Majesty has summoned you."
The black eunuch who came hurriedly looked at Farushah cautiously.
"Wait here for a moment. I'll be back soon."
Farushah straightened his clothes and followed the black eunuch into the magnificent palace.
Even though I had prepared myself mentally, I was still shocked when I walked into the palace.
The once majestic monarch who summoned his ministers in Damascus to fight against the pagans and retake Jerusalem has now become extremely thin and is leaning on the cushion on the bed.
His dark skin was stretched on his skeleton like a mummy, his eye sockets were sunken, and even with all kinds of incense burning in the air, the strong smell of herbs could not be concealed.
"Your Majesty"
He opened his mouth, but was choked for a moment, tears streaming down his face. "Your Majesty, I lost Holmes, whom you entrusted to me. How can I come to see you and receive your summons?"
"My brother, don't blame yourself. You have done your best in Holmes. The situation has deteriorated to such an extent because the enemy is too strong and I did not find a reliable spellcaster for you. You are the only one who cannot be blamed."
These days, he had been seriously ill and had lost a lot of weight. The magic potions prepared by the court wizards could no longer cure him. After all, the root of his illness was not in his body at all.
He stretched out his bony hand and grasped Farooq's arm.
Hearing what he said, Farushah could not help but burst into tears. He was a kind man, otherwise he would not have been trusted by Saladin and appointed as the governor of Homs.
If we really meet someone like Turanshah who knows how to weigh the pros and cons and leaves when the situation gets bad, wouldn't we be handing over the door of the country to someone else?
"Okay, my brother, don't cry. I asked you to come this time because I have something important to entrust to you. I don't trust anyone except you for this matter, including my useless children."
Saladin had thought of a way to deal with Lothar's dragon and his witch advisers.
Saladin spared no expense to hire Shemail, for he knew very well that secular armies could not stop an enemy who could display extraordinary powers at will.
But Lothar's reputation in the extraordinary world is too terrible. The more knowledgeable people are, the more they know what fighting legends means.
Unless Saladin can produce another artifact of the "Cuneiform Tablet" level, who would fight for some worldly wealth and power with such a terrible enemy?
But let’s not talk about how rare an artifact of that level is. Even if Saladin can take it out, who can guarantee that the newly recruited spellcaster will be an honest person like Shemail?
They have no means of counterattack at all.
A legendary spellcaster grabs your things and runs away. Who can stop him?
Or maybe they simply usurp the throne and take over the throne. How can we counter it?
In order to deal with Lothar, Saladin has made all the efforts he can, but now that all his plans have come to nothing, he has to start thinking about the future of the Ayyubid family.
That’s right, not the Ayyubid dynasty, but the Ayyubid family.
The Khitans were able to migrate westwards and conquer a vast territory, the Turks were able to migrate westwards and establish the Zengi Kingdom and the Roma Kingdom, so the Ayyubid family might not be able to do the same.
Farushah wiped his tears and choked up, saying, "Your Majesty, please leave anything to me. I will never back down even if it costs me my life. In my heart, I should have fallen under the iron hoofs and swords of the infidels together with Holmes."
Saladin grabbed his arm and said, "I want you to take a group of personal guards and escort a group of treasures out of the city to Aleppo in the north. No one along the way can be trusted, and no one is allowed to approach the caravan until you reach Aleppo and find Takieddin."
Farooq Shah's eyes widened: "Your Majesty! Do you want me to abandon you?"
Saladin smiled bitterly and said, "Damascus is destined to fall into the hands of Lothar and his dragon. We have to consider the future of our family."
"Your Majesty, this should be done by you personally!"
Saladin said angrily: "You want me to abandon my subjects and flee in front of the infidels?"
Even though he was bedridden, the old lion still had some power, which frightened Farushah so much that he was stunned on the spot.
He didn't understand why he could leave but Saladin couldn't.
It's not like they haven't been defeated before when fighting the pagans, so why could they escape before but not now?
Looking at this honest brother, Saladin couldn't help but sigh.
Things are different now.
If he died in Damascus, he would have won the last bit of fame for the Ayyubid family in the Zoroastrian world. With this fame, even if the Ayyubid family lost its last piece of territory and went into exile in a foreign country, it would have the possibility of continuing to survive and even prospering again.
"Oh, father, I once said that you should be proud of me and that our family would be famous forever because of me. But now, I have personally led our family into the abyss of destruction."
Saladin smiled bitterly and clenched Farushah's hand: "Go quickly, take your family with you, and don't tell anyone where you are!"