Ch.185Compromise (1)

Salah al-Din, ruler of the Ayyubid Dynasty in Egypt, was deeply troubled.

Reports indicated that Crusaders were advancing from all directions.

However, what truly disturbed him wasn’t the Christian Crusaders who had arrived in the Levant.

“Crusaders suddenly appearing from the East…”

Salah al-Din gritted his teeth as he spoke these words.

This represented a grave danger to the Islamic world.

Even if he could somehow stop the European Crusaders, it would be impossible to halt the Eastern Crusaders.

Unfortunately, he was only one man.

“And… *cough*… my illness is growing worse.”

He muttered to himself as he wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.

A faint trace of blood was visible where he had wiped.

“I can still endure for now.”

Ayyub spoke these words to reassure himself.

Then he leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh before regaining his composure.

In an instant, Ayyub was sitting with a calm expression as if nothing had happened.

Knock knock.

“Enter.”

An advisor entered Salah al-Din’s office.

After bowing to him, he began his report.

“My Sultan. As you instructed, we sent spies to confirm, and indeed the entire Iranian region has fallen, and recently Baghdad has also been captured.”

“Hmph.”

Ayyub’s expression turned bleak.

It was difficult to accept that the Persian region, of all places, had fallen into enemy hands so quickly.

The Iranian land was a cradle of civilization, with layers of civilizations built up over time like impregnable walls in this historically significant territory.

Even Arab forces had struggled to penetrate it properly.

It was hard to believe that such a fortress-like land had been conquered in just two weeks by the suddenly appearing Eastern Crusaders.

Additionally, Baghdad, which could be considered the holy site of Islamic knowledge, had also been captured. At this rate, it would only be a matter of time before they reached the Levant region governed by Ayyub.

“How large is their army?”

“We couldn’t confirm their total forces, but we verified they have over 90,000 cavalry alone. And troops conscripted from occupied territories continue to gather in Baghdad.”

“So the enemy grows stronger with time.”

Despite being an expeditionary force, the enemy was quickly replenishing their troops locally.

This meant that waiting them out was not a viable strategy.

“90,000… 90,000 cavalry means…”

He couldn’t fully grasp what 90,000 cavalry entailed.

He hadn’t fought them directly yet.

Therefore, they could all be knights skilled in mounted archery, or they might simply be soldiers on horseback.

However, this distinction wouldn’t make much difference.

Even ordinary mounted soldiers were formidable.

90,000 cavalry exceeded the entire Christian Crusader force combined.

And it was far more than the 25,000 troops led by Ayyub.

Of course, if he drafted forces from the amirs and local lords under his command, he could potentially field up to 300,000 men.

Even considering that, it would be difficult for Salah to face both the 100,000 Christian Crusaders and over 90,000 Eastern Crusaders alone.

If attacked from both sides, the Islamic world could collapse entirely.

“This won’t do. I must break out of this military and diplomatic isolation.”

He couldn’t allow himself to be attacked from both sides.

That would mean destruction.

While he was pondering this, a guard suddenly approached.

“My Sultan! We have… urgent news.”

“What is it?”

“The barbarian lord… I mean, the king of the Eastern Crusaders has sent a messenger saying he wishes to speak with you.”

“The king of the Crusaders…?”

Salah couldn’t help but be surprised.

However, this presented him with an excellent opportunity to escape diplomatic isolation.

There was no reason to refuse this offer of dialogue.

“I will meet him.”

* * *

Ayyub arrived at the agreed location to meet the barbarian king.

Upon arrival, he saw a young-looking king standing with a dignified bearing.

“He has the same dignity as the French king I faced.”

Baldwin IV was the figure who had hindered Salah al-Din when he was conquering the Levant region.

Though he died young from a disease that melted his face, he was one of the few monarchs Ayyub respected.

Salah couldn’t help but feel tense seeing this young barbarian king who possessed the same majesty as the French king.

“Thank you for agreeing to this conversation.”

The barbarian king dismounted and greeted Salah.

After hearing this through an interpreter, Salah returned the greeting with Arab etiquette.

“I never imagined the person who unified the Iranian region so quickly would be so young.”

“I am Temujin, merely one of the kings who follows the Gurkhan, and his representative and legitimate heir.”

“Haha! Forgive my rudeness. You are the son of a lion indeed.”

In Arab culture, majestic rulers were often compared to lions.

Thus, Ayyub praised the young king by referring to him as the son of a lion.

“Thank you. It’s an honor to meet Salah al-Din, the celebrated hero of Arabia.”

After these introductions, the two headed toward a tent.

Since they were meeting in the middle of what was essentially a barren desert, they had no choice but to converse in a tent.

The two men sat facing each other.

Behind them, their guards took their positions.

Looking at the guards, Ayyub immediately sensed that these barbarians were not to be taken lightly.

Their bodies were enormous and massive.

With their giant, muscular frames like Goliath, Ayyub felt that if one of them went berserk, even he might be harmed.

Noticing this, Temujin joked:

“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”

“We’ll see about that. This is a place where trickery and scheming run rampant.”

“I understand completely. And we haven’t exchanged enough conversation yet to build trust.”

Temujin nodded and responded.

Ayyub then addressed the young king:

“You want an alliance?”

“Yes. Don’t you also wish to avoid military and diplomatic isolation?”

“I do. But aren’t you heathens? Why would you join hands with us?”

“More precisely, I’m proposing we make an implicit armistice agreement.”

“Armistice?”

“Yes. If you make peace with us, you won’t face attacks from two directions, which is good for you, and we can focus on other regions, which is good for us.”

“Other regions? What do you mean?”

“I can’t go into details. But I want to make it clear that the Ulus’s current target is neither the Levant nor Egypt.”

Salah couldn’t hide his suspicious expression at Temujin’s words.

Since Temujin had specifically mentioned “current target,” it suggested that this could change later.

However, it was difficult to refuse this proposal.

If he refused, Ayyub would have to face both European and Eastern Crusaders simultaneously.

“Can I trust your word?”

“You should.”

“…”

“Otherwise, your nation will face grave danger.”

“Are you threatening me?”

Temujin didn’t answer.

Instead, he leaned back in his chair and spoke:

“The Ulus took the Iranian region in just two weeks. And we’ve also occupied Baghdad.”

“…”

“Moreover, this is a mountainous region. Difficult terrain for our main force of cavalry to operate in. Yet the Ulus has taken control of Iran.”

Temujin’s words were true.

Iran had many mountainous areas that made cavalry operations difficult.

Yet the Ulus had conquered it.

In just two weeks.

And they didn’t stop there.

They had immediately occupied Baghdad, the cradle of Islamic knowledge, though through surrender.

It was natural to be wary of their tremendous speed of advance.

“We were victorious even in such terrain. Now, what do you think would happen if we attacked those in what is essentially a plain covered in desert?”

It was a chilling thought.

Their cavalry could endanger the entire Islamic world.

So Ayyub had to make a choice.

Whether to make them enemies now or implicitly agree to an armistice to avoid conflict.

He knew that even if he avoided them now, they would eventually show ambition toward Egypt and the Levant.

But that was a future concern.

Right now, Ayyub had to deal with Philip II’s army that had landed in the Levant.

And he also had to stop Barbarossa’s army and Richard the Lionheart’s forces, which could join at any time.

A full-scale war with them was unavoidable.

But a full-scale war with the Mongols could be avoided, at least temporarily.

That was the significant difference.

After pondering briefly, Ayyub silently looked at Temujin.

The young king didn’t try to persuade Ayyub with any favorable proposals or words.

He simply acknowledged Salah’s situation accurately and mentioned it.

That made it even more unsettling.

But he had no choice.

“Very well. I will agree to the armistice treaty.”

“You’ve made the right choice.”

“But what if you suddenly change your mind and attack us?”

Temujin didn’t answer.

He just looked at Salah.

Salah nodded as if he understood.

“Cruel, rude, and barbaric people who know nothing of courtesy.”

“Are you refusing?”

“No. That’s why I will accept this proposal. So that we, Islam, can survive.”

“A wise decision.”

“But I cannot guarantee what consequences your arrogant actions will bring.”

Temujin laughed loudly.

Then he waved his hand as if to say not to worry.

“We will handle our affairs. I suggest you handle yours.”

At Temujin’s words, Salah gritted his teeth.

But he didn’t show his anger to Temujin. He simply stared into Temujin’s eyes.