Chapter 469: Negotiation

Outside the city walls, the Christians of Hama were working on the fortifications Mahmud had ordered them to build, just as they had for the past few days. They were startled by the sudden appearance of the Crusaders. Unaware of Mahmud’s true plan, they gathered in a panic before the city gate, where the drawbridge was now raised and the gates shut tight.

The Hama Christians could only shout at the City Guard on the gatehouse from across the moat.

“Open the gates!”

“Let us in!”

“The enemy is here!”

“…”

The Hama Christians kept shouting, but the soldiers on the battlements remained unmoved. The drawbridge stayed up. One soldier yawned and said to the group of Christians with unconcealed glee:

“Sorry, but by order of the Lord Governor, we can open the gates for anyone except you Christians.”

“What? Are you kidding me? We’re citizens of this city!”

“We’re protected by the laws of Hama! You bastards!”

“You must be acting on your own! The Lord Governor promised he would guarantee our safety!”

“We want to see the Lord Governor, Governor Yajisiyan!”

“Please, let us in. I’ll give you all my property!”

“…”

There were about a hundred Hama Christians. Unwilling to believe they had been abandoned, they crowded around the city gate, shouting and begging, refusing to leave.

Eric was also on the city wall at this moment, watching the group of Hama Christians. He soon noticed that some of them didn’t seem as panicked as the others; their words and body language didn’t match.

‘However, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve been bought by Mahmud. Maybe they’re genuinely looking forward to siding with the Crusaders, their brothers in faith. They might have been treated unjustly in Hama, or perhaps they’ve recently fallen on hard times. If their fellow Christian brothers successfully capture Hama, it would be a good thing for them.’

‘Looting might be unrealistic, but at least they wouldn’t have to pay the expensive non-believer tax anymore. More importantly, if the Crusaders are the final victors, siding with them before the battle would prevent them from being accidentally killed by their own brethren during the city’s sacking.’

‘If any of them are lucky enough, they might even become the Crusaders’ provisional administrators in Hama City.’

The Hama Christians continued their noisy gathering at the city gate until an arrow shot from the wall grazed one man’s cheek and finally landed at another’s feet. That Christian instantly shrieked and fell to the ground.

The Hama Christians fell silent at once.

At some point, Mahmud had appeared on the wall. It was he who had shot the arrow. Mahmud slowly and deliberately lowered his bow.

“Antioch is your city, but for now, I must have complete control of it until the matter with the Franks is settled,” Mahmud explained to them in a gentle tone.

A Christian asked, “Who will protect our women and children?”

Mahmud replied, “I will. As long as you consider yourselves people of Hama, I promise you that no one will dare to touch a single hair on the heads of the Christian women and children. If I break my word, may my soul suffer the torments of Fire Hell!

“Now go. You may go wherever you wish, even to the camp of your brethren in faith, as long as you remember that you are citizens of Hama.”

Perhaps moved by Mahmud’s promise, the Hama Christians left the city wall and walked across a pontoon bridge over another moat.

As soon as they were across the pontoon bridge, a dozen or so Hama Christians raised the wooden Crosses on their chests, shouted “Hallelujah!” and eagerly rushed toward the Crusader camp.

The archers in the watchtowers tried to shoot at those Hama Christians, but Mahmud stopped them with a shout.

Hearing Mahmud’s shout, the remaining Hama Christians also broke into a run, charging toward the Crusader camp.

…

Leif could have reached Hama two days earlier, but he happened to run into Belem, who was returning from Cyprus. Belem had brought a group of Greek engineers from Cyprus, along with parts for Giant Crossbows and catapults.

They spent two days moving the ships from the coast to the Orontes River near Shazha. From there, they sailed up the Orontes, transporting the components for the Giant Crossbows and catapults to a village near Hama.

Now, they began to brazenly assemble the machines outside Hama City. They set up camp along the moat and, with great fanfare, started digging tunnels—a clear act of intimidation.

Around dusk, the two sides began their routine negotiations.

Before a formal siege, it was essential for the attacking and defending parties to negotiate.

No matter the advantage, the besieging army always suffered greater casualties than the defenders. If they could achieve their goal through negotiation, it was a stroke of incredible luck.

The attackers could gain an intact town without bloodshed or spending a single Gold Coin, while for the defenders, the promise of good treatment for a swift surrender was equally tempting.

In both the Catholic World and Allah’s World, cities that resisted to the end faced severe punishment, usually ending in massacre and plunder, whereas a timely surrender would grant them a degree of courtesy and protection.

However, due to Eric’s plan, these negotiations were actually pointless.

Furthermore, because Eric’s insistence on negotiating with Suleiman Shah last time had led to Reyno’s death, even if Leif and Belem had wanted to negotiate in earnest, their knights and soldiers would not have allowed it.

In the end, as Leif and Belem had no intention of negotiating, they proposed a long list of completely unacceptable terms, and the talks ended with both sides cursing each other.

What made Leif and Belem a little uneasy, however, was that they did not see Eric.

This was because Mahmud had positioned Eric on another corner of the city wall, where he was trying to find a way to contact them.

The next morning, the Hama side launched a counterattack. At the time, Belem was in the process of moving his tent away from the main encampment, intending to drag it to a position directly opposite the pontoon bridge.

Belem made a great show of it, calling over his attendants and personal guard knights to help him move the tent and supplies.

These personal guard knights were not wearing armor and were not even carrying weapons.

The Hama soldiers in the watchtower across the pontoon bridge saw this. They thought it was a perfect opportunity to teach the arrogant Crusaders a lesson.

So, under the cover of the dim morning light, they left the watchtower and charged across the pontoon bridge, intending to deal a fatal blow to the unprepared attendants and knights who were busy moving the tent and supplies.

However, this was all a deliberate setup by Belem. Just as the Hama soldiers excitedly crossed the pontoon bridge and swung their curved sabers at the attendants, they were riddled with arrows by archers lying in ambush to the side, turning them into human pincushions.