FMKE 05

Chapter 05 12 Suppression of the Bandits

Every time they charged…

Instead of shouting,

“Deus Vult!”

they shouted,

“For His Majesty the Emperor!”

As they slaughtered the bandits, they steadily spread the reputation of the Holy Roman Emperor.

That shout was a battle cry that echoed across the battlefield, but at the same time, it was also a political declaration.

And thanks to the uncertainty of information in this era, where rumors could travel a thousand miles without legs and a thief who stole a needle could soon become a thief who stole an entire cow, rumors spread that the Emperor had made Michael play a very important role in suppressing the infidels in the Levant.

Because of this, the Emperor began providing Michael with even more funding.

The rumor continued to grow until, before long, it had become almost like a legend.

At the same time, Genoese merchants helped promote Michael’s name, causing the nobles of the Empire to pour out their money.

That money, together with their family banners, eventually fell completely into Michael’s hands.

He was not simply a man who was good at war.

He knew exactly how to move money, legitimacy, and people.

Even those family banners soon became shields for Michael, protecting him from political attacks by other Crusader lords and nobles staying in the Holy Land of the Levant.

Entrusting him with a family banner meant that they supported him.

At the same time, it meant that attacking him was practically the same as declaring war on that noble family.

Because of this, even the most influential people in the Levant would not be able to treat him carelessly.

Naturally, this news eventually reached Baldwin IV of Jerusalem…

“He is quite a unique fellow.”

“Does it not bother Your Majesty? He was made Lord of Tyre by Your Majesty himself, yet he keeps shouting the name of a foreign emperor.”

Raymond III, Count of Tripoli and Prince of Galilee, asked this question, but Baldwin IV shook his head.

“From a practical point of view, it is not bad. Besides, suppressing the bandits around Tyre is also beneficial to you, is it not?”

“Well, that is true.”

The area in front of Tyre was practically part of the territory of Galilee.

Saracen bandits and Bedouin bandits, acting under Saladin’s tacit orders, had always been a headache because they constantly ran wild in the area.

But these days, thanks to the Lord of Tyre, the region was enjoying a very peaceful period, and taxes were finally being collected properly.

The change could be seen in the numbers, and it could also be felt among the people.

“The problem is that he has attracted too much attention from the Old Man of the Mountain.”

The Old Man of the Mountain.

It was a term referring to the Assassins of the Nizari Ismailis, an Islamic sect that could be considered the origin of the assassins.

They were beings whose very name was enough to send chills down the spines of countless people.

At present, they operated from the Al-Ansariyah Mountains and the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, located between Damascus, where Saladin stayed, and the Crusader territory of Galilee.

They moved like shadows, and fear had spread that no one could ever completely escape their hands.

“There is no need to worry about the Old Man of the Mountain. As long as Saladin is alive, they will not lay a hand on us.”

“But they value balance. They will not want the Crusaders to become too powerful either.”

“It is only Tyre. Besides, judging by his actions, he does not seem like someone who would get along with Guy de Lusignan.”

At Baldwin IV’s words, Raymond III also nodded.

Michael was certainly a man far removed from Guy de Lusignan.

In particular, since he was a German knight, he had little connection with the French or Italian factions that made up most of the Crusaders.

That isolated position itself was becoming a variable.

“Is that not precisely why you are more worried? He looks like a warmonger, but he has enough ability, is fairly skilled at politics, and even possesses the ability to scheme.”

Recently, the number of armed pilgrims traveling to Tyre and asking to serve under Michael had also been increasing.

The flow was still small, but it clearly existed, and it had the potential to grow as time passed.

So far, no knights or heavy cavalry, the main military strength, had defected.

But if people continued heading toward Michael like this, eventually there might be knights and heavy cavalrymen who wanted to join him as well.

The possibility was small, but it was certainly not a risk that could be ignored.

At present, excluding the Tyre garrison, Michael commanded eight knights, 30 heavy cavalry, 50 Cuman cavalry, 50 light cavalry sergeants, and 350 infantry sergeants.

In total, he had as many as 480 soldiers under his command.

Moreover, he had established a good relationship with the Genoese merchants, so if things went well, it was possible that even the Genoese crossbowmen staying in Tyre could end up being hired by Michael.

“That is precisely why I am even more reassured. Therefore, before I die, I intend to use him to create a card that can restrain Guy and his faction. Raymond, I need your support.”

His words contained more than simple calculation.

They contained the determination of a king who wanted to leave something behind.

It was almost like his final struggle to create a counterweight so that the kingdom would not collapse after he was gone.

“Whatever it is… I will follow Your Majesty.”

Raymond answered with determination on his face.

December 1184.

Perhaps it was because Michael had been suppressing the bandits too enthusiastically?

The Saracens and Bedouins, who had previously carried out scattered raids, joined forces and formed a large group before attacking Galilee.

Alarmed by this, Galilee immediately requested support from Michael, the Lord of Tyre.

Michael prepared seven knights, 30 heavy cavalry, 50 Cuman cavalry, and 50 light cavalry sergeants.

In addition, he hired 100 Turcopole horse archers, organizing a large cavalry force of 238 men.

“How large is the bandit force?”

The knight Raymond of Valence, who had taken the role of his adjutant, answered Michael’s question.

“Around 500 men, with approximately 200 cavalry.”

“Quite a large number.”

“Still, they are all the ones who had been scattered around Galilee and Tripoli. Wouldn’t it be better to wipe them all out at once?”

Raymond spoke as if he was already certain of victory, saying that it was even better because they could eliminate the entire group at once.

“Well, certainly… Temüke!”

“Yes, my lord.”

Temüke, a Cuman who had been appointed commander of the Cuman cavalry, was the most skilled among the Cuman riders and was also a very large man.

“You will command the Turcopoles. When you encounter the enemy, circle around their outside and shower them with arrows.”

After traveling for quite some time, Michael arrived at the village that was under attack by the bandits.

Fortunately, the sun had just set, and darkness was beginning to spread across the surroundings.

It seemed that the enemy had not noticed them yet.

“Good. Temüke, take care of the enemy cavalry.”

The enemy cavalry was positioned around the outskirts of the village.

Michael ordered Temüke’s 50 Cuman cavalry and the 100 Turcopole horse archers hired from Tyre to attack the enemy cavalry.

“The rest of you, follow me! We will wipe out their infantry!”

Knights and heavy cavalry were perfect for dealing with the bandits who were looting the village.

The light cavalry sergeants were still lacking in horsemanship, so they could not easily keep up with the Cuman cavalry and Turcopole horse archers.

Therefore, Michael decided to have them charge alongside him.

“Blow the horn! Charge!”

Michael and the heavy and light cavalry charged while blowing horns made from cow horns.

BWOOOOOOO!

As the sound of the horns spread together with the heavy rumbling of the earth, the bandits who had been busy looting the village were startled and tried to prepare themselves.

But before they could do so, Michael’s force charged into the village.

With a powerful charge, they mercilessly pushed aside the bandits running through the streets and impaled them with their spears.

After killing five bandits, Michael’s spear could no longer withstand the strain and broke.

Michael then pulled out the bastard sword hanging from his back, secured there with a belt, and swung it in his hand.

The bastard sword had a longer reach than an ordinary arming sword.

Of course, it was also much heavier.

But to Michael, who possessed the strength of ten thousand men, swinging it was as easy as swinging a piece of tableware.

While Michael swept through the bandits, the Cuman cavalry led by Temüke was also exchanging attacks with the mounted raiders while firing arrows.

The Turcopoles and Saracen bandits used hit-and-run tactics, stopping their horses briefly to fire arrows before retreating.

Because of this, their accuracy while shooting from moving horses was low, and their attacks did not have much power.

But the Cuman cavalry had lived on horseback in the northern steppes as naturally as they ate meals.

They used swarm tactics, continuously firing arrows while moving and eliminating the mounted raiders.

Eventually, after confirming that the number of mounted raiders had been reduced by about half, Temüke immediately turned around.

He put his bow into its case and pulled out the spear that had been hanging from his saddle.

The other Cuman cavalrymen also drew their spears.

Meanwhile, the Turcopole cavalry drew their curved swords, preparing for close combat.

Soon, the two groups collided.

The 50 Cuman cavalrymen, who had been provided with chainmail to wear underneath their lamellar armor thanks to Michael, survived the collision with the mounted raiders without suffering major losses.

Then they began swinging their curved swords.

At that moment, a force of light cavalry sergeants appeared behind the mounted raiders.

When they charged into the raiders’ rear, the mounted raiders finally collapsed.

With the additional 50 light cavalry sergeants turning the momentum in his favor, Temüke literally slaughtered the enemies and wiped out the mounted raiders in an instant.

“Collect the spoils!”

Normally, they should have rushed to help Michael.

But the fact that the light cavalry sergeants who had been fighting alongside Michael had arrived here meant that the bandits inside the village had already been dealt with.

Therefore, Temüke decided to collect the spoils first.

From this battle, they captured 80 horses that had belonged to the bandits.

The wounded horses were all killed, providing a total of ten horses worth of meat.

They also managed to recover around 90 camels.

Likewise, 20 wounded camels were slaughtered.

After taking all the weapons and money possessed by the bandits, they carried the spoils toward the village.

There, they arrived before Michael, who was resting after apparently cutting down countless bandits.

He was covered in blood.