Chapter 487 - 348: Blood and Glory

"A drainage tunnel? Why didn’t you say so before?" Belem frowned.

"Uh..." Stephen looked a little embarrassed. ’He couldn’t very well say that this was his backup plan, a wise and dignified retreat.’

"Are you sure the enemy hasn’t discovered it?" Eric cut in, relieving Stephen of his embarrassment.

"No, no. I blocked it with river mud and stones before the siege. The drainage tunnel has been abandoned for a long time, and it hasn’t rained recently. I inspect it myself every day—at least five times."

"Aha! So that’s why your Knights can never find you during your shift." Belem grabbed Stephen by the collar.

"Come on, I was just trying to give everyone a surprise," Stephen said with a laugh, slapping Belem’s hand away.

"More like a scare, I’d say. What about the horses? Can they get through?" Belem said indignantly.

"They’ll be fine as long as they lower their heads a bit," Stephen said.

"Then Stephen and Belem will lead the other three hundred Knights out of the city through that drainage tunnel. We will attack their main camp from two directions with full force. At the same time, the Infantry will quickly exit the West Gate and follow us.

"Remember, we must move quickly. After wiping out their camp, we’ll head straight for the tower," Eric emphasized.

....

As night fell, the Crusader Knights, Eric included, attended mass at the Church. Brother John had every Knight touch the Holy Spear, while their Attendants were outside, grooming the horses and fitting their tack.

Outside the city walls, the Mu’adhin’s call to prayer competed with the tolling of the vespers bell. Guards herded people indoors to clear the streets, and the garrison pretended to watch the enemy while actually monitoring the activity below.

After mass, the Knights ate a standing dinner, drinking copious amounts of watered-down wine.

Then, under orders to remain silent, they began to mount up.

Eric walked beside the Barons responsible for the walls, giving them his final instructions. "Remember—and I will say this only once—do not open the gate to let anyone back in. If we fail, we will not be forced back behind Hama’s walls. We will die out there. That is God’s will.

"It is nothing to fear, for that is the path for our souls to ascend to Heaven!"

"God’s will!"

"God’s will!"

As planned, the guards opened the gate as quietly as they could. The Knights rode out first, with their Attendants following behind.

At this pace, it would take about fifteen minutes for all the Knights and their Attendants to get out of the city.

The Infantry would be the last to leave the city. Since they were on foot and much slower, the Knights had to charge the enemy’s main camp before they were detected. This would catch the enemy off guard and sow chaos, buying time for the Infantry to make their way out.

Therefore, all the Knights had to be swift and flexible. The vanguard would gather near the moat to secure the bridgehead. They would quickly form a tight formation, riding four abreast, and were not to break ranks until they engaged the enemy. Only then would they spread out to surround them.

Upon receiving word from the tower that Sharafi had secretly moved a contingent of his army to lie in ambush nearby, Eric ordered the soldiers to open the gate. As the gate creaked open, a tense rustle went through the ranks of the Knights.

The horses grew restless, sensing their riders’ unease. They tossed their heads, shuffled, backed up, pawed at the ground, and gnawed on their bits.

Like water through a narrow trough, the Knights began to move forward.

Eric kept a count of the Knights. By the time about two hundred and eighty of them had reached the bridgehead over the moat, there was still no sign the enemy had noticed the gate was open.

Suddenly, the column of Knights halted.

No one spoke. Their faces were obscured by helmets with nasals or full faceplates.

A horse ahead of them whinnied, followed by a curse. Then, a shout in Arabic shattered the silence.

Eric roared, "Form ranks and charge! Form ranks and charge! God is with us!"

He led the vanguard, riding at the very head of the formation.

Now that the alarm had been raised, there was no longer any need for silence.

Long Spears lowered, poised to strike!

"Saint Michael!"

"God is with us!"

"God’s will!"

"Holy Spirit, protect us!"

"For Christ and the Holy Church!"

"In this sign, we shall conquer!"

The Knights screamed their war cries, charging toward the brightly lit enemy camp in the distance.

The Knights still exiting the city whipped their Warhorses, forcing them to speed up. They were desperate to cross the bridge and reach solid ground before the enemy could launch an attack.

Even with Sharafi having taken a portion of the army to the tower, the main camp still held at least ten thousand soldiers. If they managed to organize, they would be terrifying.

However, as it turned out, Eric and the Knights had worried for nothing. The Saracen Infantry in the main camp were slow to react.

The Saracen Infantry, who hadn’t been taken by Sharafi to participate in the ’spy infiltration plan’ at the tower, were busy celebrating what they believed was the imminent end of the war.

For them, this war was a bad bargain. They were ostensibly there to save the Muslims of Hama City, meaning that even if they took Hama, they were unlikely to be allowed to sack it.

They were indulging in the food, money, and women they had plundered from nearby villages over the past two days. Drunken soldiers chased chickens, smashing cups, barrels, and crates.

Only a fraction of the Saracens managed to organize a defense, mostly the Turkic Cavalry on night patrol. But even this small fraction was surprisingly large, numbering over a thousand men.

But in the dead of night, with limited visibility, they couldn’t use their bows effectively. In close combat, they were no match for the Crusader Knights. Their poorly coordinated, loose formation quickly crumbled under the charge.

Eric tore across the battlefield. With every swing of his Long Spear, an enemy fell. Without pausing, he leaped over the fallen and pushed deeper into the enemy lines until his Lance shattered. He then drew his Knight’s Sword and began to cut down his foes.

But mobile Turkic Cavalry from further away heard the commotion and began to pour in, attempting to charge Eric’s position. Before they could close the distance, war cries erupted on their right flank:

"For Blois and glory!"

"Shrewsbury forever!"

"Blood and the Cross!"

Belem and Stephen had arrived with their Knights. The Turkic Cavalry had no time to react, and their formation was instantly shattered. Many of the Turkic People were struck from their saddles before they even had a chance to draw their bows.

The attack was a complete surprise. Who could have imagined that a force of barely a thousand men would dare to charge a camp of more than ten thousand?

In the camp, most of the men were drinking heavily. Some were stuffing goods stolen from others into their clothes when, in the next instant, giant Warhorses carrying armored Knights charged them from the east.

Before they had a chance to flee, they were run through by Long Spears.

The Knights slaughtered them with ease. Many Long Spears could even be used two or three times before breaking.

When the Long Spears finally broke, the Crusader Knights drew their Swords and rode on, slashing: right, left, and right again.

When the Saracens tried to flee the camp, they were met by more Christian Knights, their Long Spears already leveled.

When they tried to hide in the narrow gaps between piles of plunder, thinking the Knights had no room to swing their Swords, the Knights’ own horses viciously trampled them underfoot.

When they tried to hide in Hama’s moat, they found that the Attendants had already dismounted. More Crusaders were pouring from the city gate, cutting them to pieces—these were the same Saracens who, just moments before, had been gleefully raping captive girls in their beds.

The Saracens in the camp had no escape. Their camp was situated between two moats, and their only way out was across a single pontoon bridge.

For all the Crusaders, there was no sight more satisfying or overwhelming than this attack on the heretic plunderers.

"Don’t get tied down! Don’t get tied down! Set it ablaze! Set it ablaze! Knights, to the tower with me! Knights, to the tower with me!"

Eric pulled his Longsword from a Saracen’s throat and roared at the Knights around him.

His orders stopped the Crusaders from pursuing the slaughter. Leaving the camp to the Crusader Infantry, who had now fully emerged from Hama, he led the charge toward the tower.