|Morning of October 10th - 1249 - Shores south of the Caspian Sea - Present-day Iran - Batu|
After five days of rest, and some fun (at least for me), the time has finally come to get back on the move and continue our journey full of massacres and plundering.
Yet I notice that my men are more "lazy than ever."
I mean that everyone is only doing the bare minimum to maintain the camp. They seize every moment to lie down and do nothing, perhaps the march has been too much for them.
Indeed, crossing that almost deserted territory with only mountains must have been hell for them.
But there is no time for their rest; they must resume marching, as we are less than a month away from the battlefield.
I gathered all my men; I decided it was time for a speech.
"Men! I know you are tired, I know you still need to recover. But, by the will of your Khan and the vast blue sky, WE MUST march. WE MUST reach our destination!"
My soldiers looked at me in silence, but from their faces, it was clear that their rest was over and they had to march again.
No dramatic reaction, but that's okay.
Jerusalem, I'm coming.
|Morning of September 25th - 1249 - Balcony of the castle of Acre - Acre - Attila|
After my visit to the Sultan, the time has come.
The time to move from words to actions.
"King Attila, the crowd is awaiting you. Good luck."
Bruno still hasn't realized who he's dealing with.
Once out on the balcony, I saw again a sea of people, there just to hear what I had to say.
By now, I am no longer intimidated by the situation, I have no stage fright.
This is a crucial moment in my story; the Mongols are a huge obstacle to overcome. The difference in numbers on the battlefield is hardly surmountable, so I must improve all the other aspects where I can gain an advantage:
- Weapons: I have had more long spears produced (suitable for killing horses) and bought as many as I could. Now, every soldier has a spear.
- Training: every soldier who has been recruited (or volunteered) has received at least a few months of training (mostly focused on the spear).
And last, but not least:
- Morale: I can say whatever I want, but in reality, I am sending people to die for a kingdom that for many is seen only as a puppet kingdom, subjugated by external realms and intruders in this territory. It's obvious that they don't have many reasons to do so, and this is where I shuffle the cards.
It's time to speak, but let's take it step by step.
First of all, we need to try to reassure the people as much as possible by providing the necessary information.
<<Good morning, people of the Kingdom of Jerusalem! As you may have already understood, the time for confrontation with the Mongols is approaching. Those bastards are now very close. I'll be honest, they are many, indeed, quite a lot. But thanks to my agreements with Frederick II of Swabia, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire; John III Ducas Vatatzes, Emperor of the Byzantine Empire, and Sultan Al Kamil, we now have enough forces to face those wretches!>>
Technically, I said a half-truth. The Mongols are indeed overwhelmingly superior to only my forces; saying otherwise would have been like lying. But the fact that I have allies, at least in the eyes of the people, reassures them significantly.
If they were to know the real condition of our armies, they would understand that even if we were to combine them, we are not as numerous as the Mongols. But obviously, this part will not be revealed.
Now, we must stoke the people's pride.
<<Even though not many months have passed, I know for certain that each of you has made the utmost effort to fulfil your duties. Starting from the soldiers who: some for honour, some out of duty, some out of revenge have decided to take up arms and risk their lives to defend their families, their homes, and their land. The blacksmiths have used all their time to hammer their iron to finish the weapons. And finally, all the others who, while not risking their lives, decided to support those who do. Every job, everything is functional to this huge mess called 'society,' called 'Kingdom'>>
Now that everyone has felt involved, both soldiers and ordinary civilians, we must unleash their repressed anger.
<<Each of you lives a dignified life, at least in my eyes as King. But deep down, we all know that we could live better, eat better, and feel better about ourselves. Yet we can't, the constant Mongol threat prevents us. Who still remembers the tales of their atrocities on the defenceless civilian population? Who still remembers the peace shattered by the arrival of these loathsome beings? Who still has memories of their family members dead before their eyes? WHO CAN'T SLEEP AT NIGHT BECAUSE OF THIS?! WHO HAS NIGHTMARES?! WHO SCREAMS AT NIGHT FROM THE PAIN OF THESE VIVID MEMORIES?!>>
At this point, the crowd was already in turmoil; I heard many crying, and many others becoming agitated.
Now that the crowd is emotionally involved, I must channel this anger towards our enemies.
<<We all know who is to blame, those bastard beings! Those ruthless horse-riding swine! Almost demonic beings who, as a habit, DRINK THE BLOOD OF THOSE THEY KILL!>>
Create a clash of civilizations.
<<They, who have such a volatile and barbaric way, no, I say, animalistic! THEY ARE ANIMALS! THEY ARE NOT HUMAN AND CIVILIZED LIKE US! THEY HAVE NO GOD! THEY HAVE NO GUIDANCE! THEY ARE AND WILL NEVER BE LIKE US! NEVER!>>
Demonize the enemy.
<<WHO ARE THEY?! OTHER THAN CANNIBAL ANIMALS COMING FROM GOD KNOWS WHERE! LET THEM STAY THERE! WE ALL KNOW THAT THEY ENJOY KILLING INDISCRIMINATELY!>>
Close off all diplomatic avenues.
<<THEY ENJOY KILLING MEN AND RAPING THEIR WOMEN AND DAUGHTERS! HOW CAN WE EVEN THINK OF AGREEING WITH THEM AFTER ALL THEY HAVE DONE?!>>
Impose only one solution.
<<IF WE DECIDE TO SEND THEM AWAY, WILL THEY GO?! OF COURSE NOT! SO THE ONLY SOLUTION? I TELL YOU WHAT IT IS? IT'S TO REPAY THEM IN KIND, TO EXTERMINATE THEM IN TURN, TO MAKE THEM EXPERIENCE HOW WE ALL FEEL AT THIS MOMENT! KILL THEM, SO WE NEVER HAVE TO FACE THEM AGAIN! KILL THEM SO NO ONE EVER HAS TO EXPERIENCE A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE AGAIN!>>
Final rallying cry.
<<PEOPLE OF JERUSALEM! AND EVEN YOU REFUGEES CAN CONSIDER YOURSELVES AS SUCH! TAKE YOUR WEAPONS, YOUR PRIDE, YOUR MEMORIES, AND YOUR ANGER AND USE IT, TOGETHER WITH ME, TO ACCOMPLISH THIS FEAT THAT WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY! BECAUSE IT IS ALWAYS WRITTEN BY THE VICTORS! AND WE WILL NOT ONLY MAKE OURSELVES VALUED, WE WILL WIN! FIRST FOR OURSELVES, THEN FOR OUR FAMILY, AND FINALLY FOR THE KINGDOM THAT WILL NOT BOW TO ANIMALS, THAT WILL NOT SURRENDER TO MONGOL HORROR! I WILL GO TO THE FRONT LINE PERHAPS TOWARDS A CERTAIN DEATH! AND YOU?! WILL YOU COME WITH ME?!>>
<<YES?!>> the whole crowd shouted.
<<THEN LET'S GO AND MASSACRE ALL THOSE DAMNED DEMONIC GODLESS BASTARDS?!>>
I am breathless; shouting for so long is not for me. Yet I could see that every single person within the crowd was in such euphoria that it broke the sound barrier.
People seem to have gone mad.
Very well.
