xymnovel Chapter 110 Tah
Chapter 110 Tah
In early January of 1183 in the Julian calendar, the morning light of Jaffa pierced through the sea fog and shone on the busy crowds at the port.
The sailors and healthy soldiers of the fleet cleaned the bodies of their fallen comrades with vinegar and seawater, then changed into white robes with their name tags sewn onto their chests.
Then they took out the wine that the fallen soldiers loved to drink, poured it onto gauze, soaked the gauze, and covered the corpses' faces.
Then, a white cloth cut from a sail was laid over the body, with the four corners held down by the comrades-in-arms.
Archbishop Heraclius ordered a wooden box to be nailed to the mast as a makeshift altar, lit an olive oil lamp, and then removed his hat and knelt down.
Jacob and the other priests and soldiers removed their hats and knelt down to pray with the archbishop:
"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit—"
Heraclius and the priests sprinkled holy water on the body.
"Lord, sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be cleansed."
The crowd chanted in unison: "I confess to Almighty God... my sins, my sins, my grave sins."
After the ceremony, the soldiers worked together to lift the body and disembark it to go to the church in Jaffa for burial.
Heraclius and the priests stood on the plank between the ship and the dock, proclaiming, "May the Lord, under the protection of the saints, lead him into the city of eternal light."
"They have returned to the Lord's embrace and found rest in the eternal light." Jacob gently helped up a sailor's family member who was kneeling and weeping.
After the family members, surrounding the body, and the priests of Jaffa had walked away, Lyon approached Jacob and said with a wicked grin, "Uncle, I have an important task for you."
"A major mission? No need to be so mysterious. What haven't I seen?" Accord boasted nonchalantly. "But let me make this clear beforehand, I'm not doing anything like climbing mountains of knives or plunging into seas of fire!"
"Who asked you to risk your life?" Leon shook his head. "It's simple, go and interrogate that prisoner with Zahir."
"Interrogate? What do you take me for?" Accord instinctively resisted. "Interrogate? God, do I look like a ruthless monster like Zahir?"
"Who are you calling a menacing monster, Father?" Zahir suddenly leaned closer, revealing his gleaming white teeth. "His Highness's meaning is simple: I'll be responsible for giving that unfortunate fellow despair, while you'll be responsible for giving him hope..."
Zahir revealed a ferocious expression, eager to try: "I believe he'll give in soon!"
"God..." Jacob made the sign of the cross on his chest.
The two returned to the lower deck where the prisoners were held, where the prisoner who looked like an officer had regained consciousness.
Zahir tied the prisoner to a wooden chair. Despite his tattered clothes, he seemed to maintain a composure that was inconsistent with his status as a prisoner.
Zahir roughly drove the other prisoners out of the cabin, and after the wooden door closed, only the three of them remained inside.
"In the name of a merciful God. We have all witnessed the ruthlessness of war, but God teaches us that life is precious." Jacob stepped forward first, speaking in fluent Arabic in a calm voice, "May I ask your name?"
He held a water pouch to the prisoner's lips.
The prisoner gave Jacob a meaningful look, then took a sip of water and replied in a low voice, "Tah."
"However... a believer in the cross quoting the Quran? How ironic," the prisoner who called himself Taher said coldly. "I advise you not to waste your breath with hypocritical words. The warriors of God will never tolerate betrayal."
"Wisdom is the lost camel of the believers; wherever it is found, it should be cherished." Jacob, unperturbed, continued, "What we seek is only the truth, which may prevent further bloodshed."
"The truth?" Tah scoffed. "The truth is you've invaded our land! As for the bloodshed, that's even more laughable—you actually used those inhuman hellfires!"
Just then, Zahir kicked the wooden barrel next to him with a loud thud that echoed through the narrow cabin.
He strode forward, grabbed Tah's hair, and forced him to look up at his scarred, weathered face.
"You want to lecture your damn scholars, huh?" Zahir growled in thick Arabic dialect. "I don't have time for your bullshit! Tell me! Where are Saladin's main forces? What's his target?!"
When Taher saw Zahir's face clearly, disbelief filled his eyes. His gaze was filled with hostility as he glared at Zahir and cursed, "You...you're a child of Allah? You're actually serving these infidels...serving the Crusaders?! What about your faith? Aren't you afraid of the punishments of Hellfire?!"
"Faith? Can faith feed you or make you money?" Zahir laughed wildly, his spittle almost landing on Taher's face.
With his other hand, he pulled a gleaming gold dinar from his pocket and waved it in front of Tah's eyes. "Look closely! I believe in this! I'm a mercenary; whoever gives me dinars, I'll kill for them!"
"As for Hellfire?" He leaned closer to Tah's ear, lowering his voice, his tone even more sinister, "I crawled out of hell myself, why would I be afraid to go back? If you don't speak up, I'll send you to meet your seventy-two virgins right now!"
Faced with Zahir's blatant blasphemy against the faith, Taher trembled violently, his face turning deathly pale, as if he had heard something more terrifying than death.
Seeing that Taher still wouldn't speak, Zahir took out a whip with his right hand and lashed it hard against the wooden barrel beside him, making a piercing sound. With his left hand, he grabbed a pair of fire tongs from a nearby utensil and threatened, "Are you going to talk or not?!"
Accord stepped forward again at the opportune moment, gently but firmly pushing Zahir away slightly.
"Enough, Zahir." He turned to the still-terrified Taher and handed him the water pouch again. "Drink some water. He's a money-grubbing barbarian, but his words aren't unreasonable. Continuing will only lead to your death, and it's pointless. Think of your family; they're waiting for you to return. Is Sultan Saladin's grand ambition more important than your lives and the lives of your brothers?"
Taher greedily drank several mouthfuls of water, droplets mingling with tears as they slid down his face. The stubbornness in his eyes was gradually replaced by fear, struggle, and the instinct for survival.
"I...I told you...can you really guarantee you won't kill us?" His voice trembled, almost inaudible.
"In the name of my Lord," Jacob made the sign of the cross on his chest, speaking solemnly, "and I swear to your God that, if the intelligence is true, you will receive the treatment due to prisoners of war, and you can return home with ransom after the war ends."
Zahir gave an impatient snort, but did not refute it.
In a state of semi-numb despair, Tah finally revealed the information he knew, albeit intermittently.
According to his confession, Saladin's 40,000-strong army had already reached the outskirts of Beirut, while at the same time, a main force of the Egyptian navy, consisting of more than 60 warships, had approached the port of Beirut, planning to launch a surprise attack from the sea simultaneously with the army's attack.
After obtaining the confession, Jacob carefully recorded it and had the prisoner put his fingerprint on it.
Zahir glanced disdainfully at Taher, who was slumped on the ground, and sneered, "Why suffer like this if you'd just given up so sooner? Coward!"