xymnovel Chapter 111 "Tah"
Chapter 111 "Tah"
Lyon and Count Raymond finally met the city lord, who had rushed over, at the Jaffa docks. The sea breeze carried an ominous premonition.
"What about Sir Guy? Where is Jaffa's fleet now?" Lyon spoke rapidly, his gaze sweeping across the seemingly calm harbor.
The Lord of Jaffa pointed north, his tone grave: "The fleet from Jaffa has been ordered to Sidon to await orders. A few days ago, the King urgently appointed you as the interim commander of this military operation, and you have gone to Galilee to assemble the armies of the princes."
"The Egyptian navy passed through Jaffa half a month ago, so why did they only hastily assemble a few days ago?" Lyon pressed, his brow furrowed.
The city lord looked embarrassed and explained, "Your Highness is wise... Saladin was recently defeated by Beitsheian, and neither the court officials nor the king expected him to make such a quick comeback. Moreover, if his aim was Jerusalem, he should have launched a strong attack on Jaffa, the gateway to the kingdom. Since his navy did not harm Jaffa at all and went straight north, the officials speculate... that his target might be Aleppo further north, and those warships might just be supplying provisions for the land offensive."
"Alas...who could have imagined..." After saying this, the city lord sighed dejectedly, "The situation is now extremely critical, and our army is in a very passive position."
Raymond sighed and said to Lyon, "Your Highness, there's nothing we can do right now. We should return to Jerusalem as soon as possible and report our safety to the King."
Lyon did not answer; his brows were furrowed, and his mind was racing.
Saladin did indeed attack Beirut historically, but did his arrival create a butterfly effect? Saladin's true intentions will have to wait for the results of the interrogation by Yacob and Zahir.
When he hurried back to the ship, Lyon found that the interrogation was nearing its end.
"He confessed. Saladin's target is indeed Beirut! The main army is already at the gates of Beirut, and the navy is preparing to blockade the port." Zahir reported smugly to Lyon, glancing occasionally at Jacob, who was deep in thought beside him. "The priest is a good partner, isn't he?"
"The army is already at the gates of Beirut?" Lyon pondered, feeling that something was amiss.
Zahir scratched his head, looking at the two who were deep in thought with their heads down, puzzled: "Is there a problem? That guy is just a coward who's all bark and no bite. He wouldn't dare lie, would he?"
Accord frowned slightly, looked up, and hesitated before speaking, "Zakari, don't you think... this interrogation went a little too smoothly?"
"Smoothly? He confessed right away?" Leon frowned.
"It wasn't exactly direct... He only confessed after a brilliant collaboration between the priest and me." Zahir patted his chest. "I, Zahir, have been a pirate for half my life. Who hasn't been kidnapped by me? This guy doesn't seem to be lying, nor does he have any reason to lie."
"Hmm, I still feel like something's off." Leon thought for a moment and asked, "Did he say what his name was?"
“It’s an Arabic name, Taher,” Zahir said. “That’s quite rare; it doesn’t seem like he just made up a common name to fool us.”
"Tah?" Leon muttered to himself, his body jolting violently. He shouted to Zahir, "Take me to him!"
Zahir was slightly surprised. Had he really made a mistake and been tricked by that Taher?
Lyon followed Zahir and Jacob into the lower deck. Inside, Tah, who was strapped to a wooden chair, had his head down, his disheveled hair obscuring his face.
When the door opened again, he thought it was Zahir coming to intimidate him again, but he caught a glimpse of a child dressed in fine clothes entering the cabin accompanied by two people.
A barely perceptible look of surprise and doubt flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his tired and submissive demeanor.
Lyon strolled closer, maintaining a safe distance from Tah.
"Tah, right? Nice name."
"Yes... I have told you everything. As agreed, I deserve the treatment due to a valuable prisoner of war..." Tah replied respectfully, lifting his disheveled hair and his eyes, red and swollen from being soaked in seawater.
"Yes, yes, preferential treatment will naturally be given." Leon nodded with a smile, "It's just that my two subordinates are a bit careless in their work. There are some details that I need to verify with you personally."
Taher nodded noncommittally.
"You're saying Saladin's entire army of 40,000 has arrived in Beirut?" Lyon asked, feigning doubt. "That doesn't fit my impression of Saladin."
"As a subject of the Sultan, I dare not speak ill of him. The Sultan's use of force is unpredictable and must have a deeper purpose." Taher answered in a low voice without raising his head, his eyelids still lowered, his posture humble, as if he were somewhat impatient with a child's questioning, yet had no choice but to give a perfunctory reply.
Heh, this guy's got some skills.
Lyon chuckled and pressed on, "Well... that 40,000 troops is no small number. From Damascus to Beirut, if you take the coastal plain road, you'll inevitably pass through Galilee. So tell me, where did they cross the Litani River? Was it at the ancient bridge north of Tyre, or did they detour through the shallows further upstream? Which villages did they plunder for supplies along the way? You must have heard something about these things when you were escorting the fleet south along the coast, right?"
Taher's body stiffened almost imperceptibly; he hadn't expected the child before him to be so familiar with the geography of the Levant.
He mumbled, "I... I was only in charge of naval supplies. How could I possibly know the Sudanese army's marching route?"
"No, of course you know!" Lyon suddenly raised his voice, his eyes blazing. "Not only do you know, but you're also using clever rhetoric and mixing truth with falsehood! There's only one answer—the so-called massive army pressing on Beirut is pure fabrication! Saladin's main force hasn't even arrived yet!"
"What?!" Jacob and Zahir looked at each other in disbelief.
Taher's body trembled violently as he looked up at Lyon, his eyes also filled with disbelief.
"Beirut is bordered to the east by the Lebanese Mountains, whose main peak is covered with snow all year round, and the mountain roads are treacherous. If the kingdom wants to send troops to reinforce by land, the only way is to go north along the narrow corridor between the coastal mountains and the sea. This is a military 'dead end,' easy to defend and difficult to attack."
Lyon stepped forward, staring intently into the other man's rapidly contracting pupils: "And right on the east side of this corridor, behind the mountains, lies the Bekaa Valley, running north-south, with fertile soil and abundant water. This place can conceal tens of thousands of troops, making them virtually impossible to track. If a large army marches west from Damascus, it can maneuver covertly through this valley, several days faster than along the coastal plains, and perfectly avoid all surveillance!"
"Saladin's true plan was to use a feigned naval attack on Beirut to lure our kingdom's main force away from its fortified defenses and hastily march north. Meanwhile, his tens of thousands of elite troops were lying in ambush in the Bekaa Valley, waiting for our army to reach the treacherous coastal roads before leaping over the mountain passes like tigers descending the mountain to deliver a fatal blow! At that time, the Jerusalem army, now separated from its fortress, would be like turtles in a jar!"
Taher's eyes widened, and the weariness and submissiveness on his face peeled away like layers of an eggshell, leaving only a deathly pallor and disbelief after being completely seen through. His lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single syllable.
"You used half the truth to cover up the other half of the lie. The Egyptian navy did indeed point towards Beirut, but Saladin's main army didn't arrive; instead, they laid an ambush. This plan was indeed brilliant; it might have already succeeded against an ordinary person." Lyon's tone was chilling as he delivered the final blow. "Unfortunately, you can't fool me."
"Am I right?" Lyon stared into Taher's eyes and said, enunciating each word clearly, "His Excellency Tughtakin, brother of Sultan Saladin of the Ayyubids and Emir of Yemen?"