The Restoration of Rome: In the Name of Augustus

Chapter 130 The Victory Celebration in Beirut

Jocelyn put down the knife, wiped his hands with a napkin, cleared his throat, and prepared to objectively state the royal family's financial situation in the professional tone of a finance minister, and propose a solution to be discussed that would be shared by the royal family and the Knights Templar.

He raised his head, his gaze naturally finding Lyon in the main seat, ready to exchange a glance.

However, what he saw was the familiar, warning look in Lyon's deep blue eyes.

Here we go again, it feels the same way again.

Jocelyn's heart skipped a beat, and the words caught in her throat.

Does His Highness not want outsiders to know that the royal family has spare money? Or perhaps... His Highness doesn't even want to pay this ransom readily right now?

Jocelyn swallowed the words she had already prepared, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly let out a heavy sigh:

"well--"

Jocelyn's sigh was sincere and full of hardship and helplessness, instantly attracting everyone's attention. Even Reinard, who was gnawing on a lamb leg with one hand and chugging wine with the other, looked over.

Jocelyn seemed to hunch over slightly. He rubbed his temples and said wearily, "I understand Lord Gilbert's difficulties perfectly well!"

His gaze swept over the crowd, finally landing with a pained expression on the empty plate in front of him, as if it held the royal family's deficit ledger.

"My lords, you only see that we have temporarily repelled Saladin, but have you ever considered that behind this victory, mountains of gold and seas of silver are flowing out?"

He counted on his fingers, listing each item one by one, speaking rapidly and excitedly: "In the Bekaa Valley, the army has been assembled for nearly a month! Food for men and horses, from Tiberias to Beirut, every grain of rice, every arrow—everything costs money! The pensions for the fallen soldiers, the resettlement fees for the wounded—and this is just the beginning!"

He looked up sharply at Raymond: "Your Excellency, the naval surprise attack greatly boosted the morale of the army! But do you know how much it cost to modify those dozen or so fast ships overnight, install ballistae on board, and pay extra bounties to the sailors? Port repairs, compensation for burned-down houses, rewards for the soldiers and civilians defending the city… The Count of Beirut just secretly came to me saying that several sections of the city wall have been damaged and must be repaired before the rainy season, which will be another expense!"

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, even standing up: "Yes, Your Highness is a genius and has implemented some new policies, but they are all incremental and barely enough to fill the gaps left by the past! Now, after the two major wars in the north and south, the national treasury... the national treasury is almost empty enough for mice to run through!"

"Randomization? How much will Saladin demand? Fifty thousand? One hundred thousand? Or more?" Jocelyn's voice was almost pleading. "Even if you melted down all the silver candlesticks in the Jerusalem palace, you probably wouldn't have enough! Unless a special tax is levied..."

He deliberately mentioned this word, which was most offensive to lords and serfs, then immediately shook his head in self-reproach: "No, no, no, absolutely not! The kingdom has just been ravaged by war, and the people are impoverished. To increase taxes further would be to destroy our foundation!"

He finally looked at Gilbert and the Templars, his eyes filled with deep sympathy and self-reproach: "Your Excellency Gilbert, my valiant knights, the royal treasury is truly powerless to help... As the Chancellor of the Exchequer, I have failed the Kingdom and my brothers in the Order!"

Jocelyn slumped down, covered her face with her hands, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

The hall was silent as the lords looked at each other in bewilderment.

They knew that war cost money, but being told the costs one by one by Jocelyn with such vivid detail still gave them a direct shock.

Count Raymond maintained a faint smile throughout. When Jocelyn broke down in tears, he didn't forget to turn his head and steal a glance at Leon, just in time to see Leon's barely concealed glee.

Raymond knew perfectly well what was going on, but he didn't say anything and just watched Jocelyn finish her performance.

Gilbert and the Templars looked even more somber.

Even the finance minister, who controls the kingdom's purse strings, is complaining about being poor like this; it seems the royal family really can't be relied on.

At the head of the table, Lyon revealed a solemn and compassionate expression and slowly said, "Count, you have worked hard. We understand your difficulties. The stability of the kingdom and the restoration of people's livelihood are indeed our top priorities, and we cannot afford to fail."

Jocelyn peeked through her fingers and quickly glanced at Leon. Seeing the fleeting look of satisfaction in Leon's eyes, a weight was lifted from her heart.

Phew, at least the performance wasn't a disaster.

In this slightly dull break, a voice, completely different from the surrounding nobles' tone and carrying a Saracen accent, rang out: "If you ask me, Saladin is currently relying on the Grand Master as a big bargaining chip, just waiting for us to rush over and hand over our money!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that it was Zahir, the Saracen guard behind Lyon, leaning against the back of Lyon's seat, displaying an uncultured and vulgar demeanor.

Although the lords didn't know why there was a Saracen by Lyon's side, they didn't dare to offend him for the time being and could only patiently wait for the man to continue.

Zahir said smugly, "The more anxious you are, the higher Saladin will offer. And if you're not anxious? What can he do with those chips besides taking up space? Drag it out! Let's drag it out and see who loses their temper first!"

He shouted and then forcefully patted the shoulder of the Accord next to him.

Accord was holding a large jar of wine when he was slapped so hard he almost choked. He rolled his eyes but didn't argue.

These words, though crude, were nonetheless reasonable, causing the lords to frown.

Reinald laughed heartily, "Well said! That makes sense! What's the rush?"

Gilbert and the Templars looked somewhat embarrassed, but deep down they couldn't help but feel that this was perhaps a helpless choice under the harsh reality, so they fell silent.

"Since... the Grand Master's return is uncertain..." After a long silence, Gilbert hesitated before speaking, "In preparation for possible future battles, on behalf of the brothers of the order, I would like to ask for your opinions regarding the position of acting Grand Master..."

Raymond nodded and said to the lords, "The Grand Master's return date is uncertain, and the Holy Land cannot be without the protection of the Temple Order for even a day. Therefore, electing an acting Grand Master to preside over the affairs of the Order and command the knights is indeed a matter of utmost importance. This matter concerns not only the Order itself, but also the defense structure of the Kingdom's northern border and even the entire Holy Land..."

Grand Master Roger of the Knights Hospitaller was the first to react, immediately nodding and solemnly agreeing as a colleague and leader of the order: "The Earl is absolutely right. According to the decrees of the Papacy and the traditions of the order, a vacancy in the position of Grand Master can easily lead to internal strife and weaken the Kingdom's overall strength in the Holy Land against heresy. The selection of an acting Grand Master must be done with utmost care; the candidate must both comply with the laws and regulations of the order and be capable of both internal and external affairs."

After saying that, he looked at Gilbert and recommended him, saying, "Lord Gilbert remained calm and composed in the face of danger in Bekaa Valley, and his skillful leadership preserved the vitality of the Knights. I believe he is capable of undertaking this important task."

The drunken Reynald didn't even look up, still gnawing on his steak, his teeth and tongue embedded in the meat: "Chicken and duck dung, well done! I support you!"

The other lords either felt they were not of high enough status or were not familiar with Gilbert, so they remained silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.