Chapter 83 Chapter Forty-Nine

The war finally broke out, and there was no serious fighting at the beginning of the eighth, and it was not very beneficial to the Poles.Before the arrival of the Polish army, the Knights of the Crusaders had captured Bobrovnik, razed Zrodorja to the ground, and occupied the unfortunate Duborzun, which was retaken only a short time ago. .Afterwards the storm of war subsided for a period through the mediation of the Czechs and the Hungarians; this was followed by a temporary truce, during which Wenceslas, king of the Czechs, mediated between the Poles and the Knights. Throughout the winter and spring the two sides did not cease to muster their armies; then the bribed Czech king made a proposal in favor of the Knights and had to fight again.

Summer is here, and so are the various "clan" armies led by Witout.After they had crossed the river near Trevinsk, the army joined forces with Prince Masovia's.Across the river, a hundred thousand armored Germans had taken up battle near Sweetree.The king had intended to cross Derwinter and take a short cut to Marlborough.But because they couldn't cross the river, they turned around and ran from Korsentnik to Gerdova. After they destroyed the castle of the Crusader Knights, Dombrovna (also known as Gergenburg), it was in That wrapped up the camp. The king himself and the ministers of Poland and Lithuania knew that a decisive battle must be in the short term, but they all thought that the war would not happen for a few days.Everyone thought that after blocking the way of the king's march, the head of the regiment wanted to rest his army in order to boost their morale and face the upcoming decisive battle.Meanwhile the Polish army pitched camp and rested overnight at Dombrovna.Although the castle was taken without order, even against the plan of the council of war, both the king and Witout were hopeful, because the castle was well defended, surrounded by lakes and thick walls, and Numerous defenders.The Polish knights swarmed up and took it down almost in a blink of an eye, and when the army arrived, the town and fortress were nothing but smoking ashes and rubble.Witout's valiant warriors and the Tartars under Saladin's command were pursuing the recalcitrant remnants of the Germans through the rubble.But the fire didn't last long, and was soon extinguished by a downpour of rain.

On July 14th, the weather was so unpredictable all night, with violent storms.Terrible lightnings set the sky on fire, and dreadful thunderbolts fell from east and west.Constant lightning filled the air with sulfurous fumes.Then the downpour drowned out all sound.Then the wind blew away the clouds, and stars and a bright moon appeared in the clouds.It wasn't until midnight that the wind and rain subsided a little, and the soldiers lit the fire. In an instant, tens of thousands of fires were burned in the Polish and Lithuanian armies.Soldiers dried their wet clothes over the fire and sang battle songs.

The king did not sleep either, for the house in which he had taken shelter from the storm was near the barracks, where a council of war was being held to discuss the capture of Jergenburg.Since the detachment of Shiraz was also involved in the attack on this town, the leader of the detachment, Jacob of Connetspole, and several others were called to explain why they attacked this place without orders from superiors, let alone The king himself had sent a herald and some of his attendants to order them not to attack. Therefore the "Voyevoda" could not decide whether he would be exempt from reprimand, or even punishment, for his unauthorized actions; ) came to testify that by the time the king's officials arrived it was too late, they were already storming the walls of the castle, and were in the midst of the most tenacious battle with the garrison.As for his attacking this fortress without authorization, he might as well explain it this way: the army is stretched out on the front for several miles, and it is difficult to ask for instructions.He thought it his duty, since he was sent in the vanguard, to crush every enemy that dared to resist the great army, and to strike down the enemy wherever he found it.The king, the Duke of Witout, and the nobles, who were rejoicing in this matter, heard these words, not only did not condemn Shiraz's "Fuyefuda" and his subordinates, but even praised them for their bravery. , In a very short time, the fortress was captured and the strong defenders were defeated.Macko and Zbyszko then had a chance to see the highest leaders of the kingdom.For besides the king and the two dukes of Masovia there were two chieftains of the whole army present.Witout at the head of the armies of Lithuania, Zemud, Rus, Bessarabia, Wallachia, and Tartars; Sentram of Mahikovic, whose coat of arms is the "Sun" , he is the sword officer of Krakow, the mastermind of the Polish army, and the highest military authority.Also, the greatest fighters and strategists were present at that meeting.Kristin of Ostrov, governor of Cracow, Vyevda of Cracow, Jasco of Ternova, etc.; and finally Ziemowit of Plotsk The prince's son Ziemowit, the youngest of them all, was a great commander, and even the king appreciated his insight.

① Wallachia is a nation of Romania. They were all waiting in that great room, so that the king could consult him at any time, and give advice in time.Maczko and Zbyszko also saw the greatest knights known in Poland and abroad.Chavesya Czerny Sulimchik and his brothers, Skabek Abdank of Gora, and Dubko of Olesnica, who defeated the Twelve German knights; and Bashko Zirochiai of the burly Biskupitri, Povara of Tachev (who was their bosom friend); ; the standard-bearer of the great standard of the whole kingdom, Marcin of Vrocimovici; The armor is able to jump over two tall horses, Chapi Moyotri's Staciko.

There were also many famous knights from Masovia and elsewhere who were at the head of the battle.People call them "people who walk in front of the flag".All friends and acquaintances, especially Povara, greeted Macko and Zbyszko with pleasure, and Macko and Zbyszko began to talk about the past with Povara. "Hello!" said Tachiv's lord to Zbyszko. "You have a great old debt to settle with the Crusader Knights. I hope you will settle it now." "I will sacrifice everything, even if I have to bleed," replied Zbyszko. "Did you know that your Kunno Lichtenstein is now the big Komto?" asked Bashiko Zirokiai of Biskupitri.

"I know, and so does my uncle." "May God let me fight him," Macko put in, "because I have a private matter with him." "Hi! I challenged him too," Povara replied. "But he replied that the Order would not allow him to fight. Well, perhaps this time he will be allowed." But Chavisha, who always speaks very seriously, said: "God will appoint him." Zbyszko, out of curiosity, told Zavishya about his uncle, and asked Zavishya that since Macko had already fought a duel with Lichtenstein's relatives and had killed him, So is he fulfilling his vow to duel with Kunno Lichtenstein?All agreed that this was enough.But the obstinate Macko, although he was very happy with this opinion, said:

"Having said that, if I had dueled Quino himself, I would be more sure of my soul's salvation." Then they spoke of the capture of Jergenberg and the looming great battle, for the Grand Master had nothing to do but try to stop the advance of the King's host. The knights were trying their best to guess which day the battle would take place, when a tall and thin knight walked over.He was wearing a red cloth coat and a hat made of red cloth, crossed his hands, and said in a soft voice almost like a woman: "I salute you, Knight Zbyszko of Bogdaniec." "De Rausch!" cried Zbyszko, "you are here!"

So he hugged him, because he remembered how much De Lauche had done him in the past, and was grateful to De Lauche.After they had kissed each other like closest friends, Zbyszko asked him cheerfully: "So you're on our side?" "Perhaps there are many knights of Gertly fighting on the other side," replied de Rausch, "but I am lord of Drugolas, and it is my duty to serve my lord, Duke Janusi. " "Then you are the lord of Drugolas after old Mikolaj (Nicholas)?" "Yes! Because after Mikolaj's death, and his son was killed in Bobrovnik, Drugolas became the property of Jagienka of the beautiful Drugolas, who died in May Became my partner and wife years ago."

"For God's sake!" cried Zbyszko, "tell me the whole story!" But de Rausch, after paying his respects to old Macko, said: "Your old squire, Grodeche, told me that I could find you here; he is waiting for us in the tent, taking care of the supper. The tent is quite far from here, on the other side of the camp, but it is a short ride away. We can get there. So let's get on our horses and go together." Then he turned to Povara, whom he had known long ago in Plotsk, and said: "Please, my lord, go too. I shall be greatly honored." "Good!" replied Povara, "I like talking to acquaintances; and at the same time we'll have a chance to see the army along the way."

So these knights came out.As he was about to mount his horse, one of de Rausch's servants put on his arm a raincoat which he had brought specially for his master.The servant went up to Zbyszko, kissed his hand, and said: "I bow to you on my knees, my lord. I was once your servant. You don't recognize me when it is dark. Do you remember Sanders?" "Ah!" cried Zbyszko. Memories of past troubles and sorrows rushed to his mind, as had happened a fortnight before when he had reunited with his squire Hlavar after a long absence. Therefore he said: "Sandros! Oh! I remember you and the past perfectly. What have you been up to? Where are you? Are you no longer dealing in relics?" "No, my lord! I was a junior clerk in Drugolas' church until last spring. But since my father was in the military, I got tired of the church bells as soon as the war broke out. , longing for weapons of steel." "What are you talking about!" cried Zbyszko, who could not imagine that it was Sandrus who stood before him with sword, javelin, or axe, ready to fight. But Sanders took hold of his stirrups and said: "I went this year to Prussia on the orders of the bishop of Plotsk, and I did a good job there. I'll tell you about that later. Now mount up my lord, for the man you call Halava A Czech count is waiting for your dinner in my master's tent." Zbyszko mounted his horse, rode up to Lord de Rausch, and rode abreast of him in order to talk freely, for he was eager to know what had happened to him during that time. "I'm glad," said he, "that you've joined us. But I'm surprised because you served in the Knights of the Crusade." "Service is given to the one who gets paid," de Rausch retorted. "I don't get paid. No! The sole purpose of my going to the Knights of the Crusader Order was to take risks and get the knight's belt, which, you know, I got from the Duke of Poland. And then here again I have stayed in this country for many years, and I have already recognized who is right and who is wrong. And during this time, I got married and lived. How can I go to the other side to beat you? I am already a member of this country I am now a subject of yours, and you see how fluently I speak your language. Hi! I have even forgotten some of my own dialect." "Isn't your property in Gertree? I heard that you are a relative of the earl over there. You have many castles and villages." "I have ceded my property to my kinsman, Fulcan de Rausch, and bought it at his expense. I went to Gertree five years ago, and brought a great fortune from there. , and with this money set up property in Mazovia." "How did you marry Jagienka of Drugolas?" "Ah!" replied de Lauches. "Who can see through a woman's heart? Our marriage has been delayed until I thought it was going to be over, so I told her that I was in despair. I was going to fight in Asia and never came back. Suddenly she burst into tears. "Then I will become a nun." I knelt at her feet, and two weeks later we were married, and the bishop of Plotsk blessed us in the church." "Have you any children?" Zbyszko asked. "After the war, Jagienka will go to the tomb of your queen Jadwiga to ask her blessing," replied de Rausch with a sigh. "Well, that's a sure way. They say there's no better patroness in such matters than our holy queen. In a few days, there's going to be a great battle, and then there'll be peace. .” "yes." "But the knights of the crusaders must regard you as a traitor,' "No!" said de Lauches. "You know how much I care about the honor of the knight. Sandrus went to Marburg with orders from the Bishop of Plotsk. I entrusted him with a letter to Grand Master Ulrich. In that letter In the letter, I offered to resign and explain to him why I joined your side." "Ha! Sandrus!" cried Zbyszko. "He told me that he was tired of the church bells and fell in love with steel weapons. I was surprised to hear that, because he has always been as cowardly as a rabbit." "Sandrous works with steel," replied de Lauche, "only when he shaves me and my squires." "So it is!" said Zbyszko cheerfully. They rode on horseback in silence for a while, and then de Lauches, looking up into the sky, said: "I invited you to dinner, but it looks like we'll be having breakfast when we get there." "The moon is still bright," replied Zbyszko. "Let's go." They overtook Macko and Povara.The four men rode together on the road and through the camp, an unimpeded path which the generals had ordered opened between the tents and the campfires.To get to the quarters of the Masovia detachment, they had to walk the whole way. "Not since Poland," said Macko, "has such a large army been seen, gathered from all parts of the kingdom." "No king had such a large army," said de Rausch, "for no one could govern such a mighty state." The old knight turned to Povara of Tachev and said: "Your Excellency, did you say how many banners came with Duke Wittout?" ① Each flag represents a legion. "Forty sides," Povara replied. "We Poland and Majur combined have fifty sides. But our legions are not as large as Witout's. His legions often have thousands of men. Ha! We heard the grand master say, these ragged men It is better to hold a spoon than a sword. God bless, he said this at a time of bad luck for the Knights of the Crusaders. I think the axes of the Lithuanians will be soaked deep in the blood of the Knights of the Crusades. " "Who are we meeting now?" asked de Lauches. "These are Tartars, led by Saladin, Witout's vassal." "Can they fight?" "The Lithuanians have fought them, and conquered a large part of them; so they have to come here to fight. But the Western knights are no match for them, for the Tartars are more terrible in retreat than in battle. .” "Let's get closer and look at them," De Rausch said The knights approached the bonfires, which were surrounded by men with completely bare arms.Although it is summer, they still wear long sheepskin coats with exposed fur.Most of them slept on bare ground or on steaming, damp straw.But many crouched in front of the burning firewood piles.Some whiled away the long night with folk songs in their noses, and sang while beating their horses' shins with a strange dissonant rattling sound; bowstring.Others were eating bloody, steaming slices of meat that had just been caught from the fire, blowing on them with puffed-out blue lips.In short, their appearance was savage and hideous; one would take them at once for some hideous monster of the woods, rather than for men. The fat of horsemeat and mutton dripped into the fire, and the flames gave off a pungent smell.The smell of burnt hair, baked sheepskin coats, and raw hides and blood was unbearable and made me want to vomit.There were many horses across the road, and an unpleasant stench of horse sweat wafted in the wind.Hundreds of reconnaissance horses were gnawing at the grass beneath their feet, biting and neighing.The grooms quieted the uproar with shouts and whips. It was not very safe for a single horse to pass among them, for they were a savage and rapacious tribe.Immediately behind them came the more civilized Bessarabian legions, with horns on their heads; and as for the long-haired Wallachians, they had no armor, but hung on their breasts and backs a board on which Depicting temptresses, skeletons and grotesque beasts.Behind them came the Serbs; they were asleep now, but their quarters were like a great lute during the day, full of sound.Because they have many flutes and shamisen.Player of bagpipes and various instruments. The bonfires roared; and in the sky, among the wind-scattered clouds, shone a great moon, by which our knights could patrol the camp.Behind the Serbs came the unfortunate Zmuds.The Germans made their blood flow like rivers, but they always rushed to new battles whenever Duke Wittout gave an order, and now it seemed that there was an omen that their sufferings would soon end. The resolute march came here under the leadership of Scovolo, whose name alone was enough to drive the Germans mad with terror. The bonfires of the Zmuds are very close to those of the Lithuanians, and they are of the same race with each other; they speak the same language and have the same customs. But at the entrance to the Lithuanian camp, the Polish knights saw a grim picture.On the gallows made of logs, two corpses were hung, swayed by the wind, turned over and over, and the wood of the gallows made a mournful creaking sound.The horses snorted and hoofed at this gloomy sight, and the riders made the sign of the sign of the cross; and when they had passed, Povarat said: "I was there when Prince Witout was with the king and these two criminals were brought in. Our bishop and nobles have long accused the Lithuanians of being so cruel in war that even churches Forgive me, so when they were brought in (they were important persons, apparently charged with sacrilege), the duke was in such a ghastly rage that he ordered them to hang themselves. The two unfortunates had to build their own gallows and hang themselves. What is even more amazing is that they urged each other: 'Come on! Otherwise, the prince will be even more angry!' All the Tartars and Lithuanians They were all terrified, and they feared the Duke's wrath more than death." "Yes," said Zbyszko, "I remember that when I was in Cracow, the king was very angry with me about Lichtenstein. The king's valet, the young Duke Jamont, persuaded me It was his good intentions to hang him at once, but you know I would have challenged him to fight him to the death if they hadn't tried to dissect my head." "Duke Jamont has now learned the rules of chivalry," Povara replied. Thus talking they passed the Lithuanian camp and three good Russian regiments, the most numerous of which was the Smolensk regiment.So they went to the Polish camp.There are a total of fifty legions here, which are the core and essence of the entire army.Their weapons are excellent, their horses are tall, and their knights are highly skilled in martial arts.The armies from the west are no match for them in all aspects, whether it is arm and leg strength, whether it is enduring hunger and cold, or overcoming fatigue, they are all inferior to them.Even the landowners of Poland and Poland outperformed the comfort-seeking Western landowners.The customs and way of life of the Poles are simpler: their chain mail is thicker and better wrought, they take death as home, and they fight with the indomitableness which used to amaze knights from as far away as England and France. De Rausch, who has long been familiar with the situation of the Polish knights, said: "Here is all the strength and all the hope. I remember how the knights of Marlborough complained more than once that every inch of ground in war with you must be bloody to win." "I'll say it too, there's going to be blood in the river now," Macko replied. "Because the Knights have never concentrated such a strong force." Povara said: "The knight of Kuzbaug, who the king sent to deliver a message to the Grand Master, tells us that the Knights of the Crusader said something like this: 'The Roman Emperor, and no king has ever had such a force, and the Knights can conquer all kingdom.'" "Yes! But there are more of us," said Zbyszko. "Well, they despise Witout's strength very much, thinking that they are not well armed, and that if they are attacked they will be smashed like a clay bowl with a hammer. Whether that is true, I don't know." "That's true and false!" replied Macko cautiously. "Zbyszko and I know them well, because we have fought side by side with them. It is true that their weapons are not good, and their horses are indeed weak, so they are often defeated by the onslaught of crusader knights, but they are determined, Perhaps braver than the Germans." "We'll see it soon," Povara replied. "The king brought tears to his eyes at the thought of bleeding many Catholics. Even at the last moment he would have made an honorable peace. But the Knights of the Crusader were too proud to do so." "It's true! I know the crusaders, and we all know them," Macko said. "God has set the scales and he will put our blood and the blood of the enemies of our race on it." They were already approaching the Masovia barracks, in the middle of which De Rausch's tent was pitched, when they saw a large crowd crowded in the center of the "street", looking up at the sky. ① refers to the passage in the middle of the barracks. "It's there! It's there!" someone in the crowd shouted. "Who's talking and what are you doing here?" Povara asked. "I am the priest of the Kropko parish. But who are you?" "Povara of Tachev, the two knights of Bogdaniec and De Rausch." "Ah! it is you, my lord knight," said the priest in a mysterious voice, going up to Povarat's horse. "You look at the moon, and the shadows that appear on it. It is a portentous and marvelous night." The knights all looked up at the moon, which was already pale and was about to set. "I don't see anything," Povara said. "What do you see?" "A hooded priest wrestling with a crowned king. Look, look, there it is! In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit! Oh, how viciously they try to overwhelm each other... May God be with us Have mercy on these sinners!" There was silence all around, and everyone held their breath. "Look! look!" cried the priest. "Yes, it seems to be the case!" Macko said. "Yes, yes!" someone else confirmed. "Ha! the king has thrown the priest down," cried the priest of Kropko suddenly. "He put one foot on the other! Praise Jesus Christ." "Eternal life!" At this moment, a large cloud covered the moon, and the night became dark, but the bonfire was bright.Tongues of flames like blood kept rushing towards the road. The knights moved forward, and when they had left the crowd, Povara asked: "Did you see anything?" "I didn't see anything at first," Macko replied. "Then I saw the king and the priest quite clearly." "me too." "me too." "This is a vision of God," Povara said. "It seems that despite the king's tears, there will be no peace." "A major war like no other in world history is imminent," Macko added. They advance silently.They became very serious and very excited. When they reached the vicinity of Mr. de Rausch's tent, the whirlwind blew violently again, and in an instant the bonfire of the Mazowiecki barracks was blown away, the air was full of torches, coals, and sparks, surrounded by thick clouds. smoke. "Hey! What a wind," said Zbyszko, pushing back the cloak that had been blown over his head. "Amidst the sound of the storm, there seemed to be moans and weeping." "Dawn is coming soon, but no one knows what the day will bring," de Rochega said.