Part 84

It is natural for an army of two thousand horsemen who are so far away from home and have no supporters to be afraid to meet tens of thousands in addition to knowing that the local people are also our enemies. When they said that, one of Noor ad-Deen's Mamelukes, who was called Sharaf ad-Deen Buzghush — who was famed for his courage — stood up and said: Whoever fears death and injury and capture should not serve kings, rather he should be a peasant or stay with the women at home. By Allah, if you go back to al-Malik al-'Adil (Noor ad-Deen) without gaining victory or doing your best to be free from blame, he will take away all the land that he has given you and will take back all that you have taken until today, and he will say to you: "Did you take the Muslims' wealth and then flee from their enemies, and leave this land of Egypt under the control of the disbelievers?" Asad ad-Deen said, "This is my opinion and it is what I am going to do." Salah ad-Deen Yoosuf ibn Ayub agreed with him, then the number of those who agreed to fight increased and they all agreed to meet the enemy (in battle). This shows the esteem in which Noor ad-Deen was held in the hearts of the commanders and troops of his army. Shirkuh stayed put until the Egyptians and Franks caught up with him when he was fully mobilized. Here we see the military genius and expertise of Asad ad-Deen Shirkuh. He put all the wealth and food supplies in the middle, because he could not leave them in any other place lest the local people plunder them. Then he put Salah adDeen, his nephew, in the middle and said to him and those who were with him: If the Franks and Egyptians think that I am at the heart of the army, they will intensify their attack on the heart and that will be the focus of their attack. If they attack you, do not try to withstand the attack and do not kill yourselves; rather run away from them. If they give up and turn back, then chase them. From among the most courageous of his companions he chose a group whom he trusted and knew of their patience and courage, and he stood with them on the right flank. When the two groups met, the Franks did what Asad ad-Deen had mentioned. They attacked the heart, thinking that he was among them. So they fought those who were in the heart lightly, then they fled before them and they followed them, at which point Asad ad-Deen and the men who were with him attacked the Franks in the rear of those who had attacked the heart. They defeated them and wielded their swords against them, killing and capturing a great number of them, and the rest fled. When the Franks who had fled came back to the heart of the battlefield to look for their companions they found no one there. So they fled again, and this is one of the most amazing things ever written in history: that two thousand horsemen defeated the armies of the Egyptians and the Franks of the coast.590 The siege of Alexandria Then Asad ad-Deen went back to Alexandria and collected taxes on the way from the towns and villages. Then he came to Alexandria and gained control of it without fighting; its people surrendered it to him. He appointed his nephew Salah ad-Deen as his deputy in the city, and returned to Upper Egypt where he gained control and collected taxes, and stayed there and fasted Ramadan there. The Egyptians and Franks went back to Cairo where they gathered their supporters and replaced those who had been killed. They collected more troops and mobilized, and marched to Alexandria where Salah ad-Deen was with his troops, protecting it from them, helped by its people who were afraid of the Franks. The siege intensified and food supplies ran low in the city, but its people persevered. Asad ad-Deen came towards them from Upper Egypt, but Shawar had corrupted some of the Turkmens who were with him. Then a messenger came from the Egyptians and Franks, seeking a peace deal.591 Negotiations concerning withdrawal from Egypt After negotiations between Noor ad-Deen Mahmood and the Crusaders, a peace deal was drawn up, based on the following: a) Lifting the siege of Alexandria b) Exchanging prisoners c) Letting the troops of Noor ad-Deen leave Alexandria d) Shirkuh and his troops would leave Egypt e) They were not to be intercepted en route by the Crusader forces. From a careful reading of the course of events as they occurred on the ground, the exchange of offers with regard to making the truce and what happened after the agreement was concluded, we may note that the two sides, Noor ad-Deen's troops and the Crusader-Fatimid troops, agreed to the following: f) Noor ad-Deen's troops and the Crusaders would leave Egypt g) Prisoners would be exchanged h) Shawar promised not to punish his people in Alexandria or elsewhere who had supported Asad ad-Deen Shirkuh.592 Whatever the case, Amalric entered the city of Alexandria in Shawwal/August whilst Salah ad-Deen left it in a splendid military procession, despite the sorrow that its inhabitants felt at his departure.