Time Travel? Rebirth? I Win This Time!

The immense casualties, especially among the Mamluks, finally forced Saladin to cease his assault. Even his trebuchets, after days of relentless use, were now barely operational, with half of them falling apart.

On the fourth and fifth days, both sides remained busy, though in a temporary ceasefire. Saladin sent a small group of foot soldiers under a white flag, while Mike Bai's forces sent out workers wearing makeshift masks to collect and bury the bodies. The bodies were then cremated and buried in the scorched earth.

Hammur stood atop the walls, gazing at the rising plumes of smoke from the burning bodies. A wave of sorrow washed over him. He made a sign of the cross, then turned to Mike Bai.

"My Lord, do you truly think this is the right course of action?" Hammur asked, his voice filled with doubt.

Mike Bai was aware that the Church opposed cremation, believing that the dead would be resurrected in their physical forms on Judgment Day. Moreover, it was said that even the Holy Son had been buried rather than cremated. Given this, the Church strongly encouraged burial and even made cremation illegal in certain regions.

However, Mike Bai understood that leaving the bodies unburied could lead to a plague that would decimate everyone. Looking at the visibly demoralized soldiers, Mike Bai offered reassurance.

"They fought for the Lord," Mike Bai said, "and the Lord will forgive them."

"Really?" Hammur asked, still uncertain.

"Of course," Mike Bai said, nodding firmly. "And if not, then He is no Lord, and we need not worry."

As the black smoke continued to rise, Mike Bai made a quick sign of the cross, praying that the souls of the fallen warriors would ascend to Heaven.

On the sixth day, after a brief rest, the Saracens launched another assault.

Mike Bai remained hidden in the castle tower, watching as the Saracen forces shouted orders but refused to approach. "What are they doing?" Mike Bai wondered.

The Saracens seemed afraid. Each soldier, carrying a large shield, stayed more than 10 meters away from the walls, unwilling to come any closer. Mike Bai's fiery sand tactic had no effect.

"Are they trying to exhaust us by maintaining constant pressure without engaging?" Mike Bai speculated. "If so, I still have enough manpower to rotate my forces. It won't work."

After all, Otto commanded more than 300 soldiers and over 500 workers who could rest in shifts.

"What do they really want?"

At the base of the outer wall, a group of miners was hard at work, hauling away the soil they had been digging out. They had been working since the second afternoon, and now, day and night, they were digging under the castle walls, creating a tunnel beneath the inner defenses.

"Faster! The Sultan didn't hire you to waste food!" the overseer shouted, his whip cracking through the air, urging the miners on.

The overseer's satisfaction grew as the tunnel, 2.5 meters wide and nearly 30 meters long, neared completion. The inner wall had already been hollowed out, supported only by a few wooden beams and planks. Once the last of the soil was removed, the tunnel would be set alight, bringing the wall down.

Finally, the last bag of loose earth was hauled out, and the tunnel's deepest point was filled with flammable materials.

The lead miner hurried to the overseer, bowing low. "My lord, it's ready."

"Well, what are we waiting for? The Sultan can't wait to see the wall come down!" The overseer lashed out with his whip, making the miner flinch.

The miner dropped a torch into the tunnel's depths and ran as fast as he could, the flames igniting instantly, followed by a wave of intense heat. The miner's footsteps quickened as he fled.

Moments later, he emerged, coughing from the thick black smoke billowing from the tunnel.

From the tower, Mike Bai watched the black smoke rise with curiosity.

"Is Saladin burning bodies again? Didn't he just do that yesterday?" Mike Bai wondered aloud, when suddenly, the ground beneath him shook.

"Earthquake!" Mike Bai exclaimed, startled. "Quick, evacuate! Everyone, move!" He stumbled but still ran as fast as he could.

The tremor was not just felt by Mike Bai. Everyone in the tower rushed to evacuate in panic, unable to focus on their duties. They tumbled out of the tower in a frantic rush, finally stopping near the main building.

It wasn't an earthquake. Mike Bai realized with growing horror that it wasn't just the tremor, but the very foundation of the tower breaking away.

Looking at the smoke, Mike Bai's eyes widened in realization. Saladin wasn't burning bodies. He was digging beneath the walls!

Mike Bai knew that once the walls collapsed, the Saracens would flood through the gap, overwhelming his forces. Even with the advantage of the fortifications, his soldiers would be overwhelmed within a day by the sheer numbers of the Saracens.

"Damn it!" At that very moment, the overseer outside shouted the same words. "Why hasn't the wall fallen?!"

The miners, terrified, huddled together.

"You've failed the Sultan!" the overseer shouted angrily, raising his whip, causing the miners to shrink back, praying for a lighter punishment.

"Wait!" Saladin intervened, his voice calm and soothing. He then handed the overseer a large sack of silver coins. "For your hard work, Sultan Saladin has decided to reward you with 200 silver dinars."

The chief miner, stunned by the sudden reward, took the sack with disbelief and quickly knelt in gratitude.

Saladin smiled and helped him up. "Now, tell me why the wall didn't collapse."

The miner hesitated and finally said, "Perhaps we didn't dig enough under the wall. The structure is still holding up for now."

Saladin chuckled softly. "I trust that you, as a skilled miner, will find a solution, right?"

The miner, humbled and overwhelmed by Saladin's praise, nodded vigorously. "I'll organize the men to extinguish the fire and widen the tunnel overnight. By tomorrow morning, if the wall hasn't fallen, I'll die in the tunnel."

Saladin smiled approvingly. "Excellent. Once the task is completed, you and your men will each receive five more silver dinars."

The miner, inspired by the Sultan's words, eagerly set to work, determined to ensure the wall would collapse by morning.

Turning away, Saladin's warm smile faded into a stern expression. The losses his forces had suffered and the approaching reinforcements weighed heavily on him, but the tremor had given him new hope.

"Tomorrow," Saladin muttered to himself, "I will bring this castle to the ground."