the bretons anjavins whateverines all charged together into the packed ranks of the enemy horsemen and infantry to the sound of thundering hooves and the clashing of iron the crusaders smashed the enemy down and trampled them underfoot hundreds were killed in this single great charge but now the crusaders were exposed and the enemy who had fled were stopped by their lords turned reorganized and sent back in a vast counter-attack on the exposed crusaders and the battle had turned again but richard had not committed all of his forces in his first charge he held his enormous english and norman forces in reserve once the enemy were engaged again he now led them personally in a counter-attack of his own first with his lance and then with his sword richard led the english and normans in charge after charge quote they're the king the fierce the extraordinary king cut down the turks in every direction and none could escape the force of his arm for wherever he turned brandishing his sword he carved a wired path for himself cutting them down like a reaper with his sickle end quote it was a bloody terrible day and it was a great victory for richard his finest hour really saladin however the myth of his invincibility forever destroyed limped away into the night we were all wounded wrote bahar adin either in our bodies or in our hearts this battle the battle of our suf is in my novel vampire crusader by the way if you like that sort of thing then you should check it out the link is in the description three days later richard's forces marched into jaffa retaking it for the crusaders this was a vital port for anyone who wanted to attack and hold jerusalem but richard did not have the forces or suppliers to march inland to besiege the holy city because celadin would be attacking his supply lines he might have won a great battle but this was still enemy territory richard wanted to march onto ascalon to take it before saladin demolished it but at a conference of the commanders everyone preferred to stay and fortify jaffa he was the leader of the army but richard was not the king of these men and he could not rule by decree richard reluctantly gave way jerusalem seemed so close so ripe for the taking but the bickering lords of utromer were too preoccupied with their own squabbling there were endless fights between them over the crusader states cities and fortresses they did actually march on jerusalem eventually but there was appalling weather heavy rain and violent thunderstorms making a sea of mud for miles around still the soldiers wanted to go on all the way invest in a siege and storm the walls it might even have worked but the leaders knew that they could not hold the city for long and in the end when they were so close they could smell the stink of the holy city richard ordered the retreat and now richard got word from england his little brother john was making trouble back home and philip despite his oaths was preparing to invade normandy richard had to go home he just had to still there was yet another battle between richard and saladin during an ambush on the king's
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