The news that the Crusaders had crushed the forty-thousand-strong army of Sharafi, the Emir of Aleppo and Mosul, at Hama had spread throughout almost all of Syria within a month.
As the news spread, it was wildly embellished and exaggerated. By the time it reached the ears of the humblest villagers, it had transformed into an unprecedented terror.
Blond Knights in armor had come to Syria, wielding swords and rampaging everywhere, killing every person they saw. Men, women, and children—none were spared. They plundered homes, seized Mosques, and proclaimed they would kill all Crescent Believers.
