Weeks passed, and by mid-March, just as Jean’s letter had foretold, a fleet of ships from Europe had arrived, loaded with food, supplies, and building materials. Rather than using the building materials for siege equipment, however, the leaders decided to use them to construct small fortifications around the city near each gate and build a bridge that would allow troops to cross the Orontes River. Instead of trying to storm the city and take it by force, they would elect to apply a choke hold on the city and cut off any possible means of gathering supplies from the outside. Although blocking two more gates meant spreading their forces somewhat thin, the fortifications now gave the Crusaders considerable protection from any sorties or attacks launched from the city. The bridge across the Or
