In the Middle Ages, people drew cards to be promoted to nobility.

War is inevitable.

Duke Raymond stood up, picked up the wine glass filled with mead on the table, and drank the sweet wine in one gulp: Go and get my armor. Let's go to the palace. Your Majesty will definitely summon Saladin's envoy in person.

He was afraid that Baldwin IV would not be able to handle it.

Raymond was worried about His Majesty the King's physical condition.

Once the king dies, it will be extremely disadvantageous for him, because it means that the new king, the son of Princess Sibylla and her previous husband, is about to ascend the throne, and it will be difficult for him to continue to maintain his position as regent.

He felt that if Baldwin IV still wanted to take charge of this battle, he would stop it at all costs.

At this critical moment, Jerusalem could no longer withstand the turmoil caused by a temporary change of king.

Raymond apparently wasn't the only one to get the news.

On the road, there were hurried lords, nobles, knights and even monks, rushing towards the palace.

Many civilians also crowded on the roads and squares, trying to get first-hand news. Some people were looking forward to the war, hoping that the war would come as promised so that they could make some achievements on the battlefield.

There are also people who are full of frustration and hope that the two sides can stop fighting and make peace to maintain this hard-won peace.

Good day, Lord Tiberius.

Baron Godfrey, riding a tall and strong horse and wearing full armor, passed by him.

He turned around and bowed to Raymond with a smile.

Good day, Lord Godfrey.

Raymond forced a smile.

We will fight together again.

Godfrey punched his breastplate lightly, and the iron gloves made a crisp sound of metal collision with the armor. He was wearing the exquisite plate armor given to him by Lothar, and Raymond was the same.

This seems to represent their common attitude.

This battle began when Saladin began to prepare for war; from the time in the previous battle, when the European Crusaders that Saladin was afraid of did not arrive as promised; from when Saladin sat on the supreme throne of the Saracen (Arab) world. It's doomed.

(Sasanian is the Persian-Saracen dual dynasty, except in this context)

“May Heavenly Father bless us.”

Raymond couldn't help but smile and said, yes, they have to fight side by side again. It seems that only on the battlefield, they will temporarily put aside their disputes over interests and put everything aside just to win the final victory.

Outside the palace, it was already crowded with people who wanted to enter.

Hans held a sword and led the sergeants of the Royal Knights to block the door.

These people can't all be put in. Even if the palaces of various countries retain this kind of tribal meeting-like way of discussing affairs, they can't change this kind of quarrel-like scene in the vegetable market, which is really unpalatable.

As Baldwin IV's personal servant walked up to his ear and whispered for a while, he ordered the soldiers to get out of the way: Your Majesty has ordered a court meeting. Everyone, please come in, but remember not to collide with the messenger.

Soldiers holding halberds followed Hans into the hall first to maintain order.

In the palace.

People who were qualified to sit and listen walked into the hall one by one.

Baldwin IV, who was sitting on the throne, had obviously been talking to the envoy in black robes standing at the foot of the steps for a long time.

Seeing so many barbarians entering the palace, the envoy's heart skipped a beat, and his tone became stronger: Your Majesty the King, my Lord has put forward the most lenient conditions he can, and he really can't make any more concessions.

There have always been attacks between lower-level lords. Lothar has never affected the civilians. Moreover, this war started because the noble lord's vassal 'Zain' kidnapped the fiancée of Lothar's vassal Leonard. Rauf even once Taking the initiative to invade our country's borders, Count Lothar was forced to fight back. How can your lord blame my loyal servants?

Baldwin's tone was gentle, and he did not seem to be affected by the arrogance of Saladin's envoy.

The messenger was silent for a while and whispered: But an agreement is an agreement, and the process is not important. The final result is that your lord Lothar invaded the land of our lord and cut off important pilgrim roads.

For this reason, my lord only asks your majesty to order your vassal Lothar to withdraw from the land he illegally occupied, rather than punish him for breaking the peace treaty.

As far as I know, Lothar did not embarrass any pilgrims passing through this place. Instead, he eliminated many bandit gangs entrenched there, making the pilgrims of your religion much safer than in previous years. Your Lord's sister, Basma Princess, didn’t you pass there safely and be treated well?”

Baldwin IV wondered: Why do you say that your pilgrimage has been cut off?

The envoy was silent for a moment, shook his head and said: This makes no sense. Our Lord's conditions cannot be compromised. If Your Majesty is unwilling to agree, he will have no choice but to face war.

Baldwin IV sighed softly: Saladin is a reasonable man, but now, it seems that he is not willing to be reasonable anymore - I believe he did it as a last resort, but fighting with each other is a foregone conclusion. .”

Go and tell your master that since he wants war, I will give him war.

Baldwin IV's voice remained unhurried and calm.

But everyone heard his determination.

It seems that His Majesty has made up his mind.

The messenger breathed a sigh of relief. This result was exactly what he wanted to see.

Um.

His Majesty the King nodded slightly, raised his hand and took off the silver mask, revealing a young and heroic face, with brown eyes full of calm and perseverance.

You...don't you have leprosy?

The messenger subconsciously took two steps back, his face full of disbelief.

Leprosy is recognized as an incurable disease, and even Saladin's court physicians were not sure they could cure such a terminal disease.

Heavenly Father protects me. Even terminal illnesses cannot harm my life. Just like in this battle, Heavenly Father will protect us and achieve final victory.

Baldwin IV's voice was full of determination: Please come back, and your envoy can convey my words to your lord intact.

He no longer needed to play the role of a patient. Under the pressure of foreign invasion, all the internal fighting of the Crusader princes had to be put on hold.

He will regain his authority as king.

Inside the palace.

The lords obviously no longer cared about the envoys who left in a hurry. They were left unscathed by King Baldwin, who looked no different from ordinary people. They were shocked and speechless.

When did he recover?

When Bishop Uldin ceased to appear daily at his court?

His Majesty the King said loudly: I will personally fight for this battle. All nobles, vassals, and civilian officials who have received the call-up order must arrive at the camp outside Jerusalem within three days. Those who fail to arrive within the time limit will be expelled from their titles. The territory belongs to the meritorious officials.

His expression was serious, and although his tone was gentle, his words were full of undeniable meaning.

Baron Godfrey's eyes were a little moist.

How long has it been since I saw His Majesty looking so high-spirited?

As news broke of Baldwin IV's recovery.

The entire holy land was boiling.

The priests stood under the scorching sun in white cassocks, preaching to the crowd with hoarse voices and dry mouths, urging people to join the army and fight again, to defend the Holy Land and obtain salvation.

If someone looks down from a high place, he can see that throughout the Holy Land, countless knights are taking their retinues, gathering like sand to form a tower, gathering under the command of their upper-level lords, and under the leadership of the upper-level lords, heading for Jerusalem.

The long marching teams were like trickling streams crisscrossing the desert, with colorful heraldic robes as bright backgrounds and painted with the same cross emblem, to merge into the river of Jerusalem. .

…

The same goes for Transjordan.

Hundreds of knights of the order scattered in various manors gathered together the peasant and soldier teams who had undergone brief training during the usual farm slack, and gathered towards the military camp outside Hebron like hundreds of rivers returning to the sea.

Not counting Lothar's expanded standing army, which was just ordinary levies, Transjordan pulled out nearly 3,000 people.

Moreover, they are all conscripts who have undergone certain military training, are equipped with simple armor, and have been organized into spear phalanx and shield wall phalanx. Their combat effectiveness is far above the level of ordinary conscripts.

Some peasants and soldiers who have been hunters or have military experience have even gone to recruit training camps to master basic archery or sling skills. They will be organized into military camps outside Hebron. In the light infantry company that Lothar formed before.

In addition to the peasant soldiers recruited, Lothar's previously expanded standing army of more than a thousand has been trained, including the Hussars, Varangian Guards, mounted archers, woodland archers, and retained veteran companies who followed Lothar to participate in Black Eagles at the Battle of Limassol.

As well as the Teutonic Knights and the Order of Saint Lazarus, including more than a hundred knights and their attendants, there are about 500 light and heavy cavalry. The military strength he can draw from his direct jurisdiction can reach terrifying levels. of six thousand.

Including the Baron of Petra, the Baron of Tich, the Baron of Zugar, the Baron of Shaokba, the Baron of Sanoril, the Bishop of St. Catherine, etc., the subordinate vassals of Lothar except Leonard sent out army.

The power in Lothar's hands reached an extremely terrifying number of tens of thousands of people!

Some small kings in Europe did not have such terrifying military strength. Duke William of Normandy, who was famous in the past and conquered Albion, brought only this number of troops when he attacked Albion.

For the Transjordan border jurisdiction, which has a total population of only more than 200,000, it is already considered a military force. You must know that the King of Albion, who was against the Duke of Normandy, only recruited tens of thousands of people.

The total population of Albion at that time reached 1.5 million, which was 7.5 times that of the Transjordan border area, the colloquially known Transjordan vassal territory.

The ability to achieve such an effect is not only related to the wealth of the Holy Land, but also to the high degree of centralization of Lothar's territory. It would have been absolutely impossible to mobilize so many troops when the local leaders were still there.

Moreover, the vassals and Christians in Transjordan knew very well that if Jerusalem fell, they would not be able to survive alone.

This is completely different from the many Albion lords who watched Albion's king and Harold II's defeat with cold eyes during the Battle of the Normandy Government.