People in the Middle Ages, draw cards to get promoted

Chapter 276 Equivalent Exchange
Lothar's camp.

He was dressed in military uniform, sitting on the throne, showing a warm smile on his face.

"Turiados, all I can say about our meeting under these circumstances is that it is a pity."

Turiados had a gloomy expression on his face: "My lord, I don't want to, but Isaac has already defeated the Crusaders and the fleet of the Empire, and we can't resist him."

Seeing that there was no surprise on Lothar's face, he suddenly said: "You already knew it, right? That's why you guessed my intention to attack you."

"But Isaac has a black dragon, and his army is far stronger than mine. When he gathers the armies of the lords from all over the place, your lonely army will undoubtedly be defeated."

He emphasized: "I can provide you with ships, and I promise not to hinder your retreat, as long as you let me go and my ransom is waived."

Lothar couldn't help but laugh.

At this time, Turiados thought he could get away without paying any price.

"Celinina, tell our distinguished guest what nicknames I have."

Celinina looked solemn: "Coward, sitting in front of you is the 'Guardian of the Holy Land' who defeated Saladin, the 'Werewolf Killer' who once killed a werewolf, and the 'Generous' and 'Savior' who are worshiped by the common people." ’, the ‘brave man’ who will charge forward in every battle, the ‘sacred tree guardian’ who turns the desert into fertile soil, and the ‘dragon slayer’ who kills two giant dragons one after another.”

The corners of Lothar's mouth curled up slightly, thinking of Daenerys in the Song of Winter and Summer he "written".

This is just his nickname, if you count the title, it will only be longer than Daenerys' prefix.

Turiados couldn't help but stare.

He had heard of Lothar's reputation, but he always felt that the rumors were exaggerated. In addition, Lothar had never deliberately promoted it, so he didn't take it seriously.

After all, what lord doesn't brag about himself in his domain?
He couldn't believe it: "Is this true?"

Jeanna sneered: "Idiot, could it be that lying to you will give us more power to deal with a black dragon out of thin air?"

Only then did Turiados realize that he had said something stupid again.

If Lothar is not sure about dealing with a black dragon, he should be in full swing now and prepare to withdraw his troops.

Instead of sitting in the camp tent leisurely, negotiating with yourself slowly.

Lothar stretched his waist: "Lord Turiados, you are on the wrong team. Hand over the city of Limassol (Amatheus in Greek)."

Turiados was silent for a moment, with mixed feelings in his heart, and even wanted to scold Lothar, you have such ability, why didn't you say it earlier?
He said with some difficulty: "I can hand over the city of Limassol to you, as long as you are willing to guarantee the safety of my person and property."

Lothar frowned: "Lord Turiados, you have to understand that even if I take Limassol, it still belongs to the Eastern Empire, not to me."

"So, you want me to guarantee the safety of your family's property, what else can I benefit from?"

"Do you want me to rob the rich merchants and petty nobles of the city, or the townspeople and peasants?
If you've ever heard me, you'll know that I was never a bully who allowed the military to loot. "

Turiados said sincerely: "But Lord Earl, after all, you have limited manpower and cannot afford to lose."

"Limassol is a big city with 3 people. If it weren't for the limited time, I could definitely gather more troops. You can't easily capture those city militias alone."

"I am willing to sacrifice the city of Limassol, isn't that enough to prove my sincerity?"

Lothar snapped his fingers, and a cluster of flames sprang up between his fingers, and the flames illuminated his face: "Master Turiados, it is not a problem for me to take down the city of Limassol."

"I could even set an entire city on fire if I wanted to."

Turiados gritted his teeth and said: "Half, I am willing to give away half of my property and guarantee the supplies of your army, Lord Earl."

"make a deal."

Lothar smiled: "You have to be thankful, I am not a tyrant like Isaac."

Turiados could only say: "Thank you for your kindness."

Lothar stretched out his hand and motioned to Celinina to move him a seat: "Before standing in line next time, remember to polish your eyes."

Turiados sighed softly and said with a wry smile: "Master Earl, you have a good reputation, if I lose to you, at least I won't lose my life.

But Isaac, he's a tyrant.

When I don't know which of you is strong and who is weak, I have no choice at all. "

...

Outside the camp.

Soldiers are cleaning the battlefield and treating the wounded.

Whether it is one's own side or the enemy's, the military physicians of the Saint Lazarus Redemption Order will lend a helping hand.

In this battle, Lothar's losses were almost negligible, and the casualties were only single digits.

The enemy left behind at least [-] corpses and nearly a thousand prisoners.

The most worth mentioning is that the knights broke off many horses when they charged.

Even wearing horse armor, the damage rate of war horses on the battlefield is still astonishingly high.

Moreover, those Greek cavalrymen turned around and fled too fast when they saw the wind.

As a result, many pack horses were seized, but few war horses.

Fortunately, Turiados has decided to donate the city of Limassol. Next, all their supplies will be available, and there is no need to worry about the army's combat effectiveness plummeting.

Lothar no longer intends to continue marching into Nicosia.

He planned to stay in this city, waiting for Isaac to lead his troops to attack.

Now the enemy is strong and we are weak. Isaac just defeated the United Fleet. When he was full of ambitions, Lothar did not believe that he could hold back his temper and continued to hide in Nicosia.

The city of Limassol is called in Gaul, and the Greeks call it Amathus.

This coastal city is the largest seaport city in the south of Cyprus Island, with a permanent population of [-].

at dusk.

Lothar used Turiados as a matchmaker to sign a contract with the representatives of the citizens, the city defense army, and the nobles.

In the big cities of this era, the citizen class represented by various guilds (such as stonemasons' guilds and blacksmiths' guilds) generally holds a considerable part of the right to speak.

Some municipalities in Central and Western Europe even had complete self-government rights in addition to paying taxes to the lord.

This is also the result of a long struggle and compromise between the lord and the bourgeoisie.

Many lords have no experience in managing cities at all, and after taking over the city, they will only make a mess.

It is better to hand over the management of the city to professionals, and in exchange for a large amount of taxes, everyone is happy.

This is similar to the tax package system.

According to the contract, Lothar will guarantee the personal and property safety of all citizens of Limassol.

At the same time, the city of Limassol must pay a large amount of "war indemnity" and guarantee Lothar's army supplies in the process of crusade against the rebellion.

Without a single soldier, this prosperous port city opened its doors to Lothar.

He rode on a horse, walking side by side with Turiados: "I heard that this city still retains the glorious traditions of the ancient empire. There is a large arena and the temple of Aphrodite?"

Aphrodite in Greek mythology, one of the twelve main gods of Olympus, in charge of love and navigation.

Greek culture and the culture of the ancient empire have long been indistinguishable from each other.

For example: Zeus was called Jupiter in ancient imperial culture; Aphrodite was called Venus.

Turiados said respectfully: "That's right, if you want to go on a tour, I can be your guide."

Lothar shook his head and said: "No need, let your men prepare food, hot water, drinking water and shelter."

He paused slightly, and said with a chuckle, "Isaac is a tyrant who wants clean food, but that doesn't mean I will forgive your offense again and again."

He was all smiles, but in the eyes of Turiados, he looked like a dragon.

"No, absolutely not this time!"

Turiados glanced at the subjects whose faces were full of fear and anxiety.

Not a single one showed a look of indignation.

He couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Could it be that the bravery of the imperial people has really disappeared in the long river of history?
It seems to have seen through Turiados' thoughts.

Lothar chuckled lightly and said, "When did the martial arts empire in the past fall to this level? Did her (Queen of Ten Thousand Cities)'s people really become cowardly?"

"To me, it's you nobles who are rotten."

...

In the palace of Nicosia.

The gigantic dragon was entrenched in the garden, its wings covering most of the ugly and ferocious face of the dragon, and it was sleeping leisurely.

On the huge tray next to it, there was a piece of beef leg that had been gnawed to the bone.

The scorching breath from its mouth and nose made the ground dry and cracked.

Isaac said proudly: "It's incredible, this is the mighty power of the dragon! I can't imagine how those knights challenged this giant beast in the legend."

The black shadow behind him slowly stretched his body, and said in a soft tone: "Not all giant dragons are so powerful. You have to be lucky to have the blessing of a powerful god like me."

"I'm really glad!"

Isaac's eyes moved slightly: "In order to thank you for helping me, I will prepare ten more young girls for you to enjoy."

Hei Ying lazily refused: "No need, the price you paid before is already enough. I'm not a devil, and I'm more concerned about equivalent exchange."

Isaac was slightly stunned, and then said without changing his face: "That's fine."

In my heart, there was a wave of waves.

A mere twelve girls, even if they are all beautiful and rare, how can they compare with the value of a black dragon?

After he really owned this dragon beast, he realized how unequal this so-called "equivalence exchange" was.

Reminiscent of the phrase "I'm not a devil" that Heiying often said, a trace of uneasiness appeared in his heart.

But even the devil.

I can't get out of it either.

He stretched out his hand, stroked the hot dragon scales of the black dragon, and said silently in his heart.

(End of this chapter)