People in the Middle Ages, draw cards to get promoted

Lothar left Limassol that night, re-boarded the ghost ship moored on the shore, dived into the bottom of the sea, and headed towards the Holy Land at high speed.

Turiados's ability to govern is still above the passing line. Over the years, the Limassol Military Region has been operating well. Limassol City has a population of nearly [-], and its affiliated towns and villages add up to tens of thousands of people. The levels are above the food and clothing line.

Lothar didn't think about replacing him, taking charge by himself, or entrusting the governor.

As a foreign lord, he kept his "duty".

Likewise, he did not intend to recruit an expeditionary force here to follow him back to the Holy Land.

To put it bluntly, he doesn't like the fighting power of the Greeks, except for the private guards of high-ranking nobles like Turiados, who are equipped with regular weapons and train every day, so they are still a little combat power.

But recruiting these Greek aristocrats attached to him and asking them to help the Franks who have always disliked them to resist the attack of the Saracens can easily arouse dissatisfaction. Although he can suppress it with a strong hand, it is really unnecessary.

Take Habsburg's discredited Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was dubbed the sick man of Europe, as an example. It used Hungary's money to support the imperial navy, but Hungary didn't even have a coastline, so it would naturally lead to collective opposition from the Hungarian nobles.

Of course, if Lothar pays his own money in Limassol to form an army and bring it back to the Holy Land, that’s another story, but the quality of the soldiers here, even if all Frankish pilgrims are recruited, the combat effectiveness cannot catch up with the farmers and soldiers in his own territory. Even worse.

After returning to the boat, Lothar briefly mentioned this matter to Hogg.

Hogg immediately showed embarrassment: "My lord, I have been a pirate for hundreds of years, and I have never done the job of escorting a caravan. With this time, I might as well rob a few waves of pirates and get some money quickly." .”

Lothar thought about Captain Hogg's earnings for the past two months, and couldn't help but nodded in agreement.

Not only that, seeing that the war is approaching, the sea dominance of the Red Sea is very important. In addition to the merchant fleet formed by the local snake Muller to assist Lothar in the port of Ella, the coast patrol has only a dozen small coastal defense ships. Fleet, not even a little resistance.

"Indeed, let's put this matter on hold for now, just pretend that I haven't told you."

Lothar walked to the side of the ship alone, frowning.

In this era, there is no such thing as an innocent army. When an army crosses the border, even one's own villages and towns must be trembling, for fear that this group of butchers with swords in their hands will even snatch their own people.

Unless it is a general like him who has enough prestige and his army is loyal enough, he can restrain his subordinates well.

If Port Aila is captured, let alone captured, it will be a disaster even if the army passes by. The farms, manors, villages, and irrigation canals he invested in will all be burned.

"What are you worrying about?"

Jeanne walked slowly with a glass of red wine in her hand: "I see you've been frowning since you came back from Limassol, have you encountered any problems?"

"It's nothing."

Lothar shook his head. Saladin's marching route is most likely to go south from Syria. The territory of Kaleburg and Duke Raymond is the northern gateway of the kingdom. As long as this place does not fall, the flames of war will not reach Lothar's territory. .

It's just a high probability, it doesn't mean it's certain.

"I was wondering if Adil, the governor of Egypt, would lead his army to attack from Fir Orn and attack my territory."

"Is he crazy?"

Jeanna rolled her eyes, thinking that Lothar was worrying unfoundedly.

For Saladin, Jerusalem was the ultimate goal. Giving up Jerusalem, no matter how many territories he won, would not be as far-reaching as this city represented.

This has nothing to do with the strategic significance, population, wealth, and land of Jerusalem itself. It is purely religion that gives the city an extraordinary definition—at the same time, taking the line of Phil Orn also means crossing Sinai desert.

Adil had led troops before, but he had only reached the border of the Barony of Tih, and there were few villages along the way that could provide supplies for the army.

"It's not crazy. Jerusalem is a loose alliance. If they go straight to Jerusalem, they will face the main force of the crusaders who are united from top to bottom. If they attack from all sides, they will face a mess."

"Ask yourself, if my territory is attacked, I will definitely return to defend it. In this way, Jerusalem's defense force will become weak-this is not impossible."

Lothar sighed lightly.

According to the original historical trajectory, when the Crusaders were supporting Raymond's territory, they were defeated by Harding and almost wiped out.

It is impossible for Jerusalem to defend only one holy city by fortifying its walls and clearing the country. Once the subjects' territory is attacked and the kingdom does not send troops to support it, the legal basis for the existence of the entire kingdom will be destroyed.

Those fanatics would not agree to such a useless approach, and those lords who were outside their territories would not agree to this approach.

Jeanna wondered: "Hasn't Saladin not done anything yet? I heard that he is not a very upright person, and would tear up the armistice agreement so easily?"

"There's never been a more opportune time than now."

Lothar looked at Rianna and said seriously: "Do you remember the Sasanian envoys you saw when you were in Jerusalem? Apart from renewing the non-aggression treaty with the Queen of the Eastern Empire, in private, their envoys The leader, Grand Virgil, Mustafa told the queen that he hoped that the Eastern Empire would help the Crusaders in time when Saladin regained the Holy Land."

Jeanna was slightly taken aback.

"It's ironic."

"It's very ironic. It's a pity that even though their grand vizier was sensible and emotional, and even used the traitor Isaac Komnenos' treaty with Saladin as an example, the queen still didn't agree. .”

"Even if you can help the Crusaders defend Jerusalem and gain a lot of fame, these reputations are not as beneficial as the recovery of Sicily. There are still many Greeks who want the empire."

Jeanna thought about it: "I understand, the Sasanians are incapable of interfering in this war, or they don't want to be charged with destroying the Great Jihad, so they plan to take action from the Eastern Empire."

Lothar shook his head and said: "The high probability is just that he is incapable. The last jihad with great momentum ended without a problem. It was a tie on the surface, but everyone knows that Saladin lost. The name of 'Great Jihad' Heads are not that easy to use, Sasanian king can use the excuse of 'Saladin is incompetent, he has been defeated repeatedly' to use troops against him."

Lothar picked up a Gwent card, with a gold-rimmed card surface, depicting a Tatar warrior dressed in heavy armor, complete with a bow, spear, and shield, who resembled the Iron Buddha of the Kingdom of Jin. .

"It seems that the Tatars put a lot of pressure on the Sasanian king. He probably has no energy left to pay attention to Saladin."

Jeanna nodded slightly and said: "That is to say, the two forces that are now qualified to interfere in the holy war are unable to interfere in this holy war. In addition, Saladin has quelled the civil strife, and the Kingdom of Jerusalem is in a state of disunity. For Saladin , is the best time to do it?"

"It should be more than that. There may be other factors that prompted Saladin to act, but the news of his preparations for war cannot be concealed from others. From Limassol to Aleppo, the prices of food, ordnance, mounts, and even herbs are all increasing. "

"It seems that this battle is inevitable. I hope those Crusader princes are ready."

Rang Na is a person who has led soldiers, and the logistical equipment consumed by an army of [-] is an astronomical figure for this era.

If the army wants to move, it is impossible not to move.

It is even more impossible for the Saracens who rely on commerce and trade to completely conceal their intentions.

...

Jerusalem, Court Council.

The nobles of Jerusalem gathered together. They wore gorgeous costumes and stood on two sides. Baron Godfrey and Berrian seemed a bit isolated. Even though Berrian had entered into a marriage contract with Princess Sibyl, the old baron Still maintained a firm royalist identity.

It's a pity that the backbone of the royal party, his most solid and reliable ally, is not there, which makes him seem a little weak.

In the main hall, as soon as the regent Raymond spoke about the issue, someone shouted angrily: "I said a long time ago that I should not make peace with heretics. How long has it been since Saladin is about to make a comeback?"

"Infidels are indeed not to be trusted."

"All pilgrims must be mobilized. It is the responsibility of all Christians to defend the Holy Land. The weapons and equipment previously sealed in the warehouse have been repaired and should be usable."

The head of the Knights Templar suddenly said: "The monastery in Ascalon is willing to donate five thousand marks of silver as military expenses, and the monasteries in Ashkelon, Irbid and other places are also willing to donate a large amount of silver."

The nobles froze for a moment, their faces full of surprise.

"Okay, with this money, we can purchase enough military rations from the Greeks."

"Who is the abbot of Ascalon, a pious man."

"But this donation is conditional"

The grand master of the Knights Templar, Gerald, paused slightly, as if he was a bit embarrassed to speak.

The eager crusader nobleman has already opened his mouth to ask: "What conditions?"

"But they want to lease the land of New Habsburg, and use the land near the sacred tree as church property."

In the hall, there was silence for a while.

Followed by Boiling against Yingtian.

"Fart, how dare they?"

"Is there anything wrong? The sacred tree was originally a miracle from the heavenly father, and there is nothing wrong with bringing it under the control of the church."

"That's right, in order to protect the Holy Land, we voluntarily gave up the right to inherit the territory, sold all our belongings and exchanged them for armor, weapons, and fodder, and traveled thousands of miles to the Holy Land. Isn't Count Lothar willing to give up even a piece of territory?"

"You grass goat Anglo, the church dares to use this name today to threaten us to hand over Lothar's territory, whose territory will you want to spend money to buy tomorrow? Is it possible that as long as you have enough money, you can use it?" A pious nobleman who has made countless meritorious deeds bows his head?"

Inside the hall, there was a lot of noise.

Nobles and clergy were already at odds with each other, and it was really taboo for several monasteries to unite.

At this time.

A middle-aged man in a simple friar's robe that was washed white slowly walked to the main hall.

"Bishop Ulding."

The nobles greeted each other one after another. During the time Uldin was in Jerusalem, he gained a great reputation. He cured several nobles with serious illnesses one after another. Even Duke Raymond had to betray him.

After all, no one knows that one day they will ask to be in front of Bishop Ulding.

"The Lazarus potion developed by the religious order will be supplied free of charge to the army guarding the Holy Land."

Uldin looked at the Grand Master of the Knights Templar: "The combat monks of the Order of Saint Lazarus will also go to the battlefield. Defending the Holy Land - is the mission of every Christian, and it is the mission of every Christian." The clergy should not ask for anything in return, and should also give their all to the task of helping."