People in the Middle Ages, draw cards to get promoted

Chapter 418 The Eve of the Storm

Scorching sun.

Lothar lifted the curtain of the tent, and a strong smell of sweat came to his face.

Looking around, it was already filled with various crusader princes, his eyes swept over, and everyone nodded to him.

These days, the Crusaders and the Saracens are still in a confrontation.

The next day's appointment, perhaps due to the pressure of rumors, Saladin did not send Torre to fight again. Veneto won easily, which was regarded as a victory, but the morale of the Crusaders did not improve much.

The reason is simple. The enemy has man-eating beasts that eat ten Saracens every day. The Crusaders are still worried about facing such beasts on the battlefield.

Since then, the two parties have fallen into a state of confrontation of unknown duration.

It was not until the news that the enemy army in Gaza City approached the city and the port of Aila broke the enemy's main fleet that there was another military meeting.

"Master Marquis, I heard that an army of undead appeared in the Battle of Ella Port. They came from the sea and defeated the heretics. Is this true or not?"

Lothar's expression moved slightly: "The pagans are ignorant and ignorant, and they are just spreading rumors. In fact, it was just the coastal defense fleet of Port Ayla, because it had ambushed in a hidden place in advance. With the cloudy sky, the sea was filled with fog, and it was killed at a critical moment. In the eyes of pagans, isn’t it as terrifying as hell’s ghosts?”

"I see."

Gerald said with deep emotion: "I thought that Lord Marquis could train several elite cavalry such as wing cavalry and square shield infantry and several elite infantry, and he was already a rare talent in training soldiers. The militiamen, as well as the crew on the ship, are so elite and brave."

Lothar said calmly: "The enemy is weak, but they are just a group of pirates. There are many merchant ships in the Knights Templar. I must know the combat power of these pirates better than I do."

Gerald smiled and said, "Oh, that's true. Pirates are at sea, relying on their familiarity, and sailing small boats like the wind. It's just that my experience is limited, and I've never seen any pirates driving a three-story giant ship."

Lothar smiled lightly: "Didn't Isaac of Komnenos hire a pirate fleet driving a three-masted giant ship?"

"But who doesn't know that it is the fleet of Brinxidi and the city-state of Pisa?"

Baldwin IV said with a serious face: "Grand Commander Gerald, Marquis of Lothar, this is the imperial military meeting, not a place for you to talk about everything."

"Sorry, Your Majesty."

Lothar looked at Gerald, who had died down, and he knew very well that Gerald must be doubting his identity. As a pious head of the Knights, his devotion to the Heavenly Father is beyond doubt, and Lothar may have something to do with the evil spirit. The suspicion of "collusion" will definitely not just end like this.

But Lothar didn't care about that.

Now that he was full-fledged, and the situation in the Holy Land was at stake, even if he suspected it, Gerald would not be able to do anything to him.

"Let's talk about it, what's your judgment on the current situation?"

As soon as the words fell, Knight Stephen, the military chief of Princess Sibilla, stood up and said:

"Although the Marquis's Port of Aila has been defended, there are still tens of thousands of Egyptian troops under Adil under Gaza City. If we can't eliminate Saladin as soon as possible, once Gaza City is broken, the city defenses that have not been repaired in Jerusalem for many years may prevent it." The heavy artillery of the heretics?"

Lothar was not surprised that Stephen Knight was the first to stand up.

Both Gaza and Jaffa are the fiefdoms of Princess Sibilla, and as a subject of Sibilla, even if she is temporarily working under Lothar, she has to stand up and speak for support at this moment.

Before the meeting started, Stephen Knight communicated with Lothar in private.

Someone immediately responded: "Knight Stephen is right. Right now, [-]% of the kingdom's army is gathered here, and heretics are taking advantage of it. If we don't decide the victory with the Saracens as soon as possible, is it possible to send troops back to help? "

Baron Godfrey frowned and said: "This is exactly what Saladin wanted. He wanted us to become impatient and attack his camp with ballistas, horse refusals, wooden fences, and sentry towers, and then kill countless corpses. Throw it at the gate of the enemy's camp!"

Guy suddenly said: "But we have to do something. We listened to the Marquis Lothar's suggestion, but did the duel with the Saracens really boost the morale of the soldiers? I can't see it! "

Godfrey sneered: "Baron Guy, do you think duels are useless? Are you still digging up some pieces of wood and claiming that they are fragments of the Holy Lance, or tearing a piece of rotten linen and calling it the so-called holy wrap?" Can the shroud boost morale? What we need are warriors, not a bunch of fanatical lunatics who can only do bad things!"

The king frowned and said, "Be careful, Lord Godfrey."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Godfrey followed suit.

Humphrey of Torun said: "Baron Guy didn't mean to blame the Marquis of Lothar. I just think that even if we don't attack, we should do something, such as attacking the Saracens' supply line?"

Godfrey snorted coldly: "The enemy has not gone deep, most of the supply lines are in the enemy's territory, with the castle as a cover, and the enemy's falcons are all over the sky, what do we have to surprise the Saracens' logistics line?"

Lothar stared at the quarrel during the banquet without saying a word.

What Godfrey said was also a headache for Lothar.

Saladin's tactics are too stable, so stable that they are impeccable. For the dominant side, this kind of grandiose pressure, which is to fight with you for consumption and national strength, is the most difficult strategy.

Among other things, the group of falcons above the head alone is enough to cause headaches. If it weren't for the time it takes for the information transmission between the falcons and the owner, it would take time for the owner to screen out effective information, and it would take time for the report to come up. Baldwin I am afraid that the fourth generation could not win the battle of Mengisa at the beginning.

Guy's expression was a little irritable and said: "Then what should we do, just continue to consume like this?"

He doesn't care about the territory of Mengisa. If he can make meritorious service and obtain the rest of the fief, the small town of Mengisa with only a few grape plantations and farms is not in his eyes at all.

But right now, chances of winning are hard to find, and it is more likely that he will return without success. Just watching his territory face the front of the heretics, he still unconsciously became irritable.

The Prime Minister of Amalric said: "Lord Godfrey, I am not good at leading troops to fight, but the price of food is rising day by day. Even with the generous donations of several abbeys, where can I buy enough food in the short term?" What about food?"

He looked at Lothar and said sincerely: "If it wasn't for Lord Lothar's Port of Ella, which would still continue to deliver food and supplies, and last for another three days, the army might have to consider disbanding and returning."

Lothar frowned.

Although Amalric is not a smart person, what he said is indeed problematic.

No matter how rich the princes of the Crusaders were, they lost the food exported from Egypt, where would they go to raise enough military food in a short time?Jerusalem is not like Constantinople, which can allocate food support from various "imperial granaries".

That is to say, Andreas and Captain Hogg guarded the port of Ella. If the port of Ella is lost, the only source of food that Jerusalem can rely on is self-produced and imported from the Eastern Empire.

Lothar nodded and said: "Indeed, we should do something, but we must not attack rashly and seek a decisive battle with the heretics."

It is definitely impossible to win with Saladin.

Saladin sits on the two major bases of Egypt and Syria, and is far superior to the Kingdom of Jerusalem in terms of territory and national power. This is the consensus reached by Lothar and King Baldwin long ago.

"If our army suffers a disastrous defeat or suffers heavy casualties, even if you still protect your territory, the next fate will only be to be turned into ruins under the iron heels of the heretics."

Lothar stood up, his voice sonorous and forceful: "Everyone, please be safe and don't be impatient. Wait for two more days, and the opportunity to fight will appear immediately."

In silence.

Guy took the lead and said, "Marquis Lothar, how long will we have to wait? Is there no certainty?"

Duke Raymond also said: "Or, we should send a support army back. The walls of Gaza City are strong. We only need to add another [-] soldiers to keep the heretics out of the country."

Lothar shook his head and said: "The fighter plane is fleeting, so there is no accurate time-as for Sir Raymond's words of sending reinforcements, you should think carefully about it."

The day.

Then several armies led by small lords left the camp of the Chinese army and went south to support Gaza City.

In Saladin's camp.

A mid-spirited voice sounded: "My lord, the Franks have divided their forces, is it time to do something?"

Saladin shook his head, calmly said: "Wait a little longer."

Tajiding said eagerly: "Is there a better opportunity than this? The fire in the backyard of the Franks, and now the division of troops, doesn't it prove that there are already cracks in them, and they are about to fall apart?"

Saladin shook his head and said, "Look at Adil."

"Adil has the help of Master Salman, and it is no problem to take down Gaza City. By then, the morale of the Franks will be shaken even more. That is the best time for us to attack."

Takidin was a little dissatisfied and said: "My king, we have already lost the battle of Port Ayla. Who can guarantee that uncle can take Gaza? What if the Franks also arranged spellcasters in Gaza City?"

Saladin was slightly stunned, and his tone became low: "Master Salman is unwilling to attack ordinary people. He is a man of principle. If he can be used to exchange for a powerful spellcaster from the enemy, it will always be profitable."

(End of this chapter)