People in the Middle Ages, draw cards to get promoted

Chapter 490
Damietta, Egypt.

Senmut walked down the streets of Damietta feeling a little lost.

Along the way, when everyone saw him, they would lower their heads and dodge in a hurry. No one said a word in front of him, but it seemed that everyone was laughing at his incompetence.

The guards on duty in the city main hall took the reins from his hands with complicated expressions: "General, the governor and the gentlemen are already waiting for you inside."

"I see."

Senmut glanced at the painted window lattice and slowly walked into the gorgeous marble palace.

Sure enough, as soon as he entered the door, he was greeted with the questions he had expected.

"Senmut, you destroyed the last elite power of Damietta. Now, there are only more than [-] defenders left in Damietta. How can we resist the numerous and well-equipped Franks?"

The speaker was a Jew from Iberia who was a close minister of Governor Ibn. People called him Maimonides.

Since the Almohid dynasty overthrew the previous dynasty and established a new rule in Iberia, it changed its previous enlightened religious policy and required all Jews to convert to Zoroastrianism, which led to a large number of Jews fleeing.

Maimonides was one of them. With his superb medical skills and artistic attainments, he quickly gained the trust of Governor Ibn and became a close minister.

Immediately afterwards, another person said: "Senmut's command was inappropriate and his crime is unforgivable. He should be sentenced to be chopped in half."

Accusing voices filled the hall.

The anger in Senmut's heart ignited: "That's enough, that was the army led by Lothar, the Crusader prince who defeated King Saladin!"

"Even King Saladin's elite soldiers were defeated. If it were you, who can guarantee that you will win?"

Someone sneered: "Senmut, I really can't guarantee victory, but I will never shamelessly persuade the Governor to choose to send troops to attack the Crusaders at night, so that even if we are defending the city now, our military strength is stretched thin."

"My Lord Governor, I think Senmut must be punished!"

"Cut in half!"

"Behead!"

The crowd was furious, as if executing Senmut would vent their fears.

Governor Ibn frowned.

Senmut was the commander of his own army, a Copt of Mamluk origin, and his absolute confidant.

But as the commander of this defeated battle, it is only natural that he should bear the responsibility for the defeat.

But at this critical moment, if he kills another general of his own, he doesn't know who to appoint to defend Damietta. Although he blames Senmut in his heart for his incompetence, he also knows that Senmut is already the best fighter under his command. The general.

"It is not a wrong move to attack the enemy camp at night."

The Jewish minister Maimondenes unexpectedly said something fair: "Previously, no one thought that the Crusaders could defeat our 5000-strong army with only [-] people. This is not General Senmut's fault."

"Whose fault is that? The Governor's?"

There was another argument.

The whole hall was in a mess like a vegetable market.

Governor Ibn couldn't bear it anymore and roared: "That's enough. Can we scold the Franks by chattering like a group of women in skirts? What I want to know is whether the city of Damietta can still be defended, and what should be done? Shou!"

Maimondenes, a close minister of the Jews, spoke again: "Your Majesty the Governor, now that the matter has come to this, I might as well try to negotiate peace with the Franks."

"Make peace with the infidels?"

Governor Ibn frowned, and it must be said that he was a little moved.

As a witness to the night attack last night, he was also frightened by the terrifying fighting power of the Franks. He really didn't want to fight against such an opponent unless he had to.

However, at this juncture, it is necessary to make peace with the Franks.
In the past, there were indeed many Saracen rulers who formed an alliance with the Crusader princes to fight against other Saracen lords. For example, the Zoroastrian lord Unur of Damascus once formed an alliance with the Kingdom of Jerusalem to fight against the aggressive Zan. Ji Dynasty.

But Unur was an independent monarch, but he was only a governor conferred by Saladin.

Once he did this, Saladin, or Adil, would have reason to openly and openly deprive him of his territory. He was very sure that Adil, who had always stood still, would definitely do so if he learned of this.

Maimonides hurriedly said: "Your Majesty Governor, we don't need to actually make peace with the pagans. We only need to persuade them to deal with your political opponents, the governor of Qalyoub or the governor of Manufia."

There was silence in the palace for a while, and the Saracen nobles spoke eagerly: "This is a good idea!"

"But what can we do to convince them?"

"Who can convince those barbaric and cruel Franks to turn against others?"

Maimonides looked at Governor Ibn's obviously moved expression and recommended himself: "I have dealt with the Franks. They are not just a group of fighting, greedy, vulgar, hopeless devils. They have many exquisite poems. It was made by a Frankish knight.”

Ibn frowned and said, "Are you praising pagans?"

"No, I just want to make it clear that the Franks can also be dealt with."

Maimondonis came closer, lowered his voice, and asked: "Your Majesty Governor, among the rulers of Zoroastrianism, there are also tyrants like Zanji who chop off people's arms and crucify living people. There are also tyrants among the Franks. Such a kind and wise monarch as King Baldwin”

Governor Ibn looked astonished and said hurriedly: "But King Saladin is also a wise king. You want me to betray him and go to the Franks?"

Maimondeni was silent for a moment. This was his original plan, but judging from Governor Ibn's reaction, it was obvious that he could not bear the consequences of doing so, so he changed his mind to a compromise: "No, of course not, we just want to follow Negotiate with the Franks. Whether it is money, grain, or even craftsmen to make siege engines, we will provide them with everything we can. As long as we offer enough conditions, the Franks may not be tempted." Governor Iben relaxed. tone.

This was in line with his expectations.

If there was no other way out, he really didn't want to board the Franks' pirate ship. Who knows whether they could gain a foothold in Egypt. The cost of betraying Saladin was too high. He would rather take the money he had accumulated over the years with him. The wealth and the army went to Alexandria to join Adil.

Looking at the palace full of nobles, the generals pinned their hopes on negotiating peace with the Franks.

There was a trace of ridicule on Senmut's face.

Nowadays, the strength of the Damietta Province has been weakened to less than one-third of its heyday. Their weakness has been completely exposed under the eyes of the Crusaders. How can those man-eating beasts stop because of this? How about just giving up the idea of ​​annexing the entire province of Damietta for a small profit?
On the banks of the Nile, in the temporary camp of the Crusaders.

Maimondenes respectfully saluted and greeted: "Dear King of the Dead Sea, monarch of the Eastern Franks, and commander of the Crusaders, please accept the high respect that a humble man like me has for you."

"It's an honorable guest."

Lothar nodded slightly and asked, "You are a close minister of Governor Ibn. Does your master have anything to say to me?"

"Here is a secret letter, please read it."

Lothar glanced at the contents of the letter and raised his head calmly.

The content of the letter, in a nutshell, is to measure Damietta's material resources and win the favor of the country. As long as he gives up attacking the city of Damietta, all the affiliated villages and towns in the province can be plundered by him. If he agrees to go To attack the other two governors, Damietta promised to provide a supply of military supplies and even craftsmen to make siege engines.

But here comes the question. He could clearly annex the entire Damietta, so why did he have to accept a gift and go south to attack Qalyoub Province?Or skip Damietta and attack Manufia?
If by that time, his offensive is frustrated, and Governor Ibn strikes back again to cut off his land supplies, the Crusaders will at least end up in vain this time, even if they are not completely wiped out.

"Handing over the port of Damietta is non-negotiable."

Lothar put down the letter and did not throw it into the brazier. The letter did not have Governor Ibn's personal seal stamped on it, so it most likely could not be used as a bargaining chip to blackmail Governor Ibn, but it was better than nothing.

Damietta is an important "fulcrum" that Lothar has long thought about and must be in his hands.

Seeing Lothar's firm words, Maimondi hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, the Tower of Damietta has dozens of giant towers filled with catapults and ballistae. The city walls are made of bricks, stones and mortar. Even if they are Even the flying stones cannot destroy its defense. In addition, we have tens of thousands of warriors and hundreds of thousands of loyal people. The fleet outside the port can provide an endless supply of supplies to the city. We We can even hold on to this city until the end of time."

He paused slightly, and when he saw that Lothar was still unmoved, he couldn't help feeling discouraged.

"I don't need you to think about it for me."

Lothar waved his hand lightly.

The defense of Damietta Port is indeed amazing, but whether it is Cellinina's assassination and infiltration, Fringilla's blood magic blessed by the blood demon source, his dragon's breath, or Prajna's "paper talk", it can be easily destroyed. .

Maimondeni's tone became urgent: "Your Majesty, Marquis, do you really want to give up the favorable conditions given by my lord? Back then, the late King Amalric of your country also conquered Alexandria, but in the end he could only end up with this The situation of returning in vain. The city of Damietta has been the front line of the war before and is well-defended, especially Alexander. Even if you take this city, you will definitely suffer heavy losses. You will not be able to gain a foothold here. The benefits you gain may not be as good as A gift from the Governor-General."

Lothar sneered and said: "At this moment, it was the reinforcements sent by the Zanji Dynasty that made the late King Amalric retreat in the past. But now, the European monarchs are sharpening their swords, and they will soon come to the Holy Land, and you Saladin, the king of Egypt, was defeated by me just now and is unable to support you at all. Why do you think I can't gain a foothold in Egypt? As for your so-called 'men who dare to fight', they are not worth mentioning. Tens of thousands of troops were easily killed by my men. How much damage can it cause me if it is scattered?"

The commander of this army sent by the Zanji dynasty to relieve Fatimid Egypt was Saladin's uncle Shirkuh, and it was also the beginning of Saladin's rule in Egypt.

Seeing that the lobbyist who came was speechless, Lothar waved his hand and said: "Today's meeting was very pleasant. I regret that we were unable to reach a consensus in the end. Please go back and tell your master that before he chose without honor, When a sneak attack on my camp exposes his cowardice and that of his soldiers, it is no longer possible for him to end this war with dignity."

The messenger was silent for a moment and whispered: "Your Majesty the Marquis, as a close minister of Governor Ibn, my conversation with you has indeed come to an end, but as the Jewish leader of the Damietta area, I hope to have further communication with you. conversation."

Lothar looked slightly startled, then smiled and said, "Okay, I'm very interested."

The messenger whispered: "You are an enlightened ruler. We have heard your name of kindness for a long time. Before the war started, I went to Hebron under your rule. All the Jews there were Praise be to you for your generosity and mercy, far greater than that of Leonard, the monarch who once ruled there."

Lothar said calmly: "Messenger, haven't you asked your name yet?"

"Just call me Maimonides."

"So Maimonides, we all know that in Albion, Gaul, and Germany, Jews are always an unwelcome group. I heard that the king of Albion, the Lion-Hearted King, ordered everyone living in The Jews in his territory pay a high 'Saladin tax' to support jihad. Even the Berbers in Iberia force you to convert to paganism."

Lothar paused slightly and smiled: "As you have heard, I am a magnanimous ruler. I have no intention of changing your beliefs, and I am willing to treat you equally, but I do not represent the vassals, bishops, and soldiers under my command. as well."

He sighed softly and pretended to be distressed: "Sometimes, even the king can't get his way."

In fact, the Jews in this era only refer to people who believe in Judaism. The Iberian Jews are very different from the Abyssinian Jews, both in appearance and language.

Maimondi was silent for a moment and then said: "We are willing to donate a large amount of military expenses and supplies to your army."

"Thank you."

Lothar smiled and greeted the other party: "Next, we can contact each other through letters."

After the other party walked out of the camp, Lothar said again: "This is still a somewhat ethical Jew. I thought that seeing that the Saracens in Damietta were gone, he would offer to help us cooperate inside and outside to capture Damietta. Woolen cloth."

Jeanne, who was listening on the sidelines, shrugged: "Maybe you overestimate the power of these Jews in Egypt."

Lothar shook his head: "I just overestimated their courage."

After speaking, Lothar stood up.

"The enemy's desire to negotiate peace shows that their military morale has been weakened."

"Give me the order. Early tomorrow morning, the army will set off and strive to capture Damietta Port within a week!"

(End of this chapter)