People in the Middle Ages, draw cards to get promoted

Chapter 83 The Arrival of Saladin

On the distant horizon, dust billows.

On the walls of Kaleburg, the defenders shuttled back and forth nervously.

The army under Saladin's command crossed the border between the two countries without warning just this morning, and came to Kaleburg.

The holy fire flag and the dust kicked up by the seemingly endless sea of ​​people covered the sky and covered the ground.

The terrifying sense of oppression made everyone in Kaleburg tense.

They are very clear about what the owner of this castle, Earl Leonard, has done - looting Zoroastrian caravans, massacring Zoroastrian civilians, and attempting to contaminate the holy land of Zoroastrian Nejd.
Once the city is broken, it is impossible for everyone to survive.

Although Saladin is known for his benevolence, under his iron fist, he never lacked in killing.

squeak——

More than a dozen armored sergeants pushed the winch vigorously to erect the heavy suspension bridge.

Regardless of the scattered crowd who had already run not far from the city gate, dragged their families and came to take refuge.

"Please, open the city gate and let us go in."

"Our village has been slaughtered, and those Saracens will not let us go."

"Limuer, I'm your uncle. These are relatives and neighbors who watched you grow up. I beg you to forgive me and hold off on raising the suspension bridge!"

"Do you just have the heart to watch your relatives and friends die under the city wall like this?"

People crowded under the city wall and begged.

On the city wall, there were some people who couldn't bear it, but no one dared to stop the armored soldiers from raising the drawbridge.

Because this is an order from Earl Leonard.

And the enemy's light cavalry is staring at it just a stone's throw away.

As long as they dare to put down the suspension bridge, these cavalry will rush up desperately and seize the suspension bridge.

The sergeants and conscripts defending the city were busy like hardworking worker ants. They piled up the round stone balls with their edges and corners polished next to the catapult.

This kind of small trebuchet installed on the city wall can throw the stone bullets in the net bag at the other end as long as the rope hanging the counterweight is cut off.

The Saracens called these trebuchets furers, and they were widely used in the army.

The largest of them is said to be able to throw a [-]-pound boulder and smash down the city wall.

Large pots were set up on the city wall, filled with black kerosene, which could easily burn down a siege ladder as long as it was poured down.

Others carried wooden barrels filled with sand and water and piled them in front of the battlements to prevent accidental injury from the flames.

The cart transported the bricks and stones stored in Kaleburg in advance and piled them up in the tower above the first city gate.

After the enemy broke through the first city gate, the defenders could condescendingly throw stones down in the tower to prevent the enemy from further opening the second city gate.

It has to be said that Kaleburg, which Leonard has been running for a long time, is indeed a strong fortress.

It is full of supplies enough for thousands of defenders to use for half a year, and it is by no means something that the Saracens can easily break through.

Leonard, who was covered in armor, had an ashen face full of anger at this moment.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Damn it, I knew that Saladin would definitely choose Kaleburg as his target. He hates me and regards me as his lifelong enemy. Even if he gives up Jerusalem, he still wants my life!"

Stephanie has a determined face, this female knight is wearing a military uniform, her tall and strong body is no worse than the male knight: "This is our glory, Leonard.

We and the heathen are immortal, and the more he hates us, the more we should feel honored. "

Leonard laughed loudly and said, "That's right, Stephanie, just let Saladin hate me, I will let his army return home here, and then the whole kingdom will be shocked by my achievements."

After laughing, Leonard said a little nervously again: "Stephanie, has the request for help been sent?"

Stephanie looked helplessly at her nervous husband, nodded and said, "Well, as soon as the scouts finished reporting the letter, they sent it out."

Leonard clapped his hands fiercely: "By the way, we have to send someone to our little neighbor. I remember that he trained a good armored sergeant and asked his guard to immediately send all the troops to support Kaleburg .”

Stephanie asked suspiciously, "Will the defenders of Fort Yogryus agree to give up their castle and come to support them?"

Leonard said confidently: "They will know the seriousness. Once Kale Fort is breached, their poor dilapidated fortress, which can be blown down by a gust of wind, will not be able to withstand the attack of heretics at all!

And as long as Kaleburg is defended, the scattered Saracens army, even if part of it leaks in, can only plunder a few villages at most. "

Leonard stood on the city wall, stroking the cold and rough rock.

A trace of blush appeared on his face due to excitement: "Come on, Saladin, I know you have always regarded me as an old enemy, so let's have a serious battle."

On the Gobi desert outside the castle.

The white square-top tents are located in the palm grove outside the city.

The wandering Saracen light cavalry has swept all the villages near Kaleburg, and the vacant houses are already filled with soldiers conscripted from various ministries.

On the edge of the woods, the craftsmen and servants accompanying the army were cutting down trees and assembling a ladder, siege vehicles, siege towers and huge counterweight trebuchets.

In the center of all the tents, there is an extraordinarily tall tent.

A king wearing golden delicate scale armor and a black turban is sitting on a gold-encrusted throne, listening to the information reported by the chiefs.

This is the appearance of a man who is not handsome, but by no means ugly or mediocre.

One glance can make a deep impression.

His cheek is very thin, and there is a scar on it that is said to be left by an assassin who was raised by the old man in the mountain.

Behind him was a huge hanging map. On it, two red lines were like sharp Arabian straight swords, piercing straight into the heart of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Obviously, this is the monarch of the Ayyubid dynasty of the Sasanian dynasty of the Millennium Empire, Saladin, who has unified most of the Arabian region since Egypt.

The chiefs and lords of the various tribes gradually dispersed.

Only Saladin and his brother Savodin remained in the tent.

Saladin suddenly remembered something, and asked, "Adil, Fort Kale is the territory of the one who broke the contract, right?"

Adil is the real name of Savodin, and Savodin is just the abbreviation of his full name by the Crusader nobles.

"Yes, my king."

"Reynard"

Speaking of this person, even a monarch as calm as Saladin felt a burst of disgust from the bottom of his heart.

Earl Leonard, after becoming the lord of Kaleburg, once made a major event, that is, organized a navy, planning to go south to attack another holy place of Zoroastrian Nejd.

In order to extort large sums of money from them.

Although his plot was unsuccessful, his offense to the Holy Land greatly angered the Saracens.

This greedy, contemptible, shameless villain with no chivalry is now a thorn in the side of many Saracens.

Adil said in a deep voice: "My lord, within three days, I will definitely break through this castle and present the head of the villain Leonard who once offended the Holy Land and repeatedly attacked our caravans."

"No, just a feint is enough."

Saladin looked at his younger brother and his confidant, and said in a deep voice, "I do hate this contemptible and disgraceful breaker, but don't forget that our goal is to recover the Holy City."

"All the generals and chieftain leaders gathered under my banner were all invited by me in the name of Jihad (which can be understood as "jihad"). Although there are more than [-] soldiers in total, they belong directly to our headquarters The number of soldiers and horses is less than ten thousand."

"Adil, my empire is not monolithic, so we can't lose too many troops here, otherwise, we won't even be able to see the walls of Jerusalem, so we have to withdraw in despair."

"The King of Kings who dwells in Ctesiphon is waiting to see me come home in defeat."

Saladin often claimed that he had hundreds of thousands of troops under his command.

This is indeed true, but it is the sum of the distribution of the entire Ayub kingdom, including troops stationed everywhere, troops loyal only to the local lords, and a large number of civilians who can be recruited and used as cannon fodder.

The labor force went on an expedition and was limited by supplies.

Even if the Kingdom of Jerusalem divided more than half of its troops and went north, Saladin's [-] troops (including some servants) still did not occupy an overwhelming advantage.

(End of this chapter)