In the Middle Ages, people drew cards to be promoted to nobility.

Hans was a little confused:

"My lord, I don't quite understand why you ask them not to occupy the houses of infidels? There is no ready-made camp here for them to rest."

"An army left unchecked can quickly turn into a mob and bandits."

Lothar paused slightly, then added: "Moreover, the pagan civilians in Montreal are already living in a very difficult situation due to the 'Saladin Tax' and the 'Unbeliever Tax'."

"If this continues, I'm worried that Saladin will send spies to incite a riot."

The Saladin tax refers to the tax levied to deal with Saladin, who must pay regardless of whether he is a pagan or not.

The unbeliever tax refers to the heavy tax that allows people to not convert and still maintain their old beliefs, which often accounts for about half of a person's income.

"Hans, you have to know that the Kingdom of Jerusalem has a population of nearly one million, only one-fifth of which are Christians. The Zoroastrians living in Jerusalem do not resist the rule of the kingdom. This is the rule of all the kings of Jerusalem. Work hard, I don’t want to be ruined by a bunch of idiots.”

Zoroastrians are second-class citizens in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

But the vast majority of people in rural areas can still survive according to their previous lifestyle and legally own their own land and temples.

Many villages did not even change their tax collectors, but the bosses behind the tax collectors, from Saracen lords, became Franks.

This makes the Saracen civilians at the bottom actually have a non-committal attitude towards the existence of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

It doesn't matter who rules here.

When this place was still ruled by the Saracens, the chiefs and chiefs treated them no better than they do now.

Moreover, Zoroastrianism is also divided into factions. The Fatimid dynasty before the Ayyubid dynasty believed in the new Zoroastrianism. The new Zoroastrian believers were more hostile to the old Zoroastrian believers than to the pagans.

There is a saying that is very apt here: heretics are more hateful than heretics.

When returning to the room.

Prajna is still holding a badly faded old book to read.

Lothar glanced at the cover. It was probably a religious book written in Latin. Lothar couldn't understand it and was not interested in it.

Prajna is undoubtedly a very knowledgeable person.

As a character with an oriental background, she is not only proficient in Chinese and Japanese, but also Gaulish, Germanic, East Slavic and Greek.

She even dabbled in the obscure Celtic language.

Fringilla was holding the double-headed eagle emblem and "talking" to the witch Anna on the phone. The two had a heated discussion on the topic of "how to counter space spells."

This kind of voice transmission magic, if used properly, is very helpful in implementing an appointment bureaucracy similar to the "county system" and can effectively strengthen the central government's control over local areas.

I just don't know what the cost is.

Lothar was thoughtful.

"It's already very late. You two should go wash up now and get ready to rest. Although Journey to the West is finished, I still have many more novel stories here."

Fringilla hurriedly "hanged up the phone".

Prajna also put down the old book in his hand.

Time flies, and three whole days have passed in the blink of an eye.

In the past three days, batch after batch of dusty Crusaders arrived in Montreal.

This city, which was originally built to transport supplies and support the Crusaders' continued Eastern Expedition, quickly returned to its original appearance and turned into a huge military camp.

But despite the large number of Crusaders, Lothar was still a little worried.

Although the number of the Crusaders was large, nearly 30,000, the combat troops were only 10,000 at most, and most of the rest were civilians and levied peasant soldiers with little combat effectiveness.

These conscripted militias often collapse on the battlefield. Even with the blessing of faith power, their performance may not be much better.

After welcoming the king, Lothar met with the king in the castle in Montreal.

outside the hall.

Lothar saw a familiar figure. He was holding a sword and a spear with a square flag tied to the top.

"Belian?"

Balian's face showed a hint of joy: "Good day, Lord Lothar, long time no see."

Lothar patted the other party's shoulder: "Not bad, I have become a knight holding the flag in front of the emperor. I feel more relieved to have someone to protect His Majesty's safety."

According to Lord Godfrey, Balian drank a potion called "Blood of the Dragon."

His strength is no longer comparable to ordinary people.

"Sir, compared with you, I am still far behind. Please go in quickly. Your Majesty has been waiting for you for a long time."

"Okay, then wait until I come out and talk about old times."

Lothar walked into the hall.

The original mess here has been cleaned up.

The broken walls were also repaired by masons.

Baldwin IV was sitting on the throne. He was still wearing a silver-gray mask, but the bleak feeling on his body had completely dissipated.

"sit down."

Lothar found a seat near the front and sat down.

"I heard that you defeated a Mamluk army?"

"right."

"How do you feel about these slave cavalry?"

"It's very powerful. They are divided into two types of cavalry: light and heavy. The former only wear leather armor or no armor at all, while the latter are shock cavalry equipped with human and horse equipment."

"They can all use bows and arrows and lances to fight, and they have also mastered the lance charge that the Frank knights are best at."

Lothar emphasized his tone and said: "Moreover, they are far more adaptable to the climate here than us, and they also have a large number of camels suitable for marching and carrying luggage."

Baldwin IV nodded slightly: "How did you defeat them?"

"Your Majesty, I must admit that I was lucky enough to win this battle."

"Their commander, Prince Zahir, is an arrogant man. He tried to use light cavalry to block the infantry sergeants of the Royal Knights, and used cavalry to defeat our cavalry head-on."

Baldwin IV mused: "But he didn't accomplish any of his goals, right?"

"Yes, if they choose to use light cavalry to harass us non-stop, destroy water sources along the way, and wait until we are exhausted before attacking us, it may be our turn to taste the bitter consequences of failure."

"You're right, but there's no way he could do that."

Baldwin IV pointed to his feet: "This is the land of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He went deep alone, proving that the supplies he brought with him were limited. He did not dare and could not use such tactics."

"You fought a good battle. Like your father, you have extraordinary military talents."

"Your Majesty, you are exaggerating."

Lothar is not being modest. He really feels that he can win because of his strong enough physical strength. If he has a choice, he is not willing to fight such a tough battle where even if he wins, the losses will be extremely heavy.

Baldwin IV shook his head and said: "If you have the power of Earl Leonard and operate here for several years, I believe that the eastern border of the kingdom will be a piece of iron."

The two looked at each other and smiled bitterly.

There was a trace of worry on Baldwin IV's face: "Under Saladin's command, there are three thousand elite Mamluk cavalry, and we can only make up 800 armored cavalry at most."

Lothar nodded and said: "There is indeed a gap in strength between the two sides, so I have always believed that it is more suitable for us to rely on the walls of Jerusalem to defend ourselves."

Baldwin IV shook his head and said: "The monarch not only represents power, but also represents obligations. If I can't even guarantee the fulfillment of my obligation to protect my vassals, Jerusalem will fall apart in an instant."

Lothar was silent.

He knows this too.

"If Saladin had led an army of 300,000 people, he would have won this battle, but he only led 30,000 people."

Baldwin IV sighed softly: "Let's not talk about this, let's talk about your affairs - I heard that Humphrey, Earl Leonard's son, died in your hands."

He paused slightly and then said, "Is it really possessed by a demon?"

"Absolutely true!"

Baldwin IV smiled: "Oh, that old guy Leonard, if I know about this, I don't know whether I should thank you or hate you."

Count Leonard was happy probably because he lost an heir who was looking forward to his death every day.

He hated it because he and Countess Stephanie had no heirs, and the only heir was now dead. If something happened to him and Stephanie, the royal family would be eligible to take back the territory of Transjordan.

"Stay here and play a game of chess with me. Perhaps this will be the last game between our kings and ministers."

The atmosphere in the hall was a bit dull.

This time, Lothar rarely defeated the king. He looked at the young king sitting opposite him with some surprise.

The other party's eyes were full of worry: "Losa, if you lose the battle, I hope you can not stick to worldly views, gather your subordinates immediately, return to Jerusalem, and organize the city defense."

Lothar nodded: "I will, Your Majesty."

"I can rest assured that."

Baldwin IV smiled and said: "Let's play another game. I'll give you the upper hand. If you can still win, I will make you the lord of Transjordan."