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

Baldwin IV on horseback.

Behind him, the servants set up the royal tent and raised the royal flag. Four small golden crosses surrounded the big cross, which looked even more sacred in the dazzling afternoon sun.

Whenever the soldiers fighting hard on the front line look back at this flag, they will be inspired. This is also a helpless move when the True Cross was taken away by the Crusaders.

It is common for a large-scale battle to last three or two days.

Of course, this includes the "confrontation" phase and sporadic small-scale local battles.

A real decisive battle, limited by the physical strength of the soldiers, would often determine the outcome within a few hours.

No one would be like a red-eyed gambler at the gambling table who puts all his chips out at the beginning of a war.

Although Saladin was not an outstanding military genius, he had personally led troops to fight many battles and was definitely a commander above the passing mark.

He won't make such stupid mistakes.

A bishop with extensive war experience was keenly aware of the movements of the Saracen cavalry: "The Saracen cavalry has moved, and they want to swallow up the cavalry led by Baron Lothar!"

The bishop held a mace in his hand and wore a set of exquisite cloth armor under his broad white robe. Before he became a bishop, he was actually a brave knight.

"Leave them alone."

Baldwin IV said solemnly: "I believe in Baron Lothar's ability to lead troops. He will not be easily surrounded by the Saracen cavalry."

"Don't pay attention to the enemy's harassment. If they come, shoot them with bows and crossbows. No one is allowed to leave their posts without authorization. We will rely on the camp to hold on!"

Baldwin IV was decisive.

Before coming, Lothar had discussed with Baldwin IV how to use the infantry advantage to counter the enemy's cavalry advantage.

In the huge Crusader formation, the supplies were removed from the baggage vehicles, and the vehicle panels were disassembled to make arrow shields. The entire army rarely took on a defensive posture when facing the infidels.

Such a posture made the Saracen generals give up the idea of ​​attacking after launching several tentative offensives to lure the enemy and leaving dozens of corpses in front of the formation.

The Crusaders could not spend forever with the Saracens.

Because the number of Crusaders' cavalry was too small to raid the Saracens' logistics convoys, the supply lines at the rear of the Crusaders were exposed to the hooves of the Saracens' horses.

No matter how much supplies the Crusaders carry, sooner or later they will run out.

Adil looked at this scene and frowned deeply: "King Baldwin, does this leper place all his hopes on Baron Lothar?"

"It is simply unimaginable that a king would have such trust in his servants."

He remembered the conversation with Lothar that day again.

He couldn't help but chuckle and said: "I am not the biggest enemy of you Franks, but you have become our biggest enemy."

A moment later, news came that the Crusader cavalry had penetrated the siege of a Mamluk cavalry that intercepted them, and had withdrawn from the battlefield in an orderly manner.

"Retreating?"

His expression changed slightly.

He immediately realized that Lothar had the idea of ​​​​taking out 800 cavalry to contain the 4,000 elite Mamluks.

"But are you thinking too beautifully?"

Their falcons are everywhere in the sky, and their countless sharp eagle eyes ensure that they can catch all the movements of the Crusaders in time.

As long as the falcon warning is arranged in advance, Lothar and his cavalry will not be able to perform a surprise attack at all.

At that time, all we need to do is send out a thousand cavalry to prepare for the opponent's attack in advance.

evening.

The confrontation between the Crusaders and the Saracens lasted throughout the day.

In addition to the clashes between cavalry, the total casualties suffered by the infantry on both sides were less than a hundred.

It's getting late.

The soldiers set up bonfires in their respective camps. Most of the soldiers in each phalanx were from the same country, or at least spoke the same language.

The Kingdom of Jerusalem is completely different from other Western European kingdoms.

The expeditions of other Western European kingdoms were more like the Emperor Zhou leading a group of princes, large and small, to go to war. Even if the king sent thousands of knights to fight, these thousands of knights often brought their attendants and sergeants to fight independently.

But in Jerusalem, the state-owned army accounted for the majority, such as the sergeants of the two knights and the city defense army of Jerusalem - this allowed the king to integrate the soldiers under these lords according to professional classification.

Ryan and Model, with their Ax Guards, sat around the campfire.

Someone nearby whispered: "What kind of battle is this? Heavenly Father's warriors are like a turtle, with their limbs and heads curled up in the turtle shell. Where has our courage gone?"

"That's right, old John was shot off by a damn pagan today. That broken shield couldn't stop their arrows at all. We were like targets and allowed to be attacked by them."

"And our cavalry, those high-ranking knights. Except for the initial appearance today, they disappeared. Could it be that they were surrounded and annihilated by the heretics?"

"Father, how can we fight against the pagans without the knights?"

Ryan couldn't help but cursed loudly: "You are a bunch of cowardly idiots. In the whole day of fighting today, the number of people who died was not as many as when we charged to death on the battlefield. What's so scary?"

Not to be outdone, the soldier said: "Master Knight, you have well-protected armor and helmets. Even if your shield is shot through by the enemy, you don't have to worry about being shot to death, but what about us?"

Model grabbed Ryan and dissuaded him in a low voice: "It's enough to take care of our own formation. Those people are originally cannon fodder recruited by the palace minister."

What happened here is just a microcosm.

The whole day's confrontation had a serious impact on the morale of the Crusaders.

The scorching sun, too many recruits with no combat experience, and insufficient shield protection were all factors that reduced the crusaders' fighting enthusiasm, which was originally fueled by religious fervor.

Saladin's soldiers also gradually felt tired during the long siege and confrontation.

In a valley.

Lothar looked up at the night sky. The falcon that seemed to appear in the sky all the time during the day finally disappeared.

Fortunately, the Saracens had not yet developed the art of training owls to become falcons.

In fact, no one would worry about someone launching a night attack. In this era, even if you don't suffer from night blindness, it is difficult to see things clearly at night.

"Make a fire and eat!"

Lothar ordered loudly.

The knights and cavalry huddled around the campfire to rest, and everyone's face was full of confusion. After breaking through the siege, they never fought another battle.

Instead, they came to a shady place to rest. When the enemy approached, they retreated. When the horses got tired, they changed to replacement mounts.

This was completely different from the way they usually fought, making every knight feel deeply confused.

Lothar whispered: "Everyone, I know you have doubts in your hearts, but please answer me a question first, where is the strongest point of the Saracens?"

Someone said disdainfully: "The Saracens are just an army composed of slaves. There is nothing powerful about them. Didn't we easily defeat them in the daytime battle?"

But more people answered almost unanimously: "It's Falcon, the Grand Commander."

Lothar nodded: "Yes, the Saracens' falcons are their eyes and ears. This allows their 'scouts' to convey the battlefield situation to the enemy generals at extremely fast speeds."

"Unless we can charge with one wave and defeat the enemy - we did this in previous battles with the Saracens, but what you need to know is that the number of troops under Saladin's command is similar to that of the Battle of Montgissar. But the quality is no longer the same.”

"If there are 200,000 serfs recruiting troops, perhaps we can drive them into chaos and trample on each other with just one charge. But unfortunately, the other party is also a well-trained army."

"That's why the Battle of Spring Valley failed."

Some people wondered: "Is that so?"

"I thought His Majesty the King had lost His Father's favor."

Lothar sighed secretly and said loudly: "Your Majesty has never committed any sins. As the monarch of the holy city of Jerusalem, how can he lose the favor of the Heavenly Father?"

"Everyone, the enemy's falcons are everywhere during the day, so we have no chance to launch surprise attacks, only at night."

"Baron, are you kidding me? Are we going to raid with torches?"

"I'm worried that we're going to go in the wrong direction and run into our own camp."

The knights looked puzzled.

Lothar said loudly: "Please be quiet, I know how difficult it is to attack at night. So, let the will of Heavenly Father decide whether we should conduct this raid at night!"

After he finished speaking, he ordered someone to carry out an iron cross and hold it high on the slope.

Then he took the lead in kneeling down on one knee and recited several verses he had memorized in a low voice.

"Does your Excellency still work part-time as a priest?"

"I don't understand. Have you completely lost your plans and can only hope for a miracle?"

The knights whispered.

"etc!"

"Look!"

"what is that?"

The knights looked surprised when they saw that the cross erected on the slope suddenly glowed with bursts of golden light. The light was not dazzling, it could even be said to be weak, but everyone could see it clearly.

"Heavenly Father, it seems to me... I really seem to be able to see things at night? Is this my imagination?"

"No, it's true!"

"This is a miracle, this is a real miracle!"

"Baron Lothar, this is a miracle sent by Heavenly Father, asking us to punish the heretics and protect the Holy Land!"

"Heavenly Father has approved the Grand Commander's plan! We will win the next battle!"

"Lotha! Lothar! Lothar!"

The knights cheered and shouted the name like crazy.

Amalric's heart was filled with excitement. He opened his mouth, and the scream reached his throat, but he did not have the face to shout out.

"Lotha! Lothar! Lothar!"

Shouts rang from his ears.

Looking back, he was surprised to find that his brother Guy, who had always been proud and arrogant, was raising his armed sword and cheering with the crowd with a fanatical expression on his face.

Lothar raised his hand, and the knights' shouts died down.

He looked around at the crowd, and his voice sounded muffled under his helmet.

"Everyone, please follow me into battle and attack Saladin's camp at night."

At this moment, he no longer considered personal gain or loss. There were too many lives in his hands. If all the cavalry were annihilated, this battle would be defeated, and tens of thousands of crusaders would most likely be lost here.

Lothar subconsciously looked to her side, fully armed, only showing the cold eyes of Prajna.

The two looked at each other and nodded.

Fringilla, who was struggling to maintain the spell: "?"