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

Half a month away from the Holy City of Jerusalem, the smell of impending war has become more and more obvious.

Knights Templar sergeants holding drop shields and kite shields and wearing red cross robes on a white background walked in groups on the street.

Those who were idle in the past and were the biggest restless elements in Jerusalem were now detained by the sergeants of the Knights, preparing to serve as peasant soldiers.

The temporarily expanded blacksmith shop has extended to the street, and the sound of hot furnaces and forging hammers striking iron ingots can be heard all the time.

The knights of the Teutonic Knights also rarely appeared in the Holy City. They wore black blouses with white crosses and surrounded a leading nobleman to the palace.

"Brother, do you know who the current Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights is?"

Lothar asked.

"Brother" is a simplification of "Christian brother". Any Christian believer can call each other this way to express closeness.

Of course, the premise is that the status is similar.

If a pariah calls the knight master "brother", it is normal for him to be beaten severely.

"Teutonic Knights?"

The royal knight looked surprised: "Oh, I understand, you are talking about the group of German knights living in Acre, right? They don't have a grand leader yet, and currently a council similar to that of the ancient empire presides over daily affairs. , but recently we have been intensively preparing for the election.”

Lothar's expression changed slightly.

It turns out that the Teutonic Knights at this time didn’t even have a Grand Master?

His mind became a little more active. If he made certain achievements, as a German noble, would he also have the opportunity to compete for the position of the leader?

No, this doesn't go with my plan.

He wants to be a secular lord, not a church knight. The latter is too restricted by the church, like a castle in the air, powerful but illusory.

Let Hans give it a try.

It's just that he is too young and immature, and it is difficult for him to stand out in a short period of time.

"Has anything happened in Jerusalem during this time?"

Lothar said: "I heard that Balian, the heir to Baron Godfrey, is said to be dueling with Guy of Lusignan. What is going on?"

A sad look appeared on the face of the royal knight: "This matter is a bit complicated. It is said that Guy saw Lord Balian entering Princess Sibylla's room with his own eyes. So he challenged Lord Balian. According to the regulations, he lost. He shall no longer pursue Princess Sibylla."

Lothar frowned.

Could it be related to the veil I asked Hans to give him?

The two of them entered the palace one after the other.

Lothar waited in the room for a while, and then the maids dressed in tulle filed in.

Their graceful figures were looming under the tulle, and their soft little hands peeled off Lothar's clothes without him saying anything.

"Lord Lothar, please come with us to take a bath."

…

A quarter of an hour later, Lothar, who was refreshed and wearing a silk shirt, walked into the palace of Baldwin IV.

Candles as thick as an arm were burning in the hall, and the sunlight shining through the narrow windows dimmed the smoke.

Baldwin IV was still sitting at the desk, holding a quill and writing something unknown.

It seemed like nothing had moved since the last time I left.

Candlelight flickers.

Baldwin IV said without raising his head: "Did you kill Kokob?"

Lothar nodded: "Yes, Your Majesty."

There was a trace of relief in Baldwin IV's eyes. He put down the pen in his hand and motioned for Lothar to sit down.

He smiled and said, "I was indeed right about you. You went deep into the enemy's territory, made a surprise attack on the governor's castle, and successfully breached it. You, like your father, are both outstanding generals."

Lothar said humbly: "Thanks to the blessing of Heavenly Father and the elite cavalry under Baron Godfrey."

"No need to be humble, you are the core of this operation."

Baldwin IV supported the desk, managed to stand up straight, and said with a smile: "If this matter cannot cause a conflict between the Sasanian king and Saladin, it is my fault in planning. You have tried your best."

"How can I repay you for your service, Lothar?"

Lothar shook his head: "No matter what you give to me, I will accept it and thank you for your magnanimity and generosity."

Baldwin IV sighed softly, and his laughter revealed a hint of chill: "Oh, you have gone through life and death for the future of the kingdom, and the nobles of the kingdom are still fighting among themselves for power and profit."

He slammed the table:

"How can we govern the country well with such insects?"

Lothar remained silent and just lowered her head slightly.

Once the game of power begins, there is no room for ending. No matter whether it is the noble party or the queen party, any party that comes to power will suffer a huge blow to the other party.

No one wants to give in.

The fighting never stops.

Baldwin IV vented his anger and gradually calmed down: "Knight Lothar, who do you think I should betroth Sibylla to?"

"It's all up to you to decide."

Lothar still did not speak out hastily. The monarchs of both the East and the West were sensitive and suspicious when it came to the issue of heirs.

"Lotha, are you truly loyal to me?"

Lothar said quickly: "Of course, I swore in the name of Heavenly Father."

Baldwin IV sighed: "They also swore an oath to Lothar. I know you are different from them. I hope you can speak frankly to me."

Lothar was silent for a moment and then said:

"Your Majesty, I don't know who is more suitable, but Guy is obviously not qualified. He is a reckless, self-righteous traditional knight. If you hand Jerusalem over to him, the kingdom will be destroyed in his hands sooner or later."

He was talking about Guy, but in fact Lothar was also talking about the Queen Mother Party.

The ideas of this group of people are too radical. They are obviously not as strong as Saladin, but they still want to fight decisively with him, and then expand their territory, regain Antioch, and even occupy the fertile and rich Egypt.

It may not be stupid. The knights of the Crusaders are indeed elite. In the small-scale conflicts with Ayub over the years, they have won more than they lost.

This gives them blind confidence.

And now, the Crusaders' military strength is also expanding rapidly, and the funds left by King Ardabil are rapidly being converted into soldiers.

"Guy."

Baldwin IV sighed: "I understand what you mean. It is legal, but stupid, to hand over the kingdom to my mother and sister."

"But the king is not omnipotent."

Baldwin IV felt helpless about this. The balance of domestic power had long been imbalanced.

The royal party was sandwiched between the jue party and the rear party, and its power was weakening. It was difficult to speak for him on his behalf.

Once the king takes the stage in person and goes against the powerful people in the country, everything will become uncontrollable.

"Actually, I prefer you, Lothar."

"You are young and promising. Your talent in military strategy is no less than that of Prince Regent Raymond, and your political acumen is no less than that of Godfrey."

Lothar shook his head decisively and said: "But Your Majesty, you should also have listened to what Baron Godfrey said. There are two witches under my command. It is really impossible for me to marry Princess Sibylla."

"It's a pity. Although my sister is a bit power-hungry, she is actually a very good wife."

Baldwin IV was silent for a moment and then said: "That's Balian, but he is still too immature. I don't know when he will grow up, and I don't know when I will suddenly pass away and return to the embrace of my heavenly father."

Lothar hesitated, but still did not say that he might have a cure for leprosy.

The eight characters haven’t been written yet.

If you want to summon a high-quality medical retinue, even if you obtain a fief, it will take a long time.

"What do you think of the duel between Balian and Guy this afternoon?"

Lothar asked: "Your Majesty, do you want me to guess the winner or loser?"

"There is no suspense about winning or losing. Balian is a young knight and is definitely no match for Guy. What I want you to see is how to reject Guy's proposal to Sibylla after this battle."

Lothar was silent for a moment and said: "It's difficult. The power of the Queen Mother's Party is too great. If Balian loses in the sacred and fair duel of knights, there will be too much resistance if he wants to betroth Her Highness the Princess to him."

"Then it's up to you to duel for him."

Baldwin IV said solemnly: "The gloves thrown by Guy were not picked up by Balian. He only verbally agreed to the duel. According to the rules, he can find someone to replace him."

Lothar shook his head: "Belian is a very self-respecting knight. He didn't take the gloves because he was a blacksmith and didn't understand the rules. It's not because he wanted to cheat from the beginning."

"You mean, Balian won't agree?"

Lothar nodded and said, "That's right."

"Then let Heavenly Father decide it all."

Baldwin IV pulled out the cold sword and put it on Lothar's shoulder again: "Knight Lothar, in the name of the blood of the Baldwin family and the king of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, I promote you to the title of Baron of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and grant you Royal territory, Georgesburg as your fief."

Lothar quickly knelt down and said with some excitement: "Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty."

Baldwin IV shook his head: "This is not worth your expectations. Yogurtsburg is a barren place that has been under the control of the royal family for a long time, but no one cares about it."

"Sorry, Lothar, I originally wanted to grant you Bethlehem as a fiefdom, but the current situation in the kingdom prevents me from resisting the pressure of the courtiers and granting you the wealthy and sacred Bethlehem."

Lothar shook his head and said: "That's enough, Your Majesty. I will make more achievements in the future."

Many knights could not be promoted to barons despite serving their lord for life.

Although the Baron seems to be a low-level Lord, in fact, in Jerusalem, he has already entered the palace and is qualified to enter this game of power.

"Get up, Lothar, do you want to play a game of chess?"

Lothar shook his head and said: "Sorry, Your Majesty, I can't."

Baldwin IV smiled and said, "I'm sorry. Because of this illness, when I rarely go out, my only pastime is playing chess."

"It's actually very simple, I'll teach you."

Lothar followed Baldwin IV and sat down across from the chessboard table.

"The ways of being a king and a general are all on this square chessboard. The king, queen, bishop, knight, chariot and praetorian guard all perform their duties."