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

Yogurtsburg, in the Lord's Hall.

The door was thrown open.

Leonard hurried in and took a seat. The evening breeze brought in made the lamp shadows sway.

The benches behind everyone who is eligible to attend are cast elongated and deformed shadows.

In the center of the hall, a long table was filled with delicious food and wine.

Lothar sat on the throne in the center, with a giant single-headed eagle coat of arms above her head, and the eagle's wings spread out just right behind Lothar.

The aroma of roasted lamb, cheese and wine will make you want to eat.

But no one raised their knives and forks, they were all looking at Lothar.

Lothar sat on the lord's throne. He held up a piece of paper with a red wax seal and showed the king's seal to the people.

"His Majesty the King's summons has been issued, and everyone must arrive in Jerusalem within the specified time."

Hans's expression was a little gloomy: "Sir, the development of the territory has been on the right track during this period of time. Our strength is growing every day, but this is obviously not enough. As far as I know, Saladin's army has dozens of people. There are so many, and with our current strength, it is difficult to play a role in this battle.”

People looked sad.

They couldn't even imagine what a number of hundreds of thousands was.

This was beyond their understanding of a war.

Lothar shook his head and said: "It's not as exaggerated as hundreds of thousands. Although there are many troops under Saladin's command, most of them are untrained conscripts. The elite headquarters army is only ten or twenty thousand."

Claiming it and actually having it are completely different things.

"It is impossible for him to really send out all his troops to attack Jerusalem. The climate in the Holy Land cannot accommodate an army of such a size for an expedition."

Facts have proved that his initial choice of training armored sergeants was correct.

If we really start training cavalry from scratch, we can only train a group of mounted infantry in two weeks, which is more expensive and useless.

Although this idea is correct, it doesn't make much sense.

His current strength is still too weak.

Ryan said: "Sir, Yogurtsburg is not a frontier. It will not be easily threatened by the enemy, so I suggest that you bring all the soldiers you can bring. This is also a considerable amount of strength. Even if the battle is lost, you will still be able to win." Can cover you from the battlefield."

Leonard quickly agreed: "Yes, sir, you need a strong army to support you in Jerusalem, so that you will not be looked down upon by those nobles with their nostrils turned upward!"

Lothar thought for a moment, then shook his head and said:

"A professional army of hundreds of people is indeed not weak for a lord, but on the battlefield with tens of thousands of people, it is as small as a grain of sand in the Jordan River."

"Once the battle is lost and defeated troops come in like a tide, they will be easily dispersed. So it doesn't matter whether we take them with us or not. Staying in the territory can ensure the safety of the place."

Lothar thought for a moment and then decided: "All the armored sergeants will stay at Fort Yogurt. I only need ten ax guards and winged cavalry."

The Ax Guard is the name given to the "Varangi Guard" in the territory. Because the Eastern Empire also has a genuine Varangian Guard, it would be inappropriate to call them this name.

Although one look at their equipment shows that this is a heavy infantry modeled after the Varangian Guards.

"Model, you stay and take charge of the overall situation, including the daily recruitment of wing cavalry and ax guards. The original plan to recruit only ten people has been cancelled."

"Yes, sir."

"Leonard, how is the investigation going? Did Saladin send people to assassinate the vassals of the Sassanid King just to let it go?"

Leonard lowered his head and said:

"It is said that not long ago, Saladin met with the Sassanid King of Kings on the border. He admitted that his subordinates acted privately and killed Kokob and expressed his willingness to pay compensation for it."

"He also recognized the sacred status of the Sasanian king as the patriarch of Zoroastrianism, and transported many carts of gold and silver treasures, beautiful women and horses as gifts. After two days of negotiations, the Sasanian king withdrew his troops."

"Saladin...is such a powerful character."

Lothar sighed.

If Saladin did not admit this, it would give the Sassanid king an opportunity to use the issue and make trouble.

On the contrary, Saladin admitted it, lowered his profile, and offered gifts to the Sasanian king as compensation. Forced by the Zoroastrian world's expectations for internal unity, the Sasanian king had no chance to use the topic.

Moreover, this will not damage Saladin's majesty.

On the contrary, those outsiders who originally believed that "Saladin is an upright man who respects chivalry and will not do anything to himself" were greatly shocked.

"Malus, you also stay in the fort, step up the production of ordnance, and improve the craftsmanship of armor and weapons."

Mallus nodded and said: "Understood. In addition, my lord, the armor made for you has been completed. The special armed sword only needs the final tempering."

"Okay, not bad!"

Lothar nodded and said, "Let's have dinner. After this meal, we will set off for Jerusalem tomorrow morning."

The new armor Mallus built for him was a brand new half-plate armor.

Wearing this plate armor, put on another one underneath, and specially added chain armor armor on the weak points of the armor.

Although the defensive power is only slightly better than the previous chain armor, the flexibility is greatly increased.

Wearing this half-plate armor, Lothar could even mount the horse by himself.

The helmet is a Bassanet-style helmet that resembles a bird's beak.

This kind of helmet has air holes in the mouth, which is more suitable for fighting in the hot weather of the Holy Land than the stuffy and airtight barrel helmet.

The flip-up design gives Lothar a wider field of vision when he is involved in close combat or foot combat. At the same time, the arc-shaped visor is also more conducive to buffering against heavy blows.

It was obvious that Lothar was very satisfied with Mallus's workmanship.

…

Early the next morning.

At this time, a grand gathering was being held in the Royal Palace of Jerusalem, and all the prominent nobles in the city, large and small, were present.

This banquet is to welcome Count Thierry from Flanders. He is related to the Baldwin family. Both belong to the Anjou family, a branch of the Plantagenet dynasty.

At the banquet, the atmosphere was warm.

Count Thirier enjoyed the luxurious life of the East with surprise and envy. In terms of enjoyment, it depends on the Eastern nobles.

Having only arrived in the East for more than a hundred years, this group of Crusader nobles were already completely different from their poor relatives in the West.

On this trip, he brought thirty knights and hundreds of sergeants and retinues.

Some of them were his vassals, but most of them followed him. Because he had the highest title, they temporarily made him their leader and joined him on the journey of Crusader knights.

It won't be long before he surrenders to other local nobles.

Count Thirière didn't mind this, because he couldn't afford to feed so many soldiers.

As soon as he swallowed a piece of lamb that had been carefully grilled and sprinkled with several grains of pepper, a tall and handsome knight came towards him.

A large blush rose on the knight's face due to excessive drinking: "Count Thirier, when will His Majesty's Crusaders arrive in the Holy Land?"

The surrounding volume immediately dropped.

Obviously, everyone is paying attention to this issue, but due to the dignity of the nobles, they are too embarrassed to get straight to the point.

"Who are you?"

The drunken knight was not afraid of him at all. The smell of alcohol from his mouth almost hit Count Thirier's face: "I am Guy of Lusignan. Answer my question quickly, Count Thirier!"

Count Thirier's face was a little gloomy. He hesitated for a moment and said vaguely: "It's almost there. His Majesty the King is mobilizing."

"Mobilize, mobilize!"

"As early as two months ago, when I was preparing to leave for the Holy Land, I heard that many princes were leading their armies and were getting ready to leave, but there is still no news! This bastard Philip II, Have you forgotten the sacred obligations you have to fulfill as the king chosen by Heavenly Father?”

cried Guy of Lusignan, somewhat testily.

Count Thirier blushed and said angrily: "How dare you insult my lord, the great Augustus, the King of the Gauls!"

You can scold me if you want, but don't scold me in front of me!

Count Thirier knew the name of Guy of Lusignan. He was a knight with excellent swordsmanship, and he was no match for him.

According to the procedure, he should now take the initiative to challenge the opponent to a duel to defend the dignity of the lord, but the problem is that Count Thirier does not dare.

Guy sneered: "When I attacked Enoli of Aquitaine with my brothers for the freedom of the Gauls, you were still flattering the German emperor."

The conflict is about to escalate.

Earl Raymond, who had been silent all this time, said angrily: "Step down, no matter what the reason is, you must not slander the piety of a king."

Guy snorted and sat back in his seat.

Leaving Count Thirier behind was both embarrassing and somewhat at a loss.

The nobles present looked gloomy.

It's all the fault of those damn Apennines. They had nothing to resist. This gave Emperor Henry a reason to use the excuse and march towards the Apennines.

How could the already weak King of Gaul, Philip II, be willing to watch Emperor Henry take over the wealthy North Apennines so easily?

Philip II did not move and occupied a large area of ​​Gallic territory. In the Gaul region, Richard the Lionheart, whose authority was even more prominent than Philip II, whose decrees did not leave the Isle of France, did not dare to move.

Albion's development in this era was limited, and Richard the Lionheart's core territory was still on the mainland.

Even though Philip II and Richard were in the honeymoon period at this moment, as the second son of the family, Richard could ascend the throne without the help of Philip II.

But in Game of Thrones, no one can be absolutely trustworthy when it comes to the king.

"Philip Augustus naturally had his own considerations for suspending the Eastern Expedition. As a subject, or as a Gaulish, we should not question his behavior."

(Augustus is the honorific title for the King of France, not "surname". Philip II's surname is "Cape".)

Count Thirier looked a little embarrassed.

In fact he had little loyalty to Philip II at all.

Although he was legally subordinate to Philip II, and due to his geographical location, he often flirted with the emperor of Germania Magna.

But in terms of biological relationship, Count Thirier is obviously closer to Richard the Lion-Hearted King of Albion.

The originally warm welcome party had fallen into a series of dead silence, and Thirier's sense of existence quickly fell from "stars holding the moon" to the bottom.

Many years ago, in the Battle of Spring Valley, the Crusader states were defeated at the hands of Saladin.

The vast majority of the Crusader nobles have realized that without assistance from Europe, Saladin is by no means an opponent they can fight.

Even the lord of Transjordan, Count Leonard, who has been clamoring for war with Saladin, and the radical leader of the Knights Templar, Gerald, are considering that they can receive a steady stream of Crusaders' support from the European continent. Later, he proposed to take the initiative to go to war with Saladin.

At this time, the regent, Prince Tiberius (i.e. Tiberias), and Count Raymond of Tripoli spoke again: "Your Majesty has something else to announce through this banquet."

Raymond glanced at what was written on the paper, his expression changed slightly, and he said loudly: "In the name of the King of Jerusalem, I will appoint Baron Yogurts, Lothar, as the Grand Master of the Royal Knights of Jerusalem. In addition, Baron Godfrey of Ibelin was appointed as the commander of the Knights of Jerusalem to assist the regent, Count Raymond, in handling the affairs of the entire order."

The words just fell.

A nobleman in red robes raised his hands and shouted: "I veto!"

Raymond shouted: "Baron Regina, tell me the reason for your veto!"

Baron Regina from Sidon opened his hands and looked around: "This Baron Lothar, I have to admit that he is an outstanding knight and also has good training skills."

He changed the topic and shouted: "But he is by no means an excellent cavalry commander, because he has no cavalry at all!"

After saying that, a burst of laughter suddenly erupted in the hall.

Not everyone can afford to raise cavalry.

The training cycle for an elite cavalry is measured in years, and how long has it been since Lothar arrived in the Holy Land?

It was unknown whether the barren fiefdom of Yogurtsburg could support his armored sergeants.

Someone below immediately responded: "Yes, he is just a baron who has just obtained a fief like an upstart. How can we entrust him with such an important task?"

Godfrey's expression was slightly cold. He coughed heavily and said, "If even Count Werner's sons are nouveau riche, some of you will rise to power because of a marriage or distant kinship." , What is one without every trace of military exploits?"

Count Reginald de Grenier, the lord in charge of Gibberit said loudly:

"Baron Godfrey, I have no intention of belittling Baron Lothar in terms of his status, but in the Knights Templar, even members of the royal family with prominent family backgrounds can only start as sergeants at most. The position of Grand Master only Can be elected from among the respected masters."

Someone else immediately echoed: "Yes, according to the tradition of the Templar Knights, the position of Grand Master should be elected by the Royal Knights."

At this time, members of both the Queen Mother's Party and the Lord's Party were rarely angry with the same enemy. They did not want these outsiders to easily seize one of the most powerful positions in the entire city of Jerusalem.

Baron Godfrey shouted: "Count Gibberit, I have to remind you that the Royal Knights are His Majesty the King's private armed force. They are secular, not spiritual, and cannot be generalized with the Knights Templar. "

"As for you saying that Baron Lothar has no experience in commanding cavalry."

Baron Godfrey changed the subject and looked at Count Leonard, who was rarely silent.

The lord of Transjordan, known as the "King of the Dead Sea," seemed to have something wrong with him when he saw Godfrey.

As expected, Baron Godfrey said bluntly: "Count Leonard, I heard that there is a group of desert bandits in your territory. They have been operating for several years and the wealth they plundered can fill an entire castle. You have repeatedly attacked, but nothing has happened." Can destroy it."

Earl Leonard's face turned green and white: "A mere bandit is not worthy of my too much attention, so they can barely survive."

A cheerful smile appeared on Baron Godfrey's face, and he came to the center of the hall politely:

"Count Leonard, you don't have to use such words to prevaricate. We all know how difficult it is to deal with a light cavalry that comes and goes like the wind in the desert. This will not damage your reputation."

"That's right."

"Is such that."

Some nobles who didn't know why nodded in agreement.

Here, most people no longer pay attention to the follow-up of this remote fiefdom of Yogurtsburg, and they don't know what happened here not long ago.

But they have all experienced more or less the troubles of desert bandits who come and go like the wind.

Baron Godfrey raised an index finger and said loudly: "It only took one day! According to some people, Lothar, who did not know how to command cavalry in combat, only took one day to lead his cavalry and defeat them on the front. This group of robbers immediately broke into the wooden castle where they were hiding."

"I must tell you that Lothar not only has cavalry, but also an elite cavalry that is good at fighting, at least no worse than the knights under Count Leonard!"

Godfrey looked at Leonard with a mocking look, which immediately angered the irascible Earl of Transjordan.

He almost cursed.

The Count of Transjordan, who is known as the "Breacher of Contracts", is usually polite, but when he is angry, he will never consider the dignity of the so-called nobles.

At this time.

The heavy sound of horse hooves sounded outside the palace gate.

"Come here, who is making the noise outside?"

"Don't you know that it is forbidden to ride horses in front of the palace?"

"Drive them away!"

Someone yelled angrily.

next moment.

A group of elite cavalry wearing bright plate armor walked into the palace surrounded by a young knight.

The knight took off his helmet, revealing a heroic face: "Good morning, everyone. I heard that you are talking about me in the hall, so I came here uninvited."

"May I ask you, when did it start that in Jerusalem, everything the king says must be approved by his ministers?"