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

Lothar returned to the main hall of the inner castle palace after a long journey.

Under the scorching sun, the heavily armed hussars were sweating profusely.

The Varangian Guards, who were riding packhorses, had already entered the Constance Manor midway to take off their armor and rest.

The climate in the Holy Land was too unfriendly to the Franks, who generally came from central and western Europe.

Lothar herself was fine.

The talent of specializing in blood magic changed his physique, and with the small mobile air conditioner Prajna following him, even though he was also fully armed and wore a thick armor under the half-armor, he did not shed a drop of sweat.

The sergeants guarding the gate handed over clay pots filled with salt water. The Hussars took the pots and found a shady spot in twos and threes, sipping water and resting.

Baron Godfrey, who was wearing a blue smock, brought Balian with him, and the knight Kevin also hurried over.

Balian has now been canonized as a knight by Baron Godfrey and has begun to contact some of the military affairs of the Knights of Jerusalem.

His face was still a little immature, but it was much calmer than when they first met.

The transformation from a blacksmith to a knight, a cavalry officer, and a lord is not easy.

This requires a lot of time.

"Lord Godfrey, Knight Balian, Knight Kevin."

Lothar greeted them one after another and said straight to the point: "Sir, Saladin's army has arrived at Kaleborg. Do you know how many of them there are?"

Godfrey said with a gloomy face: "According to the intelligence, there are at least 30,000 people. Saladin has not stopped integrating the Saracen world in these years. He has unified the entire Sharm, the northern Fertile Crescent, Yemen and Egypt. , but now we are in disarray, and most of our troops have been transferred to the north."

The Crusaders who left Jerusalem and headed north actually made up only a small half of Jerusalem's army.

But originally, the knights and lords from the north should have gone south to support the Holy City, but now it has become the complete opposite situation.

As one goes, the other goes, and the military strength Jerusalem can now muster is only slightly more than one-third of what it was at its peak.

Lothar frowned. Saladin only had 30,000 troops, which was not too outrageous. Jerusalem should be able to gather more than 10,000 troops now.

If we make good use of the geographical advantages of local operations, we can barely compare to evenly matched opponents.

"If they send out troops, who do you think they will elect as their commander-in-chief?"

Godfrey said without hesitation: "Humphrey of Torun, or Amalric of Lusignan."

Humphrey of Torun was the fiancé of Princess Isabella, the daughter of Queen Mother Maria Comnenus, whom Baron Godfrey had wanted to propose to Lothar.

After Lothar clearly refused, it didn't take long for him to marry Humphrey of Torun.

This Humphrey can be regarded as the only remaining figure of the Jazz Party in Jerusalem.

In addition, Amalric of Lusignan, the namesake of the late king, was Guy's brother and an important figure in the Jerusalem court.

He has an excellent relationship with Queen Mother Agnes, and he also controls the Jerusalem city defense army. He is the face of the Queen Mother's party after Leonard leaves.

Lothar thought for a moment and sneered: "Amalric is more likely. The power of the two parties is now imbalanced. Even Baron Humphrey of Torun has begun to flirt with members of the Queen Mother's Party. Don't count on them. If we can fight to a bloody end, perhaps we, the two royalists with military power, are the ones they want to kick out the most."

Baron Godfrey said solemnly: "Yes, no matter which one of them rises to power, it will not be a good thing for us."

"But it is too difficult for us to fight for the position of commander-in-chief."

On the battlefield, the consequences of being suppressed by superiors or being killed randomly would be too serious.

The best outcome is to do hard and tiring work, but it is difficult to get merit.

"Relax, maybe things will turn around."

A smile appeared on Lothar's face, and he patted Baron Godfrey on the shoulder: "No matter how bad the situation is, there are still two of us supporting each other."

Baron Godfrey forced a smile: "Let's go in first."

After that, nobles and knights arrived one after another.

They walked into the palace talking to each other and immediately made the place as noisy as a vegetable market.

Without the suppression of Prince Regent Raymond, the palace no longer had any sacred veil for them.

Many new knights from Western Europe pointed at the murals and reliefs in the palace nonchalantly, and some even sat directly on the table, behaving rudely and showing no awe.

Amalric, a powerful man in the Jerusalem court, spoke impassionedly: "Saladin, a pagan devil, rashly attacked Count Leonard's territory, but Kale Castle was run by Leonard. Very well, we can provide support to Count Leonard, there is no way he can capture this fortress.”

"Yes, the blood of the pagans will dye the Jordan River red!"

Someone said what they were thinking without thinking: "Let Kaleborg become a meat grinder, so that even if the city is broken, Saladin will not have any spare power to attack Jerusalem."

Lothar whispered: "Oh, Amalric doesn't seem to want to rescue his accomplices. He intends to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, but I don't think Leonard is a tiger."

"The so-called Queen Mother Party is just a ragtag group of people gathered together for their own interests. There are many people who hate Count Leonard. They just fawn over him because of his power and position."

Lord Godfrey took this very seriously.

Although Amalric was a favorite of the Queen Mother, his territory was not rich, and his talents and military power were very limited. With Leonard's arrogant temperament, it was impossible to take a fancy to him.

In other words, Amalric would not sincerely surrender to Count Leonard who looked down on him.

Both of them are soft-boiled. The former is said to be the lover of Queen Mother Agnes, while the latter obtained the earldom of Jordan by marrying Countess Stephanie.

It just so happened that the two freeloaders both thought highly of themselves, so it was normal for them to look down on each other.

As Amalric's younger brother, Guy was the first to raise his hand and said: "I agree. As the so-called "King of the Dead Sea," the Count of Transjordan is the eastern fence of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is now in its weakest state. , let Count Leonard spend some time on Saladin’s military power!”

Lothar felt a little funny in her heart.

In his world, Guy, who sat on the throne of king, was Count Leonard's staunch ally and a true militant, but now he had a different face.

Sure enough, it is the butt that determines the head.

"Yes, that's right."

"Now the most elite forces in the city are the Royal Knights and the Jerusalem Knights. Let's just let these two knights go to support Castle Kalle first. Let us take a good rest. When the new recruits are trained, we can go and fight the tired ones. The heathen army will fight a decisive battle! We will recreate the glory of the Battle of Montgisard!"

As soon as these words came out, they immediately aroused a lot of resonance.

Most of the real militants participated in the Northern Crusade.

Even the new knights who were eager for titles and territories did not ask for a fight. No one was a fool. It was safe and economical to let others consume Saladin's military power first and then attack on their own.

Lothar and Baron Godfrey looked at each other and smiled bitterly. As expected, they had become a thorn in others' eyes.

"Shut up, you cowards."

"How can Heavenly Father's soldiers refuse to save our Christian brothers who are in danger? You are simply treacherous Judas!"

Someone scolded.

Among the nobles and knights, there are also fanatical believers with simple minds, and many of these people are even in the Queen Mother's Party.

The noisy and fierce arguments seemed to lift the entire roof off.

But no one can stop them.

Amalric shouted "Quiet" several times, but he didn't have the authority of Prince Regent Raymond at all. He blindly imitated it, but he was just a clown.

"quiet!"

The heavy scepter hit the floor with a loud noise.

People followed the sound.

The original noise gradually subsided.

In the darkness, a young man dressed in a gorgeous robe, a golden crown on his head, and a scepter in his hand slowly walked out.

Under the silver-white mask, a pair of majestic eyes coldly swept over the people present.

Baldwin IV!

He actually showed up!

"who is this?"

"Stop, this is His Majesty the King!"

"Oh my God!"

"Your Majesty is still alive!"

The Crusader nobles looked at each other. They never expected that the king, who had not dealt with political affairs for a long time, and many people were prepared to hear news of his death suddenly, would actually stand up at this time.

"Everyone, I haven't seen you for a long time. It seems that you have even forgotten the etiquette of how to meet a king."

There was no warmth in Baldwin IV's tone.

His eyes were as cold as ice.

The cold iron mask is associated with the rumors that the king suffered divine punishment, gloom and evil, making him appear particularly terrifying.

Lothar took the lead and knelt down on one knee: "I have come to see my king, and I am willing to obey your will. Whatever you want, everything will be done."

Godfrey followed.

Following closely behind were those Crusader nobles who came on pilgrimage. They still had a reverence for the royal power. Unlike those who had long been accustomed to Baldwin IV being on the throne, and even often cursed in private, they were punished by God. Why don't lepers die? The old aristocracy.

Afterwards, the entire hall fell to their knees.

Amalric and others were even more trembling. They lost respect for Baldwin IV because he had not stood up to handle government affairs for too long.

The entire court was dominated by Queen Mother Agnes and Prince Regent Raymond.

Now, Baldwin IV stood up again, and all authority immediately returned to the king's hands automatically.

Baldwin IV slowly came to the throne. He stroked the gold-plated seat and couldn't help but sneered.

"Early tomorrow morning, you all need to lead the army and come to my tent to serve. Failure to do so will be regarded as breaking the sacred oath. I will attack them in the name of the sacred king of Jerusalem. All rebels will be stripped of their titles and punished. Hanging.”

"Yes, my king."

Baldwin IV coughed slightly and said: "When I was seventeen years old, I led 800 cavalry to defeat Saladin's 30,000-strong army. It was the same then, and it is the same today."

"Baron Lothar, how many people are there in my Royal Knights?"

Lothar stood up and said loudly: "Forty-five brave knights and one hundred and ten armored cavalry."

"In addition, there are five hundred sergeants. Counting the newly recruited Pilgrim recruits, the total is one thousand."

The gentleness in Baldwin IV's eyes flashed, he nodded slightly, and then asked: "Baron Godfrey, how many people are there in the Knights of Jerusalem?"

Godfrey said quickly: "Three hundred cavalry, one thousand two hundred armored sergeants, and one thousand five hundred new pilgrims."

"My two knights already have four thousand troops. Baron Amalric and Baron Humphrey, you must also provide this number of troops."

There was no doubt in Baldwin IV's tone.

Amalric opened his mouth, intending to argue with the need to leave enough city guards, but remembering the money he had embezzled from the palace and city guards over the years, he still did not dare to open his mouth.

He decided to go to Queen Mother Agnes later to intercede.

"In this way, the army headquarters has nearly ten thousand people. Tomorrow, all those who have received my recruitment order must listen to the order in front of the formation. I will personally lead the army to fight against Saladin's pagan army."

The nobles and knights took orders one after another.

Some people are worried, while others are ecstatic.

In any case, the appearance of Baldwin IV at this critical moment undoubtedly added a backbone to the scattered nobles in Jerusalem.

After the meeting dispersed.

Baron Godfrey came to the throne, his eyes a little moist: "Your Majesty, I seem to have returned to the eve of the Battle of Montgisard."

"At that time, you were also so heroic... How is your body?"

He choked up for a moment.

As a die-hard royalist, his loyalty to Baldwin IV cannot be faked at all.

Baldwin IV sighed softly: "Baron Godfrey, my body has been treated with the medicine that Baron Lothar found, and there is no serious problem."

Baron Godfrey looked at Lothar in shock, as if to say: Why did you do such a big thing quietly.

Lothar smiled bitterly and said, "I wasn't completely sure at first."

Father Uldin's solemn voice sounded: "Your Majesty, you are too anxious. The treatment has not ended yet. This will greatly overdraw your vitality."

Uldin walked out of the dark corridor, and the king's personal servant, holding the magic-blocking golden sword, followed closely behind him.

Lothar didn't know how powerful the Demon-Resisting Gold was in restraining local wizards, but it had no restrictive effect on Fulin and Prajna.

The followers in the system world and the extraordinary ones in this world are two completely different systems.

There may be similarities, but they are by no means the same thing.

Baldwin IV took off his mask, and his face was not as ugly and distorted as people imagined. He could still vaguely see his former handsomeness: "I am fully responsible for this matter."

He said and looked at Lothar: "I originally wanted to entrust you with this important task, but now that you have found a way to heal me, how can I continue to live in a dark room?"

"Baron Lothar, Baron Godfrey, you two are my humerus, and I have to rely on your help to go on an expedition."

"cough--"

Before he finished speaking, there was a rapid coughing sound.

Baldwin IV stretched out his hands to support the seat, trying to support his body from falling.

Uldin reminded again: "Your Majesty, please follow me back to the inner hall and continue the treatment."

Baldwin IV glanced at Lothar apologetically: "Next, I'm afraid I'll have to borrow your entourage for a while."