People in the middle ages, draw cards to get promoted

Chapter 35 Assistance and Planning

Lothar said bluntly: "Your Majesty has a task for me, but I have too little power at my disposal now. I need your help, Lord Godfrey."

He told Baron Godfrey in detail what Baldwin IV had told him.

"I have one hundred cavalry and twelve knights under my command. How many do you want to borrow?"

Baron Godfrey said with a serious face.

So many cavalry?

Lothar was shocked by the power controlled by Baron Godfrey. He was able to maintain such a large amount of standing armed forces, which few even the Imperial Counts could match.

The imperial counts refer to Germania Magna, the counts directly subordinate to the emperor, rather than the counts entrusted to some grand dukes.

Werner is one of them.

If you include the recruitment of peasants and soldiers, Baron Godfrey alone could recruit thousands of people.

Lothar thought for a moment and replied: "At least twenty people, for knights. I need someone who knows how to adapt to changes and is familiar with the terrain of the Holy Land and the distribution of forces."

Godfrey asked calmly: "What are you going to do?"

"If you want to burn a few villages, plunder, and massacre hundreds of pagan civilians, I will lend you ten cavalry. They are all very skilled in combat skills."

Lothar frowned: "Burn villages? Massacre civilians?"

"I never planned it that way."

Although war will always affect civilians, he will never massacre unarmed people with his own hands.

He couldn't get over the hurdle in his heart.

Lothar looked solemn: "Justice, mercy, punishing evil and promoting good, and not using swords on the weak. This is the knight's creed."

Godfrey said earnestly: "But His Majesty the Pope said that killing a heretic is not considered murder. Lothar, you must understand that pedantic people, whether in the Holy Land or elsewhere, cannot achieve great things."

Lothar was silent for a moment, shook his head and said:

"Sir, what you said may be right. But one must ask one's own conscience. I cannot deceive myself and tell me that this is the right thing to do."

Godfrey didn't speak for a long time.

Lothar raised her head, and saw relief, appreciation and nostalgia on the Baron's face.

He let out a long sigh: "Losa, in fact, you are not like your father at all. This is what I say from the bottom of my heart."

"Except for your wisdom and courage, there is no similarity in appearance or personality. You are much more handsome than your father."

Godfrey patted Lothar on the shoulder, and the two looked at each other and smiled.

"Your father is a devout believer. He knows tactics and military strategy, but he does not have the same kind heart as you."

"He was called an executioner, a cold-blooded butcher who never showed mercy to his enemies and showed no mercy to the Crusader nobles who colluded with the heretics. The Crusader nobles were afraid of him, and the heretics hated and feared him.

"

Godfrey saw Lothar's expression was different and smiled and said: "But don't worry, there are many people in the Duke Party and the Queen Mother Party who admire Werner's fairness and uprightness. No one will offend you for this, at least not openly.

"

Lothar smiled.

In fact, he is not afraid of being targeted. If he is not envied by others, he is a mediocre person. Since he has the shadow of Father Werner, there is nothing wrong with repaying his father's debt.

But it would be better not to have nature.

The smile on Godfrey's face gradually faded, revealing a trace of sadness: "The reason why your father left the Holy Land in the first place was actually because he had opinions about His Majesty and me. Because in many cases, instead of supporting him, we stood beside him.

His opposite."

"He believes that we have betrayed the lofty ideals we originally established and begged for peace from the infidels instead of fighting resolutely to the end."

Baron Godfrey's face showed a hint of bitterness.

Lothar was slightly startled. Count Werner's behavior in the past was indeed like a devout believer.

But this was the first time Lothar realized that he was so upright back then.

Even though Saladin was defeated at the Battle of Montgissar, the power balance between the Crusader countries and the Ayyubid Kingdom was still very different, and the size of both sides was here.

"But looking at it now, he should have figured it out, otherwise he wouldn't have sent you to us."

"Losa, if His Majesty can entrust you with this important task, it means that he thinks highly of you."

Lothar said seriously: "I will definitely not disappoint His Majesty and you."

"Don't have too much pressure. Coming back alive is more important than anything else, even if you have to bear the shame. Only by living can you have a future."

"I see."

Godfrey patted Lothar on the shoulder: "I have a group of Kurdish cavalry under my command. They once served the Zanji dynasty. After the Zanji dynasty was overthrown by Saladin, they vowed to avenge their lord, even if they served the infidels.

No matter what."

Godfrey stared into Lothar's eyes, which was one of his biggest secrets.

Although in the Holy Land, the Crusader nobles more or less colluded with the pagans, and even King Baldwin IV once exchanged letters with Saladin.

But this is absolutely impossible to put on the table.

Lothar said simply: "The best thing would be to bring this group of Kurdish cavalry! But the problem is that Saladin will definitely blame the remnants of the Zanji dynasty for this matter."

The Zanji Dynasty was once the suzerain of the Ayyubid Kingdom. In the past few years, it was overthrown by Saladin and occupied all the territory, which was equivalent to the remnants of the previous dynasty.

In addition, their power is mainly concentrated in Aleppo, Antioch and other places, and they are familiar with the geographical advantages.

The former Count Leonard of Antioch and Count Georgelin III of Edessa were defeated by the army of the Zanghi Dynasty and lost their territories since then.

And Saladin himself is a Kurd, so it makes sense that this Kurdish cavalry team belongs to him.

Godfrey chuckled and said: "The truth of the matter is often not important."

Lothar also reacted, nodded and said: "The Sasanian king lacks a reason to send troops, and we only need to give him a reason."

Saladin regains Jerusalem and becomes the savior of the entire Zoroastrian world.

His popularity would immediately overwhelm that of the Sasanian King of Kings.

On the face of it, the Sasanian king must not hinder Saladin, otherwise he would not be able to explain to the Zoroastrian believers who were looking forward to regaining the Holy Land.

Godfrey smiled and added: "Even if there is something unreasonable, the Sasanian king will cover it up for us."

He looked at the sweat beads on Lothar's temples and said with a smile: "You should change into a silk robe, which is cooler and more in line with the status of a noble."

"Don't worry, silk is not that expensive in Jerusalem. Through the hands of those stingy merchants, it has doubled several times. If you can't afford it, I can give you one."

Lothar said quickly: "Then I won't be polite."

Godfrey was slightly startled and said helplessly: "I'm just being polite to you."

Lothar's face was full of bitterness: "We really have no money. Your Majesty rewarded me with a thousand sulades, but I decided to use the money to arm fifty armored sergeants."

"Food, armaments, soldiers' salaries, training venues, I wish I could break a gold coin in half for this money."

"Fifty armored sergeants?"

Godfrey was stunned.

"Losa, in the Holy Land, if you use this money to organize ten cavalry, it will be more effective than fifty armored infantry."

Lothar said helplessly: "As a knight, I cannot recruit wandering knights and their attendants. I can only hire some mounted sergeants. Their combat effectiveness is far from that of knights, and they are too expensive."

In the initial battle with the Magyar cavalry, the gap in combat effectiveness between the knights and ordinary nomads was evident.

Of course Lothar knew that in this era, the cavalry was the king. To be precise, until the rise of the Grand Formation, the cavalry was the well-deserved king.

No matter how famous Alexander's phalanx was, it still couldn't change that the partner cavalry was the final decision.

The empire holds square shields and holds high its eagle emblem. It is an invincible legion and also needs to hire auxiliary cavalry from barbarians and Nubians.

He also holds the fleur-de-lis flag of the Hussars, a cavalry artifact, so he should vigorously develop the cavalry.

But he knew that he couldn't afford it.

Not counting the food required to feed it, one war horse can carry the equipment of several armored soldiers.

"indeed."

Godfrey was convinced and nodded: "Just have your own considerations. My experience may not be in line with your actual situation."

"Let's rest in the city tonight. We will set off immediately tomorrow and return to Ibelin. You have to meet up with the Kurdish cavalry there."

"By sea?"

"Yes, Ibelin is not far from the coastline. I will arrange for you to take a boat and go north to land at Haifa Port, pass through the Galilee region, and enter Ayyubid's sphere of influence."

(End of chapter)