Saladin stood in front of the throne, and the white mount under his crotch had already been soaked in blood, and the blood dripped down the horse's legs and fell to the ground, and in a short time it became a pool of blood.

Turning over and dismounting, Saladin looked at the throne that was close at hand, stepped forward step by step, and sat down.

Looking up at the hall, the bright red that filled the field of vision made Saladin close his eyes in agony.

He waved his hand at the attendant beside him.

Soon, the Emperor's guards unfurled a torn banner on the palace square, pointing to the Holy Cross insignia on it, and shouted to the people: "Great caliph, invincible Saladin the Great has captured the Holy City!"

At first it was just a small question, then a loud noise, and finally a chorus of cheers.

As the crown of the king of Payez, the holy cross of the Holy Church and other trophies were displayed one by one, the cheers of the people grew louder and louder, and words like "Allah is high" and "Long live the caliph" resounded over the royal palace.

The herald in the Guards waited for the people to gradually calm down, pointed to the corpses on the ground and said: "The great Saladin the Great is the agent sent by Allah, the true King of Savior! The holy city that fell into the hands of the pagans and returned to the arms of Allah is the best proof! And these evil people who took advantage of the caliphate to go out to jihad and set off a rebellion, they have lost the protection of Allah, and they will be greeted with the most cruel punishment!"

Listening to the buzzing voices outside the palace, Saladin, sitting on the throne, motionless and looking at the thin corpse on the steps, the whole person seemed to be separated from the outside of the door in two worlds.

After some time, someone came to Saladin's side and whispered, "Caliph, you should rest." ”

Saladin looked sideways, and an old mullah with a white turban looked at him with a concerned expression.

"Zaratahan, my military advisor, how is the situation in the city?"

The old man nodded and said, "Elem, with the Guards, has taken control of all the city walls. The people who participated in the rally just now, at this time, must have brought the news of your recapture of the Holy City to the city, and I believe that it will not be long before the hearts and minds of the entire Baghdad will return to your control. ”

Saladin shook his head: "No, even if I recapture the Holy City, the followers of the Abbasid Empire will not disappear. Right now, it's not the people of Baghdad who worry me the most, but the ......."

"And those old Abbasids in your army?"

Zaratahan's answer made Saladin nod slightly.

"After the capture of Baghdad, the Abbasid army, which numbered about 50,000 men, handed me a surrender. Those 50,000 people are now a dull piece of ringworm, and you can't touch it, and you can't ignore it. ”

Zarata Khan touched his gray beard and said, "Behind this rebellion in Baghdad, there must also be shadows of these old ministries. I'm sure that if the rebels retake Baghdad, these surrendering troops will choose to betray you immediately. ”

Saladin pondered for a moment, then continued: "The key is, what should be done with the armies of the old empire? It is not realistic to dismiss them all, and it is impossible to disrupt the formation......

Zarathan said helplessly: "Caliph, this problem may not be solved for the time being, maybe you can put it aside for now, there are a few things that need to be decided urgently." ”

"What's the matter?"

"You led your army to capture the Holy City, and a great deal of wealth in the city is being transported back to the south. How to reward the soldiers for meritorious deeds requires you to come up with a plan. ”

"According to the old practice, those who have merit are rewarded, and those who make mistakes are punished. Saladin looked at Zaratahan, "You know what to do about my own share. ”

The latter nodded: "I understand that all the rewards that belong to you will be divided equally among all the soldiers who participated in the battle this time...... Except for one thing - all the books and books of the Holy City, which will be transported to your palace in perfect condition. ”

Saladin said approvingly, "That's right, that's it. ”

"When it comes to rewarding those who have merit, we have a second thing involved. Speaking of this, Zaratan hesitated: "The rewards of all the participants have been confirmed and ready to be distributed, and there is only one person, who needs to be decided by you personally, the caliph." ”

"Who?"

"Larynx, that suspicious northerner. ”

Saladin was stunned for a moment, and the miserable white face and the invincible army suddenly appeared in his mind.

"The unit under the throat bone, acting a little strange......" Zaratan carefully chose his words: "They never take half a step out of the barracks, and they don't hear their noise and training in normal times, and the loss of military rations is almost negligible. ”

Saladin listened as he frowned and fell silent.

"In this battle against the Holy City, the throat bone and his troops, according to the magnitude of the merits, should be in the forefront. However, if he really rewarded him in such a big way, it would surely arouse the displeasure of the other generals......"

Saladin looked at Zaratahan, "Have you found out where he came from?"

The latter shook his head helplessly.

Saladin pondered for a moment and then spoke, "Regarding the reward of the laryngeal bone, distinguish it from other generals. In addition to some proper possessions, give him two more rewards. ”

"First, I allow the throat bone to build an army of his own, and the weapons and materials he needs will be allocated to him by the empire. As for the name of this army, it was given the word "immortal". ”

"As for the second ......" Saladin looked at Zaratan and whispered, "You help me bring a word to the throat bone, just say what I promised him, and I will soon fulfill my promise." ”

Zaratan nodded with a confused expression, and after a pause, he continued, "One last thing, about those Mother Goddess cultists......"

Hearing the name 'Mother Goddess Cultist', Saladin rubbed his brows vigorously, "What do they want to do?"

"Their messenger, let me tell you. Whether it's the war against the Abbasid Empire or the war to retake the Holy City, the Mother God Cult has shown enough sincerity to the Empire. Now, they are asking for the Empire's reward. ”

Saladin sneered, "They're just trying to get a piece of the pie, right?"

"There are quite a few people in the Mother Cult who possess demonic powers, and if this group of people wreaks havoc around the Empire, it will probably not work in our favor. ”

Saladin waved his hand absently: "Tell those shady cultists that I can give them a fief and some melodious titles of nobility." I don't care what they do in the fiefdom, but out of the fiefdom, which is the territory of Allah, any proselytizing will be regarded as blasphemy against Allah!"

Zaratan bowed his head and said yes.

Saladin rose from his throne and looked ahead.

Outside the main entrance of the palace, attendants and servants were cleaning up the post-execution grounds.

The bodies were carried onto the carts and the blood was washed away with clean water.

Saladin stumbled upon another glimpse of the emaciated corpse, tossed into the cart like garbage, and as he watched the scene, a pain silently struck his chest.

He bent down, stretched out his palm and rubbed his heart, and left the throne with a sigh.