The desert wind of the Kingdom of Jerusalem was still bitter, blowing on the cheeks of the people, the lights were lit in the royal palace, illuminating the whole palace, King Baldwin, who had once shocked the Middle East, lay in bed and closed his eyes, he often felt as if he was going to be called to heaven at any time, but he still had unfinished business, his nephew Baldwin Jr. had not yet grown up, and if he left, would the cause of the kingdom be handed over to that Guy of Lusignan.

There was a sound of footsteps outside the palace, and he frowned slightly, and he had already ordered that people should not be allowed to enter his dormitory at will to disturb his rest, what happened?

"Your Majesty, the Roman Emperor has been assassinated!"

Baldwin suddenly got up and asked, "Which emperor?" ”

The assassination of any emperor would undoubtedly be bad news for the increasingly embarrassed Kingdom of Jerusalem, and if Barbarossa the Redbeard was assassinated, then there would be no hope for German aid in the future when the situation deteriorated. If it had been the emperor of the Eastern Empire who had been assassinated, there was no doubt that the Greeks would soon be in the middle of a civil war, and Baldwin was in a bad mood.

"It's Emperor Alexios of the Greeks."

Baldwin's heart sank after hearing this, after the death of Emperor Manuel, he was deeply worried about the situation in the Eastern Roni Empire, but he did not expect that the change would come so quickly, once Saladin learned that he was afraid of taking the opportunity to send troops to fight Jerusalem.

"Send a message to Lord Count Renard, strengthen the vigilance in the south, mobilize the Knights Hospitaller and the Knights Templar, if Saladin keeps the peace treaty, then we will have to thank God for his favor, if Saladin breaks his promise, we will be prepared for a fierce battle." King Baldwin looked up at the crucifix on the wall and prayed silently.

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"Allah is above, the Lord of the Westerners does not seem to favor them, they are too fond of infighting, but is it true that it is Assasin who is doing it this time?" Referring to Assasin, even if he is as wise as Saladin, he couldn't help frowning and asked with a little disgust, after all, he has been assassinated twice in a row, and at the most critical time, the big tent in the army was broken, the assassins killed him in front of him, and the blood of the guards and generals was splashed on his face, which shows that Assasin is terrible.

"Emir, we can only ask for a little news from the residents near Constantinople, and now that the Imperial Guards have blocked most of the checkpoints, it is impossible to determine whether the news is true or false." Saladin's spy leader knelt on the ground and replied respectfully.

Saladin listened to the silence, he was happy to see the civil strife in the Eastern Roman Empire, but in fact, there were some nobles in Egypt who were dissatisfied with him, and there were repeated rebellions, otherwise he would not have hastily signed a peace treaty and retired after defeating Baldwin last year, and the leprosy king could hold out for a few years, this opponent who had amazed him had begun to lose control of the kingdom under the torture of illness, and when King Baldwin died, it would be easy to take Jerusalem, and he was not in a hurry.

"Go and tell my generals that we will not move troops this year, that the two-year peace treaty has not yet passed, and that I am not going to be as treacherous as the Franks who came from the West." Saladin always showed the demeanor of a leader at the right time, and the only people who could be called fair and merciful among Christians and Muslims in the holy war were Baldwin and Saladin.

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In the imperial palace of Constantinople, Alexios also listened to the report of the little eunuch Licinius: "Your Majesty, the governor of Andronica of the Military Region of Asia Minor is mobilizing his army, and his close subordinate Isaac Angelos is now quietly infiltrating the capital, and is contacting the great nobles of the city for him, and it seems that he intends to open the gates of Constantinople to welcome the new emperor to the throne."

Alexios picked up the cold sword in his hand and grazed the back of the sword with his fingers, and the silver-plated sword flashed with a blazing light, as if it could cut off any weapon at any time.

Turning around, he asked Gallinius, the master craftsman who had been standing aside for a long time, "Is the Greek fire I asked for three months ago ready?" ”

Standing on the side, his hands hanging on either side, the old man with his gray head bowed down was the master craftsman Gallenix who kept the secret recipe for Greek fire for the emperor, this master has served the empire for thirty years, has always been known for his loyalty and reliability, and the secret of Greek fire is the word of mouth of these excellent craftsmen to protect it.

"Your Majesty, the Greek fire you want is ready, and you can send someone to fetch it at any time."

Alexios held the hilt of the sword, looked at his own reflection in the sword light, and showed a hint of a smile, and the three steps were one step closer, one step closer to success.

The boys in the camp of the guards of Constantinople were carrying the Empire's most powerful secret weapon, the Greek Fire, and ten heavy trebuchets and twenty ballistas entered the camp.

Khayyam was a little surprised, when did His Majesty the Emperor prepare so many military supplies, and all of them were moved into the camp of the guards and pro-army, these heavy weapons should be operated by the auxiliary legionnaires, what are you moving here, does it have anything to do with the assassination of the emperor some time ago, and there is going to be a war?

Thinking of this, the Turks couldn't help but rejoice, war means plunder, it means wealth, land and women, and if a man born in this era cannot make a career on the battlefield, he will dishonor the glory of his ancestors if he dies on the bed.

Alexios rushed back to the pro-army camp as soon as he learned that all the equipment he wanted had arrived, and it was now bustling with activity, with a group of teenagers scrambling to put on their newly haired silver-winged armor, which was the new equipment that Alexios had specially found craftsmen for his own army, following the example of the Polish hussars of later generations.

The knights' silver wings and red tassels are definitely the best in modern cavalry, and the new full-body armor was personally supervised by Antonicus, another master craftsman of the Ronnie Empire, and its defensive power is far greater than that of the original Byzantine holy cavalry.

Alexios commanded the pro-army battalion, mobilized the garrisons in various regions, and ordered the Varangian Guard to regroup for battle.

Three days earlier, Alexios had quietly interviewed Harald, the commander of the Varangian Guard, and cashed in five thousand pounds of gold on the spot, promising him at least twenty thousand pounds of gold if the Varangian Guard could fight for him.

Alexios knew that a king, no matter how poor, must show the utmost generosity to his warriors, whether it was gold or land, to arouse the desire to kill in the hearts of his warriors.

The Emperor's generosity irritated the Scandinavian warriors to the point that they were eager to start a battle and kill the blood of the enemy, even the greedy Harald was blinded by the Emperor's promise, not to mention that the Emperor cashed in five thousand pounds of gold on the spot, and the Viking warriors patted their chests and promised to smash any enemy who dared to offend the Emperor with their axes on the battlefield.