I thought that the Kingdom of France might be wiped out because of one of my mistakes. Philip II was in a cold sweat. Seeing that Egil, Charlie, and even Edward all looked at him with bad intentions. That's when he thought about it again. Of these 100,000 troops, his own French army was only 15,000. Before attacking Marseille was the starter again. Some more manpower was lost. If you convert the combat power in this way, I'm afraid it won't even be a tenth. If he insists on withdrawing from the coalition forces, I am afraid that the other party will immediately pounce on him and tear his army to shreds.

Well, in fact, the knights of the Guard, wearing plate armor and holding swords on either side, said that Philip II could not wait to be with his army. As long as he dares to say another word. I dared to go up and cut off his head.

"Aha...... Actually, I just wanted to make a joke with you. How could I have abandoned the safety of the Holy See? What about the Holy Crusaders? Everybody, you're really, so nervous, so nervous...... Ahahaha......"

Philip II said this. While sitting back down, I tried to ease the tense and oppressive atmosphere here.

"Is it just a joke?" said Egir, smiling sarcastically, "It's just that it's not that funny. And I'm the kind of person who gets excited easily. Someone who takes jokes seriously. Therefore, please don't say such things in the future. How?"

"Of course, of course. Listening to Egil, it didn't seem like he had any intention of taking any further action. Philip II finally breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in agreement. And took the initiative to say: "Then the city of Marseille is also according to your wishes, Your Majesty." During the crusade, it was jointly administered by the various allies. ”

"That's fine. Egil looked at the deterrent effect. He nodded with satisfaction: "Actually, before this, I have made a plan that is not too perfect, so I can let you discuss it together." ”

"How dare you. ”

"Where, where. ”

"His Majesty Egil is strategic. Your Majesty's plan is definitely the most suitable. ”

So the king and the two dukes below were busy patting Egil's ass.

"Well, here's how it goes. Each of our four families sent 5,000 soldiers and horses, and gathered 20,000 to garrison here. patrols, and transport logistical supplies to the front line. ”

"Five thousand, isn't it a little too much?" said Philip II. He now has a little more than 13,000 troops, and 5,000 men account for more than a third.

"Indeed, the total number of troops under the lower level is only 5,000. Edward on the other side said the same.

"Well, there's no way around it. Egil shrugged: "Because the important surname of the city of Marseille is the most important transit point after our coalition forces enter the Apennine Peninsula." So, whether it's heretics or heretics. It is very likely that they will come and infest the city. Leaving heavily guarded and armed with transport is also a helpless thing. ”

"But...... Marseille is bordered by France on three sides, and there is no room for attack?" interjected Charlie. The other two monarchs looked at Egil in bewilderment.

Egil was slightly speechless.

"Navy, I mean the sea. Didn't this happen before? Didn't the Renayans use their navy to send their forces to storm Marseille and occupy it?"

"Indeed...... But ......"

Although it has happened before that kind of thing. But the other three were still not convinced. The infidels (Muslims) and the heretics (Eastern Romans) would use the same method.

Because, the so-called assault, the use of naval projection forces, such tactics were not common on the battlefield in the Middle Ages. It's not that there is no such thing with the use of naval transport. But the so-called elite raids, the marines, and the like are really unthinkable for these guys who don't pay attention to naval development at all—no, it should be said, there are almost no gods and horses. That's not to say they're stupid. It's just because of different positions and opinions.

And it wasn't until Egil explained it to them that it dawned on the guys. It's time to start thinking about it seriously.

"It's a really good tactic and it's worth considering. But do you really think that those heretics, and the pagans, have the mind and the ability?" asked Philip II. It seems that he still only regarded the previous raid by the Renaians as an exception. And not a one-time typical.

"Of course. Egil nodded affirmatively: "It's a little embarrassing to say." We Normans had used similar tactics many times before. ”

Egil was so direct, and several other monarchs were not embarrassed. They nodded to each other, agreeing with Egil's statement.

"But this force still seems to be a bit of a problem. Charlie continued: "It stands to reason that there are not many troops that can be invested in this kind of raid. In terms of garrison, I think only about 5,000 troops are enough. ”

"That's not what I said. Egil shook his head: "The whole route - from Marseille to the mountain pass on the west side of the Alps." This stretch of coastline is flat. Opposing pirates can land anywhere. After that, attack our food supply troops. Therefore, we must send a sufficient number of armed transport troops. This is the only way to prevent similar incidents from happening. ”

"But...... Five thousand on average, five thousand like this. It doesn't seem like a good idea. After all, the number of troops dispatched by each family is different. Edward was still opposed.

"So what about it, and each family decided to send troops according to the number of troops they had: Norman, ten thousand, Burgundy, six thousand, France, three thousand, Aquitaine, one thousand. The total is still 20,000 troops. But...... In this way, the rights in the city of Marseille must also be directly linked to the strength of the garrison. ”

Is the right directly linked to the strength of the garrison...... In other words, during the time of this crusade, the city of Marseille will be in the hands of the most troop troops?! Egil will control this city that is extremely important to the coalition forces, France, and even the so-called Catholic world for several years, if not more than ten years?!

"Well, let's go with the first plan!" said Philip II, after taking the case. Because in the first plan, he has a quarter of the rights, and the second plan is less than one-sixth, "No, no, no, it's better to go to the second plan." Charlie of Burgundy, who was next to him, said. The reason is classified.

Edward hesitated. Continue to remain silent.

"Duke Edward. ”

However, Egil didn't want him to remain in this state of silence, so he went straight to him and said, "You must be troubled. Because your army is not very large. Five thousand people is almost all of them. If all these troops were stationed in Marseille in exchange for a quarter of the rights of Marseilles. Then you can no longer participate in this crusade. That is, as agreed in advance, a tenth of the loot will be gone. But if only a thousand troops are sent. It's almost the same as not being sent. That's right, right?"

"Definitely. Edward smiled wryly. In my heart: in addition to this, there are troops to continue the battle, and there will be losses anyway. He has few soldiers, and if he loses thousands of people, he will break his muscles and bones. Such a thing was not spoken.

"In the name of the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces. I assure you. No matter how you use them, your 5,000 soldiers and horses are participating in this crusade. The promise that the tenth of the loot would go to Aquitaine remained in force. ”

Egil made a very solemn promise. Then he waved his hand and pointed to the other three people: "King Philip, Duke Charles, are all proof." ”

“...... Really?" Edward was slightly surprised. I don't believe that there can be such a good thing in this world.

"Of course. Egil nodded: "I swear in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." Everything I said was true. ”

“...... If that's the case, I believe Your Majesty. Edward took a deep breath: "I'll stay." Five thousand troops remained. ”

"Good. If that's the case, Duke, as the highest-ranking person in the Marseille garrison, you are naturally the supreme commander of the Marseille garrison. That's for sure. ”

So, in the end, this matter was settled. The coalition left behind 20,000 troops in Marseille, deterring all pirates who wanted to take advantage of the chaos to make a fortune in Marseille. Stabilized the rear. It also found a way back for the coalition to flee in embarrassment in case the coalition failed.

Of course, none of this is the most important thing. Most importantly, Egil has changed his way of doing things a little. Rose from a scum to a tasteful scum. Because Egil clearly understood. If you want to defeat the Eastern Romans, you can't rely on your own Norman kingdom. It was necessary to unite the whole of Europe, all the Catholic nations—that is, at least until the Eastern Rome was defeated—and Egil had to make sure that he was able to at least win over a trusted Catholic ally.

Power and might can be feared. But justice and faithfulness are admirable. The most important thing to maintain the stability of an alliance is fairness and trustworthiness. As a result, Egil had to put aside his shameless nature for a while. Try to make this alliance seem fair, as much as possible. This was the case before when killing soldiers who didn't obey orders. The same is true of swearing in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit today.

A day after the coalition entered the Apennine Peninsula, the governor of Genoa, Andrew Doria, asked for surrender......

(To be continued)