The siege of March 9 finally came to an end at sunset. Although the Crusaders had gained the upper hand for a certain period of time, there were even times when the besieging forces claimed that they had seen Saladin's banner. And some commandos even occupied a tower at one point. However, in the end, it was because the Arabs did not want to die, and they failed under the continuous counterattack.

The Arab coalition forces held the city of Jerusalem. And at sunset, Egil also gave the order for the soldiers to retreat. With a continuous, short trumpet sound. The crusaders began to move in an orderly manner, retreating backwards from the slope of the ladder carts where they had advanced. And on the building car. The crossbowmen, who were acting as long-range support, also ran down the stairs of the building carts, pushing them back away.

-- Of course, it would not be correct to say that the battle was over altogether -- a group, a total of more than 800 Crusader soldiers, entrenched in a tower on the walls of Jerusalem, refusing to carry out Egil's order to retreat. These men continued to hold out after the main Crusader forces retreated, putting up stubborn resistance in the face of an enemy dozens of times outnumbered them. The battle lasted from late evening to late at night. The Arabs organized several attacks to retake the tower, but were eventually repelled by the Crusaders.

The heroism of these soldiers, while causing a lot of trouble to the Arabs, also caused Egil to change his plan - the Norman emperor felt that the site could be used to defend the tower, and the siege would be easier in the future. So, the emperor resent the army to the battlefield. Two carts were used to communicate the outside of the city and the tower, and then a wall on the outside of the tower was smashed open with a war hammer. Soldiers are constantly being sent there.

That's it. Although the main forces of the crusaders retreated. But skirmishes were still going on in the tower. The Crusaders sent reinforcements into the Tower. Their role has also shifted from attacking to defensive. The battle has been going on and on. The Arabs organized no less than thirty attacks, but in the end they did not return. And they weren't reliable enough to use the stone-throwing and ballista to destroy the tower outright.

So, eventually. The Arabs had to acquiesce in the loss of the tower. Saladin sent stones to block the tower's road to the walls and its interior. and relocated the civilians from the vicinity, using their houses to set up a second line of defense, which nevertheless became one of the weakest points of the Arab defenses.

When the Crusaders retreated, some of the ladder carts and baffle carts were abandoned, and eventually the Arabs destroyed them with axes and halberds. Whenever a siege machine vehicle was destroyed, there would be a burst of cheers among the soldiers - they were also frightened by the power of the siege machinery.

However, some of the smarter, more thoughtful people frowned - even destroying the vehicles would not do much. The craftsmen who made these things are still there. Timber is scarce in Syria, but if you find a way, you will always get it. Destroy these things, and they can still craft more. And they were not sure that the means used by the Crusaders today were all they had.

"But we won anyway. Saladin, whose hair was a little messy and looked gray, sighed. I saw corpses all over the city, all over the city - and more than one layer. The Lord of the Desert said with some uncertainty.

Thanks to the power of the Norman siege machines, the result of the siege was quite astonishing - the Crusaders on the attacking side suffered fewer casualties than the Arabs on the defensive. The battle loss ratio was about 1:15, and the Greek army, which had two crusaders for one Arab soldier - including Basil II and his Greeks - had suffered the most losses among the allied forces. ...,

Basil II was in a bad mood as a result, and at the same time even more dissatisfied - according to the agreement he had with the Norman Empire. The lands of Syria belonged to whoever conquered them, although the Norman Emperor also promised not to make these territories his direct territories, but to divide them. This was somewhat reassuring to Basil II - but it was not enough.

"Now, he has got Tripoli, and in recent times, with the guy's continued victories, Bohemond of Antioch now seems to have changed his mind and moved closer to him...... Plus the navy of Cyprus, the Normans, and the huge number of crusaders. The power of the Normans in the Holy Land was already quite strong. If I don't do anything about it, then this land will be completely occupied by the Normans, like Crimea, like Malta!"

At that time, after a day of war, sending more than a dozen brigades of heavy infantry in succession, and finally receiving nothing but a thousand corpses, Basil II complained to his confidant Elius: "Do you have any good ideas?

Elius sighed secretly, thinking to himself: why did you bother in the first place? What should so many Roman troops do? Regain control of southern Italy, attack Ottoman Turkey to the east, or reinforce the Iberian Peninsula and destroy all those Spaniards...... However, the emperor listened to the sweet words of the other party, and foolishly led the army to fight Syria. In the end, it seems that there is no other effect than making wedding dresses for others. The Empire had no gain here—and even if he had taken 10,000 steps back, Elius felt that the Empire, even if it had gained territory here, would have more to gain than it would lose. Because it's so far away from the empire itself. And the people here also believe in the Catholicism of the Holy See, or the heretical Islam, or even Judaism. rather than the Orthodox doctrine of the Eastern Roman Empire......

Ellius sighed with emotion, and wanted to persuade Basil II to withdraw his troops quickly. Troops were transferred back to the battlefields of Asia Minor - the Turks were on the verge of moving again in recent times. Although it is said that the current garrison general of Asia Minor, that eunuch Narcissus is indeed a famous general. But his army will not exceed 30,000. With such an army to hold a little or enough. But it is not enough to save the whole of Asia Minor......

In addition to this, in Spain, the empire was on the verge of losing this territory. The Christians in the north continued to attack, while in the south, the empire had a new enemy, the Moors who had marched from the coast of Mauritania in North Africa. They landed in Gibraltar and captured the empire's city of Seville in southern Iberia. At the same time, the march to the north continued. The governor of Iberia, Belisarius, complained bitterly—he was worse than Narciss. There were less than 20,000 men left in the army. In some cases, serfs had to be forcibly conscripted into battle.

A few days earlier, Ellius had received even worse news - a few years earlier, the territories conquered by the Empire in the Balkans had become unstable. Religious reasons, enslavement and oppression. and the heavy taxes that Basil levied on the locals to maintain military spending. There is also the status of a second-class citizen...... In short, a single Mars in the Balkans can be ignited now. If there is another rebellion there, then the empire will have another battlefield in one more direction. It is not yet known how many lives should be added to the rebellion to quell it.

In Elius's opinion. The most important thing in the empire today is stability. Ensure that the existing site is not infringed. Regroup your army and repel enemy attacks. Lower taxes, encourage trade and crafts, and restore the empire's economy. What the empire needs today is stability, restoration. And not to go on the offensive. No matter how much Wuxun is, he can't eat it as a meal. ...,

However, the rejoicing emperor did not know this...... This guy has no other use except for relying on the family wealth saved by previous generations of emperors. What's even more sad is that this guy's strategic vision is also problematic. He's always like this: when he sees an opportunity, he turns around and attacks in that direction. and not knowing how to set a long-term strategic goal. The empire opened up several battlefields at once. Provoke one enemy after another - without knowing how to concentrate your forces and take down one of them first......

In this way, under Basil's gaze, Elius secretly sighed and thought for a long time. Eventually, the general summoned up the courage to admonish Basil: "Your Majesty, your subordinates feel that we should give up this war—we have nothing to gain here. The benefits will eventually be taken away by the Normans. And we're just wasting our lives here......"

"You mean to give up?!Do you want me to give up all the glory, the riches, and the fruits of victory, and the Holy Land of Jerusalem, to that Norman boy?!" Basil did not expect his henchmen to say such a thing. Immediately angry: "Do you also think that I am not the opponent of that person?! Do you also think that I am not as good as that Egil Skadergrímsson?!"

"......," Elius was silent. After listening to Basil's complaints and shouts, he continued to try to persuade him. Explain to him the current situation in the Eastern Roman Empire. However, Basil still stubbornly refuses to listen to persuasion. Insist on fighting this war to the end. Eleus knew that his emperor was jealous, jealous of another, younger and more promising monarch. And it has a heart of comparison. Hoping to gain more prestige in this war and surpass his rival, the Norman Emperor named Egil Skadergrímsson.

! @#