At this time, the distant Austrian frontier districts.

In the Viennese palace, the red-robed witch surrounded the high-spirited Count Leopold, waving a letter in his hand and laughing:

"Ha, I really didn't mistake this Lothar, he is a capable man, and with the connections left by his old-fashioned and serious father, this investment is definitely worth it."

"What's wrong with him?"

The red-robed witch was a little puzzled.

"He has been honored by Baldwin IV and given a Greek castle, and is writing to me in the hope that I will fulfill my promise."

"Greek castles?"

"No, I mean, I don't know where it is, but the name must be an old castle left over from when the Greeks ruled there."

"All in all, it's something to be happy about."

Immediately, he raised his hand, his face a little solemn: "It's a pity that my time to go to the Holy Land is going to be postponed again, and His Majesty the Emperor has issued a conscription order to me. ”

"If I still want to plan to separate the Austrian border from Bavaria and upgrade it to the Duchy of Austria, I am afraid I will have to answer the call."

Count Leopold was not a very pious man, but he was bent on going to the East, making a name for himself and grabbing the riches of the East.

It would be great if you could get a fief in the East.

…

County of Allgau.

The Count of Werner opened the wax seal of the letter and read it carefully from across the Mediterranean.

Unconsciously, this man with a cold and hard personality, as cold as a stubborn stone, rarely showed a smile on his face.

Otto looked at the smile on Count Werner's face with some confusion and asked, "Father, what happened to make you so happy?" ”

The Count of Werner immediately lost his smile, and threw the letter to Otto: "I know that you stole those two glasses and gave them to Lothar, and he made them clear in the letter. ”

Otto's face changed drastically: "He specially wrote back to betray me?" ”

"Huh."

Count Werner couldn't hold back and laughed.

He patted Otto's shoulder, looking inexplicably relieved: "Lothar is already a baron, and he is very valued by His Majesty, maybe the next time he comes back, he will have a title that will be more prominent than you and me." ”

...

When Lothar came out of the palace, it was already noon.

Leonard ran over and took the reins of Nissaan's horse: "Saint... My lord! What did Your Majesty say to you? ”

Lothar stopped, his face became serious: "I warn you, Leonard, don't call me that title anymore, the Son is spiritual, and I am only a secular lord. ”

"Yes, yes, sir."

Leonard was taken aback by Lothar's sudden rage.

"Leonard, I know that you keep this title on your lips out of fear of me, but you must know that no one, whether in Jerusalem or in the more distant Papal City, likes a living Son."

Leonard seemed to think of some terrible possibility, and a large cold sweat broke out on his forehead: "No, my lord, I understand, I will never shout such a title again." ”

Lothar nodded, "Next time, your head won't be safe on your neck." ”

He turned over and jumped on horseback, and without waiting for Leonard, he led the team to the Constance estate.

Halfway through, a hooded man suddenly popped out.

Instinctively, Lothar drew her weapon and pointed it at the other party.

The man whispered, "My lord, I have no ill intentions, please come with me, there is a big man who wants to summon you." ”

The man in the hood showed only a chin covered with blue stubble, and he did not have any coat of arms on his body that would prove his identity.

"What kind of big man is it, and he still needs to hide his head and tail like this in the Holy Land?"

"You need not be on guard, we are not your enemies."

"Huh."

Seeing that Lothar was indifferent, the man let out a long sigh and said, "You can take your witch and some of the guards, please forgive my lord for having to meet you in public, and when you get to the place, you will know which big man it is." ”

Lothar thought for a moment, nodded and said, "You go and lead the way." ”

All the way to a dilapidated inn.

Lothar recognized the man standing in front of the inn at a glance.

"Abdullah!"

Lothar's face was full of surprise: "It's you!" ”

Abdullah's face also showed a smile, but he shook his head and said, "I'm not a big man, it's my young master who wants to see you." ”

He pointed inside, "Follow me." ”

Following his lead, Lothar met a young man dressed in silk with an open chest, apparently a Kurdish nobleman.

"I am Ismaili Malik Saleh, son of Nur al-Din, king of Syria, true master of Aleppo."

Lothar looked at the dark-skinned man in front of him and said suspiciously, "Saleh... Aren't you already dead? ”

Saleh said coldly: "If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have escaped Saladin's control at all, he wanted to imprison me for fifteen years like my father imprisoned Renard!" Even until I die! ”

Nur al-Din of the Zangi Dynasty, the father of the man in front of him, once captured the Count of Reynard, and it was because of this that Renard lost the title of Grand Duke of Antioch.

Moreover, Renard has been imprisoned for as many as fifteen years!

This is also the reason why Renard hated the Zoroastrians so much that he repeatedly attacked the pagan caravans passing through his territory, making a good trade route a lot of chickens and dogs.

"I want to retake Aleppo, and indeed all of Syria, which is being occupied by Saladin's minion, Savodin, and I can hear it wailing and calling to me all the time."

Lothar smiled: "I can understand your feelings, but I don't understand, what is the use of you looking for me, I am just a little baron." ”

Saleh snorted softly, "I know that your position is not prominent, but you are highly regarded by your king, and I want you to introduce me to Baldwin, and as a token of thanks, I am willing to give you ten beautiful slave girls and a Damascus scimitar." ”

Lothar readily agreed: "I will convey your wish to meet my king, but I do not guarantee that His Majesty will agree to receive you, and at the same time, I hope that your thank-you gift can be converted into something else." ”

Saleh said proudly: "What do you want? As the lord of Aleppo, I am far richer than a Frankish barbarian like you can imagine, despite being exiled. ”

Lothar pointed at Abdullah and said, "I hope to have Abdullah's allegiance." ”

Saleh was silent.

Abdullah looked astonished.

After a long time, Saleh shook his head and said, "No, Abdullah is my loyal warrior and trusted subordinate, not a slave of Qulam, and I have no right to order him to be loyal to a heretic." ”

Lothar could clearly see Abdullah breathe a sigh of relief.

He sighed secretly, and had no choice but to say: "War is coming, I want war horses, or gold and silver coins, only these two things can increase my strength in a short time." ”

"No problem, I'll give you ten good horses, that's enough, right?"

Lothar nodded, "Of course, thank you for your generosity, Lord of Aleppo. ”