In my ears, flies buzzed.

Lothar covered her mouth and nose with a mask, and the strong smell of blood and rotting corpses was disgusting.

There were Saracen corpses everywhere, stripped of their armor and stripped of their bodies, and even some of the close-fitting fabrics had been looted by the sergeants.

The dismembered corpse was cut off, and the mosquitoes and flies were densely lying on it, and as the vultures fell, they scattered again and again, exploding into a black mist.

Hans sighed: "My former instructor once said that flies are the revenge of the dead against the living, the living kill the dead, and the dead breed flies. ”

"Your instructor is a Friedrich knight?"

Lothar said thoughtfully.

Hans was a little surprised: "You actually know? ”

"Knight Friedrich was a very good officer, and although his personal martial arts were limited, he was not bad at training recruits and boosting morale. ”

To put it bluntly, this is a pure aura subordinate.

But this kind of subordination that can have a benefit on an army is often no longer important in personal martial arts, not to mention that he is also good at training new soldiers.

Lothar turned his head and ordered, "Andreas, send someone to burn the bodies of those Saracens." ”

This first-generation lord who once served as a knight's valet is now a valiant hussar.

Andreas wondered, "My lord, in the Zoroastrian faith, if the body is burned after death, it is possible to return to the kingdom of God, do we really want to be so generous to them?" ”

Lothar shook her head:

"This is not a benevolent act, the rest of the Crusaders are behind us, and I fear that exposing these corpses to the wilderness will breed a plague."

Lothar's tone paused slightly, and then he said, "As a hussar, you should also know what 'bacteria' is.

I've had enough of the 'quacks' who are going to cut off an entire leg, and they're going to have a headache from a blunt blow, but they think the devil has invaded it and wants to crucify it into their skull. ”

"Is this killing or saving?"

Hans was a little indignant: "The hussars taught them battlefield first aid, and they were scorned by the group, and if I want to see it, these quacks should all be driven out of our ranks." ”

"Then do it, and when you go back, you will drive them all away!"

Lothar said coldly: "These people who rely on their status as doctors and disdain my orders should be removed from my ranks. ”

...

Ahead, the mamluks stood heavily armed on a small hillside.

Seeing that Lothar's party was approaching, the Mamluks, who were at the head, shouted in Gaul:

"Where is my master?"

Lothar nodded, "That's right. ”

"We will surrender to you at the will of our masters, but I must remind you that what is not available on the battlefield is also not available at the negotiating table."

Lothar frowned, "You want to disobey your master's will?" ”

The Mamluks, who disobey their masters, will lose all their political credibility.

This is not the time when the Mamluks have formed military and political blocs and can even influence the government.

The Mamluk leader shouted: "No, of course not, the will of the master is our life." ”

"We will pay our personal wealth, but don't expect us to obediently enter your captive camp, for we know very well that if we do, the safety of our master will be even more uncertain!"

"Yes."

Lothar nodded in agreement: "Maybe you don't believe it, but I never thought of harming your lives from the beginning to the end, and since you are willing to pay the ransom in advance, I am willing to accept it." ”

"According to the ransom, we should receive at least the same amount of gold and silver as your full set of weapons and equipment and war horses, that is, for each mounted cavalry, receive"

"For every lightly armed cavalry, I get twenty Souleds, and for every mounted cavalry, I want a hundred Souleds—you have a hundred and fifty left, right?"

The lion of Lothar opened his mouth: "Gather up, I want 10,000 gold coins of Souleds, or the equivalent of silver coins, jewels, and war horses." ”

"No, you're blackmailing!"

The Mamluk ranks were immediately blown up by this terrifying number.

"A nobleman's ransom is often only a thousand silver dinars, how dare you shout such an outrageously high price?"

The Mamluk leader said angrily: "Even if we take out all the money on us, it is impossible to make up this number." ”

"The premise of a thousand silver dinars is to let you leave empty-handed, but now it is clear that you will not hand over your weapons, baggage, and mounts."

Lothar didn't give an inch: "This is a reasonable offer, if it is not for the agreement with your master, I will kill you all on the battlefield, and when the time comes, everything on you will become my spoils!" ”

"If you continue to fight, you will also suffer huge losses, and this is not your favor to us!"

Lothar said coldly: "You have disobeyed the orders of Prince Zahir, and I have graciously agreed to your request, but you have not even handed over a single penny, you are tarnishing your master's reputation and putting him in a position of violating the oath made in honor of the Holy Fire and King Saladin." ”

"Think about it, if Prince Zahir goes back, what will he think of you unloyal 'Mamluks'?"

The Mamluks talked in a low voice.

After a few moments, the leader shouted, "We really don't have so much money, and we can't give up our armor, weapons, and mounts, and that's no different from entering your captive camp, and if you want to break your oath, we won't have any way to counter it." ”

This time, his tone softened quite a bit.

Lothar frowned, thinking that 10,000 Souledus was indeed a bit outrageous, and said, "Then 8,000, this is the lowest number, if it is lower, you will bear the sin of disobeying your master's will and causing your master to suffer the infamy of breaking his promise!" ”

The Mamluks deliberated for a while, and the leader shouted: "Yes, we will scrape together this money and send it to your camp before sunset, but I warn you that you must protect your master, otherwise we will not charge your camp to the death at all costs!" ”

"No problem!"

Lothar readily agreed.

War, although tragic, is indeed the fastest way to get money.

Eight thousand gold coins of Souledes are equivalent to a hundred years of taxes in Jogrisburg.

...

In the evening, the Mamluks sent a team of men to carry heavy wooden boxes from the camels and carry them into the camp in Losa.

When I opened it, it was full of gold and silver utensils, coins and precious stones, many things could not be valued, and if I lost it in the system mall, it was estimated that it would not be able to exchange for 8,000 gold coins.

But that's because the system mall is already dark, if you take the time to sell those gems and gold and silver utensils, instead of just taking their precious metal value, eight thousand gold Suledes should be more than enough.

The Mamluks kept their promise, and Lothar reciprocated by generously acceding to their request to see their master.

In addition, Lothar also ordered the distribution of signs for the recovery of the booty, so that the soldiers and knights could take all the loot that was inconvenient to carry to a tent to exchange for money.

Lothar, on the other hand, returned to the system mall in exchange for gold and silver coins engraved with his portrait on them, and took one-tenth of the "fire consumption" in exchange for them.

Lothar is not a little "fire consumption", it is purely these chicken bits and pieces, which will greatly slow down the pace of the Knights' march.

In addition, increasing the circulation of such gold and silver coins bearing his portrait would also greatly increase his prestige.

By the time all this was done, it was already completely dark.

Hans walked into the tent and said with a smile, "Your Excellency, do you know that the sergeants of the Order have privately given you a nickname? ”

Lothar said with interest: "What nickname? Miser? ”

The system mall is really dark, and Lothar is also worried that the recovery price he gives will make the sergeants and knights dissatisfied, but if he knew the price code offered by the military merchants, he would definitely not think so.

"Of course not, one is Lothar the Generous, and the other is Lothar the Brave!"

Lothar was a little surprised: "Ha, this is really a surprise. ”

The nicknames of the lords of the Middle Ages were not all compliments.

For example, Charlie the bald, Louis the stuttering, and Amalric the fat (the first king of Jerusalem).

The more neutral ones are the long-legged Edward and the red-bearded Frederick.

Lothar's ability to earn the titles of "Brave" and "Generous" is enough to prove that his prestige within the Order has reached a new height at this time.

...

Evening.

Outside Jerusalem.

Military tents are like white flowers, blooming on the desolate Gobi Desert.

Most of the Crusaders have set out one after the other today, and tomorrow will be the last one, the Knights of Jerusalem under the command of Baron Goldfrey as Baldwin IV's headquarters.

In the central tent, a soft woolen carpet is studied, the walls are covered with delicate woven drapery, and the tables and chairs with inlaid patterns and gold-resisting gold threads are filled with delicate oriental porcelain.

Baldwin IV leaned back in his chair and took off his mask rarely, and on the surface alone, his face was almost completely restored to normal, except for his physical deformity, which remained unchanged.

Opposite him, Baron Gofrey was holding a black chess piece, playing against him.

"Baron Goldfrey, I want to deprive Hebron from Count Renard and give it to Lothar, his fief is so barren that it will be difficult to grow into a pillar of the kingdom."

Baron Gofrey frowned and said: "I'm afraid not, unless Fort Calle is breached, otherwise Count Renard wants to deprive him of his territory without obvious guilt, there will be too many people who will oppose it." ”

Baldwin IV put forward a hypothesis: "What if Bethlehem was given to Renard and exchanged with Hebron?" ”

"It may work, but only if Baron Lothar can make enough feats, otherwise it will be difficult to convince the public."

"Ugh."

Baldwin IV let out a long sigh.

Uldin's treatment rejuvenated his shattered life, and with the aromatherapy of the royal physician, he could feel his body gradually recovering to health.

He sometimes wondered if he had been able to receive such a treatment at a young age, instead of the "enema" and "bloodletting" that quacks had suggested, perhaps the situation in Jerusalem would have been very different.

But by this time, the situation in Jerusalem had completely degenerated into a mess.

His enemies were the Crusader generals, the stubborn nobility, the ambitious newcomers from the continent, the independent military order, and the intriguing clergy of the Church—and the most powerful enemy, Saladin the Eagle of Egypt.

"High Frey, let Bailian come to my account, and I will make him a knight of the flag, and perhaps he can learn something from me."

Gao Frey was pleasantly surprised: "Thank you, Your Majesty! ”

Baldwin IV's eyes were still calm, but inside, there was a hint of impatience suppressed, and Jerusalem, like him, was now like a terminally ill man.

The only people he could make a confidant of were Baron Goffrey and Lothar.

He was desperate to increase the strength of the royal party.

...

By the evening of the next day, Lothar had already led the Knights to the outside of Montreal.

Montreal is not the Montreal of Quebec.

Rather, it is a desert city in the Earldom of Transjordan, which was built here during the First Crusade to maintain supply lines.

As a result, it has a strong Western European castle style, rather than a mixture of European, Arabian and Jewish styles in Jerusalem.

On the very central part of the city, a towering castle made of earth and brick stands majestically, and the walls of the city have been crumbled and mottled by nearly seventy years of wind and sun.

"There are armies!"

On the tower, the guards were horrified: "Is Saladin's army coming?" Could it be that Calleburg has been breached? ”

"It's not the Flaming Flag, it's the Crusader Banner and the Black Eagle Banner!"

The panic on the guard's face was quickly replaced by excitement: "Reinforcements are coming, great, it's our people, notify the adults immediately, and prepare to greet them." ”

Lothar and his party were soon welcomed into the city.

The city's guard officer is the stepson of Count Renard, the son of Countess Stephanie and her ex-husband, also known as Humphrey.

Just like Amarric is the name of the first king, but also the name of the prime minister of the court, the concubine of the Queen Mother Angnes.

"Baron Lothar, I've heard your name, you dealt with the swarm of locusts in the desert, and now you are the first to lead the royal knights to come to support, regardless of the previous suspicions, it is really admirable!"

Humphrey complimented.

"I don't have any contradictions with Count Renard, so where do I have to ignore the past suspicions?"

Lothar smiled sincerely: "My army is outside the city, and has run into a Saracen cavalry and suffered heavy losses, and it would be better if Lord Humphrey could agree to us to set aside a territory here for repair and provisions." ”

Humphrey's face changed slightly: "It's a huge loss..."

ps: There is one more chapter, to make up for yesterday's.