"War is inevitable."

Duke Raymond got up, took the glass full of honey wine on the table, and drank the sweet wine: "Go and get my armor, let's go to the court, Your Majesty will definitely summon Saladin's messenger himself." ”

He was afraid that Baldwin IV would not be able to cope with it.

Raymond was worried about His Majesty's health.

The death of the king would be extremely disadvantageous to him, as it would mean that the new king, the son born to Princess Sibylla and her ex-husband, would soon ascend to the throne, and it would be difficult for him to maintain his position as regent.

He felt that if Baldwin IV still wanted to conquer the battle, he would have to stop it no matter what.

At such a critical moment, Jerusalem could not afford the turmoil caused by a temporary change of king.

Raymond was clearly not the only one who got the news.

On the way, there were hurried lords, nobles, knights and even monks, rushing in the direction of the palace.

Many civilians also crowded on the road and in the square, trying to get first-hand information, and some people were eagerly anticipating that the war would come as promised, and that they would be able to fight for something on the battlefield.

There are also people who are full of frustration, hoping that the two sides can stop fighting and make peace and maintain this hard-won peace.

"Good day, Lord Teberias."

Baron Gofrey, riding a tall horse and dressed in full armor, passed by him.

He looked back and smiled and bowed to Raymond.

"Good day, Lord Goldfrey."

Raymond barely managed to squeeze out a smile.

"We're going to be together again."

Gao Frey smacked his breastplate lightly, the iron glove and the armor making a crisp metal clash, he was wearing the same refined plate armor that Lothar had given him, and Raymond was the same.

This seems to represent their shared attitude.

This battle, from the time Saladin began to reorganize the army; From the previous war, the European crusaders, whom Saladin feared, did not arrive as promised; From the time Saladin sat on the throne of the Saracen (Arab) world, it was predestined.

(Sassanid is a Persian Saracen dynasty, except in this context)

"May Heavenly Father bless us."

Raymond couldn't help but laugh and said, yes, they are going to fight side by side again, and it seems that only on the battlefield will they put aside the dispute over their interests for the time being, put everything aside, just to win the final victory.

Outside the palace, it was already crowded with people who wanted to enter.

Hans carried his sword and led the soldiers of the Royal Order to stop the door.

These people can't all be put in, even if the courts of various countries retain this kind of discussion like tribal meetings, they can't change this kind of vegetable market quarrel-like scene, and it is really a bit unacceptable.

As Baldwin IV's personal servant came into his ear and whispered for a while, he instructed the soldiers to get out of the way: "Your Majesty has commanded a council, please come in, but remember not to rush the messenger." ”

The soldiers with halberds followed Hans into the hall first to maintain order.

In the court.

One by one, those who were qualified to sit in the auditorium walked into the main hall.

Baldwin IV, seated on the throne, had apparently been talking to the black-robed envoy standing at the foot of the steps for a long time.

Seeing so many "barbarians" entering the palace, the envoy chuckled in his heart, but his tone became more and more forceful: "Your Majesty, my lord has already put forward the most lenient conditions he can offer, and he really can't make any more concessions. ”

"There have always been attacks between the lower lords, but Lothar has not affected the civilians, and this battle has started because your lord's vassal 'Zan' plundered the fiancée of Lothar's courtier Renard, and Rauf has taken the initiative to invade our borders, and the Count of Lothar is forced to fight back, how can your lord blindly accuse my loyal servant?"

Baldwin's tone was mild, and he did not seem to be affected in the slightest by the arrogance of Saladin's emissary.

The messenger was silent for a while, and said in a low voice: "But the agreement is the agreement, and the process is not important. The end result is that the lord of your country, Lothar, has usurped the lands of my lordship and cut off important pilgrim routes.

Therefore, my lord only asks your majesty to order your vassal Lothar to withdraw from the land he has illegally occupied, instead of punishing him for his mistake in tearing up the peace treaty. ”

"As far as I know, Lothar did not embarrass any pilgrims who passed through this place, but cleared the many bandit bands that were entrenched there, and made the pilgrims of your religion much safer than in previous years. Didn't your lord's sister, Princess Bethma, pass through there unharmed, and be treated with courtesy? ”

Baldwin IV wondered, "How did you say that your pilgrimage route was cut off?" ”

The envoy was silent for a moment, shook his head and said: "This does not make sense, my lord's conditions cannot be compromised, if Your Majesty is unwilling to agree, you will have to meet the war." ”

Baldwin IV sighed lightly: "Saladin is a reasonable man, but now, it seems, he is not willing to be reasonable—I believe he has to do it as a last resort, but it is a foregone conclusion that we will meet each other." ”

"Go and tell your master that if he wants war, I will give him war."

Baldwin IV's voice remained unhurried and unhurried.

But everyone heard his determination.

"It seems that Your Majesty has made up his mind."

The messenger breathed a sigh of relief, such a result was exactly what he wanted to see.

"Hmm."

His Majesty the King, who bowed slightly, raised his hand and took off the silver mask, revealing a young and heroic face, and his brown eyes were full of calm and perseverance.

"You... Don't you have leprosy? ”

The messenger subconsciously took two steps back, his face full of disbelief.

Leprosy was recognized as incurable, and even Saladin's court physicians were never sure to cure such a terminal disease.

"Heavenly Father protects me, terminal illness and stubborn illness cannot hurt my life, just like this, Heavenly Father will protect us to achieve the ultimate victory."

Baldwin IV's voice was firm: "Please return, and the Envoy may convey my words to your lord as they are." ”

He didn't need to play a sick man anymore, and all the internal strife of the Crusader princes had to be put aside under the pressure of a foreign invasion.

He will regain the authority of the king.

Inside the temple.

The lords obviously couldn't care about the messenger who left in a hurry, and they were shocked and speechless by King Baldwin, who was unscathed and looked like no one else.

When exactly did he recover?

From when Bishop Ulding no longer appeared in his court every day?

His Majesty said in a loud voice: "In this battle, I will personally conscript, and all nobles, vassals, and commoner officials who have received the conscription order must arrive at the camp outside Jerusalem within three days. ”

His expression was serious, and although his tone was gentle, his words were full of unmistakable meaning.

Baron Goldfrey's eyes were a little moist.

How long has it been since you have seen Your Majesty so high-spirited?

With the news of Baldwin IV's recovery.

The whole holy place was boiling.

The priests, dressed in white vestments, stood in the scorching sun, hoarse and parched to preach to the crowd, urging the people to join the army again to defend the Holy Land and gain salvation.

If one looks down from a high place, one can see that all over the Holy Land, countless knights are gathering their followers with their servants like a tower of sand, gathering under their own upper lords, and then under the leadership of the upper lords, they are heading for Jerusalem.

The long procession, like a trickle through the desert, with a bright background of various heraldic burqas and the same cross, was to merge into the great river of Jerusalem.

…

The same is true for Transjordan.

Hundreds of royal knights scattered in various manors gathered the peasant soldiers who had undergone a short training during the usual agricultural slack and gathered towards the military camp outside Hebron like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.

Not counting the expanded standing army of Lotha, just ordinary conscripts, Transjordan pulled out nearly 3,000 men.

Moreover, they are all conscripts who have undergone a certain amount of military training, are equipped with simple armor, and have arranged the pike phalanx and the shield wall phalanx, and their combat effectiveness is far above the level of ordinary conscripts.

Some of the former hunters, or peasants who had served in the army, had even gone to the boot camp to learn basic archery or the skill of using a sling, and they would be organized into the light infantry company formed before Lothar in the barracks outside Hebron.

In addition to the conscripted peasant soldiers, the more than 1,000 standing troops that Lothar had previously expanded had already been trained, including the hussars, the Varangian Guard, the equipped archers, the woodland marksman, the veteran company, and the Black Eagle Banner team that followed Lothar in the Battle of Limassol.

and the Teutonic Knights and the Order of St. Lazarus, including more than a hundred knights and their attendants, about five hundred light and heavy cavalry, and the force drawn by his domain could reach a terrifying six thousand.

Then count the Baronies of Petra, Barony of Tich, Barony of Zugar, Barony of Shawba, Barony of Sanoriel, Bishop of St. Catherine, etc., and the armies sent by the lower vassals of Lothar other than Renard.

The power in Lothar's hands has reached tens of thousands of people who are extremely terrifying!

Some of the little kings of the continent did not have such a terrifying army under their hands, and William, Duke of Normandy, who was famous in the past and conquered Albion, had only this number of troops when he attacked Albion.

This is already considered a desperate force for the Transjordian border territory with a total population of only more than 200,000, and you must know that the king of Albion, who was fighting against the Duke of Normandy, only recruited tens of thousands of people.

The total population of Albion at that time reached 1.5 million, which was 7.5 times that of the Transjordanian Frontier Territory, which is commonly known as the "Outer Jordanian Domain".

To be able to achieve such an effect is not only related to the wealth of the Holy Land, but also related to the high degree of centralization of Lothar's own territory, and it is absolutely impossible to pull out so many troops when the leaders of those places are still there.

And the Vassals and Christians in Transjordan knew very well that if Jerusalem fell, they would not be left alone.

This is very different from the many Albion lords who sat on the sidelines and watched the defeat of Harold II during the Normandy government campaign.