On the outskirts of Damietta.

Since the various crusaders scattered and attacked, the large camp outside the city, which had been somewhat crowded, seemed much more empty.

Originally, the Apennine mercenary group could have converted the place into a garrison after taking the Saracen Castle, but the enemy's will to resist was too stubborn, and they suffered heavy losses, and killed the entire castle and the pagan civilians in the manor.

A castle with only ruins remaining, and even if you want to serve as a garrison for a mercenary group, the cost of rebuilding it is sky-high.

They returned to their camp on the outskirts of Damietta with their looted meager fortune and sold the booty to the city's merchants in exchange for military supplies.

At this time, I saw that under a blue light curtain that soared into the sky, two knights with helmets and armor took the lead in stepping out of the light curtain, and a flag embroidered with three golden lion coats of arms on a red background was beaten by one of them, shouting and scolding those mercenaries who came forward to see the excitement.

"Stand back!"

"Get out of here!"

"Whoever is one step closer will die!"

The knights rushed out, holding halberds in their hands, blocking on both sides, followed by elite guards with terrifying momentum and Danish axes, surrounded by a man who exuded a noble aura all over his body, and walked out of the halo of the teleportation array.

The man wears a crowned helmet and a red burqa with three golden lions, riding on a sturdy horse in a red coat.

Obviously, he only brought dozens of attendants and knights, but his eyes were like a lion patrolling his territory, and just a cold glance made the mercenaries who were still arrogant and complaining about the knights bow their heads one after another.

Sebastian straightened his clothes and stepped forward: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty King Albion, welcomes your arrival. ”

The man bowed slightly, with a smile on his face: "Your Excellency Sebastian, this is the mystery of magic, one second, I was still in the manor of Aquitaine, and the next second I crossed the entire Mediterranean Sea and came to Egypt. ”

Sebastian frowned, not quite satisfied with the man's statement: "Everything is arranged by the Heavenly Father!" ”

"Ha, yes, that's right, magic is only a small blessing from Heavenly Father."

Sebastian breathed a sigh of relief, the handsome king, after shedding his majesty, was easier to get along with than he had imagined.

"My Majesty, you only took these people with you?"

Sebastian swept past the Lionheart's followers, and although at a glance, it was clear that these fierce knights were all extremely powerful warriors, but the number was too small.

Richard smiled helplessly: "You have killed too few infidels, if the scale is large enough and the collection of pagan blood and sacrifice is enough, I can at least bring all my royal guards." ”

The two were talking, only to hear a puff of smoke and dust in the distance.

The Lionheart King's expression changed slightly, revealing a hint of surprise, but his guards showed a look of surprise one after another.

"The enemy's cavalry is coming?"

"Prepare for battle!"

Rationale looked at Sebastian and said, "My knights are going to borrow your mounts and prepare their horses for them quickly, I can't wait to take on these heretics." ”

Sebastian smiled bitterly: "Your Majesty, it should not be the enemy's cavalry, but the cavalry of the Marquis of Lothar." ”

Even if he was dissatisfied with Lothar, he didn't dare to ask the Lionheart to join Lothar, and when he saw the flag, the coat of arms would be clear.

"The Guardian of the Holy Land?"

The Lionheart King was slightly stunned: "Interesting, come with me, let's go see the famous hussars under the command of the Holy Lance Guardian!" ”

A crowd gathered around the Lionheart to the camp gate.

In the distance, more than 100 cavalrymen in bright armor and shining in the sunlight were galloping forward, holding flags and holding flags in their hands, and the double-headed eagles and the Jerusalem Cross (a central cross composed of four T-shaped crosses, with four small Greek crosses between the arms) stretched out in the scorching sun.

When the Lionheart King saw the hunt, he exclaimed, "What a majestic army!" ”

In just a moment, the hussars stopped at the gate of the camp, and the movements of holding the reins in unison showed their tacit cooperation and superb riding skills.

Lothar recognized the identity of King Lionheart at a glance.

The coat of arms of the three lions of the House of Anjou was quite famous even in later generations.

Legend has it that he did not like his father Henry II, and at the behest of the cunning fox Philip and his mother Eleanor, he launched several rebellions against his father.

Once, after Richard's defeat, he was thrown into a cage with a lion imprisoned by his father Henry II to fight with the lion, but Richard beat the lion to death with his bare hands and took out his heart, from which the name of the Lionheart was derived. (Note: not historical)

He was not only king of Albion, but also Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Normandy, and Count of Anjou, ruling over half of Gaul, the latter of which was even more important than the isolated island of Albion.

For this reason, he is sometimes referred to as the King of Anjou. (Note: This name is similar to the name Habsburg Monarchy, and only refers to the unification of the territories under the king's rule, and does not have any legal basis.)

In addition, Richard the Lionheart married a powerful witch as his queen and chancellor of the exchequer, ruling all of Albion on his behalf, and even broke his engagement with King Philip's sister.

Whether in the mundane or the otherworldly world, he has a power far beyond ordinary people's imagination.

However, although the Lionheart had shown great military prowess as early as when he pulled the flag to create his father's rebellion and suppressed local rebellions, it was the Crusaders who led the Crusaders to fight Saladin after he arrived in the Holy Land.

Therefore, in terms of personal prestige, Lothar is on par with this legendary monarch, and even slightly better.

Lothar rode on the back of a giant horse, and stared at the king on the opposite side without showing any weakness.

The appearance of this European monarch is very handsome, with golden-red curly hair, and the whole person's momentum is like that of a male lion, and there is great power hidden in his seemingly ordinary body.

He remembered a saying he had seen in his previous life, if it is said that the European monarchs in the Middle Ages can be roughly divided into three categories, one is the domestic monarch, during the war, he only sits in the court and provides military quarters and soldiers for the front-line commander.

The other is the commander-in-chief monarch, who sits in the middle of the camp, controls the overall situation, and gives orders, taking Saladin as an example.

The last type is a general-type monarch, who must take the lead and rush to the front line whenever he fights.

Lothar and King Lionheart are undoubtedly examples of this.

In the Middle Ages, a king could be tyrannical, greedy, and lustful, but if he was good enough to fight and fight for the Lord, he could win the admiration of all – Richard the Lionheart was clearly a prime example of that.

It is said that he never set foot in Albion a few times in his life, but instead extorted the bones of the people of Albion and collected heavy taxes, but after he was arrested, the people of Albion donated money and collected enough ransom.

In front of the Palace of Westminster, there is still a bronze statue of this king, who is by no means virtuous.

Lothar was scrutinizing him, and Lionheart was scrutinizing the handsome young monarch on a huge armoured horse.

"You're the Marquis of Lothar?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Lothar bowed slightly to the other party, the etiquette of this era is not standardized, as a foreign lord, whether he salutes Richard or not is between the two, not to mention that Lothar is wearing full armor, if he is blamed, he can also shirk his inconvenience.

King Lionheart smiled and praised: "As early as Aquitaine, I heard of your great deeds in the Holy Land, and it is the blessing of Heavenly Father that has made Christendom such a young talent appear. ”

"Your Majesty has praised it, this is all the will of the Heavenly Father."

Lothar pushed off his horse and got off his mount.

The eclipse was too high, and for the Lionheart to look up to him, it would inevitably seem that he was too arrogant.

When Richard approached Lothar, his eyes immediately fixed on Lothar's gorgeous Holy Cross plate armor, he was a war maniac, and his sensitivity to battle was not inferior to Jeanne, and he knew very well that this seemingly flashy armor was almost an impenetrable steel fortress if it was on the battlefield.

"Or do they all say that the East is the source of wealth."

He said with some emotion.

In order to raise a crusader army to the East, he made a violent expedition to the interior, selling the royal property and selling the official beard, which was enough to scrape together more than 10,000 elite crusaders and their boat fare from Gascony to the Holy Land.

Today, the pockets are empty.

Lothar smiled and said, "If Your Majesty is interested, after the banquet that greets you, I will send someone to customize a new set of plate armor for you." ”

Sebastian silently observed, but the two seemingly harmonious monarchs did not feel much anxious in their hearts.

In terms of unifying the army, Sebastian was very sure that Richard the Lionheart was definitely stronger than Lothar, and even if Lothar was kicked out, the crusaders led by Richard the Lionheart could easily defeat the Saracen army in Egypt.

Moreover, with his closure of King Lionheart, this monarch could not afford to look down on a Germanic barbarian who pretended to be a duke.

As for Lothar, in his opinion, he is also a guy who is unwilling to let go when he holds on to power, and it is strange if he can get along with another person who is stubborn and conceited.

Just a little provocation from him. No, even if he doesn't do anything, these two will definitely fight.

"I have to thank you, Lothar, and all Christians are to thank you for thwarting the pagan plot to occupy the Holy Land, defeating the evil pagan monarch, and for taking Damietta as the fulcrum of the Crusaders into Egypt."

The monarch wearing a crown helmet has a look in his eyes full of admiration and praise.

Lothar said without humility or arrogance: "Your Majesty, this is what every devout Christian should do. ”

He didn't like Richard's tone, as if he was the master of the place, and he Lothar was just a general who was the precursor to the king.

He asked, "With all due respect, Your Majesty, where is your army?" ”

"My army has already boarded the ship in Gascogne, and it won't be long before they will come to us on the waves."

Lothar couldn't help but laugh and said, "Your Majesty, are you saying that your army will march along the west coast of Iberia, through the pagan-controlled Strait of Gibraltar, and then across the entire Mediterranean Sea to Egypt?" ”

Richard's face didn't show the slightest hint of shame, just nodded reservedly: "That's right. ”

"But I have also hired a fleet of Pisan people, who will send a convoy laden with grain, ale and ordnance in half a month, and every month thereafter they will deliver supplies to Mieta until we have conquered all of Egypt."

Lothar was silent for a moment before he said, "On behalf of all the Franks and Christ brothers in the East, I thank Your Majesty for your generosity, and your radiance will move even the most devout saints." ”

It's outrageous, is this Lionheart so shameless?