Water Margin people

The cardinal and the other bishops were all horrified, and they all looked at the bishops who had stayed in Jerusalem.

The bishops were also shocked. They knew nothing about this. Leprosy was a punishment from God and could not be cured.

  Since Baldwin IV was diagnosed, his illness has been recurring and has become more and more serious over the years. They have seen it with their own eyes. This golden mask has been there for several years. How could it be cured?

"Are you really His Majesty?"

A noble looked at Baldwin IV, who was just a baron.

"Are you questioning this?"

Baldwin IV's face darkened and the knights behind him immediately drew their swords. They were Baldwin IV's knights, and anyone who insulted their king would die.

"Your Majesty has misunderstood. It's just that leprosy is an incurable disease. I really can't believe it!"

The baron explained quickly.

The rest of the nobles also nodded repeatedly. They looked at Baldwin IV. They all came from the empire, and this was the first time they saw Baldwin IV. The identity of the young king needed to be confirmed.

"This is the ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem! Baldwin IV!"

William stepped forward, stood beside Baldwin IV and spoke loudly.

The nobles looked at William. They did not know Baldwin IV, but they knew William, Bishop of Tyre. Although William was born in Jerusalem, he had gone to the empire to study for twenty years in his early years.

The nobles stopped talking and saluted Baldwin IV to show their recognition of Baldwin IV's identity.

Baldwin IV went straight to a high-backed chair next to the cardinal and sat down, looking at the people sitting around the round table.

Everyone was silent; even the bishops didn't know how to start.

These people's original idea was to force Baldwin IV to surrender the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

But as soon as Baldwin IV returned to the city, he killed several Crusaders and took off his mask, showing God's tolerance. This is the best miracle. A person punished by God is forgiven, which means he has received God's favor.

"You all arrived faster than I expected!"

Baldwin IV said that according to his calculations, the Crusaders would not arrive for at least five days, which was also the time he could return from the Persian Gulf.

"Those Venetian merchant ships are a lot faster!"

A nobleman said that the Venetian merchants were very concerned about this crusade and used the fastest ships.

"It turns out it's them!"

Baldwin IV's expression did not change, he just nodded. This made sense. The Venetian merchants were the most greedy, and how could they let go of the Manichean treasure?

"I am very grateful to all of you for coming to the Holy City to worship and defend it together, but this is a holy city, and the people in this city are all believers of God. You are burning, killing and looting in this city, which is disloyalty to God!"

Baldwin IV spoke directly, glancing around with a cold tone.

"Your Majesty, you are too kind. Our army is full of believers in God. They have given up everything and traveled thousands of miles to come to the Holy City, which has proven their piety!"

An earl said that they did not dare to be accused of being disloyal to God.

"Then why rob the people of the Holy City?"

Baldwin IV said directly.

"Your Majesty, we have come all the way to the Holy City to protect it and retrieve the holy relics, but there is not enough food in the city. How can we fight when we are hungry? We are all believers of God and brothers. They are hiding the food but not giving it to us. Isn't that wrong?"

Another noble said that the Crusaders' eating on the spot was approved by the Pope and the Empire, and no one could say they were wrong. "Didn't those people in Venice provide you with food and fodder this time? What about the Church and the Empire? Since people can be transported here, why can't food be transported here?"

Baldwin IV looked at the nobles and asked.

"King, don't worry about these things. We are here to retrieve the holy relics. I wonder where the Ark of the Covenant is now?"

The cardinal interrupted everyone's conversation. He couldn't let Baldwin IV continue to divert the topic.

"The Ark of the Covenant is in the desert and mountains to the northeast. There is no exact location yet!"

Baldwin IV pointed to the northeast and spoke.

"The army will set out tomorrow to recover the holy object!"

The cardinal immediately made the decision.

When everyone heard the cardinal's order, no one dared to object.

"As for food and fodder, your Majesty is responsible for preparing them! This is the Kingdom of Jerusalem after all!"

The cardinal looked at Baldwin IV and said that neither the church nor the empire would provide money or food, which was a consensus long ago.

Baldwin IV nodded slightly to show his agreement.

"Also, after I came to the Holy City, I heard that His Majesty the King was very close to the pagan Saladin and the Orientals. Does His Majesty have anything to say about this?"

The cardinal narrowed his eyes and looked at Baldwin IV and asked.

The rest of the bishops and nobles also looked at Baldwin IV. The Kingdom of Jerusalem was far away from the church headquarters and the empire, and was surrounded by foreign races. Perhaps it had already been infiltrated by pagans.

"Yes, I went to meet the Emperor of Qi in the East and Saladin of the Arabs!"

Baldwin IV did not deny that these things had already been known to the bishop in the city and must have been reported to him. There was no need to conceal them.

"As a believer in God, you actually met with pagans and even went to meet the Emperor of Qi. What do you want to do?"

The cardinal looked at Baldwin IV and began to scold him. He wanted to teach the young king a lesson and let him know that theocracy was supreme and even the king was subject to it.

"What do you want to do? Of course, negotiate with them, avoid war, and defend the holy city!"

Baldwin IV spoke.

"Your Majesty, do you know what you are saying? You actually compromised with the pagans. This is a betrayal of God!"

A noble took advantage of the situation and said that the Crusader who had just been killed was his subordinate.

"One hundred thousand Arab coalition troops are on their way. Together with the original army, they will have more than 150,000 troops! Since you are so pious, please defeat the enemy!"

"Qi State also has nearly 100,000 troops, but their combat power is extremely terrifying. They have successively destroyed the Western Liao Empire and the Seljuk Empire. If the entire plateau belongs to them, do you want to give it a try?"

Baldwin IV looked at the lord who spoke and asked.

All the nobles were thoughtful. They originally knew nothing about the affairs of Qi, but after arriving in Jerusalem, they heard everything and felt a chill in their hearts.

The first generation of Crusaders suffered at the hands of the Seljuks, who were not bad in combat effectiveness, and were defeated by the Western Liao. Now that Qi has destroyed these two empires, its combat effectiveness can be imagined. No one wants to provoke such a powerful enemy. (End of this chapter)