Water Margin people

"Thank you, Archbishop!"

Baldwin IV saluted the cardinal.

"Your Majesty, you have fought hard. It seems that our prayers to the Lord with the believers have worked. The Lord has blessed us!"

The cardinal smiled, made the sign of the cross on his chest and spoke.

"Archbishop, the Lord can bless us once, but I wonder how many times He can bless us?"

Seeing that there were no outsiders around, Baldwin IV took a few steps forward and spoke in a low voice.

"What do you mean? The Lord is omnipotent!"

The cardinal emphasized with a serious face.

"The Archbishop should also be aware of the situation in today's battle. If it weren't for the timely arrival of Louis VII's French Crusaders, I'm afraid today would not have ended so easily!"

"But we have reinforcements today, what about tomorrow? The enemy is prepared and coming with weapons. How can we stop an army of 150,000?"

Baldwin IV looked at the cardinal and said that it was just luck today because the opponent was the rational Saladin. If it were any other Arab, they would definitely attack to the end.

"What do you mean?"

The cardinal looked at Baldwin IV with a gloomy face. He could hear the meaning of giving up from the words of the King of Jerusalem in front of him, but he could never give up the holy city.

"Archbishop, do we really want to fight the enemy to the death?"

Baldwin IV looked at the cardinal and asked.

"They want Jerusalem. We must fight to the bitter end and defend the holy city!"

The cardinal said that Jerusalem was their holy city and must not be abandoned.

"No, Archbishop, the Arabs may not really be after the Holy City this time!"

Baldwin IV spoke.

"You mean they're here for the Manichean treasure?"

The Cardinal spoke.

"The Holy City has been here for a thousand years. It has been several decades since the last Crusaders recaptured the Holy City. Although there are Arabs all around, they simply cannot take down the Holy City. Now so many people are coming here, is it just for the Holy City?"

"A lot of things have happened here recently. Qi State has occupied the plateau, conquered the Persian Gulf, and the Manichean treasure is our holy relic!"

"Who do you think the Arabs will target?"

Baldwin IV analyzed the situation to the cardinal.

In order to become a cardinal, one must be not only sufficiently pious but also sufficiently wise.

He soon realized that, of all things, the Holy City came last.

The holy city stands here, and the Arabs can attack whenever they want. After all, the surrounding areas are all Arab territories, and the Crusaders cannot guard here all year round.

But the Qi army, the Manichean treasure and the Ark of the Covenant are different. If the Qi army can gain a foothold, the people it should fear most are the Arabs.

The Ark of the Covenant and the Manichean treasure are the most urgent. Once they are found, the benefits they will bring will be immediate.

"What do you mean?"

The cardinal looked at Baldwin IV and asked, he sized up the young king in front of him. This king was not as simple as he appeared.

"Make peace with Saladin!"

Baldwin IV spoke.

"Negotiations? Negotiations with the Arabs?"

The cardinal's voice became a little cold. If he negotiated with the pagans, how would he explain to the Pope and the believers when he returned?

"Archbishop, our primary goal now is to recover the holy relic, not to start a holy war!"

Baldwin IV spoke.

The cardinal's expression finally eased. He knew very well that, as Baldwin IV had said, the purpose of his crusade this time was the holy relic.

"Do you think the pagans outside the city would agree?"

The cardinal looked at Baldwin IV and asked, "No one will know the outcome unless we talk about it!"

Baldwin IV shook his head.

"Then go ahead!"

When the cardinal thought of the legendary Ark of the Covenant, he finally chose to compromise.

"Archbishop, there is another problem. Conrad III and Louis VII still need the help of His Highness the Archbishop!"

Baldwin IV looked at the cardinal and said.

Soon the cardinal's order came from the church, asking Conrad III and Louis VII to go to the meeting.

The two people who received the order had no doubts. With a war imminent, it was only right to go into the city to discuss matters.

While the two men were entering the city, Baldwin IV took a small group of people out of the city and headed straight for the Arab camp outside the city.

Saladin was discussing where to get siege equipment in the tent when he suddenly heard his men report that the Leper King had arrived.

"Prepare a meeting place outside the camp!"

Saladin ordered.

"Saladin, wouldn't it be easier to just kill him?"

Someone immediately suggested.

"He dares to come over. If we kill him, wouldn't we be villains? A king should not kill another king!"

"Besides, now that the Crusaders have arrived, killing him will not help the war, and will only anger the Crusaders, making them defend the city to the death."

Saladin shook his head and said that he had once thought about killing Baldwin IV, but now was not the time.

Everyone nodded in agreement, they were convinced by Saladin.

Saladin and his men arrived outside the camp. His men had already laid exquisite carpets on the ground and set out tables, fruits and delicacies.

Baldwin IV was already sitting next to the table, eating a fruit in his hand.

"I wonder why your majesty is here?"

Saladin walked up to the carpet and sat down before speaking.

"To put an end to this war!"

Baldwin IV spoke.

"You started this war!"

A Arab noble shouted angrily that the Crusaders were the first to arrive in this land.

"Your target is not us. If the war continues, no one will benefit!"

Baldwin IV looked at the Arabs and said that although they were his mortal enemies, now was not the time to start a war.

"You want the treasure of Manichaeism, right? We are willing to give up the fight for the treasure, and sign a peace agreement with you during this period. We will not interfere with your treasure hunt."

"Our goal this time is to retrieve the Ark of the Covenant, the most precious treasure of the church. This has nothing to do with you!"

Baldwin IV said that he could see that the Arabs were not really determined to fight to the death.

When the Arab leaders heard what Baldwin IV said, they all started to discuss in low voices. The arrival of the Crusaders made it extremely difficult to recapture the Holy City, and it might take several months to capture it.

But the treasure in the east will not wait for anyone. If someone gets there first, then everything will be over. The Holy City cannot escape, and it will be the same even if we turn back and fight again.

Moreover, the Arab coalition forces had received a lot of news along the way. The most common thing was that the Crusaders were burning, killing and looting in Jerusalem for food and grass. If they could hold on for some time, perhaps the Crusaders would be defeated without them having to do anything.

"Okay, it's settled, but your army can only take the northern desert and is not allowed to enter other territories of the Arab Empire!"

Saladin said, looking at Baldwin IV.

"it is good!"

Baldwin IV stood up and nodded. He glanced at Saladin. The Sword of Truth was very wise and understood the current situation very well. (End of this chapter)