People in the Middle Ages, draw cards to get promoted

Chapter 35 Aid and Programs

Lothar said bluntly: "Your Majesty has a task for me, but I have too little power at my disposal. I need your help, Lord Godfrey."

He explained to Baron Godfrey what Baldwin IV told him in detail,
"I have one hundred cavalrymen and twelve knights under my command. How many people do you want to borrow?"

Baron Godfrey said with a serious face.

So many cavalry?
Lothar was taken aback by the power mastered by Baron Godfrey, who was able to maintain such a large amount of standing armament, even the Earl of the Empire, few could match it.

The earl of the empire refers to the earl of Great Germania, which is directly under the emperor, not the earl who is entrusted by some grand dukes.

Werner is one of them.

If the enlistment of farmers and soldiers is included, Baron Godfrey alone can pull out thousands of people.

Lothar thought for a moment, and replied: "At least 20 people, for knights. I need someone who knows how to adapt and is familiar with the terrain and power distribution of the Holy Land."

Godfrey asked calmly, "What are you going to do?"

"If it is burning a few villages? Looting and massacring hundreds of pagan civilians, I will lend you ten cavalrymen, and they are all skilled in combat."

Lothar frowned: "Burn the village? Massacre civilians?"

"I never intended to do that."

Although war will always bring disasters to civilians, he will never massacre those unarmed people with his own hands.

He couldn't get over the hurdle in his heart.

Lothar looked solemn: "Justice, compassion, punishing evil and promoting good, not using swords on the weak, this is the knight's creed."

Godfrey said earnestly: "But His Majesty the Pope said that killing heretics is not murder. Lothar, you must understand that pedantic people, whether in the Holy Land or other places, cannot achieve great things."

Lothar was silent for a moment, shook his head and said:
"My lord, what you said may be right. But one must ask one's own conscience. I cannot deceive myself and tell me that it is right to do so."

Godfrey didn't speak for a long time.

Lothar raised his head, and on the baron's face, Lothar saw relief, admiration, and nostalgia.

He let out a long sigh: "Lothar, in fact, you are not like your father at all, this is what I say from the bottom of my heart."

"Except for wisdom and courage, you are not alike in appearance or personality. You are much more handsome than your father."

Godfrey patted Lothar on the shoulder, and the two looked at each other and smiled.

"Your father is a devout believer. He knows strategy and military strategy, but he doesn't have a benevolent heart like you."

"He was called an executioner, a cold-blooded butcher, who showed no mercy to his enemies, and no mercy to those crusader nobles who conspired with the heathen. The crusader nobles feared him, and the heathen hated and feared him. "

Seeing that Lothar looked different, Godfrey said with a smile: "But don't worry, there are many people in the Queen's Party and the Queen's Party who admire Werner's uprightness, and no one will blame you for it, at least not on the surface. "

Lothar smiled.

In fact, he is not afraid of being targeted. It is a mediocrity not to be envied by others. Since he has the shadow of Werner's father, it doesn't matter if he pays his father's debt.

But nothing is better than nature.

The smile on Godfrey's face gradually faded, revealing a trace of sadness: "The reason why your father left the Holy Land at the beginning was because he had opinions on me and His Majesty. Because in many cases, instead of supporting him, we stood on the sidelines. his opposite."

"He believes that we have betrayed the lofty ideals we set up at the beginning, and we are seeking peace from the heathen, instead of fighting resolutely to the end."

There was a trace of bitterness on Baron Godfrey's face.

Lothar was slightly taken aback, Earl Werner's performance in the past was indeed like a devout believer.

But for the first time, Lothar realized that he was so upright back then.

Even though Saladin was defeated in the Battle of Mengisa, the power balance between the Crusaders and the Ayyubid Kingdom is still very different, and the size of the two sides is here.

"But looking at it now, he should have figured it out, otherwise he wouldn't have sent you to our side."

"Lothar, His Majesty's ability to entrust you with this important task shows that he is also very optimistic about you."

Lothar said seriously: "I will definitely not disappoint His Majesty and you."

"Don't put too much pressure on it. Coming back alive is more important than anything else, even if it means bearing shame. Only by living can we have a future."

"I see."

Godfrey patted Lothar on the shoulder: "I have a team of Kurdish cavalry under me. They used to serve the Zenji dynasty. After the Zenji dynasty was destroyed by Saladin, they vowed to avenge their lord, even if they served pagans. No hesitation."

Godfrey stared Lothar in the eye, which was one of his greatest secrets.

Although in the Holy Land, the Crusader nobles were more or less in collusion with the pagans, and even King Baldwin IV had letters to Saladin.

But this is absolutely impossible to put on the table.

Lothar said bluntly: "That would be the best, just take this team of Kurdish cavalry! But the problem is, Saladin will definitely push this matter to the remnants of the Zanji dynasty."

The Zanji Dynasty, once the suzerain of the Ayub Kingdom, was overthrown by Saladin and occupied all the territory a few years ago, which is equivalent to the remnants of the previous dynasty.

In addition, their power is mainly concentrated in Aleppo, Antioch and other places, and they are familiar with the geographical advantages.

Count Leonard of Antioch and Georgelin III, Count of Edessa, were defeated by the army of the Zangi Dynasty and lost their territory since then.

And Saladin himself is Kurdish, and this Kurdish cavalry belongs to him, which makes sense.

Godfrey chuckled and said, "The truth of the matter is often not important."

Lothar also reacted, nodded and said: "King Sassanid lacks a reason to send troops, and we only need to give him a reason."

Saladin regained Jerusalem, and he will become the savior of the entire Zoroastrian world.

His prestige will at once surpass that of the Sasanian King of Kings.

On the other hand, King Sassan must not drag Saladin's hind legs, otherwise there is no way to explain to the Zoroastrians who are looking forward to recovering the Holy Land.

Godfrey added with a smile: "Even if there is something unreasonable, King Sasan will cover it up for us."

He looked at the beads of sweat on Lothar's hair, and said with a smile, "You should change into a silk robe, it's cooler and more in line with your status as a nobleman."

"Don't worry, silk isn't that expensive in Jerusalem. It was only multiplied several times by those stingy merchants. If you can't afford it, I can give you one."

Lothar quickly said: "Then I will not be polite."

Godfrey was slightly startled, and said helplessly, "I'm just being polite to you."

Lothar's face was full of bitterness: "It is true that there is no money. Your Majesty rewarded me with a thousand Suledes, but I decided to use this money to arm fifty armored soldiers."

"Food, armaments, soldiers' salaries, training venues, I wish I could split a gold coin in half for this money."

"Fifty armored sergeants?"

Godfrey froze.

"Lothar, in the Holy Land, if you use this money to organize ten cavalry, it will be more effective than fifty armored infantry."

Lothar said helplessly: "As a knight, I can't recruit wandering knights and their attendants. I can only hire some cavalry sergeants. Their combat effectiveness is far from that of knights, and they are too expensive."

In the first battle with the Magyar cavalry, the gap in combat effectiveness between knights and ordinary nomads can be seen.

Lothar certainly knows that in this era, the cavalry is the king. To be precise, the cavalry was the well-deserved king until the rise of the large phalanx.

No matter how famous the reputation of Alexander's phalanx is, it still cannot change that the partner cavalry is the important factor that makes the final decision.

The empire holds a square shield and holds up the eagle emblem. The invincible legion also needs to hire auxiliary cavalry from barbarians and Nubia.

He also holds the iris flag of the hussars, an artifact of the cavalry, and he should vigorously develop the cavalry.

But if you know it, you know it, he can't afford it.

A war horse is worth the equipment of several armored soldiers, not counting the food it costs to feed it.

"indeed."

Godfrey was persuaded, nodded and said: "It's good that you have your own considerations, my experience may not be in line with your actual situation."

"Have a rest in the city tonight. Tomorrow we will set off immediately and return to Ibelin. You must join the Kurdish cavalry there."

"Go by sea?"

"Yes, Ibelin is not far from the coastline. I will arrange for you to take a boat, go north and land at Haifa Port, pass through the Galilee region, and enter Ayyub's sphere of influence."

(End of this chapter)