Chapter 150 Unwise, unrighteous, courageous and unchaste!
Based on his confidence in himself, the four to five thousand Muslim enemy troops were not taken seriously by him at all. Why did he think so much? As long as he killed the troops sent by Saladin one by one, the war would be won. .
"Inform the entire army to immediately replenish water supplies, rest where they are, discard unnecessary baggage, and set off on the road immediately after four trumpets sound."
Black smoke rose from the distant village, announcing the enemy's movements to Leonard, and he couldn't wait to chop something down.
In the Middle East, the role of rivers as a source of life is clearer than in most other places.
It is these rivers that laid the foundation for the civilization model of isolated islands and oasis in the Middle East.
The Euphrates and Tigris rivers formed two river basins, bringing abundant water sources to Baghdad, one of the cores of Arab civilization.
The Habr River, the Yarmuk River, and the Orontes River have supported Syria's developed wheat farming agriculture, making Syrian wheat famous in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Nile River is the ancient civilization of Egypt, which was born for thousands of years. The cultivated land there enjoys the fertile soil of the river given by God.
In Palestine, the most important and sacred river is undoubtedly the Jordan River.
This river is much more sacred than the brook Zaryth, the river Arnon, the river Jabbok, etc.
Not to mention the sacredness of the Jordan River in this land of Canaan, just because it is the baptism place of Jesus, it has been given many good names by Christianity.
[Jesus was baptized and immediately came up from the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on him. 】
——"Matthew" 3:16
Regardless of the theological implications, the entire Jordan Valley can be seen as a terraced valley. Each section of the valley at the bottom of the downstream is always narrower than the section of the valley upstream.
The middle section of the Jordan River reaches the top of the Sea of Galilee, or rather the Lake of Galilee,
This unique terrain not only obscured the march of Leonard's troops, but also made his troops have to walk up a rather difficult uphill slope before they could rest again.
When walking out of the Jordan Valley, it is the most difficult. You have to climb from 200 meters below the sea level to 100 meters above the sea level in just a few thousand meters. The steepest part of it is five miles. Climb up to an altitude of 200 meters in a distance of about 100 meters!
In this kind of terrain, once encountering enemy troops, they will be easily defeated by being condescending.
Of course, as a veteran of many battles, Leonard was able to grasp all the small and large details that should be paid attention to during the march.
In addition to dividing the army into three sections, the front, middle and rear, the Tukpo light cavalry were closely scouting the surrounding enemy situation to ensure that his army would not be surprised when it was most vulnerable.
Then the Tukpo light cavalry who came and went brought a piece of news for Leonard.
There were people on the platform, but they were not enemies, but Leonard's old friends.
The scorching sun scorched the wilderness, and the sky was like a rolling iron furnace, spreading endless heat waves to the battlefield.
The yellow sand stirred up dust and smoke in the strong wind, staining the white cloaks of the Templar Knights yellow. Only the eight-pointed cross red medal, like a burned brand, still shined in the sun.
When Leonard walked across the edge of the mesa under the scorching sun in June, he saw someone he knew.
Gérard, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, stood on a high ground, his cloak flapping in the strong wind like a howling banner.
In front of the Grand Commander were nearly 150 knights and 300 well-trained armored sergeants.
Among those knights, those wearing white cloaks with red crosses are Templars, and those wearing black cloaks with white crosses are Knights Hospitallers.
They are the mainstay of Jerusalem's armed forces.
Grand Commander Gérard pointed his sword to the sky and shouted loudly!
"Soldiers of the Lord!"
"You wear black and white cloaks because we want to remain pure and abandon all vanity and fleeting things!"
"Wealth, power, earthly glory, these things are like illusions in the desert, they will disappear at the touch of a touch!
"We put this kind of confusion under our feet, because we are God's servants, and we are pursuing a nobler and more eternal glory!"
“Just like the Maccabees raised their swords before God and fought for the Lord’s law and covenant, we too will not be afraid of sacrifice! We fight for the church, for the law, and for the legacy of the suffering Christ!
"We are the true successors of the Maccabees!"
【Children! Now you should be zealous in your obedience to the law, and should lay down your lives for the covenant of our ancestors. We must remember the great deeds created by our ancestors back then, so that we can gain supreme glory and immortal fame. 】
——"1 Maccabees" 2:50-51
Gérard has a unique personal charm, which is a kind of fanatical sincerity that seems to come from the heart. His speech can infect others.
So many people have been inspired, as if they saw the moment when the knights charged.
By then, there will be only the roaring sky and the rolling iron flow between heaven and earth!
The white robes and red crosses of the Templars, or the black robes and white crosses of the Hospital Corps, will shine on the battlefield, their roars will shake the battlefield, and their roars will drown out the enemy's cries...
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"Whether we live or die, we belong to God! And Christ is our life, and death is our salvation!"
"Deusvult!"
"Deusvult!"
The cheers were like waves, one after another, touching the heartstrings of everyone present.
When Leonard climbed over the high ground, he saw this scene.
And if you look further into the distance, there is a thin black line where the sky and the earth meet that day.
Ordinary old Frank farmers can't tell what it is.
But Leonard knew clearly that it was an army, an army of thousands of people. If no one stopped them, they would sweep across the Kingdom of Jerusalem and attack the Port of Acre!
However, Leonard, who had just arrived, did not participate in the cheers of these people. He just watched coldly.
Gérard naturally noticed the visitor, but when he, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller Rocher, and Marshal Jacques of the Knights Templar came to greet him, he did not see Leonard's smile.
"Bah."
"Are you so anxious to die?"
Opening his mouth, Leonard wiped out the enthusiasm of this group of people with just one sentence.
Gérard's expression froze. He had never thought that Leonard would say such a thing. In his impression, Leonard should be like a mad dog and bite the infidels like crazy.
"It is not wise to fight with a mere five hundred against an enemy ten times the size!"
"As the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, it is not righteous to lead the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller to death together!"
"The war in the kingdom is about to begin, a total of one hundred and fifty knights! They are thrown away by you so easily. This is not ethical!"
"One day, after your death, the morale of the kingdom will be low, and tens of thousands of troops will be defeated by the enemy. This is not bravery!"
In Catholicism, there are four most important virtues, namely wisdom, justice, courage, and chastity. These virtues are called cardinal virtues.
Leonard's words can be said to have rubbed Gérard's face on the ground.
The grand leader of the Knights Hospitaller, Roger, also breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, a normal person came to restrain the madman Gérard. He was really worried that once Gérard got up, he would lead them to death. Sent.
For reasons of honor, he could not refuse Gérard's invitation.
Gérard, who couldn't bear to lose face, responded: "What about you back then? Leading eighty Templar Knights to attack Saladin's 30,000 army?"
"That's a four hundred times difference in strength!"
Hearing these words, Luo Xie, the grand leader of the Knights Hospitaller, was stunned for a moment. He suddenly realized one thing. Who is Leonard a normal person? If Leonard is considered a normal person, then the world must be crazy!
This is a madman who dares to wage war against the Eastern Roman Empire and the Muslim Zanghi Dynasty at the same time!
He has not followed any armistice agreement seriously at all!
This guy is the main reason why this war broke out!
Reynard benefited a lot from Gérard's reply.
But he still explained with a groan: "It's not eighty! How many times do I have to say it's not eighty!"
"At that time, in addition to you Templar Knights, there were 375 other knights who were charging with me! Even Balian also participated in the battle."
"Of course, the most important thing is that I caught the slack of Saladin, the pagan king."
"At that time, Saladin's army of 30,000 was unable to assemble and march, and he felt that he was sure of victory, so he divided his troops into several groups and wanted to sweep away our kingdom."
"But I found him, found Saladin, assembled the main forces of the kingdom at that time, and attacked the army where Saladin was with all my strength."
"No matter how many ways he comes, I will only go one way!"
The war scene about Leonard will end tomorrow, and another missionary journey of Garris will begin, this time to break into Leonard's empty door!
Third update, additional update
(End of chapter)