Chapter 155 Feeding the next generation with life and blood
It's the same study room, with a large number of books stacked up on it, a table with a map of Palestine on it.
On the table covered with maps, thick volumes were scattered everywhere.
Saladin sat on a cushion nearby, looking at the roof, with some unspeakable sorrow in his heart.
It was with his own hands that he sent Afdar to the battlefield and entrusted him to the Blue Wolf Muzaffar.
However, his son died in Leonard's hands, but Green Wolf Muzaffar was still alive and fled back with his main force.
Saladin, an old man like him, swallowed several times and his eyes did not blink for a long time. The intense emotions were like a torrent, impacting the dam of reason.
Of course, from the mouths of the Mamluks who fled back, Saladin learned the true situation on the battlefield, and knew that the Green Wolf Muzaffar could not be blamed for this.
He still wanted to vent at all costs, just like those sultans in the past.
But Saladin is Saladin after all, and he knows that at this juncture, he cannot be harsh on his general, because the war is coming, and now he has lost a new one.
If you want to restore military morale, you must be more generous!
"However, Leonard, blood debt must be paid with blood..."
"Seven thousand people lost, how many people are needed? Thirty thousand, forty thousand? Or fifty thousand..."
Saladin's face darkened, with a hint of viciousness. It was already 1187, not 1177.
The resources he can mobilize are twice what they were ten years ago.
He has gathered nearly 40,000 Syrian troops alone, and the Egyptian troops have not even been mobilized yet.
Indeed, Saladin was not good at military affairs. He was more accustomed to taking advantage of the situation and shaping the general trend.
What is the general trend? Revenge is the trend! An army of tens of thousands is the general trend!
"Leonard, if there is a war on two fronts, how should you deal with it?"
Saladin stood up with the help of a waiter and asked someone to fetch the letter.
If Saladin had not planned to bet all his chips at the beginning, then now, after Afdal's death, he has decided to do whatever it takes.
"Let Adil make a move, attack the Kingdom of Jerusalem from Egypt, focus the attack on the territory of Transjordan, and directly besiege the city of Karak."
"As for the northern line..."
Saladin set his sights on the city of Acre.
"How about using the siege of Acre as an opportunity to force Guy to fight me in a decisive battle? Leonard would probably refuse, but Guy can't tolerate it. After all, Acre is Guy's pocketbook..."
Adil was Saladin's younger brother. He had never returned to Egypt since Saladin went north to unify Syria.
Adil had been in power in Egypt for a long time and provided Saladin with a large amount of resources to maintain Saladin's offensive in Syria.
Saladin originally did not want to mobilize Adil, but now Leonard's behavior has completely angered this "King of Victory, Lord of Justice and Faith in the World."
……
Time passes little by little, and in the land of Palestine, Leonard's first battle is just the prelude to the war in 1187, and the main drama is about to begin.
In the north of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Saladin was mobilizing nearly 40,000 troops, seeking a decisive battle with the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
However, those disturbances seemed to have nothing to do with Karak City, this unusual medieval city.
Leonard's first victory continued the military myth of Jerusalem.
This military myth is: the Franks are protected by God and are invincible in battle!
It is this kind of military myth that maintains the arrogance of the Frankish nobles in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
And the arrogance of those nobles gradually affected the city residents.
Unlike rural areas and manors, urban residents, or small citizen groups, tend to have more polarized attitudes toward war.
"They look like clowns."
Standing on the city wall of Karak, such vulgar words spat out from the mouth of Garris. Next to him was Father Antoine.
They looked into the distance and talked and discussed from time to time.
"Do you still think Jerusalem will be captured?"
Although he already regarded Garris as a prophet, Antoine and Garris were old friends and he was approachable, so he would often take the initiative to chat with Garris.
"How many times do you think Leonard can win? Or do you really believe those lies? Do you think 200 knights are greater than Saladin's 7,000 army? This is Leonard's inequality?"
"The current kingdom is a desperate gambler. As long as he loses one bet, he will lose everything. However, Saladin has almost no chips to use up!"
Antoine did not continue speaking, he knew that what Garris said was the truth.
In the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the number of Franks was not even 200,000, but only a few hundred thousand. A single defeat could wipe out all the main armies of the kingdom.
Unless Leonard is truly a divinely inspired person, how can he remain undefeated in a hundred battles? !
However, the true man of divine revelation was beside him, and he had already declared the destruction of the Kingdom of Old Jerusalem. For a moment, Antoine felt a sense of desolation in his heart.
This desolation is quite similar to when Jesus foresaw that the temple would be destroyed.
[Some people praised the temple, saying that it was decorated with beautiful stones and offerings; Jesus said, "Concerning all these things that you see, the days are coming when not one stone will be left on stone there, but it will be torn down."]
——"Luke" 21:5-6
"In this world, there is no immortal country, and there is no temple that cannot be demolished. Only the temple of the human heart can be passed down from generation to generation..." After Garris sighed, his eyes suddenly became solemn. In the south of the city, there is some smoke and dust rising.
His eyesight was much better than that of ordinary people, so before Antoine could react, he realized that it was a large army.
"Stop sitting there Antoine. Instead of worrying about the fate of Jerusalem, you need to think about your own fate."
……
They look like clowns.
The citizens who were originally immersed in the joy of Leonard's victory over the enemy were a little dumbfounded when they heard that a large army was coming from the south and was about to besiege the city.
Although most residents in the city have not experienced war.
But now and then, when Karak was besieged, at least the Kingdom of Jerusalem could directly mobilize reinforcements to relieve the siege.
But now, for the high-ranking people in the city, they know very well that almost all the kingdom's troops are now concentrated in the north. The determination of the kingdom's army to defend the Port of Acre must be stronger than that of defending the city of Karak. !
what does that mean? It means in a short time, or even in a long time...
It is difficult for the city of Karak to count on reinforcements to relieve the siege, and it is bound to go through an extremely difficult period.
It's one thing to hear that Leonard won the battle, but it's another thing to let the citizens go to the city wall to defend themselves!
The former is a joy, the latter is really deadly!
The wealthy people in the city had already begun to consider how to evacuate Karak Fort, but before they tried to transfer their property, Bishop Amedeh of Karak City had already blocked the city gate.
And the Egyptian troops outside the city have already completed the siege and are making siege equipment!
In the eyes of Garris, just a few days before and after, the atmosphere of the city of Karak was completely different.
In this era, the city's guard work is generally the responsibility of the city itself.
After Leonard led three thousand troops northward, the defense of Transjordan territory was quite empty.
Under this situation, even Bishop Amedei could not help but be anxious. He continued to encourage and preach in churches in the city, persuading the citizens to take up arms and go up the city wall to defend the city of Karak.
In the Cathedral of the Upper City, Bishop Amedeh was the first to speak, and there he received some cheers and a donation totaling 100 gold dinars.
Bishop Amedai was a little dumbfounded. He never thought that his gains would be so little.
How many sets of armor can I buy with this little money? !
Bishop Amedei came later to the craftsman's parish in the lower city. In that parish, he received the most cheers and about 200 volunteers.
200 volunteers...actually it's not bad. The number of craftsmen in Karak City is actually that large. To be able to squeeze out so many people is already a huge support from everyone.
But this is far from enough. Even if you include the 150 soldiers in Amedei's hands, the total is only 350! It’s simply not enough to defend the entire city wall!
For this reason, Bishop Amedee came to the last parish, the church that Father Antoine was in charge of.
The church that Father Antoine is responsible for is the most dilapidated and small.
But even so, the church was packed with people.
Looking at the people with tattered clothes, Bishop Amedei hesitated. He rarely had contact with these people.
How long has it been? How long has it been since you last walked into this church?
Every time he approached the corner of the city, he stopped, as if taking another step forward would lead to hell.
The last time he came to this church, he saw a woman with three children, including an infant.
The baby looked like he was dying and he asked the woman to feed the baby.
"Give the baby some milk."
"Sir, I can't do it."
Amedeh again asked to feed the baby, but the woman still refused.
When Amedei became angry, the woman was forced to take off her top, and her breasts were bleeding.
The baby sucked his mother's blood desperately and vigorously.
That is using life and blood, cutting out one's own body to feed the next generation...
Amedei fled here as if he were flying. He didn't dare to look back, for fear of seeing such a scene again, for fear of seeing a similar scene again.
This is a completely different world from the environment he lives in!
But now, as a person from the upper city, he has to come to the lower city, face those pale and hungry people, and then pray to them for help, hoping that the people here can stand up to defend the city.
Even he himself felt ridiculous for a moment.
However, no matter what, he must mobilize enough people here, otherwise the city wall will be breached if there is no one to hold on to it.
"I wonder, have you ever heard the saying: Oh, how can you sit alone, like a widow in Jerusalem, which is full of desolation? She who was Lord of nations is now a slave; her weeping is silent, her tears are full of tears, because Her enemies prevailed”
"Now, a choice is before you. If you don't want the desolation of Jerusalem in the past to reappear in our city, then each of us must take up arms and stand on the city walls to fight against those The incoming heathen battles! ”
"We share prosperity and loss with this city..."
Bishop Amedei was preaching loudly on the altar, but no matter how emotional he was, how hard he was, or how he uttered exquisite words, those in the audience just looked at him silently.
In this church, Bishop Amedeh received no cheers.
The fourth update, I still have 1715 monthly passes for September and an additional update for October’s monthly pass of 100, but I feel like I will soon owe an additional update for the 200 monthly pass for October. So I still owe three updates
(End of chapter)