Drawing Cards in the Middle Ages to Rise in Ranks-Chapter 428 - 112: Jerusalem Court

That night, Count Losa left Limassol; Turriados had the ability to manage, and over the years had run the military district of Limassol fairly well. Tens of thousands of inhabitants lived quite well in the territory.

He had no intention of recruiting an army here to accompany him to the Holy Land and participate in the war against Saladin.

To put it bluntly, he looked down a bit on the Greeks’ fighting capabilities, except for noble guards like Turriados’s.

But recruiting Greek nobles to fight and help the Franks resist the Saracen attack was something that could easily incite turmoil and dissatisfaction.

Using Austria-Hungary, which had ruined the reputation of Habsburg, as an example, it was using Hungarian money to build an army to support the Empire Navy. It was of no benefit to Hungary and naturally led to opposition.

If it were an attack, it would be different; after all, in an attack, winning meant sharing the spoils, or at worst, raiding enemy villages and fleeing after a good plunder. The reason many mercenaries’ pay was so low yet their combat capability considerable was that their employers granted them the right to plunder.

As soon as he got back on board, Captain Hog indeed immediately looked distressed.

"Sir, I’ve been a pirate for hundreds of years. Does escorting merchant ships seem a bit..."

"Indeed."

The control of the Red Sea was still very important. Aside from the merchant fleet that local boss Mueller helped Losa build at Eira Port, the coastal patrol had only a dozen small coastal defense ships,

Losa was also somewhat hesitant.

Once the war started, who knew if Saladin would attack Eira Port both by land and sea.

In this era, there was no army that didn’t leave a trace; as large armies passed through, even friendly villages and towns were on edge, fearing these butchers with swords would even rob their own people.

Unless they had a general like him with enough prestige and a sufficiently loyal army to restrain their subordinates.

"Why the worry?"

"It’s nothing."

Losa shook his head; the likelihood was that Saladin’s marching route would still head south from Syria, with Kaler Castle and Duke Raymond’s territory being the kingdom’s northern gate. As long as these didn’t fall, the war wouldn’t reach Losa’s lands.

"I’m wondering whether Governor Adil of Egypt would lead an army to attack from Philorn towards my land."

"Is he mad?"

For Saladin, Jerusalem was the ultimate goal. To abandon Jerusalem and instead pour too much power into Losa’s lands was akin to biting off more than one could chew.

"Not crazy. Jerusalem is a loose alliance; if they attack directly, they would face a unified main force of Crusaders. But if attacking from all sides, they would face a divided mob."

"In all sincerity, if my land were under attack, I would certainly return to defend it."

Losa sighed lightly.

"But hasn’t Saladin not taken action yet?"

"There’s no better time than now."

Losa looked at Jeanne seriously and said, "Do you remember that Sassanid envoy we saw in Jerusalem? Apart from renewing a non-aggression treaty with the Empress of the Eastern Empire, their envoy leader, Grand Vizier Mustafa, privately asked the Empress to help the Crusaders when Saladin recaptures the Holy Land."

Jeanne was startled slightly.

"How ironic."

"It is ironic, quite unfortunately. Despite their Grand Vizier reasoning with her, appealing to emotions, and mentioning the traitor Isaac Komnenos, who had once made a treaty with Saladin, the Empress still didn’t agree."

"Even if they could help the Crusaders hold Jerusalem and gain considerable prestige, that prestige doesn’t compare to the more tangible benefit of recovering Sicily, where many Greeks still lean towards the Empire."

"I see, the Sassanids lack the capability to intervene in this war, or perhaps they don’t want to bear the blame for ruining a grand jihad, so they plan to have the Eastern Empire intervene."

Losa shook his head and said, "Most likely it’s just a lack of capability. The last grand jihad ended inconclusively; officially a draw, but everyone knew Saladin lost. The ’Grand Jihad’ title isn’t so easy to wield; the Sassanid King can use the excuse of ’Saladin’s incompetence at repeatedly losing’ to wage war against him."

Losa picked up a Gwent card, embossed with a gold border, depicting a Tatars Keshik army clad in heavy Zha Armor, equipped with bow, spear, and shield, reminiscent of the Jin Kingdom’s elite cavalry.

"It seems the pressure the Tatars bring to the Sassanid King is indeed significant."

Jeanne nodded slightly and said, "In other words, the two forces capable of interfering with the Holy War now both lack the capability, and with Saladin having subdued internal unrest, the Kingdom of Jerusalem is in disarray. Is this the best time for Saladin to act?"

"Probably not alone; there may be other factors prompting Saladin to move, but his preparation cannot be hidden from others. From Limassol to Aleppo, grain, military supplies, and steeds are all rising in price."

"It seems this battle is inevitable. Let’s hope those Crusader Princes are ready."

Jeanne, having led troops, knew the astronomical figures of logistical supplies a 20,000-strong army required in this era.

A great army moving without disturbance was impossible.

...

Jerusalem, Court Assembly.

The nobles of Jerusalem gathered, wearing luxurious clothes, standing distinctly divided. Baron Godfrey and Berian seemed somewhat isolated in their stance, the old baron still resolutely adhering to the King’s Faction.

"I said long ago that we shouldn’t ally with the heretics, yet how long has it been, and they are ready to return?"

"Indeed, heretics cannot be trusted."

"We must mobilize all pilgrims; defending the Holy Land is every Christian’s duty. The previously sealed weaponry and equipment, after repair, should be usable."

"The monastery in Ascalon is willing to donate five thousand marks of silver for military expenses, and the monasteries in Ashkelon and Irbid are also willing to donate a large amount of silver."

"Good, with this money we can buy enough military grain from the Greeks."

"But..."

The Grand Master Gerard of the Templar Order paused in his speech, seemingly hesitant.

The impatient Crusader nobles began to ask, "But what? What are they demanding?"

"But they want to lease New Habsburg’s lands, making the area near the Divine Tree part of church estates."

Inside the grand hall, silence reigned for a moment.

Then followed uproarious clamor.

"Rubbish, how dare they?"

"Why not? The Divine Tree is a miracle granted by the Heavenly Father; there’s nothing inappropriate about bringing it under the church’s control."

"Indeed, in order to protect the Holy Land, we’ve voluntarily given up our inheritance rights, sold all we had for armor, weapons, and provisions, and traveled thousands of miles to the Holy Land. Is Count Losa unwilling to give up even a piece of land?"

"You goat-loving Anglo, if the church dares to use this pretense today to force us to yield Losa’s land, who knows whose land they will want to buy tomorrow?"

A middle-aged man in a monk’s robe slowly walked up to the hall.

"Bishop Urding."

The nobles greeted him; Urding had gained significant renown during his time in Jerusalem. He had consecutively cured several key nobles of chronic and severe illnesses, even Duke Raymond had to show him respect.

"The Church’s developed Lazarus Potion will be supplied free of charge to the army defending the Holy Land."