"Marino, don't be afraid! The Lord protects us!"
The mountain wind blew by, and the old knight Lorenzo looked solemn, with his hair and beard spread out. He stretched out his hand, firmly held the hand of Marino, and while giving him courage, he asked in a deep voice.
"Tell me, what are the symptoms of the plague?!"
"Ah! It's the devil!"
Marino finally plucked up the courage and screamed out in fear. After a while, he tried to calm down and then described it in detail with some fear.
"I heard some people say... The symptoms of this plague, at the beginning, are fever all over the body, and a large number of red spots on the arms, back and chest. But after a day or two of the onset, the person who gets it is like being possessed by the devil.
They will scream and scratch like crazy! In the end, they will all be covered in gangrene and their muscles will ulcerate and die..."
"Yes! Yes! I once approached the blocked camp at night and heard all kinds of terrifying shouts, just like the devil!"
Hearing this, another guard, Marco, couldn't help but speak, and even his voice was trembling.
"Lord! That painful and crazy sound is like coming from hell!"
"Yes, yes! The Lord testifies that after that night, people began to be burned the next day! Many people were burned, and the smoke was so big!..."
"This is the devil's curse, the new Black Death!"
The frightened and chaotic echoes came from the mouths of other subordinates, giving this unknown plague a layer of mysterious terror. These subordinates present have all experienced hundreds of battles, even if they faced several times the number of heretics.
, even in the face of artillery bombardment, they can still maintain the courage to fight!
However, once encountering the power related to the devil, encountering this invisible terror, all the courage and will to fight seem to be defeated in an instant. This is the medieval knight. While believing in the Lord, he is also afraid of the devil.
.
"Damn it, the new Black Death!...Now, something really big has happened!..."
The old knight Lorenzo had a sullen face and thought for a while before taking a deep breath. Then, he looked at the confused and frightened young knight Giovanni and made a decision.
"Giovanni, we are not going back to camp!"
"Ah? Not going back?"
"Yes! With the blessing of the Lord, we got the news in advance and avoided the dangerous new plague! This plague has broken out in the siege camp. Although we don't know what it is specifically, many people will definitely die! Let's go back at this time.
You are just playing chess with Death and seeking your own death!"
"Ah! Yes, Lorenzo, you are right! Then, where should we go?"
"We went directly north, first retreated into the Kingdom of Castile, found a safe village, and replenished some food. Then, we walked non-stop, all the way northeast, to the port of Valencia, a thousand miles away!
"What? Traveling thousands of miles all the way to the port of Valencia?!"
Hearing this, Giovanni looked surprised, and hesitation flashed across his face.
"Are we going to quit the jihad right now?"
"Giovanni! How long has it been and you are still thinking about the Holy War? Since old Sylvester asked me to bring you here, I will take you back intact... instead of
Return a corpse, or a pile of burnt ashes!"
The old knight Lorenzo looked majestic, and his words were harsher than ever before.
"Since we have decided to stay away from the plague, we must avoid it to the end! After we arrive at the port of Valencia, we will find a ship to Venice. Then, we will immediately take the ship back to the Republic. The Holy War on the peninsula will never be with you again from now on.
I have nothing to do with it!”
"This! This?...Leave the Holy War like this?..."
Hearing this, frustration and unwillingness appeared on the face of the young knight Giovanni. But under the reluctant expression, his body relaxed a little. The old knight Loren's left eye flashed and he saw that Joe
The choice in Varney's heart. This young man's body is very honest, but he still can't get rid of his face and needs a step up.
"Giovanni, it's decided! Your father, old Sylvester, once said before coming here. If you encounter a big decision, you have to listen to me! This is my decision and yours.
Father’s decision!... Let’s leave now!”
"Huh?...Your decision, and father's decision...father's order..."
The young Giovanni was confused for a moment and sighed. He turned his horse's head half-heartedly and was about to leave with the old knight Lorenzo when he suddenly saw the Moorish prisoner tied to the packhorse.
"Lorenzo! We are leaving. What about this Moorish messenger?"
"Well...the Moorish messenger..."
The old knight Lorenzo pondered for a moment, and the corners of his mouth gradually turned up. Before leaving the holy war battlefield on the peninsula, he might still have time to teach the young Giovanni the last and most crucial lesson.
"Giovanni, if it hadn't been for this sudden plague, the mountain city of Barcelona would have fallen very quickly... But after this plague, the direction of the next war is somewhat difficult to say..."
"Ah? Lorenzo, why do you say that?"
"The Lord is a witness! Think about it, the morale of the Crusaders in the siege camp was low. Now that the plague has broken out, many Crusader knights from all over the world will leave... The Castilian army
Morale is naturally even lower..."
The old knight Laurent Zuo smiled slightly and pointed out the situation of the Holy War, as if he had a plan in mind.
"Although King Fernando of Aragon is good at planning and cunning, he is not an inspiring handsome man! On the contrary, Queen Isabella of Castile is brave, pious, decisive and fearless, just like Joan of Arc.
A commander who can inspire people in desperate situations!"
"At present, an unprecedented plague has broken out in the siege camp. Once the plague spreads, the morale in the camp will drop to the bottom. King Fernando in the camp has no ability to calm the morale of the army.
If he delays it for more than half a month at most, and if he resists the odds for a month, withdrawal will be inevitable!"
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Lorenzuo, that means...the Moorish defenders in the mountain city of Bassa can survive this siege as long as they persist for one more month?"
"
Hearing this, the young knight Giovanni blinked. He looked at the Moorish prisoners on the packhorse, and suddenly realized that the Moorish messenger he had captured might become the key to changing the overall situation of the Holy War!
"Ah! So, what about this messenger, the news he brought back?..."
"Yes! He is very crucial."
The old knight Laurent stroked his beard, lowered his voice, and asked with a smile.
"Giovanni, if the mountain city of Barcelona can hold on and King Fernando returns without success...then our retreat at this time will become a wise choice in the eyes of everyone. And the Moors survived this round of siege, and Ca
Styria's entire army has retreated, and if they want to organize an attack again, they will have to wait until at least next spring. With this half-year gap, the Moors may be able to sort out their internal affairs and resist for another two years..."
"The Jihad has been going on for eight years now. In order to supply an army of 60,000 people, the Castilians spent at least 30-40 million Malawidi copper coins, which is more than 700,000 to 1 million gold ducats.
The debt they owe to our Republic of Venice is between 300,000 and 500,000 gold ducats... Since the church guarantees it, the annual interest rate on this jihad debt is only about 10%, but the interest is also included in the principal...
.”
Having said this, the old knight Lorenzo smiled, as if he was no longer a glorious knight, but a greedy businessman.
"Giovanni, please calculate, if the war continues for two more years, how much more money will the Castilians owe us?"
"Ah! If the Jihad continues for two more years, the interest paid on the old debt to the Republic alone will be 70,000 to 110,000 gold ducats! And including the new debt, there will be at least 200,000 more new debts!
Add in the interest of 20,000 gold ducats on the new debt...that’s the size of 300,000 gold ducats!”
As the heir to the Venetian Parliament, there is no doubt about Giovanni's ability to calculate accounts. He slightly bent his fingers and counted twice quickly, and even his fingers started to tremble.
"Lord! In other words, the value of this Moorish prisoner may be... 300,000 gold ducats?!"
This chapter has been completed!