Ilem, the supreme commander of the Mamluk Cavalry, looked at the people of the Holy City at the foot of the mountain holding crosses and walking towards the Holy Sepulchre Cathedral, and he clenched the riding crop in his hand in annoyance.
"Prepare the horses! I'm going to see the Caliph!"
Riding on the horse brought by his men, Ilam raised his whip and galloped towards the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the east of the holy city.
When Ilam rushed into the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Saladin, the emperor of the Ayyubid Empire, was standing in the square, watching the craftsmen remove the cross from the top of the temple.
"The great Saladin!"
Elem's loud voice attracted everyone's attention. Saladin turned his head and looked at this trusted general under his command, frowning slightly: "Didn't I ask you to arrange the release of slaves? Why are you running away?
Are you here?"
Elim, who was about to speak, saw a man in black next to Saladin and snorted with a raised eyebrow: "How can an evil pagan set foot in the Holy Land of Allah?!"
With his whole body wrapped in a black robe, he smiled slightly and stood back with his hands drawn back.
Saladin said to Ilam angrily: "You should thank him! Without his help, you and your Kasaj guards might have suffered a devastating blow when facing Paejici!
"
Elim gritted his teeth and did not retort. Instead, he asked: "Caliph, there is something I don't understand about your move to free the slaves."
"explain."
"You did make an agreement with those people not to enslave the residents, but only if they pay a sufficient ransom. Now that the ransom has not been received, someone told me that you ordered all the residents to be released?"
"Yes, it was my order."
A blue vein appeared on Elim's forehead: "Did you know that the residents who ordered the release had no idea of gratitude at all? In the blink of an eye, they gathered at the Cathedral of the Holy Sepulchre holding crosses high."
"I know, this is my acquiescence."
Elim looked at his monarch in astonishment and stammered: "Then, those people are all pagans! They are evildoers who do blasphemy under the feet of God! They deserve to be severely punished, you
How can you acquiesce in their behavior of worshiping paganism?!"
Saladin looked at Elem, shook his head helplessly and said, "If this is what you want, this should be done?"
"All residents who cannot pay the ransom will become slaves of the empire! Pull down all Christian churches and altars in the city! Only the voice of praising God can exist in the holy city, and the voices of other religions should be completely suppressed!"
Hearing Elem's so-called idea, Saladin rubbed his brows with a headache: "Use your brain before you speak or do something! Think clearly about the current situation and where we are! If you can't figure it out, go find him.
Ask Military Advisor Latahan! Don’t challenge my patience with these stupid ideas again!"
Seeing the back of Elem leaving angrily, Saladin turned his attention to the cross that the craftsmen had removed and remained silent.
"The Holy City is an extremely sensitive location. It is the origin of the three major Abrahamic religions. Each sect regards the city as a holy place based on its own religious legends, so any actions should be done with caution."
The voice coming from behind made Saladin turn around unexpectedly.
Looking at this pale and bloodless young man, Saladin smiled and asked: "Throatbone, if it were you, how should you handle the situation in the Holy City now?"
Playing with a shiny knife between his fingers, Throatbone said while thinking: "Right now, stabilizing the hearts of the people in the city is the first priority."
"What happens next?"
"I don't know. Maybe we can gradually reduce the influence of other sects?"
Saladin smiled noncommittally and changed the subject: "Young man, you and your army helped the empire successfully land and made great contributions in blocking King Pajezi's offensive. Tell me,
What reward do you want?"
"Emperor Saladin, before I ask for my reward, I have a question."
"question?"
"Do you plan to use troops against the North in the future?"
The other party's question made Saladin frown: "Why do you ask this?"
"If you are content with the status quo and have no intention of making progress, then I will turn around and leave..."
"But what if I gave you a definite answer?"
Throat Bone smiled and said: "Then the reward I want is to serve under your command."
Saladin looked at Throat Bone in surprise: "Your request is really interesting? What is the reason?"
Throatbone's eyes gradually turned cold: "Let's put it this way, I have an insoluble grudge with some people in the north."
Saladin stared at the other party for a long time, and finally patted the other party on the shoulder, laughing and saying: "I can promise you here that sooner or later I will march to the north and let the crescent flag of the empire spread in every corner... But
, not now..."
Throatbone was a little disappointed: "Not now?"
Saladin did not answer the other party's question, but looked at a horse galloping outside the gate. The messenger on the horse held up the fire-seal letter in his hand, with a panic on his face.
Saladin straightened his clothes and said calmly: "Before facing the north, I must first pull out the thorns on my back one by one!"
————————————
On the same day, Soul Space, Entertainment Street Bar.
Todd, Cumberland and Emerson were sitting at the bar of the pub, slowly drinking their own alcohol.
Emerson looked at the colorful layers of wine in the glass and sighed: "It's really hard to imagine that in another world, wine can be prepared like this. The name of this glass of wine is...?"
"The rainbow light from the top of the clouds." Todd looked at the sloshing liquid in the cup and said in a nostalgic tone.
Cumberland first looked at the beer bottle in his hand, then looked at the small ear cup in Todd's hand, and asked curiously: "Your Majesty, what kind of wine is in your cup?"
Todd said: "My cup is called Jieyou."
"Jieyou?" Cumberland said happily: "This is the first time I heard the name of this wine."
Todd pushed the small ear cup in his hand towards Cumberland and said maliciously: "How about you give it a try?"
Cumberland looked at the small and exquisite cup, and took a sip of the transparent liquid inside without caring. Then he coughed loudly with his face flushed, and while banging the table, he shouted: "This is the strongest wine I have ever drunk!"
Todd counted the treasures on his fingers: "Vodka, Erguotou, Tahiti...and a few drops of chili oil. This stuff was made by a group of people when they were bored, just for excitement."
Emerson watched Todd refill himself a glass and asked worriedly: "Your Majesty, are you worried?"
Todd looked at the clear liquid in the cup and suddenly asked the two old men in front of him: "Tell me the truth, what is the chance of winning today's Muxi City against the Ayyubid Empire in the south?"
Todd's straightforward question made Emerson clear his throat in discomfort.
The latter and Cumberland looked at each other and unanimously remained silent.
"This is not a meeting hall, and there are no other people waiting around. Don't worry about your speech having a negative impact on others." Todd turned the cup with his fingers and said calmly: "So, don't worry, do you have any ideas?
, just say it.”
After a period of silence, Emerson spoke first: "Actually, we missed the best opportunity. In the late autumn of last year, the war in the south had just ended, and the Ayyubid Empire was at its most chaotic and weakest. If that
For a period of time, we can use diplomatic means or economic suppression to amplify the contradictions within the empire, and it is possible to provoke a fatal civil strife."
Cumberland continued: "Actually, there is another opportunity, and that is the battle of the Holy City. If the defenders of the Holy City can see through Saladin's strategic intentions, or get support from effective forces, the Ayyubid Empire may now
Already on the way to retreat..."
Todd sighed softly: "After all, you still haven't answered my question..."
Emerson put down his wine glass: "Your Majesty, for hundreds of years, the biggest reason why the Southern Empire has been unable to advance northward is internal strife. Religious factions, tribal chiefs, racial branches, ethnic differences... Although the Southern Empire has a developed economy and a strong military,
But he was handcuffed by his own shortcomings...until a person appeared..."
Todd said in a deep voice: "Saladin."
Cumberland frowned, stroked his beard, and said with a headache: "The Southern Empire has the advantage of guns and cannons, and Muxi City has the alien corps. If the two are compared at the same order of magnitude, there is no way to tell who is better and who is worse. But there is a problem.
Yes, Mu Xicheng has one biggest disadvantage, which is its military strength."
Cumberland took a sip of beer and continued: "The total strength of Muxi City, excluding those farmers and soldiers who have no fighting ability, is less than 3,000. The alien knights who are really the main force, there are only 300. Faced with this, there are only 300.
The Southern Empire's 100,000 troops can only support a local war. And, to be honest, I wouldn't care at all against any of the Southern Empire's generals... But only the Emperor Saladin
, I can’t see through it a bit.”
Todd nodded slightly, picked up the Jieyou on the table, and took a sip.
The spicy alcohol rushed into his mouth, but it could not dispel the haze of the future.
Todd, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom and the Supreme Military Commander, were talking about the future of the Kingdom in the bar while drinking bitter drinks. After three rounds of drinking, his brain became heavier and heavier, but his heart gradually became clearer.
Returning to the palace from the soul space, Todd looked at himself in the mirror, slowly closed his eyes, took off the crown on his head, and placed it on the table.
Although the spring night outside the window was warm and pleasant, silent sighs echoed in the cold palace, which could not go away for a long time...