People in the Middle Ages, draw cards to get promoted

Chapter 894: The Fall of the Eagle

Chapter 894: The Fall of the Eagle

The Royal Palace of Damascus.

Compared with the hustle and bustle inside and outside the city, the atmosphere in the palace was eerily quiet.

The Kasaji guards closed the palace gates, silently sharpened their weapons, prepared arrows, slingshots, and fire pots, waiting for the final battle and their own fate.

No one thought they could still win, but they chose to fight to the end.

In the silent palace, Mujit, covered in blood, slowly came to the bedside.

The black eunuch wanted to scold him, but the general of the city defense army glared at him and he was speechless.

"Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was killed in battle. He said he died protecting his father and Damascus."

The man on the sickbed, who was once as mighty as a lion, was silent for a long time, which made people wonder whether his life, which had long been like a candle in the wind, had come to an end because of his confrontation with the dragon three days ago.

The black eunuch covered his mouth, tears welling up in his eyes, but he dared not utter a word.

for a long time.

The man on the sickbed spoke slowly.

"I see."

His voice was hoarse, like a rusty anvil that had not been used for a long time, but there was no trace of sadness in it.

Mugit hesitated, but still said, "His Highness saw your plan, and guessed that His Highness Aziz did the same, so he abandoned the city and fled before the Franks launched their attack."

The room fell into deathly silence again.

After a long while, the old lion managed an ugly smile. A turbid tear flowed from his deep eye sockets. "Oh, you are indeed my most valued son. Mugit, help me up. Have the Franks entered the city?"

"Yes."

He helped Saladin up, but felt his hands were so light that they seemed like they could be blown away by the wind.

The black eunuch on the side wanted to step forward to intervene, but was dismissed by Saladin with a wave of his hand.

"Ahem - Mujit, you are the only one in this city who knows my plan, but I still let you stay. Do you blame me?"

The weak old lion tried to straighten his back, with his back facing the sunlight coming in from outside the palace gate, like a dying sick lion.

Mujit's nose was sore and he shook his head gently: "How could I possibly hate you? It was you who saved me from the desperate situation of being hungry and naked. Now I just want to return my life to you. This is the destiny that every Kasaji Guard pursues."

Saladin chuckled and said, "Then stay."

"Your Majesty, how are the women in your palace arranged?"

"Give them some money and tell them to use it to redeem themselves if the Franks are in trouble. After that, don't leave the city immediately to seek refuge with relatives. It's best for them to stay in Damascus for a while, because Damascus will be the safest city for a long time to come."

Although the military discipline of the Crusaders was mediocre, they often killed pagan women outright or kept them in custody for ransom. They rarely - at least on the surface - raped women.

"What if it was another Frankish prince who attacked the palace first?"

Saladin shook his head and said, "No, that young man will not allow others to challenge his authority. He seems to be a very tolerant person, but in this matter, his mind is still quite narrow."

"You know him well?"

"As my greatest rival, shouldn't you?"

Saladin smiled and opened his arms, saying, "Put on my armor, Mujit."

"Yes."

Mugit first put on the mail lining for Saladin, but when he picked up the scale armor, he hesitated.

"continue."

Saladin scolded in a low voice.

Although he was worried about whether Saladin could still bear the weight, Mugit chose to obey the order.

"You are better than Hashem in this respect."

Saladin glanced at the black eunuch behind him and teased with a smile.

Even though he was so weak, he was still able to stand steadily in the armor, and his voice became stronger than when he was lying on the bed.

"Help me out."

Walking out of the hall, facing those scorching gazes, he walked towards the palace wall with firm steps.

He saw the most eye-catching figure in the crowd, surrounded by the so-called "Winged Hussars" with feathers on their backs. He was handsome and full of vigor - what an outstanding young man.

Even though their positions were opposite, and even though his dynasty was destroyed by this young man in front of him, it was still difficult for Saladin to have much ill feelings towards this man.

Generosity, justice, mercy...

Sometimes he felt that this young crusader prince was just another side of himself, no, he was much better than himself.

He took out a ceramic bottle from his arms, smiled, and swallowed the potion in the bottle without hesitation.

As soon as the magic potion entered his stomach, Saladin almost immediately felt a force far more powerful than when he was healthy, which supported his broken body.

Master Shemer is really good.

He was filled with emotion, opened his arms, and shouted to the city: "I am Saladin, the master of Damascus and Aleppo, the most hated pagan leader by all of you Franks. Who wants to take my life?"

A sickly flush flashed across his face as the violent power of the potion ignited the last of his life.

"His Majesty!"

Mugit was horrified and tried to LS Latin, but he was easily pushed away.

Saladin waved his hand and said, "Mugit, this is my own choice. After I die, let them lay down their weapons and surrender. Enough people have died in this war."

Mujit was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, you are forcing them too much. If they were willing to surrender, they would retreat to the palace, drop their weapons, take off their armor and return to their homes, which would be much safer than staying here."

People always say that the Franks were barbaric and brutal, and their king Lothar was a devil born from hell. Wherever he passed, not a blade of grass was left.

But as Saladin's most core force, the Kasaj Guards knew the inside story.

The Franks were brutal, but Lothar was definitely not the tyrannical devil who ate raw human flesh as described in the legend.

But even if they could survive by laying down their weapons, they still chose to die with Saladin.

Saladin glanced at Mugit and the silent soldiers. After a while, he sighed softly, "Then come with me."

Mujit knelt on one knee and whispered, "Your Majesty, I am willing to follow you to conquer the kingdom of heaven."

Under the city.

Saladin was looking at Lothar, and Lothar was also looking at Saladin.

The two of them had very few real conversations, but Lothar and Saladin actually always had an unspoken understanding.

For example, they never used extraordinary powers to cause too many casualties to ordinary civilians; they tried their best to protect the lives and safety of civilians and non-combatants during the war.

Although Lothar had long ago given up on seeking justice for war in this era, he still hoped that the war he launched would be more just in terms of procedure while maintaining just results.

The soldiers received meager or even no salary, and even Lothar himself felt embarrassed if he didn't give them some war profit.

Therefore, he chose to open his treasury in Alexandria and use his own gold and silver to support them. At the same time, he implemented more stringent military regulations to restrain their behavior. So far, the effect is quite good.

"Saladin, do you dare to come out of the city and fight me!"

Lothar drove the Eclipse to the front of the battle and shouted loudly towards the top of the city wall.

All the Crusader princes and winged hussars burst into laughter. Saladin had never been known for his bravery and rarely went into battle in person. And it was said that he had been bedridden for a long time. How could he have the courage to go out of the city in person to fight with his own majesty?

How dare such a person stand on the palace wall and speak so brazenly?

However, unexpectedly, the palace gate was soon opened.

Wrapped in armor, Saladin, the mighty ruler who once dominated the entire Christian world and the master of the Levant and Egypt, rode out of the palace on his warhorse and came before the Crusader King, who was famous for his fighting skills.

For a moment, the Crusaders' laughter stopped abruptly.

They fell silent, watching the lone man slowly come up to Lothar.

"Good day, King Lothar."

Lothar crossed himself and said, "Good day, King Saladin."

Saladin said softly: "Damascus is handed over to you. They will become your subjects. Please treat them well."

Lothar nodded slightly: "I will, Your Majesty."

"Then let's get started!"

He raised his lance, knocked it against the spear in Lothar's hand, and then stepped back to distance himself.

Both sides retreated to the other end of the field, just like in a classic knight's joust.

It's just that no one announced the start of this duel.

Saladin took the lead in launching the charge. The old and sick lion's mount galloped on all fours at an astonishing speed. The lance in his hand was also held very steadily, which made some knowledgeable knights change their expressions drastically.

If you ask yourself, if they were to take the field, they would never be a match for this pagan monarch.

Eclipse let out a high-pitched cry, and then spread out its four longer hooves. Even though it started last, it still accelerated to the extreme speed in just a few accelerations.

boom--

Both sides missed each other.

Lothar had nothing in his hands. After running a long way, he pulled the reins of Eclipse and stopped where he was.

Looking back, the owner of the black horse had disappeared.

Even after drinking the potion, the two were not on the same level in terms of combat power.

"Long live!"

"God bless my king!"

Amid the thunderous cheers, Losa silently made the sign of the cross on his chest.

He turned around and retrieved his Spear of Destiny, then raised his head and looked at the Saracen soldiers whose faces were filled with grief and anger.

"Surrender!"

whoosh-

The arrow hit his breastplate and bounced off.

Lothar sighed softly, raised the Spear of Destiny, and pointed it forward diagonally.

"Siege!"

The next moment, trumpets sounded, and the Crusaders rushed into the palace like a tide.