Water Margin people

Hezhong Mansion.

"Report, His Majesty has issued an order to let the enemy into the Central River area. His Majesty will lead troops to the front line!"

A soldier reported to Lin Chong, Du Fu, Sun Li and others.

"Your Majesty is coming to the front line again!"

Lin Chong asked hurriedly, although Hezhong Prefecture is called a prefecture, it was just a name for this place during the Tang Dynasty. The city here was just a garrison at that time, and it gradually became a small city, which could not guarantee the absolute safety of the emperor.

"Yes, His Majesty has already led the troops out!"

The soldier said.

"What should we do? It's too risky to let the enemy enter Transoxiana from such a small town."

Sun Li said.

"I think so too! The Seljuks are sending more troops, and it looks like they are about to launch a large-scale attack!"

Lin Chong said that he had just received news that the Seljuk army had increased a lot.

"How about we clear the fields? This is all plains, and the city is small. We can't protect such a large territory. The enemy cavalry can come in from anywhere, and by the time we react, the enemy will have escaped!"

Du Fu said that they had fought such battles several times. Although they defeated the enemy with tactics and killed many people, the enemy was also adapting quickly. It was hard to say how much effect the tactics had.

"It's not easy to clear the fields! There are nomads here. They graze and live in no fixed place. How can we clear the fields? If we clear the grasslands and deserts today, we don't know where another group of nomads will appear tomorrow!"

Yang Zhi said helplessly that they couldn't even communicate with these herdsmen in the same language. They had brought several translators with them, but they always encountered small tribes whose language they didn't know. It was a headache, and even the gestures they made were all in gibberish.

"If it doesn't work, just let them go and let the Seljuks kill them. Those who don't obey will run away on their own."

Li Yu said that if they couldn't deal with those disobedient herdsmen themselves, then let them die.

"It's not that this method is not possible, but it will damage the foundation of our Qi State. To put it bluntly, these people are already under the rule of Qi State!"

Lin Chong was a little hesitant. The idea was a good one, but it was difficult to make a decision.

"I heard that Your Majesty brought the Khan of Khwarezm here. Why not let him do these things?"

Sun Li suddenly thought of the people Sun Lei brought with him this time, including the local Khan.

"That's a good idea. Let them do this troublesome thing!"

Everyone was delighted, this was the best solution.

"Report, General, the Seljuk army has invaded our borders, and 10,000 soldiers have already reached the edge of the grassland."

A cavalryman came hastily to report.

"They came so soon, it looks like they can't wait. There are 10,000 vanguards this time, it looks like they want to make a big move!"

Yang Zhi spoke.

"Don't worry about them. His Majesty asked us to let them in, so let them in. We just need to get ready!"

Lin Chong said that the Seljuk army was nothing and its combat effectiveness was not even second-rate. As long as they were well prepared, there would be no major problems.

……

To the north of Hezhong Prefecture, William of Tyre was galloping on a fast horse. He took out a sheepskin map, looked at it, and quickly found the direction to enter the territory of the Seljuk Empire.

"It looks like all the troops have really been transferred away! This is perfect!"

William looked at the surroundings and said with a smile. He remembered that there was a garrison here, but now he could see nothing. It was obvious that the Seljuks had assembled a large number of troops, which would be of great help to him in crossing the Seljuk Empire.

"The Emperor didn't even send anyone to follow him!"

William, who was riding wildly, looked behind him again. He thought that the Emperor of Qi would send someone to follow him, but he didn't expect that the Emperor of Qi had no intention of paying attention to him at all. "What is in this bottle?"

William felt the blue and white porcelain vase in his arms, and he really wanted to know what the emperor wanted to do.

After galloping on horseback for more than ten days, William finally crossed the Seljuk Empire and entered the Abbasid Empire. He was ready to cross Damascus and return to Jerusalem.

"There's a fight!"

Before reaching the border between Damascus and Jerusalem, William heard shouts of killing.

William carefully climbed up a small hill and took a look. Sure enough, it was their Yelusay Kingdom army fighting with the Abbasid army.

"War has broken out so soon!"

William's face changed slightly.

The battle did not last long as the Abbasid army was not large and they retreated after fighting for a while. Compared with the elite army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, these Abbasids were nothing.

After waiting for the warring parties to retreat, William appeared on horseback.

Immediately, the knights of the Kingdom of Jerusalem noticed William's approach. They became alert and only let him go after confirming his identity.

"Where is His Majesty the King?"

William looked at the knight captain and asked.

"Your Majesty is still in the palace, feeling... a little unwell!"

The knight captain whispered that everyone knew about Baldwin IV's illness. When the disease broke out, his skin ulcerated like a demon.

William felt even worse when he heard this, and he immediately rode to Jerusalem. As the king's teacher, William smoothly entered the palace and came to a separate spire in the backyard, which was the private residence of Baldwin IV.

"Your Majesty, I'm back!"

William knelt on one knee and spoke to the thick curtain.

A violent coughing sounded and Baldwin IV seemed to be in pain.

"Teacher, did you have a smooth journey? Did you deliver the letter?"

The young voice of Baldwin IV sounded from behind the curtain. Who would have thought that the current king of Jerusalem was only fifteen years old.

"The letter was delivered, and I also met Sun Lei, the emperor of Qi!"

William spoke up.

"Qi Emperor Sun Lei! He's coming to the West!"

Baldwin IV's voice became a little louder, and there was a rustling sound, as if he was getting dressed.

Baldwin IV suffered from leprosy, a highly contagious disease that could be transmitted through contact with clothing, so he usually dressed himself, and his clothes would be collected by a special person and disinfected with boiling water.

After a while, Baldwin IV walked out from behind the curtain. He was wearing a golden mask, but his tired eyes were staring at William.

"Yes, the Emperor of Qi has come to Husiwoerduo. He seems to be dissatisfied with the current territory!"

William spoke up.

"Is he not satisfied with the current territory? He wants to expand? He already has a territory of more than 100,000 miles, and he is still not satisfied?"

Baldwin IV looked at William and asked.

"Based on what I saw, yes, I can't see through the emperor. He seems to be able to see through people's hearts. He saw through my identity the moment I met him. He is so scary!"

William crossed himself before speaking. He still couldn't forget the day he met Sun Lei. Everything was going well, but Sun Lei saw through him in an instant, making him feel like he was walking naked on a busy street. (End of this chapter)