Water Margin people

"Report, sir, the coalition forces have set out! They will arrive in half a month."

A soldier ran in to report.

"What? When did these people become so motivated?"

  Saladin was shocked.

Muktafi said he would convene the Sekifa Conference, but the leaders of the Caliphate turned a deaf ear to him. Some even wanted to attack Muktafi, believing that the Abbasids did not respect the Hadith and that a small Abbasid Kingdom dared to establish its own caliphate and even wanted to convene the sacred Sekifa Conference.

But now these people are sending troops in a hurry, and so quickly. He has never seen these Arab leaders so anxious.

"Are you all here for the Christian Ark of the Covenant and the Hadith?"

Saladin immediately understood the purpose of those people's urgency. Those people were not interested in convening the Secifa Parliament. After all, there was only one leader elected, and the others would definitely not be willing.

But these people who launched the jihad were very enthusiastic. As long as they established military merits in the jihad, they could use their merits to recruit Arab believers to strengthen themselves.

"What are you doing? What are you doing?!"

Saladin shouted with some resentment. The already chaotic situation was now completely out of control. It was impossible for them, the Arabs, to let the hostile forces obtain the holy relics. The holy war that had been eased was about to break out.

"Sir, let's send someone there as soon as possible! Whoever can destroy those evil weapons will be favored by God!"

When the generals heard that the coalition forces were about to arrive, they became anxious. They were unwilling to give up such a great achievement.

"Send some scouts out!"

Saladin waved his hand.

"Sir, how can you only send scouts!"

All the generals roared in dissatisfaction. Although Saladin was their leader, Allah was their faith.

"You didn't even listen to my orders!"

Saladin was furious that his generals dared to object to his orders.

After being yelled at by Saladin, the generals all lowered their heads and dared not say anything else.

……

Jerusalem.

The city was also in chaos at this time.

"Your Majesty, the Lord's holy relic must be recovered!"

The Grand Master of the Knights Templar looked at Baldwin IV and spoke in a low, firm voice.

"You still don't know where it is? Where are you going to look for it?"

Baldwin IV looked at the Knight Commander and spoke.

"Your Majesty, no matter where it is, we must find it!"

A bishop spoke, holding a cross in his hand.

"After all, that is the territory of the Arabs. If we send a large army over there, a war may break out. It is better to send a few elite knights over to take a look!"

Baldwin IV said that the place where the news of the Ark of the Covenant came from belonged to the Kingdom of Zengi, which was the territory of the Arabs. If their army marched there, it would most likely lead to war.

"Your Majesty, war is war! We must not let the holy relic fall into the hands of others!"

But a group of nobles disagreed with Baldwin IV. They didn't care about the war, they only cared about the holy relics.

"What's going on in Damascus?"

Seeing that some people were disobeying his orders, Baldwin IV had to change the subject.

"Not yet, only a small number of scouts have been sent out!"

The leader of the Knights Hospitaller spoke.

"That's right. Saladin hasn't made any moves yet. If we send out a large army, the other side will do the same. Once a war breaks out, how can we find the holy relics? How many holy relics have been lost in wars? Wasn't the True Cross destroyed in war?"

Baldwin IV spoke.

After hearing this analysis, everyone calmed down. The True Cross was destroyed in the war and now only fragments are left.

Everyone dispersed in disappointment.

"Teacher, is what you said about the Ark of the Covenant true?"

Baldwin IV looked at William. Now he and William were the only ones left in the palace.

William was silent, not knowing what to say. He was the archbishop, and it was not easy for him to say anything about the holy objects of the church. "Teacher!"

Baldwin IV's voice rose a few notches.

"His Majesty!"

William finally came to his senses and quickly saluted.

"I don't know, but there must be a reason for the news to spread!"

William spoke up.

"I just want to know the reason! Why did the Ark of the Covenant suddenly appear? We have been searching for this thing for hundreds of years, but there is no trace of it!"

Baldwin IV spoke.

"This...I really don't know!"

William shook his head. It happened too suddenly and there was no way to analyze it.

"Could it be Qi?"

Baldwin IV suddenly spoke.

"Qi? This... is very possible! If we fight against the Arabs, all the benefits will go to Qi! But there is no evidence!"

William spoke up.

"Is this emperor so terrible?"

Baldwin IV murmured.

"Report, Your Majesty, there is the latest news!"

A knight walked into the palace and said.

"Say!"

Baldwin IV spoke directly.

"News came from the Persian Gulf that the Emperor of Qi is looking for the sacred object of Manichaeism - the Holy Fire Order. It is said that the Holy Fire Order records the magical powers and treasures of Manichaeism!"

The knight reported to Baldwin IV.

"Manichaeism? Holy Fire Order?"

Baldwin IV looked at William and asked, he didn't know much about Manichaeism.

"Your Majesty, Manichaeism is a religion that was born thousands of years ago and was widely spread. It originated from Zoroastrianism and absorbed some doctrines of our Christianity and Eastern Buddhism. They advocate the theory of two sects and three periods. The two origins are darkness and light, good and evil. The three periods refer to the three processes of world development: the initial period (past), the middle period (present) and the final period (future)."

"It originated in the Persian Plateau and was once extremely prosperous and widely spread. However, with the rise of the Arabs, it gradually declined and was later destroyed by the Roman Empire. Now it has long been extinct, with only a very small number of believers in remote mountainous areas."

"But I have never heard of the Holy Fire Order! When the Roman Empire wiped out Manichaeism, it didn't even hear of the Holy Fire Order."

William spoke up.

"Then how did the Qi people know this? Over there is Manichaeism and the Holy Fire Order! And over here is the Holy Ark of the Covenant! It's too confusing! Too confusing!"

Baldwin IV supported his head with one hand. He felt a headache. He had a chronic disease. Although it was controlled by medication, he felt a splitting headache when he thought about too many things.

"Your Majesty, it is difficult to tell whether the Holy Fire Order is true or not, but Manichaeism was indeed introduced to the East. It is said that it was called the Ming Cult there, and it also reveres fire."

William shook his head.

"Teacher, please check this out. This matter must be thoroughly investigated!"

Baldwin IV spoke.

"Yes!"

William bowed quickly and went down. He was going to the library in the field, which contained a large number of ancient books, which should have clear records about Manichaeism and the Holy Fire Order.

"Hey, how could this happen!"

Baldwin IV took a long time to recover and said with a sigh.

Baldwin IV, confused, looked at the sky outside. After confirming the time, he took out an exquisite porcelain bottle from his arms.

"I don't know what to do after taking this medicine!"

Baldwin IV poured out a pill and said, he can no longer live without this medicine. (End of this chapter)