Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 150: Unwise, Unjust, Uncourageous, Unethical!

Based on his confidence in himself, he did not take the four or five thousand Muslim enemy troops seriously at all. There was no point in thinking so much. As long as he could defeat the troops sent by Saladin one by one, the war would be won.

"Notify the entire army to immediately replenish water sources, rest where they are, abandon unnecessary baggage, and set off immediately after the fourth horn sounds."

Black smoke rose from the distant village, announcing the enemy's movements to Reynard, and he was already eager to cut something down.

In the Middle East, more than anywhere else, the role of rivers as sources of life is clear.

It is the rivers that laid the foundation for the isolated oasis civilization in the Middle East.

The Euphrates and Tigris rivers formed the Mesopotamian River Basin, bringing abundant water to Baghdad, one of the core areas of Arab civilization.

The Khabur River, Yarmouk River and Orontes River support Syria's developed wheat farming industry, making Syrian wheat famous in the eastern Mediterranean.

The Nile River gave birth to Egypt, an ancient civilization with thousands of years of history, where the arable land enjoys the fertile soil given by the God-given river.

In Palestine, the most important and sacred river is undoubtedly the Jordan River.

This river is much more sacred than the brook Zered, the Arnon, the Jabbok, etc.

Not to mention the sacredness of the Jordan River in the land of Canaan, just because it is the place where Jesus was baptized, it has been given many beautiful names by Christianity.

【After Jesus was baptized, he came up immediately from the water. And suddenly the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.】

Matthew 3:16
Putting aside the theological implications, the entire Jordan Valley can be seen as a terraced low valley, with each section of the valley downstream being slightly narrower than the upstream section.

The middle section of the Jordan River ends at the Sea of ​​Galilee, or more accurately, the Lake of Galilee.
This unique terrain not only obscured the marching tracks of Reynard's troops, but also forced his troops to walk up a very difficult slope before they could rest again.

The most difficult part is when walking out of the Jordan Valley. You have to climb from 200 meters below sea level to 200 meters above sea level in just a few thousand meters. The steepest part is that you have to climb meters above sea level in a distance of about meters!
In this kind of terrain, once we encounter the enemy, we will be easily defeated by the enemy from a high position.

Of course, as a veteran who had been through many battles, Leonard was able to grasp all the details, big and small, that should be paid attention to during the march.

In addition to dividing the army into three sections: front, middle and rear, Tukobo's light cavalry were closely scouting the enemy situation around them to ensure that his army would not be ambushed when it was most vulnerable.

Then the Tukopo light cavalry who were passing by brought a message for Reynard.

There were people on the platform, but they were not enemies, but Leonard's old friends.

The scorching sun burned the wilderness, and the sky was like a rolling iron furnace, spewing endless heat waves onto the battlefield.

The yellow sand rolled up dust in the strong wind, dyeing the white cloaks of the Knights Templar yellow. Only the red octagonal cross seal, like a burnt brand, still shone brightly in the sun.

When Leonard walked over the edge of the plateau under the scorching sun in June, he saw someone he knew.

Gerald, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, stood on a high ground, his cloak fluttering in the strong wind like a howling flag.

In front of the Grand Master were nearly one hundred and fifty knights and three hundred well-trained armored sergeants.

Among those knights, those wearing white cloaks with a red cross are the Knights Templar, and those wearing black cloaks with a white cross are the Knights Hospitaller.

They are the backbone of Jerusalem's armed forces.

Grand Commander Gerald pointed his sword to the sky and shouted loudly!

“Warriors of the Lord!”

"You wear black and white capes because we want to remain pure and reject all that is vain and fleeting!"

“Wealth, power, worldly glory, these things are like illusions in the desert, they will dissipate at the touch of a finger!
"We put such confusion under our feet, because we are servants of God, and we pursue a higher and more eternal glory!"

"Just as the Maccabees raised their swords before God and fought for the Law and Covenant of the Lord, so too will we not be afraid of death! We fight for the Church, for the Law, for the legacy of the suffering Christ!

"We are the true heirs of the Maccabees!"

[Children! Now you should be zealous in obeying the law and sacrifice your life for the covenant of our ancestors. Remember the great deeds of our ancestors, so that you can gain supreme glory and immortal name.]

—2 Maccabees 50:51-
Gerald has a unique personal charm, a kind of fanatical sincerity that seems to come from the heart, and his speech can infect others.

So many people were already inspired, they seemed to have seen the moment when the knights charged.

By then, there will be only the roaring and rolling iron torrents between heaven and earth!

The white robes and red crosses of the Knights Templar, or the black robes and white crosses of the Hospitallers, will shine on the battlefield. Their roars will shake the battlefield, and their roars will drown out the enemy's cries...

"Whether alive or dead, we belong to God! And Christ is our life, and death is our salvation!"

"Deus vult!"

"Deus vult!"

The cheers were like waves, one after another, touching the hearts of everyone present.

When Leonard climbed over the high ground, this was the scene he saw.

And if you look further into the distance, you can see a thin black line where the sky and the earth meet that day.

An ordinary old Frank farmer could not tell what it was.

But Reynald knew that it was an army, an army of thousands of people. If no one stopped them, they would sweep across the Kingdom of Jerusalem and attack the port of Acre!

However, Leonard, who had just arrived, did not join in the cheering. He just watched coldly.

Gerald naturally noticed the visitor, but when he, Roger, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, and Jacques, Marshal of the Knights Templar, came forward, he did not see Reynald's smile.

"Pooh."

"Are you so eager to die?"

With just one sentence, Leonard extinguished the enthusiasm of this group of people.

Gerald's face froze. He had never thought that Leonard would say such a thing. In his impression, Leonard should be biting the pagans like a mad dog.

"To fight an enemy ten times your size with a mere 500 men is not a wise move!"

"As the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, you are sending the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller to his death. This is not righteousness!"

"The kingdom is about to go to war, and there are a total of 150 knights! You threw them away so easily, this is not chastity!"

"One day, after your death, the morale of the kingdom will be low, and tens of thousands of troops will be defeated by the enemy. This is not courage!"

In Catholicism, there are four most important virtues: wisdom, justice, courage, and temperance. These virtues are called cardinal virtues.

Leonard's words were really a humiliation for Gerald.

Roger, the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, also breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, a normal person came to hold down the madman Gerald. He was really worried that Gerald would get carried away and take all of them to death.

For reasons of honor, he could not refuse Gerald's invitation.

Gerald, who was embarrassed, responded, "What about you back then? You led eighty Knights Templar to attack Saladin's thirty thousand troops?"

"That's a 400-fold difference in military strength!"

Hearing this, Roger, the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, was unable to hold back for a moment. He suddenly realized one thing: How could Reynald be considered a normal person? If Reynald was considered a normal person, then this world must be crazy!
This is a madman who dares to declare war on the Eastern Roman Empire and the Muslim Zengid Dynasty at the same time!

He never followed any armistice agreement seriously!

This guy is the main reason for the outbreak of this war!
Leonard was greatly benefited by Gerald's response.

But he still explained with a groan: "It's not eighty! How many times do I have to say it's not eighty!"

"Besides you, the Knights Templar, there were 375 other knights charging with me! Even Balian joined us."

"Of course, the most important point is that I caught the laxity of the infidel king Saladin."

"At that time, Saladin had 30,000 troops, which were difficult to gather and march, and he felt that he had victory in his grasp, so he divided his troops into several groups and wanted to sweep our kingdom."

"But I found him, found Saladin, gathered the main forces of the kingdom at that time, and attacked the army where Saladin was."

"No matter how many ways he comes, I will only go one way!"

　The war scenes about Leonard will end tomorrow, and another missionary journey of Garys will begin, this time to break into Leonard’s empty door!
　　Third update, additional update
　　
　
(End of this chapter)