Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 440 Seeking Fame and Obtaining Fame
Henry hadn't really forgotten Erskine; in fact, he wasn't used to it and was unwilling to admit it.

They couldn't adjust to the loss of so many of their brothers and were unwilling to admit defeat.

During a previous meeting, a slogan was used to say: "The Easter Lent is coming to an end, so we should leave the Sinai wilderness like Jesus."

He strongly agrees with this point.

The scripture reads: "Then Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and after that he became hungry."

If Jesus could be hungry, then it is only natural that ordinary people like them could be hungry as well.

Jesus only stayed in the Sinai wilderness for forty days, but they stayed there for a full six months!

Half a year!

You should know that he hasn't touched a woman in the past six months!
A full six months of abstinence might even surpass that of many priests!

He wouldn't be attracted to the same sex, so he could only suppress it.

"Henry, do you think we'll go back here to fight?"

Algar asked from the side.

This is actually possible. If Egypt wins the battle in the Suez region, the Eighth Legion could order the Fourth Legion to advance back into the Sinai Peninsula.

Then this damned day might just come again.

"Then I'd rather die on the battlefield."

For someone like Henry, he genuinely felt that dying on the battlefield wasn't so bad.

In this era, people generally believe in the existence of an afterlife.

If a person is sincere enough, they can truly hypnotize themselves and make themselves believe that they can go to heaven.

Rather than continuing to suffer in the Sinai Peninsula, it's better to die sooner and be reborn, leaving this world cleanly and decisively.

Algar shook his head. He was rather pessimistic. His previous question was more of a form of self-comfort, a way of giving himself hope that Egypt wouldn't lose again.

Egypt's current level is just a bunch of worthless, rotten fish and shrimp.

Can you fight? You know you don't have that ability!

After losing Sinai, then Suez, then Cairo, and once Cairo is lost, the Egyptian army will have nowhere left to lose.

Looking back, it seems that the dead will indeed go to heaven, while the living will simply pack up and try to make a living back in Europe.

Even if Run goes back, will it end well?
Argal felt a chill run down his spine when he thought about how his hometown treated its second sons.

Perhaps, it would be better to just die on the battlefield, as Henry suggested!
Algar simply gave up on himself.

……

Compared to the dire situation on the Fourth Legion's side, the army on the Jerusalem side was in a much better condition.

Especially after the Fourth Legion withdrew completely, just two days later, the Abbot of St. Catherine's Monastery and Archbishop of the Church of Sinai, Callisto, personally led the Jerusalem Royal Army back to the monastery.

The archbishop led the way, followed closely by Mark, the commander of the 3rd Regiment of the Southern Egyptian War Zone of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and his regimental commander Paladin Siegber.

The archbishop not only led the group leader and the Paladin, but also acted as a tour guide, introducing them to the long history of St. Catherine's Abbey.

Furthermore, he subtly implied to the two leaders that their monastery had consistently sided with Jerusalem during the previous battles. They were, in Egypt, but their hearts belonged to Jerusalem!

We can't forget about this.

Mark and Siegfried naturally echoed each other's sentiments.

The three of them were all chatting and laughing, and were quite polite to each other.

After recounting the miracle of the burning thorns, Mark took the initiative to speak: "Your Excellency Archbishop, St. Catherine's Monastery is a holy place, and your status within the Church is extremely noble."

"Even the prophet Galis spoke of the importance of the Sinai Peninsula on several occasions in Jerusalem."

"Now that the Sinai Peninsula is completely liberated, you have made such an important contribution in the process."

"With the Easter conference just around the corner, why don't I send someone to escort you to Jerusalem so you can participate in this once-in-a-millennium event?"

The archbishop took two deep breaths to calm himself down. All his previous acting, aside from his genuine hatred for the Egyptian legions' rampage in the monastery, was simply to obtain an invitation to Jerusalem.

Life is nothing more than fame and fortune.

As the archbishop of the Sinai Peninsula, he didn't really have much to ask for in terms of profit. If he truly sought profit, he shouldn't have taken up a priesthood here.

The Sinai Peninsula is such a desolate place that you can't squeeze a drop of oil out of even a three-foot patch of land.

However, assuming the position of Archbishop of the Sinai Peninsula means gaining the respect of various Christian sects, along with Judaism and a segment of Muslims.

Since people have desires, then cater to their preferences.

In any case, the Sinai Church, as a branch of the Eastern Orthodox Church, would not attend the ecumenical council hosted by the Pope in Rome.

The Prophet of Jerusalem, now holding a high position, is to co-host a conference with the Orthodox churches from all over the world. As the Archbishop of the Sinai Peninsula, he naturally wants to join in the fun and enhance his own reputation.

If he doesn't mingle in higher-level, larger-scale religious social circles, how can he, as the Archbishop of the Church of Sinai, put on airs?

Anyway, Jerusalem is only about 300 kilometers away from the Sinai Church, which should take about ten days to get there.

Of course, if we set off now, it's highly unlikely we'll be able to reach Jerusalem before Easter.

After the archbishop achieved his goal, he left Mark and Siegfried to take stock of the losses his monastery had suffered during those days, leaving the chief and the chief paladin in the courtyard.

They looked at each other and sighed.

Paladin Siegfried spoke first: "This archbishop, perhaps..."

Mark replied, "I know what you're going to say, too enthusiastic, too familiar."

Siegfried shook his head and steered the conversation toward a more practical question: “Now that we have essentially taken control of the mountainous region of the Sinai Peninsula, should we continue our advance?”

Mark shook his head: "Although the previous battles were not intense, the Sinai Peninsula is not a very comfortable place. Soldiers who have experienced battles should focus on resting and recuperating."

"Our current task is to renovate these outposts and build supply depots in preparation for the subsequent advance of friendly forces into Egypt."

Currently, a battalion in the Kingdom of Jerusalem has about 600 men, and a regiment has about 2,500 men. Including the Bedouin vassal forces, the Sinai Peninsula has a maximum of about 3,000 men.

Their regiment has the strength to fight some small-scale battles with the Egyptian Fourth Army, but if they were to leave the Sinai Peninsula and fight a large-scale battle with Egypt, they would be overestimating their own capabilities.

(End of this chapter)