Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 50: Royal Seal Ring
In the Middle Ages, war or fighting was a common occurrence.

It was as small as a few barons fighting over women, fields, and serfs.

As big as the war or peace between Britain, France and Germany that lasted for hundreds of years.

Then there were expeditions involving tens of thousands of people between religions.

It can be said that the era known as the "Roman Peace" has completely ended.

War has become an eternal theme in this European land.

Either preparing for war, waging war, or returning from the battlefield!
When Garys told John that he was ready to fight.

John just nodded with a serious expression. He knew that based on what Garys was doing in this area, he would definitely be confronting that old man Leonard.

But there is nothing to be afraid of.

Now that they haven't exposed themselves yet, Leonard should just send someone over to inquire, but won't really mobilize the army immediately.

In addition, Leonard is a man who knows how to compromise. For the sake of a greater goal, he will temporarily tolerate certain people or things that make him uncomfortable.

As long as they can show the power to make Leonard lose more than he gains, and then make some concessions.

Then, in order to fight against Saladin next year, Reynald would inevitably make concessions.

That guy didn't have many years left to live, and if he lost the chance to fight Saladin, he would never be able to put a cross on the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque of Mecca in his lifetime.

"Including Simon and you, sir, we have a total of seven knights." John paused when mentioning Gailis. After all, it is hard to say whether Gailis can be considered a knight.

"In addition to the seven knights, there are three other squires who have received long-term military training and are trustworthy."

"In the village of Skar, there are eight young and strong men who have received training and can be mobilized. In the village of Monterey, there are 8 young and strong men who are receiving training and can be mobilized."

"At present, the morale of these 28 people is good, but they are not well trained and can only maintain the most basic military formation."

"As for weapons, we have enough because of the Bedouins, the remains of our brothers who died in the battle, and the ones captured from the tax farmers. We are even quite rich."

John summarized and reported what he knew over the past few days.

Both the Skarr Village and the Monterey Village are undergoing intensive training, although at present, they are at best just novice militiamen.

But because Gellis claimed to be a prophet and had performed miracles, their enthusiasm for training was very high and they had a stronger fighting spirit than ordinary militiamen.

After listening, Gailis also nodded and said, "On my side, Simon is training seven new recruits, and three of the six people I rescued from the dungeon are willing to join our team."

"So in total, we have 7 knights, 3 squires, and 38 recruits, a total of 48 people."

This number is a bit small, but combat effectiveness is not calculated in this way. At least on the battlefields of the Middle Ages, it was common for a dismounted knight to kill 1 others. As for people like Garys, it is even more difficult to quantify.

Gailis continued, "Considering that we need someone to stay behind to guard the prisoners, we can only send 30 people at most."

"30 people."

John repeated the number and could feel the pressure. Even if a single soldier had strong combat capability, two fists could not defeat four hands. When the gap in numbers was too big, even if they won, it would be a miserable victory. Garys also frowned. He knew his own situation well. For example, he had already reached his limit when he performed miracles in Alhadi Town a few days ago.

Simply relying on yourself to kill all enemies is obviously extremely risky.

By then, when the battle begins, even if Garys can lead the knights to go invincible, he will need a more stable rear formation to support them and avoid being trapped in the enemy's camp and unable to save himself.

"Actually, it's not that there's no way, it's just that..."

Garys smacked his lips and looked at Isabel behind him.

Feeling Garys's gaze, Isabel understood what Garys needed right now.

Isabel lifted the necklace around her neck and took the pendant out of her collar.

It was not an ordinary jewel, but a ring.

To be exact, it was a seal ring.

Today, there is only one seal ring of the same style in the entire Kingdom of Jerusalem, and it is currently worn on the thumb of Sibylla, the current Queen of Jerusalem. It is a symbol of the royal power of the Anjou-Jerusalem dynasty.

If a call was directly issued in the name of the royal Angevin family to the surrounding villages established by the descendants of the Crusaders, then many villages would surely be happy to send people to understand the situation.

As descendants of the Crusaders, the rural Franks are actually quite martial.

Unlike the conquered Muslims, the Frankish group, as conquerors, were treated so unfairly under the rule of Raynald that they were more motivated to resist.

After all, they were peasants before the Crusades, and they were still peasants after the Crusades. So the Crusades were all in vain.

In the past, due to their lack of organization and fear of other surrounding lords including the royal power, they may have never launched an uprising, and even if they did protest, they were quite restrained.

But now, Isabel directly took out the royal seal and ring. She was openly supporting the protest of the Frankish peasants in the name of the royal family.

This would mean that the anti-tax campaign organized by Gellis would have a considerable degree of legitimacy, which would be enough to relieve the surrounding Frankish villages of some of their worries.

"How do you think Leonard will treat us if we are exposed? Will he be furious?" Isabel expressed her concerns.

"Rage? Probably... but he has to endure it after all."

Leonard is a man who knows how to compromise. For the sake of a greater goal, he will temporarily tolerate certain people or things that make him uncomfortable.

Perhaps, Reynald was thinking in his heart that after defeating Saladin in the future, he would give Garys and his men a ruthless reckoning like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.

But Gaillis knew very well that there would be no settling of scores later, because the holy city of Jerusalem would be conquered next year!
Leonard's ambitions were destined to be castles in the air, illusions and difficult to achieve.

"Write a letter and have it delivered to the nearby villages. In the name of the king, order the village leaders to come here to discuss forming a militia to resist the tax."

Hearing what Gailis said, Isabel curled up the corners of her mouth into a smile, and couldn't help but feel a lot more proud.

There will be a day when you will ask me for help!

(End of this chapter)