Alien Knights

April 20, 1174, the holy city, the top of Mount Moli.

The supreme commander of the Mamluk Cavalry Regiment, Elim, looked at the people of the Holy City at the foot of the mountain who were holding crosses and walking towards the Cathedral of the Holy Sepulchre, and clenched the whip in his hand angrily.

"Prepare the horses! I'm going to the Caliph!"

Riding on the steed brought by his subordinates, Elim raised his whip and galloped towards the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the east of the holy city.

When Ilam stormed into the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Ayyubid emperor Salah al-Din was standing in the square watching craftsmen remove the cross from the top of the temple.

"The great Saladin the Great!"

Elim's loud voice attracted everyone's attention. Saladin turned his head, looked at the confidant general under his command, and frowned slightly: "Didn't I ask you to arrange the release of slaves? Why did you come here?"

Elim, who was just about to speak, saw a man in black beside Saladin, and snorted coldly: "How can evil heretics set foot in the Holy Land of Allah?!"

Throatbone, who wrapped his whole body in the black robe, smiled slightly, and stood back with his hands folded.

Saladin said to Elim angrily: "You should thank him! Without his help, you and your Kasaji guards might suffer a devastating blow when facing Payazi!"

Elim gritted his teeth and did not refute. Instead, he asked, "Caliph, I don't understand something about your move to free the slaves."

"explain."

"You did make an agreement with those people not to enslave the residents, but the premise is that they pay enough ransom. The ransom has not been received yet, but someone told me that you ordered all the residents to be released?"

"Yes, it was my order."

Veins appeared on Yilam's forehead: "Do you know that those residents who ordered the release didn't have the slightest thought of being grateful to Dade, and they gathered at the Cathedral of the Holy Sepulchre holding the cross high in the blink of an eye."

"I know, this is my acquiescence."

Yilam looked at his monarch in astonishment, and stammered: "Then, those people are pagans! They are wicked people who are at the feet of Allah and committing blasphemy! They should be severely punished. How can you acquiesce in their worship of paganism?!"

Saladin looked at Elim, shook his head helplessly, and said, "If you follow your thinking, should you do it this way?"

"All the residents who can't pay the ransom will all become slaves of the empire! Tear down all Christian churches and altars in the city! Only the voice of praising Allah can exist in the holy city, and the voices of other religions should be completely suppressed!"

Hearing Elim's so-called "idea", Saladin rubbed the center of his brows with a headache: "Use your brains before you speak or act! Think about the current situation and where we are! If you can't figure it out yourself, go to Military Adviser Zara Tahan and ask! Don't challenge my patience with these stupid ideas!"

Seeing the back of Elim leaving angrily, Saladin turned his gaze to the cross that the craftsmen removed, and remained silent.

"The holy city is an extremely sensitive place. It is the birthplace of the three major Abrahamic religions. Each sect regards the city as a holy place according to their own religious legends, so any actions should be cautious."

The voice behind him caused Saladin to turn around unexpectedly.

Looking at this pale young man, Saladin asked with a smile: "Language, if it were you, how should you deal with the situation in the Holy City now?"

Playing with a shiny knife between his fingers, he said while thinking, "Right now, stabilizing the hearts of the people in the city is the most important task."

"What about after that?"

"I don't know, maybe we can gradually reduce the influence of other sects?"

Saladin smiled noncommittally, and changed the subject: "Young man, you and your army helped the empire land smoothly and made great contributions in blocking King Payazi's offensive. Tell me, what reward do you want?"

"Emperor Saladin, before asking for a reward, I have a question."

"question?"

"Do you plan to use troops against the North in the future?"

The other party's question made Saladin frown: "Why are you asking this?"

"If you are content with the status quo and have no intention of making progress, then I will turn around and leave..."

"But what if I give you an affirmative answer?"

The throat bone said with a smile: "Then the reward I want is to be able to serve under your command."

Saladin looked at the larynx in surprise: "Your request is really interesting? What's the reason?"

The eyes of the throat gradually turned cold: "Let's put it this way, I have an insoluble grudge with some people in the north."

Saladin stared at the other party for a long time, finally patted the other party's shoulder, and said with a big smile, "I can promise you here that sooner or later, I will march to the north and spread the crescent banner of the empire in every corner... But, not now..."

The throat bone was a little disappointed: "Not now?"

Saladin didn't answer the other party's question, but looked at a galloping war horse outside the gate. The messenger on the horse's back was holding up the fire-stamped letter in his hand, his face full of panic.

Saladin straightened his clothes and said calmly, "Before I face north, I must first pull out the thorns on my back one by one!"

———————————

On the same day, Soul Space, Entertainment Street Bar.

Todd, Cumberland and Emerson sat at the bar of the tavern, slowly drinking their alcohol.

Emerson looked at the layer of colorful wine in the glass and said with a sigh: "It's really hard to imagine that in another world, wine can be prepared like this. The name of this glass of wine is...?"

"Cloud top rainbow light." Todd said in a nostalgic tone, looking at the sloshing liquid in the cup.

Cumberland first looked at the beer bottle in his hand, then at the small ear cup in Todd's hand, and asked curiously, "Your Majesty, what kind of wine is in your glass?"

Todd said, "My cup is called 'Worry Relief'."

"Relief?" Cumberland laughed, "This is the first time I've heard the name of this wine."

Todd pushed the small earcup in his hand towards Cumberland, and said maliciously: "Why don't you try it?"

Cumberland looked at the small and exquisite glass, gulped down the transparent liquid in a gulp, and then coughed loudly with his face flushed. He slapped the table and shouted, "This is the strongest wine I've ever had!"

Todd snapped his fingers and counted all the treasures: "Vodka, Erguotou, Tahitian... and a few drops of chili oil. This thing is something a group of people fiddled with when they were bored, and the picture is just a stimulus."

Emerson watched Todd refill himself another glass, and asked worriedly, "Your Majesty, are you worried?"

Todd looked at the clear liquid in the cup, and suddenly asked the two old men in front of him: "Tell me the truth, what are the chances of winning the Muxi City against the Ayub Empire in the south?"

Todd's straightforward question made Emerson clear his throat with some discomfort.

The latter and Cumberland looked at each other, and they both remained silent.

"This is not a meeting room, and there are no other idlers, so you don't have to worry that your speech will have a negative impact on others." Todd turned the cup with his fingers and said calmly: "So, don't worry, if you have any ideas, just say it."

After a while of silence, Emerson spoke first: "Actually, we missed a perfect opportunity. In the late autumn of last year, the southern war had just ended, and the Ayub Empire was at its most chaotic and weakest. If we could use diplomatic means or economic suppression to magnify the internal conflicts within the empire during that time, we might provoke a deadly civil strife."

Cumberland continued: "Actually, there is still another opportunity, and that is the battle of the Holy City. If the defenders of the Holy City can see through Saladin's strategic intentions, or get the support of a living force, the Ayub Empire may already be on the way to retreat..."

Todd sighed softly: "After all, you still haven't answered my question..."

Emerson put down his wine glass: "Your Majesty, for hundreds of years, the biggest reason why the Southern Empire has been unable to advance northward is internal friction. Religious factions, tribal chiefs, racial branches, ethnic divisions... Although the Southern Empire has a developed economy and a strong military, it is bound by its own shortcomings... until a person appeared..."

Todd said in a deep voice, "Saladin."

Cumberland frowned, stroked his beard, and said with a headache: "The Southern Empire has the advantage of guns, and Muxi City has the alien corps. If the two are compared on the same order of magnitude, it is impossible to tell who is better. But the problem is that Muxi City has one of the biggest disadvantages, which is the strength of troops."

Cumberland took a sip of beer and continued: "The total strength of Muxi City, excluding those peasants and soldiers who have no combat effectiveness, is less than 3,000 people. The alien knights who are the main force are even only 300 people. Facing the 100,000 troops of the Southern Empire, this force can only support a local war. And, to be honest, I don't care about any general in the Southern Empire... But I am a little bit confused about the emperor Saladin."

Todd nodded slightly, picked up the "Worry Relief" on the table, and took a sip.

Spicy alcohol rushed into his mouth, but the haze of the future could not be washed away.

Todd and the prime minister of the kingdom and the supreme military commander were talking about the future of the kingdom in the bar while drinking bitter drinks. After drinking for three rounds, his brain became heavier and heavier, but his heart gradually became clearer.

Returning from the soul space to the bedroom, Todd looked at himself in the mirror, slowly closed his eyes, took off the crown on his head, and placed it on the table.

Although the spring night outside the window is already warm and pleasant, silent sighs reverberate in the cold palace, which cannot be dispersed for a long time.