Chapter 37: Aid and Plans
Lothar spoke bluntly, "His Majesty has entrusted me with a mission, but I have too few forces at my disposal. I need your help, Lord Godfrey." He then recounted in detail what Baldwin IV had assigned him.
"I have one hundred cavalry and twelve knights under my command. How many men do you wish to borrow?" Baron Godfrey asked, his expression serious.
'So many cavalry?' Lothar was taken aback by the forces Baron Godfrey commanded. To maintain such a large standing armed force—even few Imperial Counts could compare. (Imperial Counts refer to those in Great Germania directly under the Emperor, not those enfeoffed under some Grand Duke. Werner was one such Imperial Count.) If conscripted peasant soldiers were included, Baron Godfrey alone could rally over a thousand men.
Lothar pondered for a moment and replied, "At least twenty men. As for knights... I need someone who knows how to adapt to circumstances and is familiar with the terrain and power distribution in the Holy Land."
Godfrey asked calmly, "What do you intend to do? If it's just burning a few villages, plundering, and slaughtering a few hundred infidel civilians, then ten of my cavalrymen will suffice. Their combat skills are very adept."
Lothar frowned. "Burn villages? Slaughter civilians? I never intended to do such things." Although war always ended up harming civilians, he would never personally slaughter those who were unarmed. He couldn't get past that hurdle in his own heart.
Lothar's face was stern. "Justice, mercy, punishing evil and promoting good, not drawing one's sword against the weak—this is the knight's creed."
Godfrey said earnestly, "But His Holiness the Pope has said that killing infidels does not count as murder. Lothar, you must understand that a pedantic person, whether in the Holy Land or elsewhere, cannot achieve great deeds."
Lothar was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "My Lord, what you say may be right. But a man cannot ignore his own conscience. I cannot deceive myself and tell myself that doing so is right."
Godfrey didn't speak for a long time. Lothar looked up and saw on the baron's face expressions of gratification, admiration, and reminiscence.
He sighed deeply. "Lothar, in truth, you are not like your father at all. These are my sincere words. Apart from wisdom and courage, neither your appearance nor your personality resembles his."
Godfrey clapped Lothar on the shoulder, and the two looked at each other and smiled.
"Your father was a devout believer. He understood political maneuvering and military strategy, but he did not possess a benevolent heart like yours. He was called an executioner, a cold-blooded butcher. He never showed mercy to his enemies and was equally ruthless towards Crusader nobles who colluded with the infidels. The Crusader nobles feared him; the infidels hated and dreaded him."
Seeing Lothar's expression change slightly, Godfrey smiled. "But rest assured, many in both the Nobles' Party and the Queen Mother's Party also admire Werner's justice and integrity. No one will vent their anger on you because of it, at least not openly."
Lothar smiled. He wasn't actually afraid of being targeted. 'Not to be envied is to be mediocre.' Since he had benefited from Old Werner's legacy, it was only natural to bear some of his father's burdens. Still, it was better if there were none.
The smile gradually faded from Godfrey's face, replaced by a hint of sorrow. "The reason your father left the Holy Land back then was actually because he had disagreements with His Majesty and me. On many occasions, not only did we not support him, but we even stood against him. He believed we had betrayed the lofty ideals we once established, ignobly seeking peace with the infidels instead of resolutely fighting to the end." Baron Godfrey's face showed a trace of bitterness.
Lothar was slightly taken aback. Count Werner's past behavior indeed resembled that of a devout believer. But this was the first time Lothar realized how uncompromising he had been back then. Even after the victory at Montgisard, the power balance between the Crusader states and the Ayyubid Kingdom was still vastly disparate; the sheer scale of both sides was plain to see.
"But looking at it now, he should have come to terms with it, otherwise he wouldn't have sent you to us. Lothar, for His Majesty to entrust you with this important task shows that he also thinks very highly of you."
Lothar said seriously, "I will certainly not disappoint His Majesty or you."
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Coming back alive is more important than anything, even if it means bearing some disgrace. As long as you're alive, there's a future."
"I understand."
Godfrey clapped Lothar's shoulder again. "I have a contingent of Kurdish cavalry under my command. They once served the Zengid Dynasty. After the Zengid Dynasty was overthrown by Saladin, they swore to avenge their lord, even if it meant serving infidels."
Godfrey stared into Lothar's eyes; this was one of his greatest secrets. Although in the Holy Land, Crusader nobles more or less all colluded with infidels—even King Baldwin IV had corresponded with Saladin—this was something that could absolutely never be brought out into the open.
Lothar said decisively, "That would be perfect! We'll take this Kurdish cavalry unit! But the problem is, Saladin will definitely blame this on the Zengid remnants." The Zengid Dynasty had once been the suzerain state of the Ayyubid Kingdom. It had been overthrown by Saladin some years ago, its territories seized, making them remnants of a former dynasty. Furthermore, their power base was primarily concentrated in areas like Aleppo and Antioch, so they were familiar with the terrain. The former Duke of Antioch, Count Raynald, and Count Joscelin III of Edessa had been defeated by the Zengid armies, thereby losing their territories. And Saladin himself was a Kurd; it would be plausible for this Kurdish cavalry unit to be affiliated with him.
Godfrey chuckled lightly. "The truth of the matter is often unimportant."
Lothar also understood and nodded. "The Sasanian King lacks a reason to dispatch troops, and we just need to give him that reason." If Saladin reconquered Jerusalem, he would become the savior of the entire Zoroastrian world. His prestige would instantly overshadow that of the Sasanian Shahanshah. And the Sasanian King, at least openly, absolutely could not undermine Saladin, otherwise he would have no way to answer to the Zoroastrian believers who yearned for the recovery of the Holy Land.
Godfrey added with a smile, "Even if there are inconsistencies, the Sasanian King will cover them up for us well." He looked at the beads of sweat on Lothar's temples and smiled. "You should change into a silk robe. It's cooler and more befitting a noble's status. Don't worry, silk isn't that expensive in Jerusalem. It's only after passing through the hands of those stingy merchants that the price multiplies several times over. If you can't afford it, I can gift you one."
Lothar quickly said, "Then I won't be polite!"
Godfrey paused, then said with some resignation, "I was just being polite with you."
Lothar looked aggrieved. "I really am out of money. His Majesty rewarded me with a thousand Solidii, but I've decided to use that sum to arm fifty soldiers."
"Grain and fodder, military equipment, soldiers' wages, training grounds... I wish I could split every gold coin in two for this money."
"Fifty armored soldiers?" Godfrey was stunned. "Lothar, in the Holy Land, if you use that money to organize ten cavalrymen, it would be more effective than fifty armored infantrymen."
Lothar said helplessly, "As a knight, I cannot recruit wandering knights and their squires. I can only hire some mounted sergeants, but their combat effectiveness is far inferior to that of knights, and they are too expensive."
The battle against the Magyar cavalry earlier had clearly shown the difference in combat effectiveness between knights and ordinary nomads.
Lothar certainly knew that in this era, cavalry was king—or more accurately, until the rise of the great phalanx, cavalry was the undisputed king. No matter how renowned Alexander's phalanx was, it still didn't change the fact that the Companion Cavalry was the decisive factor. Even the Roman Empire's legions, with their square shields and eagle standards, though invincible, also needed to hire Barbarian and Nubian auxiliary cavalry.
He also possessed the Winged Hussar's Swallowtail Banner, that cavalry artifact, so he should be vigorously developing his cavalry.
But knowing was one thing; he couldn't afford it. A single warhorse, not even counting the grain needed to feed it, cost as much as the equipment for several armored soldiers.
"Indeed." Godfrey was convinced and nodded. "It's good that you have your own considerations. My experience may not necessarily fit your actual situation. Rest in the city tonight. Tomorrow, we will depart immediately and return to Ibelin. You'll need to rendezvous with that Kurdish cavalry unit there and then set sail."
"Set sail?"
"Yes, Ibelin is not far from the coast. I will arrange for you to travel by ship, head north to land at the Port of Haifa, then pass through the Galilee region and enter Ayyubid territory."
*****
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