In the Middle Ages, people drew cards to be promoted to nobility.

Today in Jerusalem, many streets are deserted and much emptier than usual.

People gathered in front of the Cathedral of the Holy Sepulchre to watch the departure ceremony of the Crusade to the North.

The dense crowds of people blocked everything.

When the regent Raymond needed to go north, all the things of the Knights of Jerusalem were piled into the hands of Baron Godfrey as the commander.

He and Lothar rode their horses side by side and patrolled around.

Lothar smiled and joked: "Baron Godfrey, your dark circles are like the eye powder used by those Saracen slave girls. It seems that the position of commander is not that easy to fill."

Godfrey said angrily: "I haven't had a good night's sleep in three days. The Knights of Jerusalem are much larger than the Royal Knights!"

The total number of members of the Knights of Jerusalem exceeds 30,000, of course, including many honorary members.

But those who stayed in Jerusalem and were directly under the leadership of the king and the Grand Master, numbered as many as 3,000 armed personnel, not including servants and other non-combatants.

Compared with the Royal Knights, which has a total of only 800 people, the Knights of Jerusalem are like a behemoth. Compared with the Knights Hospitaller and the Knights Templar, the power left in Jerusalem is not much weaker.

Lothar joked: "I hope Lord Tiberius (Prince Regent) will not be like Lord Godfrey, leaving a commander in the knights who wants to overthrow the grand leader."

"Oh? It turns out Lord Godfrey is the commander, so that's okay."

Baron Godfrey said angrily: "This year, I have to stay in my fief for half of the time, and I also took a boat to Provence. The affairs of the Knights had to be handed over to Count Philip. This made his prestige in the Knights It’s a huge rise, but how could I have known that he would openly challenge your position?”

They were actually in a good mood, after Count Raymond and other members of the Lord's Party, as well as some of the nobles of the Queen Mother's Party who went on the expedition, left Jerusalem.

The royal party finally gained more power.

The nearly 800 troops of the Royal Knights and the 3,000 troops of the Jerusalem Knights are respectively in the hands of Lothar and Baron Godfrey, two die-hard royalists.

Although the city defense army, the noble private soldiers of the Queen Mother's Party, and the pilgrims formed a new crusade, they were still in the hands of the Queen Mother's Party and the Duke's Party.

But the balance of power has finally reached balance.

Lothar said goodbye to Baron Godfrey, joined his bodyguards and rushed to the Cathedral of the Holy Sepulcher - where a grand expedition ceremony was being staged.

Groups of soldiers walked past the cathedral to receive blessings from the priests.

First, there are the elite knights wearing chainmail, robes, and cloaks. They bring their attendants, wear various banners, hold their heads high, and accept the greetings of the onlookers.

There were even many cavalrymen, and even their mounts were covered with robes and leather armor to resist the arrows of the Saracen cavalry.

Knights Templar with a red cross on a white background, Knights Hospitaller with a white cross on a black background, cross, eagle, brown bear, standing lion, lynx, fleur-de-lis. Various coats of arms are engraved on the fronts of the nobles and knights.

There were five hundred knights heading north. Counting their attendants, they could muster over a thousand armored cavalry, which was less than half the strength of Jerusalem.

This was all due to the conscription order issued by Baldwin IV not long ago and the new round of crusade called by His Majesty the Pope, which enabled a large number of scattered knights to cross the ocean and come to the Holy Land.

Then came a neat team of sergeants.

They marched in the form of square formations, also wearing burqas representing their respective forces. They were colorful but distinct.

In the center of them was a giant chariot.

There is a huge golden cross standing on the chariot frame. This is not a true cross. The real holy objects are stored under the cross in a box on the chariot and are guarded by a whole team of fighting monks.

Because there was only a wooden block left of it and could not be raised high enough for everyone to see, this golden cross was cast to show that the holy object was in the military.

Finally, there was the Crusade formed by the pilgrims.

Their team was somewhat disorganized and could only maintain a relatively orderly state.

They couldn't even secure a deformed and worn-out iron helmet, and the spears used by many people were already rusty even with their iron spearheads.

The shabby burqa he was wearing was covered with low-quality paint, and it was obvious at a glance that it was a red cross made in a hurry.

Fortunately, the shield can still be used by everyone, but most of them are not covered with skin.

The gold donated by Henry II was a large amount, but even if all the arsenal reserves were collected, it would not be possible to arm such a large army in a short period of time.

What's more, the army going north was only half of Jerusalem's military strength, and could be supplemented by additional troops from lords from various places along the way.

Therefore, most of the Pilgrim Crusaders who were actually relatively well-equipped remained in the Holy City and were still in a state of training.

Lothar, his winged cavalry, and the royal knights were guarding the front of the church, guarding the empty king's throne behind them.

On the minaret, the bells tolled endlessly.

Ordinary people gathered around the street, and even the two-story buildings and windows along the road were crowded with people watching the excitement.

They held high the images of the Son, the Virgin and the saints, praying devoutly for the soldiers to return victoriously and kill all the infidels who invaded the border.

The Archbishop of Tire and many clergy stood in front of the throne and shouted: "May Saint Michael bless you. Devout believers, when you pass by the Holy Tomb, you will also be bathed in the divine light. I wish you all the best on the battlefield. , neither arrows nor swords and guns can hurt your bodies!"

"Even if you die in battle, you will be redeemed and ascend to heaven with glory, and all your past sins will be wiped away!"

"In the name of the Father!"

"This is God's will!"

People shouted wildly.

On this day, everyone, regardless of high or low, seems to be declaring their piety to the people around them.

At this time, inside the cathedral.

The servants walked out slowly, carrying their carriages, and came to the throne.

Baldwin IV, who had not been seen for a long time, stood up from his carriage and came to the throne with the help of his servants.

His movements were graceful and slow.

Except for still wearing a veil and being wrapped up airtight, he looked almost the same as a normal king.

His Majesty the King, today is wearing a set of white royal robes, a golden crown on his head, and holding a golden scepter in his hand. On the top of the scepter is a curved golden cross, which means the gift of kingship.

That is - the King of Jerusalem, who is both a secular king and a theological "shepherd".

The color scheme of gold and white is the color represented by the royal coat of arms of Jerusalem.

Just as the royal family of Gaul preferred blue, the royal family of Albion preferred red, and the royal family of the Empire preferred purple.

A plainly dressed servant, holding a sword, stood beside Baldwin IV. His posture was like Prajna always following Lothar, like a shadow.

He was the servant who was responsible for conveying the king's will to Count Raymond and who led Lothar to meet the king every time.

On weekdays he is always so inconspicuous, cautious and taciturn.

But Lothar now understood that this servant was definitely not a simple person, because Lothar observed carefully that he was holding the sword in his hand, and the scabbard was made of magic-blocking gold.

In other words, the imaginary enemy of this servant is the mysterious wizard who comes and goes without a trace!

As His Majesty the King raised the golden scepter in his hand, all the nobles, knights, sergeants, civilians and clergy shouted long live the King.

This is the first time they have seen His Majesty the King in recent times.

Although according to legend, the king was an unclean person cursed by leprosy, he was also the destined monarch who saved Jerusalem from Saladin's iron heel - in the eyes of most people, he is the closest to God. exist.

Some knights and nobles began to recite their family mottos loudly, which meant that they would return from this trip with great honors and would not bring shame to their family's mottos.

His Majesty the King did not speak. He just raised the scepter high and allowed people to admire the shining light emanating from the scepter.

Baldwin IV did not stay too long before he got on the carriage again and walked towards the Cathedral of the Holy Sepulchre.

The huge team began to leave the city in an orderly manner. This was a long process. Many of the nobles standing in the stands felt their feet were numb.

But I still had to stay here to watch the ceremony.

Lothar took Prajna and Fulin and looked around vigilantly, wary of anyone, intending to take the opportunity to cause chaos.

For this ceremony, all the pagans in the city have been ordered not to go out.

Even Zoroastrian altars and temples were closed.

In addition, the war was about to ignite, so the Saracen caravans did not dare to visit Jerusalem easily, for fear of being robbed by Crusader nobles like Count Leonard, who were accustomed to "breaking contracts".