Fighting hard battles does indeed lead to losses, but it's also easier to consolidate the morale of the troops.

The premise is that you win.

...

Evening.

Outside Jerusalem City.

Military tents look like white flowers blooming on the desolate Gobi Desert.

Most of the Crusaders have set off in succession in recent days.

Tomorrow is the final batch, led by Baldwin IV himself, under the command of Baron Godfrey and the Jerusalem Knight Order.

In the central royal tent, soft wool carpets cover the floor, while the walls are adorned with exquisite floral tapestries. Tables and chairs, inlaid with Demon-Blocking Gold and patterns, are filled with delicate Eastern porcelain.

Baldwin IV leaned back in his chair, rarely removing his mask. From the surface, his face had almost completely returned to normal, though the physical deformities hadn't improved much.

Opposite him, Baron Godfrey held black chess pieces, engaged in a game with him.

"Baron Godfrey, I want to strip Hebron from Count Reynard's hands and bestow it upon Losa. His fief is too barren to grow into a pillar of the Kingdom; I don't know how long it will take."

"It has been proven that he is very talented. With just one remote castle, he trained an elite force. If he had the prosperous city of Hebron, he would surely do even better."

"Indeed..."

Baron Godfrey frowned and said, "But I'm afraid that will be impossible. Unless Kaler Castle is breached, otherwise, what reason do you have to strip Count Reynard's land without any obvious guilt? Too many people would oppose."

Baldwin IV proposed a hypothetical: "What if Bethlehem is granted to Reynard in exchange for Hebron?"

"That might work, but a better choice would be to grant Bethlehem to Losa, although it would cause his fief to be fragmented, yet Jorgelisburg is already unimportant enough to only require a knight for administration."

Baron Godfrey paused slightly in his tone and continued, "Only the premise is that Losa can establish enough merit. After all, Bethlehem has already been coveted by many nobles for quite some time."

"Ah."

Baldwin IV sighed deeply.

Urding's treatment has reinvigorated his shattered life, and paired with the royal doctors' aromatherapy, he can feel his body gradually recovering to health.

He sometimes wonders if he'd received this kind of treatment during his youth, instead of those quack doctors' "enema" and "bloodletting" suggestions, perhaps Jerusalem's situation would be vastly different now.

But now, the situation in Jerusalem has deteriorated into a total mess.

His enemies include those Crusader leaders, stubborn conservative nobles, newcomers from Europe with high ambitions, independent military Monastic Knights, and Church clergy filled with conspiracies and competing for power. In addition, there's the most formidable enemy, the powerful Egyptian Eagle Saladin.

"Godfrey, bring Belian to my tent to receive orders. I shall appoint him as the Flag-bearer Knight. Perhaps, he can learn something from me."

Godfrey responded joyfully, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Baldwin IV's eyes remained calm, but inside was a suppressed impatience. Jerusalem, now like him, is evidently a person ravaged by illness.

Those he could trust completely were only Baron Godfrey and Losa.

He is eagerly seeking to strengthen the King's Faction.

...

By the afternoon of the next day, Losa had led the Knight Order to the outskirts of Montreal.

The Mamluk Cavalry had left the Jerusalem territory after meeting with Prince Zahir.

Montreal is not Montreal in Quebec.

But a desert city located in the Earl's Domain of Transjordan, constructed during the first Crusader Eastern Expedition to maintain the supply line.

Thus, it contains rich Western European castle styles, unlike Jerusalem's blend of European, Arabian, and Jewish architecture.

In the city's central highland, an imposing castle built with dirt and bricks stands tall. Nearly seventy years of weathering have made the city walls appear battered and mottled.

"There's an army!"

The guards on the tower exclaimed anxiously, "Is it Saladin's great army? Has Kaler Castle been breached?"

"Impossible, Kaler Castle is so mighty, how could it be breached easily?"

They shouted uneasily, with the fear of impending doom.

"It's not the Flame Banner; look carefully, fools, that's the Crusader Banner and the Black Eagle Banner!"

The panic on the guards' faces quickly turned into excitement: "Reinforcements have arrived, great, it's our men. Notify the lord immediately to prepare a welcome."

Losa and his party were quickly welcomed into the city.

The Guard Officer of this city is the stepson of Count Reynard, the son of Countess Stephanie and her former husband, also named Hanfry.

Just like Amalric, which is both the name of the late king and the Court Chancellor, known to be the lover of Empress Dowager Angenise.

The duplication of names in this era is indeed high, akin to calling Charles in Gaul, Enrique in Iberia, or Hans in Germanic lands, where countless people respond.

Hanfry, leading his knights and attendants, hurried to greet them, his face full of flattery.

"Baron Losa, I have heard of your name. You have dealt with those desert locusts and, without holding a grudge, lead the Royal Knights to come now to support, truly admirable!"

"There has never been any conflict between Reynard and me, where did you find any grudge?"

Losa's face beamed with sincerity: "My troops, stationed outside the city, ran into a group of Saracen Cavalry. After a fierce fight, the losses were heavy. If Lord Hanfry could consent to designate a section of Montreal for us as a campsite for recovery and provide ample supplies, it would be greatly appreciated."

Hanfry's face turned slightly: "Heavy losses indeed..."

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