Today in Jerusalem, many streets are much emptier than usual.
People gathered in front of the Cathedral of the Holy Sepulchre to watch the departure ceremony of the Crusaders' Northern Expedition. The dense crowds blocked everything.
When Raymond, the regent, needed to go north, all the possessions of the Knights of Jerusalem were placed in the hands of Baron Godfrey.
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 female slaves for decoration. It seems that the position of commander is not that easy."
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 to the Royal Knights, which has a total of only 800 people, the Knights of Jerusalem are indeed a behemoth.
"I hope Lord Tiberius will not be like Lord Godfrey, leaving a commander in the knights who wants to overthrow the Grand Master."
"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 Earl 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 newly formed Crusaders from the pilgrims are still in the hands of others, this is still a great progress.
Lothar and Baron Godfrey respectively led their winged cavalry and rushed to the Cathedral of the Holy Sepulchre.
Groups of soldiers walked past the cathedral to receive blessings from the priests.
First of all, there are the elite knights wearing chainmail, robes, and cloaks. They bring their attendants with them, and under various banners, they are all majestic.
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, crosses, eagles, brown bears, wild beasts, fleur-de-lis... all kinds of coats of arms are engraved on the fronts of the nobles and knights.
Then came a neat team of sergeants.
In the center of them was a giant chariot.
There is a huge golden cross standing on the chariot frame. This is not a real 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.
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 also gathered around. 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 St. Michael bless you. Devout believers, when you pass in front of the Holy Sepulchre, you will also be infected with the divine radiance. I wish you are invincible on the battlefield." , neither arrows nor swords and guns can hurt your bodies!"
People shouted wildly.
On this day, everyone, regardless of high or low, seems to be declaring their piety to the people around them.
This is inside the cathedral.
The servants carried the shoulder carriage and slowly came to the throne. Baldwin IV, who had not been seen for a long time, slowly stepped down from the shoulder carriage with graceful and slow movements.
Except for still wearing a veil and being wrapped up airtight, he looked almost the same as a normal person.
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.
It is the allegory of 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 coat of arms of the Jerusalem royal family.
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.
He was the servant who was usually responsible for delivering messages and leading Lothar to meet the king.
He is always so inconspicuous on weekdays.
But Lothar now understood that this servant was definitely not a simple person, because Lothar observed carefully, he was holding the sword in his hand, and the scabbard was made of magic-blocking gold.
Knights, sergeants, and common people 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 people's eyes, he was the existence closest to God.
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.
