OBS Chapter 881 I am the only one who dominates
Chapter 881 I am the only one who dominates
Chapter 881 I am the only one who dominates
After hearing Lothar's almost "accusatory" question, the two kings looked a little cold and no one spoke.
Raymond saw Leopold cough and was about to speak again, so he interrupted him and said:
"Your Majesty, the number of troops besieging Homs is increasing day by day. The surrounding fortresses, villages and towns have all been destroyed. The prospects for the jihad cause have never been better, all thanks to your contribution to the fight against the infidels in Egypt.
But you also know that the kingdom's northern territory is long and narrow, with only a few coastal towns, which makes it difficult to maintain the supplies needed for so many troops, which is why we failed to capture Homs."
This is not really lying, it's just avoiding the main point.
After all, they had plundered the towns and villages around Homs and seized a lot of supplies. The reason why they have not been able to capture the city of Homs so far is definitely not because of the shortage of supplies.
"Your Majesty, there are other reasons."
Leopold glanced at Raymond and snorted, "The Military Council is unfair and seeks personal gain for its subordinates. All spoils of war and material rations are allocated first to the troops under their command.
My subordinates and the German Crusaders fighting in the Holy Land could not even fill their stomachs. They even forcibly requisitioned many German knights' mounts and humiliated them by saying that they were only fit to serve with the infantry.
It is this kind of unfair treatment that makes my soldiers lose their will to fight."
Raymond was furious. He had already said so much, and this country bumpkin from Austria wanted to complain about him again?
Is it glorious that he sheltered the thugs and watched the internal strife?
Losa frowned slightly. Of course, he had heard about this matter a long time ago.
In the Holy Land, the Gallic nobles and knights were the absolute main force, and the vast majority of the nobles of the Kingdom of Jerusalem were Gauls.
This also resulted in the Germanic nobles, knights and even ordinary pilgrims being generally treated inferior to the Gauls in the Holy Land.
For example, the Knights Hospitaller and the Knights Templar, two monastic hospitals founded by the Gauls, would give priority to their fellow Gauls when caring for the sick. The Teutonic Knights were founded by a group of Germanic knights who were fed up with this situation.
In fact, this is not really a national conflict, as national consciousness had not yet formed in that era.
In the final analysis, it is actually a conflict between fellow villagers.
The Gallic nobles had established the system of primogeniture very early on, and inheritance was stable. They formed strong family ties very early on, and the aristocratic alliance formed by their relatives and friends was a headache even for Philip, the King of Gaul.
The Germanic nobles had frequent internal strife due to the numerous states and complicated inheritance laws, and it was difficult for relatives to form a joint force. Although their numbers were no less than those of the Gallic Crusaders, their quality was not up to par, and they were not united enough, so they were naturally bullied.
Raymond looked at Leopold coldly and apologized:
"Your Majesty, this situation occurred because the army was having trouble getting supplies. After all, I am not a saint like you. I may be biased towards my close vassals and nobles due to selfish motives, but I will never let them starve. In comparison, Lord Leopold committed an unforgivable sin last night!"
"what happened?"
"My people saw with their own eyes that Lord Leopold watched a German soldier instigate a terrible internal fight. More than a dozen knights and noble knights died, and all the camp items, weapons, and supplies were looted. The thugs who committed such unforgivable crimes were protected by Lord Leopold. Not only did he not take the initiative to arrest them, he also closed the camp gates and refused to allow our military judges to enter."
"Your Majesty, this is actually the case."
Leopold hurriedly said, "A few days ago, three commanders were negligent during their night patrols and allowed hundreds of Saladin's cavalry to enter the city of Homs."
This matter could actually be a big deal or a small one. After all, the entire Crusader siege camp was so large, and the Saracens had never attacked at night before. It was normal for them to be slack for such a long time.
But if you really want to be picky, hanging these three commanders is by no means an excessive punishment.
"Then the three were tied to the rack. This was nothing, and I thought they deserved the punishment, but a few knights from the neighboring camp came and humiliated them."
Leopold described in detail the trigger for the conflict.
"But in fact, this was a conspiracy by Saladin's spy. The German from Bohemia was sold to Saladin's court when he was just over ten years old, so his disguise was so perfect."
Raymond snorted coldly: "Who knows whether what you said is true or false?"
Leopold frowned: "The witness is still in prison."
"It's easy for you to tell someone you want to tell you what he has already taken your potion, isn't it?"
Lothar's expression was slightly cold. This was what monarchs of this era had to deal with on a daily basis, mediating those vassal states who quarreled like summer cicadas and listening to their respective arguments.
Others might be happy about the discord among their vassals, but he was not in that mood.
"Sir Raymond, I understand that you don't trust Leopold, but don't you trust me?"
Lothar's tone was slightly deep: "As you all know, the Saracens call us Franks, and the Greeks call us Latins. Franks or Latins, in this place overseas, we are all one entity. The Saracens will not show leniency to any of you just because you are from Gaul or Germania."
"We come from different families and different regions, but now we all stand under the banner of the Crusaders, leaving behind all titles and fighting overseas as Christians. I will investigate the cause of this civil strife and give a fair explanation to all parties, but I never want this to happen again!"
“The Military Council is a good institution that can represent all parties and make their own voices heard, but only three people are too few.”
Lothar held up five fingers.
"Want to expand to five people?"
Raymond breathed a sigh of relief. What he was most worried about was that Lothar would directly abolish the Military Council.
If it were just expanded to five people, it would be the best outcome.
Lothar shook his head and said, "It should be expanded to at least 500 people. In Alexandria, I created a system called the Three-Level Council. Artisans, hired workers, and farmers are the third level, workshop owners, wealthy merchants are the second level, and nobles and clergy are the first level. People at each level are qualified to speak for themselves, which can ensure fairness to the greatest extent."
In fact, the three-level parliament is still in the preparation stage, but that doesn't stop Lothar from bringing it up here.
"Five hundred people?"
The Raymonds were dumbfounded.
If the Military Council is expanded to 500 people, what use will the seat he holds be?
Philip's expression moved slightly. This so-called three-level parliament sounded quite interesting.
Take the monarch out, place him above the nobles and clergy, and become an arbitrator.
But the problem is that Gaul is still a large rural area. Even if it wants to support the urban class, it is impossible to compete with the feudal lords who own the land.
He changed his mind and felt that the idea was universal.
While he was still thinking about how to study, Richard on the other side was already angry: "Your Majesty Lothar, do you want the Military Council to become a vegetable market? Five hundred people gather together, and we don't have to do anything every day, just quarreling is enough."
Lothar shook his head: "Your Majesty Richard, I have no intention of making the Military Council a decision-making body."
He pointed to his head and said, "In the Holy Land, all Crusaders have only one commander - the Holy King of Jerusalem."
Previously, Baldwin was unable to perform his duties, so he was made the grand marshal, but now it is legitimate.
He raised his voice and continued, "The Military Council only needs to provide me with advice. All orders must come from me. Those who disobey my orders will not be forgiven."
As soon as he finished speaking, a melodious dragon roar sounded in the sky.
The three-headed demon dragon hidden in the clouds slowly revealed its figure, and its slender body was like a whale swimming in the sea.
"Are you threatening me?"
Richard's eyes narrowed slightly, flashing dangerously.
"Your Majesty, this is not a threat. After all, we have already had a very good experience of cooperation. What's wrong with using a success to point out the direction for the future?"
Lothar chuckled.
Richard was an arrogant and conceited man, but no matter how arrogant he was, he had once obeyed Lothar's orders when he was the Grand Marshal of the Crusades. Once there was a first time, there would be a second time. Lothar didn't think that Richard would really turn against him because of this matter.
Of course, it’s better if it’s turned over.
(End of this chapter)