OBS Chapter 814 The Demonic Dragon Arrives
Chapter 814 The Demonic Dragon Arrives
Chapter 814 The Demonic Dragon Arrives
It was noon when the army arrived at the city of Cairo. Before them was a defense circle composed of many castles and a huge brick wall built and reinforced after Saladin ascended the throne.
Among the defense groups, the most eye-catching is the "Saladin Fort" standing on the Mukatam Hill.
This castle was also built by Saladin in order to resist the Crusaders led by his predecessor King Amalric. It occupies the commanding heights of the entire Cairo area. To capture Cairo, one must first capture this city.
Inside the big tent.
Lothar, who had just gotten off the dragon saddle, was drinking sweet honey water. He did not plan to put in too much effort in this siege. If he had to do everything, it would be too boring for him to be the king.
What's more, there are so many knights and soldiers waiting to be crowned. If they have no merits or achievements, it will not convince the people even if they are crowned.
Recently, Losa drew out a blank combat record and planned to use it for himself.
After he was promoted, although he could not use money to upgrade quickly, he was able to unlock two new skills. One was "Saint Sophia's Prayer" and the other was "Well-Trained" which came with his five-star Sun King template.
"Kurse, I heard that there is a university in Cairo, which is famous all over the world. There are imams and scholars coming and going from Khorasan, Persia, Malacca in the east, Iberia, Morocco in the west, and Mogadishu and Kilwa in the south, practicing and debating here."
What Losa was talking about was the famous Al-Azhar University, which was formerly the Great Fire Altar in Cairo built by the Fatimid dynasty. Today, it has become a Zoroastrian theological center second only to Baghdad, and its status is probably the same as that of Jerusalem to Christians.
"Indeed, since we marched towards Cairo, scattered Ghazi warriors have flocked to Cairo. If we capture this city, I'm afraid even the Sassanid king will call on the entire Zoroastrian world to launch a great jihad, just like the Pope did before."
Losa sneered: "Then let them come. After a few more times, they will calm down."
After he occupied Cairo, he naturally would not allow Zoroastrian scriptures to continue to be taught here. Instead, he planned to exclude scriptures and instead set up a secular school that taught multiple disciplines such as mathematics, Latin, agronomy, medicine, astronomy, and law.
The knowledge of this era is monopolized by the clergy, which is not a good thing in itself. Take Transjordan under Lothar's rule for example. If the knights had not been ordered to be literate, any edicts or legal provisions issued would have been misinterpreted by the clergy.
Thinking of the "Scourge of God" on the steppes in the far east, Losa couldn't help laughing and said, "Come to think of it, the Sassanid king may not have the energy to cause trouble to me. Who knows, in a few years, even Baghdad will tremble under the iron hoof of the Tatars."
As the Frankish army approached, the soldiers guarding the city walls were the most terrified.
At this time, people at Al-Azhar University were in a panic. Many clergymen brought their servants to pack up and organize precious manuscripts and documents, trying to take them out of Cairo when the city was captured.
Under the Great Sacred Fire Altar, some people raised their arms and shouted, enthusiastically encouraging the clergy to join the battle.
"Gentlemen, are we going to succumb to the barbaric Franks and hand over this sacred temple to the barbarians? Stand up, fight for God, and it's time to sacrifice for God."
Many scholars looked on this coldly, especially the extraordinary ones. They knew better than ordinary people how terrible the Crusades were. Even the famous masters had been defeated by the pagans. With their small bodies, if they were not greedy for the precious manuscripts and rare books here, they would have slipped away long ago.
This reaction infuriated the caller so much that he could not help but ask in sorrow, "Have all the warriors loyal to the Holy Flame died by the shores of Lake Brulus and the Sea of Galilee?"
In fact, not only these scholars, but also many Saracen civilians in the city were unwilling to support Governor Bryan and defend the city.
If they can hold the city, it will be fine. If they cannot, and if it causes heavy casualties to the Franks, when the city is captured, I am afraid that everyone in the city, young and old, will be slaughtered like Antioch and Jerusalem in the past.
The bad reputation of the Franks that the Saracen nobles had been spreading now made the Saracen commoners terrified and they dared not confront them at all.
In addition, although the upper class nobles and clergy said that the Franks were evil and murderous, who didn't have relatives and friends in the north? Many border areas were separated by a river, and the other side looked peaceful. Even a blind person knew that the so-called "the Franks massacred all the way" was simply nonsense.
In addition, the Dark Shadow secretly spread the news that the Franks had come, and the lives of these ordinary people were actually better than before.
The southern part of Cairo, based on the old city from the imperial era, is the main settlement of Copts. There are still a large number of Coptic churches left, including the Hanging Cathedral of St. George, the Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus, the Cave Church of Abu Sergha, etc.
When the war reached Cairo, the Copts were not as fearful as the Saracens. After all, the Franks' efforts to recover the Holy Land and liberate Christians were somewhat effective.
But Governor Buri would not let them go. He had long ago required the Copts to divide into blocks, and each block must provide ten soldiers equipped with shields, spears, and at least one helmet as armor.
Moreover, as the Crusaders got closer, the new governor's extortion became heavier, especially the Copts, who suffered even heavier corvée and taxes than the Saracens.
In many street corners, there were people plotting to rise up in arms and join forces with the Crusaders in an attempt to find a way out.
They colluded with each other and sent messengers to try to contact the Crusaders, but unfortunately, these people's "loud conspiracy" was too conspicuous, and they were soon betrayed by the secret keepers and hanged on the gallows.
On the day of the execution, the Copts caused a riot, which was ruthlessly and bloodily suppressed by Governor Buri.
On the walls of Saladin Fort.
Governor Brie, along with a group of nobles and clergymen, climbed the city walls to look out over the city.
The person standing closest to him was his brother's trusted general, who came with an army of 20,000, including many dark-skinned warriors hired from Nubia in the south, and spared no effort.
This is naturally not out of friendship between the two brothers, but because both sides are in a desperate situation.
Governor Brûlée estimated that if Cairo fell in this battle, his brother would immediately take away the gold and silver treasures in the territory, then flee by ship and go into exile overseas.
He had originally had this idea, but was just greedy for the moment. After occupying the city of Cairo, he was unwilling to hand it over to others so easily. At this time, seeing the Frankish army formation under the city in an orderly manner, advancing and retreating in an orderly manner, he couldn't help but feel worried for a moment.
How about talking to the Franks?
A melodious dragon roar suddenly came from the sky.
I saw a huge demon dragon with three heads flapping its wings and flying towards me.
In Governor Bri's field of vision, the dragon was getting closer and bigger, and he was so scared that he couldn't help but shout, "Shoot arrows quickly, use the magic gold crossbow, and tell those mages to take action quickly!"
The Saracen nobles were also trembling in their hearts.
Unless you have seen a ferocious creature like the dragon with your own eyes, you will never be able to imagine how terrifying it would be to see such a huge flying beast flying overhead.
The black scales gleamed with luster. Even the bravest Ghazi would be discouraged when facing such a monster.
The next moment, the three heads opened their bloody mouths and three-colored dragon flames surged out of their mouths, as if to cover the entire magnificent castle. The defenders on the city wall scattered in an instant, trying to take refuge in the tower.
boom--
In a short while, Saladin Fort, the hub of Cairo's defense system, suffered severe damage.
This also represented the signal of attack. Prajna wrote down the words, which turned into giant siege engines and poured huge stones into the city of Cairo.
Governor Brie, who was hiding, looked at the ruined castle and felt a surge of anger in his chest. He shouted angrily, "These damn barbarians didn't even send us a declaration of war!"