Losa spoke frankly: "Your Majesty has given me a mission, but the forces under my command are too few. I need your assistance, Lord Godfrey."
He explained in detail to Baron Godfrey the task entrusted to him by Baldwin IV,
"I have one hundred cavalry, twelve knights. How many do you want to borrow?"
Baron Godfrey said seriously.
So many cavalry?
Losa was startled by the power Baron Godfrey held. Even the Count of the Empire had few who could compare to maintaining such a large standing force.
The Empire Count referred to Great Germania, a count directly under the Emperor, rather than counts enfeoffed under various dukes.
Werner was one of them.
If you included the recruited peasants, just Baron Godfrey alone could muster over a thousand.
Losa pondered for a moment and replied, "At least twenty men, for knights... I need someone who is adaptable, familiar with the terrain and power distribution in the Holy Land."
Godfrey asked leisurely, "What do you plan to do?"
"If it's to burn a few villages? Pillage and massacre hundreds of heretic civilians, I'll lend you ten cavalry. Their combat skills are quite adept."
Losa frowned, "Burn villages? Massacre civilians?"
"I never planned for that."
Though war always affected civilians, he would never personally slaughter those who were unarmed.
He could not bypass that obstacle in his heart.
Losa said sternly, "Justice, mercy, punishing evil, promoting good, not drawing a sword against the weak, this is the knight's creed."
Godfrey said earnestly, "But His Holiness the Pope has said, killing heretics doesn't count as murder. Losa, you must understand, the pedantic, whether in the Holy Land or elsewhere, cannot achieve great enterprises."
Losa was silent for a moment, then shook his head:
"Lord, what you say might be right. But one must heed one's conscience; I cannot deceive myself into thinking that this is right."
Godfrey remained silent for a long while.
Losa lifted his head, seeing in the baron's face a sense of consolation, admiration, and reminiscence.
He sighed deeply, "Losa, you are actually not like your father; this comes from my heart."
"Except for wisdom and courage, neither in appearance nor character, you look more handsome than your father."
Godfrey patted Losa's shoulder, the two exchanged smiles.
"Your father was a devout believer, knowledgeable in strategy and military tactics, but unlike you, possessing a compassionate heart."
"He was called an executioner, a cold-blooded butcher, never showing mercy toward his enemies, and also showed no leniency to those Crusader nobles who colluded with heretics. The Crusader nobles feared him, the heretics both hated and dreaded him."
Noticing Losa's odd expression, Godfrey laughed, "But rest assured, many in the Noble Faction and Empress Faction admire Werner's fairness and forthrightness, no one will hold a grudge against you for it, at least not openly."
Losa smiled.
He was actually not afraid of being targeted; only mediocrity is not envied. Since he inherited Werner's legacy, repaying the father's debt is nothing.
Though naturally, it's better if there's none.
Godfrey's smile gradually faded, revealing a trace of melancholy, "The reason your father left the Holy Land was actually because he had views on me and His Majesty. Because, many times, we not only did not support him, but stood against him."
"He believed we betrayed the noble ideals we established initially, seeking peace with the heretics instead of fighting resolutely to the end."
Baron Godfrey's face showed a slight bitterness.
Losa was slightly shocked, indeed Werner Count's past behavior seemed like that of a devout believer.
Yet for the first time, Losa realized that he once was so principled.
Despite the Battle of Mongisa defeating Saladin, the power equation between the Crusader countries and the Ayyubid Kingdom was still heavily imbalanced, their scales starkly apparent.
"But looking at it now, he should have figured it out, otherwise he wouldn't have sent you to us."
"Losa, Your Majesty entrusting this great responsibility to you shows that he has high hopes for you."
Losa said solemnly, "I certainly won't let Your Majesty and you down."
"Don't bear too much pressure, surviving and returning is more important than anything, even if it bears disgrace. Being alive is having a future."
"I understand."
Godfrey patted Losa's shoulder, "I have a team of Kurdish Cavalry under me, who once served the Zengi Dynasty. After the Zengi Dynasty was destroyed by Saladin, they swore to avenge their lord, even if serving heretics was inevitable."
Godfrey stared into Losa's eyes, this was one of his greatest secrets.
Though in the Holy Land, Crusader nobles more or less, had collusions with heretics, even King Baldwin IV had correspondences with Saladin.
But this could never be surfaced openly.
Losa straightforwardly said, "That's just perfect, I'll take that team of Kurdish Cavalry! But the problem is, Saladin will surely attribute this to the remnant forces of the Zengi Dynasty."
The Zengi Dynasty, once a suzerain of the Ayyubid Kingdom, was overthrown by Saladin years ago, occupying all the territories, equivalent to remnants of the former dynasty.
Besides, their forces mainly concentrated in Aleppo, Antioch, familiar with the terrain.
Once the Grand Count of Antioch Reynard and Count of Edessa George III, were defeated by the forces of the Zengi Dynasty, losing their territories ever since.
As Saladin himself is Kurdish, this Kurdish Cavalry belonging to him makes sense.
Godfrey chuckled lightly, "The truth of the matter often doesn't matter."
Losa also came to a realization and nodded, "The Sassanid King lacks a reason to send troops, and we only need to give him one."
Saladin, recovering Jerusalem, will become the savior of the whole Zoroastrian world.
His reputation will immediately eclipse that of the King of Kings of the Sassanid Dynasty.
And the Sassanid King, outwardly, definitely cannot undermine Saladin, otherwise, there's no way to explain to the Zoroastrian believers who hope to restore the Holy Land.
Godfrey smiled and added, "Even if there are unreasonable aspects, the Sassanid King will cover them up for us."
He looked at the sweat in Losa's temples, smiled, "You should change into a silk robe, cooler, and more befitting a noble's status."
"Rest assured, in Jerusalem, silk isn't so expensive yet. It's those stingy merchants who inflate the price several times over. If you can't afford it, I can give you one."
Losa hurriedly said, "Then I won't be polite."
Godfrey was a bit taken aback, helplessly said, "I was just being polite with you."
Losa said bitterly, "Indeed, the money's gone, His Majesty rewarded me with a thousand Suludes, but I decided to use it to arm fifty armored soldiers."
"Food, equipment, soldiers' salaries, training grounds, I wish I could split each gold coin in half.
"Fifty armored soldiers?"
Godfrey was stunned.
"Losa, in the Holy Land, organizing ten cavalry with this money would be more effective than fifty armored infantry."
Losa said helplessly, "As a knight, I cannot recruit wandering knights and their attendants, can only hire some mounted soldiers, whose combat power is far inferior to knights, and too expensive."
Back when battling the Magyar Cavalry, the gap in combat power between knights and ordinary nomads was evident.
Losa certainly knew that in this era, cavalry were the rulers, indeed all the way until the rise of the phalanx, cavalry were the undisputed kings.
Alexander's phalanx, no matter how renowned, could not change the fact that companion cavalry were key decisive forces.
The Empire held square shields, raised eagle badges, invincible legions, yet still needed to hire auxiliary cavalry from the Barbarian Race and Nubia.
He also held the Iris Banner, a divine artifact of cavalry, should develop cavalry vigorously.
But though he knew, he couldn't afford it.
A warhorse's cost, not accounting for the food needed to feed it, equals the equipment of several armored soldiers.
"Indeed."
Godfrey was convinced, nodded, "You have your own considerations, my experiences may not suit your actual situation."
"Stay in the city for a night, we'll depart tomorrow, returning to Ibelin, where you must meet up with that Kurdish Cavalry team."
"By sea?"
"Yes, Ibelin is not far from the coastline. I'll arrange for you to take a ship, landing north from Haifa Port, crossing the Galilee Region into Ayyubid's influence zone."