paranoianovel Chapter 696 The Eve of War
Chapter 696 The Eve of War
Chapter 696 The Eve of War
Adil was writing furiously at his desk by candlelight. When he finished the letter, he would send it to Saladin in Damascus through a spellcaster.
Just today, he sent someone to deliver a document of challenge to the Crusaders.
Tomorrow, they will launch a battle to recapture the city of Semanud, and the success or failure of this battle will determine the final ownership of Egypt.
It wouldn't take any longer to prepare for the battle, but he didn't have the confidence to delay any longer.
After all, Egypt's resources are limited, and the manpower and material resources required to collect the magical materials used by the advisory group are extremely terrifying. In addition, the war is ultimately fought on home soil, and the impact on public and military morale must also be considered.
"My Lord, this battle is about the survival of the Ayyubid dynasty. Although I am in charge of Egypt's military and political affairs, it seems that the outcome of this battle has nothing to do with me. It all depends on Shemayr alone."
"Master Shemaier's power is impressive, but I can't tell who is stronger between him and the Crusaders' spellcasters."
"If we lose this battle, Egypt will be lost. If we lose Egypt, the future of our Ayyubid dynasty will be to submit to the Sassanid king."
That being said, nothing is so simple in the world. Whether the Sassanid king was willing to accept their surrender was one thing; whether Elamshahr, who was said to be fighting the nomads from the east in the Amu Darya region, had the energy to lend a helping hand was another.
He had thought that this year would be the year when the Ayyubid dynasty would recapture Jerusalem, push its reputation to its peak, overwhelm the King of Kings of Ctesiphon, and become the overlord of the entire Zoroastrian world.
No one could have imagined that the arrival of a mere crusader knight would cause the once-powerful Ayyubid dynasty to collapse to such an extent in just one year.
He sighed lightly and put down the pen in his hand. Tomorrow would be the day of the decisive battle, so he couldn't sleep. He put on his coat and went to patrol the camp.
In Egypt in winter, it is already a bit chilly at night.
It was a huge monster as big as a hill, its belly rising and falling rhythmically, and its nostrils exhaled bursts of hot breath with a smell of sulfur. If you got close to it, you could feel a wave of heat on your face.
Baron Fulk and Ivan directed their men to deliver cartloads of meat to the dragon. The big creature was in no hurry to eat, but waited until the food had piled up into a small hill before lazily sticking out its tongue and rolling it.
If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, who would have imagined that this terrifying beast was actually "refined".
Fulk couldn't help but exclaimed: "This thing is really big, ridiculously big! Even if we take all the food we prepared for the giant beast army, I'm afraid it won't be able to fill its stomach, right?"
"Don't worry about the giant beasts. Starving them for a few days will only make them more aggressive. They will be easier to control on the battlefield. In my opinion, after this battle, those 'little things' will have to be dealt with."
Ivan shrugged. "Maybe it's just for dinner for this big guy."
After he finished speaking, he couldn't help but smile: "Hey, man, do you still think we will lose?"
"do not know."
Fulk shook his head, but on the surface, this dragon was truly invincible and even scarier than the fire dragon of the past, and the wizard who “refined” this terrifying beast was obviously even scarier.
"For a guy like you whose brain has been poisoned by knight novels to say 'I don't know' means that you also think we will definitely win, right?"
Seeing that Fulk did not respond, Ivan lowered his voice and said, "Many people will die in this battle, my brother."
"so what?"
"By then, Egypt will have a lot of territories vacant. You know how difficult it is to go from a Mamluk military leader to a local lord. We have caught up with a good opportunity."
Fulk sneered: "But the premise is that we don't die in this battle."
"I've always had good luck. You're lucky to have met a great boss like me. We're destined to be great men, you know."
"How old is considered a big shot?"
"Just like that Lothar!"
Fulk retorted: "If you want to dream, you should go back to your tent."
Ivan laughed out loud: "Ahahaha, your mouth really stinks as always."
He laughed for a while, then seemed to lose interest, and sighed softly, "Holy fire, I hope we can get out of the battlefield alive tomorrow."
...
In the quiet city of Semanud, twinkling candles dot the silent city.
Losa, who had escaped from the world of the book, was resting in the courtyard.
According to the simulation of the world in the book, the power of the Dragon Shooting Crossbow has not decreased much due to the loss of the matching crossbow arrows, but the already high consumption has been raised to a much higher level than when there were crossbow arrows.
If by then, this talent of popular support can play a sufficient role, it seems that it is not impossible to replicate the scene of shooting the bronze-horned red dragon in Constantinople.
But the problem lies with Schermayer.
This guy was originally a spellcaster who was good at supporting, and now he has entered the legendary realm, with the help of that set of wedge-shaped clay tablets. Even though his strength in the simulated battle has greatly improved this time, he still feels unsure.
There were faint footsteps behind him. He was used to this sound when he was in the Brahena Palace. He naturally asked, "Why haven't you rested yet so late? Are you not used to something?"
"There will be another battle tomorrow."
Viviana's expression was a little heavy. "I'm afraid many people will die this time—more than in the defense of Constantinople, and now I don't have the strength to fight alongside you."
"I will get your power back for you as soon as possible."
Lothar paused for a moment, and then continued, "We will also try to reduce the casualties of this war as much as possible, but it is difficult to do so. As long as the dragon spews out dragon fire, there will be thousands of casualties."
He didn't even need dragon flame. When he used his full volcanic divinity, the earth cracked and lava flowed. The aftermath alone was enough to burn countless people to death.
"Moreover, the enemy also has a lawless legendary spellcaster. In this world, there are almost no rules and regulations that can restrain a strong man of this level."
Ordinary spellcasters may have to abide by the wizarding convention on the surface, otherwise they may become public enemies such as the "Levant Wizarding Association", but legends... do not exist.
No spellcaster would step forward to deal with a legend just because the legend wanted to attack mortals - Anna might do so, but only if Shermair wanted to destroy Constantinople.
But Anna was an exception. She was a member of the Komnenos royal family and was deeply bound to the Eastern Empire. The two sides achieved mutual success and depended on each other.
Viviana smiled bitterly: "It seems that this world is not much better than our time."
When I had power in the past, I didn’t realize how important it was. After I lost my power, I realized that only by having power can I defend the justice in my heart.
“That’s why I’m changing everything.”
Lothar's voice was firm.
In fact, in his heart, he didn't completely think that the medieval world was inferior to yesterday's world of battleships. The timeline in which the followers of yesterday's battleship world mainly existed was at the end of the Victorian era, when the Industrial Revolution was in full swing.
Although the world lines are different, the conflicts between countries have accumulated deeper and deeper, and it is inevitable that the emerging powers will challenge the old world hegemons.
By that time, a war would kill millions or even tens of millions of people.
Lothar comforted her softly, "Ms. Viviana, go to bed early. Tomorrow will definitely be a tough battle. It will also be a battle that determines whether we can shape a country according to our will."