About a quarter of the nobles in the chamber raised their hands.
Count Reynard spat thickly on the luxurious carpet, full of disdain, saying, "So our once brave and fearless Crusader soldiers are frightened to death by Saladin and his minions before the battle has even begun!"
Immediately, someone responded, "That’s right, we cannot hide like a turtle inside the castle, we must fight the heretics to the end!"
Grand Master Roger of the Hospital Knight Order angrily said, "Fight, with what do we fight? The enemy has a hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, even three hundred thousand men. How many do we have? Twenty thousand, thirty thousand, or forty thousand?"
Regent King Raymond shouted loudly, "Silence, silence!"
He repeated "silence" again and again until he stood up and slammed the table, angrily scolding, "If you want to argue, get out and argue right now!"
The nobles in the hall finally restrained a little, but disputes were inevitable.
Each proposal had quite a few supporters, but none could garner the approval of more than half of the people.
Thus, the nobles again split into small factions, starting to accuse and argue with each other endlessly.
Regent King Raymond was wearied and, at this moment, noticed Godfrey, who had been silent all along, and his eyes lit up, "Baron Goffrey, do you have any insights?"
The lively atmosphere in the hall suddenly froze.
The sound of arguments diminished considerably.
Count Georgelin, Count Reynard, Grand Master Gerard, and Grand Master Roger, these four powerful nobles, all looked over.
Indeed, Baron Goffrey had always seemed inconspicuous, but anyone who dared to truly ignore this powerful figure with significant influence in the Holy Land would be extremely foolish.
He was the only core figure remaining in the King’s Faction, and he had fairly amicable relations with all sides.
Godfrey pondered for a moment, signaling Losa to speak on his behalf.
Losa was somewhat puzzled.
Baron Goffrey lowered his voice and said in Losa’s ear, "Yes, you. I must let these old dogs know that Habsburg has returned to the political stage of Jerusalem."
Losa thought for a moment and realized that this was a stage Baron Goffrey had intentionally set for him to shine.
Come on, we’ve just met, is it really necessary to trust me this much? Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novęlfire.net
What if I’m just an empty-headed wastrel?
Losa hesitated no longer, stood up and said, "Lord Tiberias (a respectful address to Raymond), let me express the thoughts of Baron Goffrey."
"Werner’s shield badge?"
"That cold-blooded butcher and executioner has returned to the Holy Land?"
"Doesn’t quite look like Werner, but this cloak is clearly the old uniform of the Royal Knight Order."
Around him, murmurs arose.
Their gazes towards him were not friendly, but contrary to his expectations, it seemed that hardly anyone was particularly concerned whether a mere Landless Knight like him had the right to be present and speak here.
Raymond nodded slightly, "Very well, but before that, please state your identity."
"I am Count Algo, Losa von Habsburg, the second son of Werner von Habsburg. My father once fought to defend the Holy Land, and now I have come to the Holy Land following his orders."
Raymond nodded slightly, "So you are the son of Lord Werner, I once fought side by side with your father, you have the right to speak here, please go ahead."
Losa nodded slightly, ignoring people’s discussion about his identity, and said to himself, "As for the proposal of hiring mercenary groups, it’s unnecessary to elaborate. You should all know, though these mercenaries come with their own weapons and equipment and have decent fighting skills, they completely lack the honor and faith of true warriors. They’re fine as long as the battle goes smoothly, but once stuck in a predicament, I’m afraid they won’t honor their agreements."
"Facing Saladin, it’s clear this will be a bitter battle; even in Germania, I’ve heard of his renown."
"Hiring mercenaries is not as good as doing what Count Reynard said: using this money to arm the pilgrims. They have higher morale and are cheaper."
Hearing this, Reynard nodded slightly, showing a satisfied smile, "Indeed, Werner’s son still has some insight."
Losa smiled at him and continued, "As for keeping this money to urge the King of Albion, Richard the Lionheart, to quickly muster troops."
"As far as I know, King Richard is a wise and capable monarch; he will neither hasten nor slow down his preparations because of this money. He will join the Crusades; this is certain, but only after handling relations with the Gaul monarch and domestic affairs. This cannot be completed in one or two months, let alone half a year."
"My lords, ask yourselves, would you endanger your throne’s stability or risk a rear attack from old foes simply for a sum of money?"
All the nobles shook their heads repeatedly.
In reality, quite a few among them were tempted by the wealth, but none would openly admit it.
Greed is one of the seven deadly sins.
They would not admit to being greedy for money.
"As for the Assassins of the old man of the mountain, Hawthorne... please forgive my frankness, how much money would it take to satiate the appetite of this Assassin King, who possesses hundreds of castles in Iran and other places?"
"Moreover, cooperating with such despicable heretics who rose through assassination severely tarnishes our Crusader reputation."