On the winding mountain road, Saladin, riding his warhorse and admiring the scenery along the way, seemed completely unconcerned about the battle that was about to begin.
In contrast, the general beside him was not in such a good mood.
“Caliph, I don’t understand why you would entrust such an important task to Latib?” Ilam, the supreme commander of the Qasaj Guard, looked at Saladin with a troubled expression and said in a low voice, “You should know that he is a former official of the Abbasid Empire and has always been dissatisfied with you.”
"I know."
"Then you still...?"
Saladin did not answer that question, but instead asked Ilam something else: "Do you know why I keep you by my side?"
"have no idea."
Saladin flicked the reins, urging his horse forward, and said, "Once you figure out the second question, you'll naturally get the answer to the first one."
Ilem was taken aback, tilted his head and thought for a long time but still couldn't understand.
He spurred his horse to keep up with Saladin's pace, and said with a fawning smile, "Great and omnipotent Caliph, your wisdom is unmatched. Your humble servant is foolish and begs your..."
Saladin smiled, raised his whip, pointed towards the isolated city perched on the mountain peak, and asked, "If I give you seven thousand elite soldiers, how do you plan to attack this city?"
When the topic of war came up, Ilam perked up: "I don't need seven thousand. Just give me five thousand and send me the artillery. In ten days at most, I can make this city submit to you!"
Saladin laughed and shook his head at Ilam, saying, "Wrong!"
The latter's face was full of confusion: "Wrong? Where is it wrong?"
"I want you to attack this city, but at the same time, I command you not to take it."
"Huh???" Ilam thought he had misheard: "Attack this city, but don't allow us to take it?! Caliph, are you kidding me?!"
Saladin stroked his beard, looked at the other man, and laughed, "I'm not joking."
"Why?!"
Saladin urged his horse forward once more, leaving Ilam with only his back turned.
"Once you understand the first two questions, you'll naturally find the answer to this third one..."
Near the eastern side of the mountain where Lone Rock City is located, there is a steep, precipitous peak. The rock surface here is as smooth as a mirror, and the stone forest is as sharp as thorns. Not to mention humans, even ordinary animals would find it difficult to climb up here.
However, at the top of this remote peak stood a man and a woman, looking down at the battlefield at the foot of the mountain.
The man said, "Lone Rock City won't last much longer."
The woman asked, "What's the reason?"
“I went to the city and saw that the garrison is less than seven hundred men. They are too few in number.” The man looked at the woman and said helplessly, “Mother Goddess, according to your advice, although the Regent King successfully stopped the Imperial Army’s surprise attack, they still cannot face such a large number of enemy troops.”
Eleanor stared at the man and asked another question: "Garcia, when will the reinforcements from Lone Rock return to the city?"
"The fastest is about two days, and the latest is about four days."
Eleanor turned her gaze to the battlefield and asked softly, "In your opinion, if the reinforcements from Lone Rock City arrive in time, what are their chances of winning against the Empire's army?"
"Fifty percent."
Eleanor looked at Garcia in surprise: "Even if reinforcements arrive, the chances of victory are only fifty percent?!"
Garcia frowned and replied, "If reinforcements arrive and the forces of Lone Rock recover to their peak strength, their chances of winning will be roughly 80%. However, the Caliph of the Empire is personally on the battlefield, so to be on the safe side, I have reduced Lone Rock's chances of winning to 50%."
Knowing that the other party always spoke with a purpose, Eleanor pondered for a moment before saying, "In that case, what we need to do now is to lend a helping hand to Lone Rock City..."
Above the outer city gate of Lonely Rock City.
“That’s the flag of the Kasagi Guard.” Jennings pointed to a heavily armored cavalry regiment on the battlefield and said with a sigh, “That army is the Emperor’s personal guard. Their presence means that the ruler of the Ayyubid Empire is here in person.”
Seeing Jennings's worried expression, Randall suggested, "My lord, besides the reinforcements from Lone Rock, if you wish, there is another army that can come to our aid at any time."
Jennings turned to look into Randall's eyes and said, word by word, "Before his death, the late king entrusted the kingdom to me, specifically instructing me on two things: first, to protect the young queen until she comes of age; and second, to ensure that Lone Rock does not fall into the hands of others. Therefore, I cannot agree to anything that might threaten the royal authority!"
After saying this, Jennings refocused his attention on the battlefield and continued, "As long as our reinforcements arrive in time, victory in this war will surely belong to Lone Rock!"
The Ayyubid Empire's army had assembled at the foot of the mountain in Lonely Rock. Soldiers knelt on the ground, foreheads touching the earth, palms facing upwards, listening to the old imam chant scriptures. After a series of religious rites, the infantry regiments began drawing their weapons, raising their shields, and making final adjustments to their formation; the musketeers dug holes in the ground, set up their gun mounts, and began checking the matchlocks and magazines; the artillery, led by scholars, calculated the trajectories of their shots again and again, adjusting the sights and angles.
The defenders of Lone Rock City turned pale and trembled as they looked at the terrifying infidel army before them.
The soldiers of Lone Rock took out the crosses from their chests and began to silently recite biblical prayers. Jennings then summoned his adjutant and asked in a low voice, "Any news of reinforcements?"
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