The next morning.
Inside the Great Council Hall in the Damascus Citadel.
The heavy door was pushed open by the guards, and Fadil walked into the hall accompanied by several senior generals.
His steps were steady but slightly heavy, and there was still a hint of fatigue on his face.
However, his eyes were clearer and stronger than yesterday.
Sitting at the round table in the center of the hall were ministers from various ministries, senior military officials, and some church leaders.
Obviously, this is a core Arab decision-making body, which now shoulders the important task of providing advice to the new regime.
At the end of the round table, Saul and the Pope stood respectfully, waiting for Fadhil to arrive.
"Thank you for your hard work, both distinguished guests from Holy Egypt."
Fadhil walked to the main seat and slowly scanned everyone present.
Then, Saul and the Pope proposed that they continue to stay here and guard Damascus.
"We need to discuss your proposal further."
"Please go back and rest. I will give you a reply later."
"Please allow me to express my gratitude to you again."
Saul and the Pope bowed deeply. "We understand, Your Majesty Fadhil."
"We would be honored if you could accept our proposal and allow us to have the same honor as the Arab warriors."
After the two left, the silence in the room lasted only a few seconds before a burst of noise broke out.
"Your Majesty Fadhil!"
A minister was the first to break the silence, his weather-beaten face full of anxiety.
"I think this proposal is a godsend!"
"Our troops have suffered heavy losses in continuous fighting and are in urgent need of rest and recuperation!"
"If we have the elite troops of Holy Egypt to help us, not only will we be able to speed up the elimination of the rebels, but we will also be able to free up our hands to rebuild the city and train new soldiers!"
"With such an ally, we will be able to quickly return to the heyday of His Majesty Saladin's reign!"
The Chancellor of the Exchequer retorted: "How foolish!"
His voice even rose with anger: "Don't you think Holy Egypt is being too friendly to us?"
"Shouldn't it be worthy of suspicion that such a powerful kingdom would interfere in the internal affairs of another country for no reason?"
"Even though His Majesty Saladin and the Holy Pharaoh have a very good personal relationship, how can personal feelings override the interests of the kingdom?"
At this moment, a general also stood up angrily.
"What?! Are you saying that our allies have ulterior motives?"
"This is ridiculous! If that's the case, why didn't they act sooner? They had ample opportunity to create chaos during the funeral yesterday and capture Damascus in one fell swoop!"
“Not to mention, when Damascus was in the most critical moment, it was they who repelled the rebels and saved us!”
“But they didn’t do that!”
Hearing this, the minister who had just raised the question also raised his voice.
"That's why I'm even more suspicious!"
“Why should they help us clear internal obstacles first?”
"This is like the anesthesia a snake or scorpion gives its prey before delivering a fatal blow! Once we let our guard down and rely on their power, wouldn't it be easy to control Damascus?"
Another general slammed the table hard.
"Enough! This conspiracy theory has no evidence to support it!"
"Holy Egypt has always been a neutral country in the past and has never had any ambitions for external expansion!"
"His Majesty Saladin had a close relationship with the Holy Pharaoh during his lifetime. This is a well-known fact throughout Damascus!"
Then, a sect leader raised his head.
"The relationship is close. Just because there was no expansionism in the past doesn't mean that Holy Egypt has no ambitions."
"History tells us that the most dangerous enemies are often those disguised as friends. During the Crusades, weren't there many friendly forces who turned against us?"
The Crusaders were a large army that fought against the Arabs in the past.
Hearing this, the general frowned.
"But Holy Egypt is not like those knightly orders!"
"Their beliefs are different from those of the Crusaders. They have their own religious system and rarely conflict with us."
"More importantly, their territory does not border ours. Even if they want to expand, their target should not be Damascus."
The argument became more and more heated, and the hall was filled with noise.
Fadhil sat quietly at the head of the table, listening to all sides' opinions without saying a word.
He always kept listening.
This was the way of governing the country he learned from Saladin, to listen to as many opinions as possible before making a decision.
Then, another general stood up.
"I support accepting Holy Egypt's help!"
"Holy Egypt has indeed recently been inclined to support regional stability in its diplomacy. Their behavior patterns indicate that they prefer to achieve their goals through economic and cultural influence rather than the use of force!"
Another minister proposed a compromise: "My suggestion is to accept the aid, but limit the time and scale."
"At the same time, we should strengthen our own defense system and ensure the integrity of our sovereignty."
Fadhil took a deep breath and looked around the hall.
"Let's rest for now. We'll discuss this again in two hours. I hope you can come up with more specific plans and countermeasures by then."
Everyone stood up and left one after another, only Fadhil remained sitting in his seat.
After a few minutes, he stood up and walked towards the spiral staircase that led to the top floor of the castle.
Climbing up to the highest observation tower in the castle, Fadhil leaned on the railing and looked into the distance alone.
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