"What are they doing?" Saladin stood on the high ground, looking at the scene before him in shock.
Not far ahead, Emperor Ammon of Qiuz was leading his troops around aimlessly like headless flies.
“Your Majesty the Sultan, they seem to be going in circles!” a Muslim general replied.
"And then, as you go around, you'll slaughter your own warhorse to eat?" Saladin wondered.
If you're going to eat, just eat! Why act like a wild animal, lying on the ground and gnawing away?
Even more outrageous, the scouts he sent out actually joined the Qiuz people in their madness, going around in circles with them!
"Someone, send another team in..."
Before he could finish speaking, his subordinate stopped him: "Your Majesty the Sultan, you mustn't! If I'm not mistaken, this is a bewitching array set up by disciples of the ancient sect of Xuanhua Palace."
Once inside, if you can't break the formation, you'll be trapped and die inside.
Saladin was immediately astonished upon hearing this. "A bewitching formation?" He instinctively said, "Since you know about this formation, why don't you quickly break it and rescue His Majesty Amun!"
"I...I've only heard of it!" the man said tremblingly.
For the people of Chuz living outside, these words were as good as nothing.
"What utter nonsense!" said a bearded Qiuz general. "Stop with the charade! Warriors of Qiuz, come with me and join His Majesty!"
He used the word "convergence" instead of "rescue" to avoid affecting morale.
"Stop them!" Saladin immediately ordered.
"Get out of the way!" the bearded general shouted impatiently. "Saladin, what are you doing?"
"Do you want your men to be trapped inside and die?" Saladin rebuked.
"Bullshit! What kind of nonsense is this 'bewitching array'? It's utter rubbish!"
"Yes, there's no such thing as a maze." Saladin sneered. "So your emperor Ammon is a fool or a madman? Is he just bored and leading his troops to wander around in circles?"
Or perhaps some evil spirits have corrupted the soldiers' minds, turning them into beasts?
"Hmph! In either case, you shouldn't act rashly!"
"So you're just going to let His Majesty die inside?" the bearded general roared. "Didn't you see? His Majesty... he's already extremely weak!"
"The more this is the case, the more we must remain calm!" Saladin shouted. "Otherwise, we're just throwing our lives away!"
"Calm down, alright! Your Majesty the Sultan, please think of a way to support my Emperor!"
All the pressure fell on Saladin.
"Damn it, you're asking me?" Saladin immediately became agitated. "I'm sorry, I can't help you!"
He was an outstanding military strategist and politician in the medieval Muslim world.
But it's not some reclusive master who can set up such a mystical formation!
Faced with such a bizarre and confusing maze, Saladin had no good solution.
Just then, a Muslim scout rushed over.
"Your Majesty the Sultan! The Great Xia... the Great Xia pursuers are less than twenty miles away and will catch up with us soon!"
Saladin was startled. "They've arrived so quickly?"
For some reason, Saladin felt a slight sense of smug satisfaction upon hearing the news.
Because he can openly and legitimately lead his men away from this place!
No more need to navigate through any mazes!
But Saladin could think of it this way: the troops outside the lines of Chuz are numb.
"What?" the bearded general exclaimed in panic. "Then what do we do now..."
Is he going to run into this bizarre maze to "meet up" with Amon? Or will he retreat eastward with Saladin?
The crucial question is, even if they manage to reunite with Amun and successfully escape the maze, how can the remnants of Qiuzi's army, without the assistance of Saladin's forces, withstand the mighty cavalry of the Great Xia?
“I propose we retreat eastward temporarily, and then come to support His Majesty Amun after we have repelled the Xia pursuers!” Saladin’s subordinate said.
Saladin narrowed his eyes. "What do you think?"
“This…” The bearded general frowned.
He glanced around, observing the expressions of the other Qiuz generals.
At this critical moment of life and death, the generals of Qiuzi had different expressions.
But at least 80% of people prefer to evacuate first!
They looked at each other and finally got their answer through eye contact.
"Your Majesty the Sultan," someone finally broke the silence, "we agree to the suggestion."
Upon hearing this, Saladin felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders and let out a long sigh of relief. "May Allah bless His Majesty Ammon," he murmured.
Immediately, he decisively ordered: "The entire army shall retreat eastward!"
Finally, he appointed a Muslim general to lead 5,000 wounded soldiers to stay behind.
The mission of these 5,000 wounded soldiers was clear: to cover the retreat in a suicidal manner!
The Muslim army disappeared into the distance without looking back.
When the pursuers arrived at the battlefield, panting and exhausted, the sight before them was a great disappointment. A group of wounded and depleted soldiers, their spirits broken, dragged their weary bodies and helplessly formed a defensive formation on the battlefield.
What the Muslim soldiers covering the rear found even more incredible was...
The pursuers were not soldiers of the Great Xia Dynasty, but...
Wearing chainmail with a red cross embroidered on their chest: Crusaders!
"Damn it, damn it!" The Muslim general who was covering the rear had lost his right arm, and at this moment he was beyond furious.
Then, the Crusaders raised a white flag, indicating that they wanted to talk.
The Muslim forces' intention was to buy time, so they agreed to the request.
Both generals rode forward.
"You traitors, you have betrayed our sacred covenant!" the Muslim general cursed as soon as he arrived.
"Hmph!" The Crusader vanguard commander sneered. "You heretics tricked us first! If it weren't for His Highness the Regent of Great Xia's mercy towards you, do you think I would have wasted my time negotiating with you?"
"Your Highness? You already have a new master?" the Muslim general said with a disdainful look.
"Stop talking nonsense! Surrender or not?"
"Surrender?" The Muslim general grinned. "Sure! But..."
"But what?"
“Take the crusader from your neck, throw it on the ground, and stomp on it,” the Muslim general laughed. “If you can do that, maybe I’ll consider it!”
"You..." the Crusader general roared in fury. "You're asking for death!"
After speaking, the Crusader general, utterly devoid of morality, drew his longsword and swung it directly at the enemy.
The Muslim general never expected that the other side would make a move during the negotiations.
In a panic, he hastily raised his scimitar with his left hand to parry.
But since it's not his dominant hand, his reaction was a beat slower.
With a "whoosh" sound.
The Crusader's longsword sliced open the Muslim's neck, instantly cutting the Muslim general off his horse!
"Kill! Kill all the heretics!"
The Crusader general waved his hand, and the Crusaders pounced fiercely on him.
An extremely unbalanced massacre ensued!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
