Drawing Cards in the Middle Ages to Rise in Ranks-Chapter 525 - 304: The White Fleur-de-Lis Banner

"Enemy attack, enemy attack!"

The bronze bell atop the tower rang loudly.

The bonfire on the Great Holy Fire Altar burst into flames several feet high.

The soldiers on the city wall hurriedly organized their weapons, placing bows and arrows within easy reach, and brought out the siege equipment like logs, rocks, and rams from the tower’s storeroom to the walls.

Adram pushed aside two clansmen standing in front of him and quickly lay on the wall to look into the distance.

From the horizon, a cloud of dust rose, and countless flags of different colors, like the tide of the Nile River, accompanied by a steel torrent, came with an overwhelming and despairing momentum, covering the sky and the earth.

"By the Holy Fire above!"

"These heretic devils march as if they are one, I’ve never seen an army like this."

"Even King Saladin lost to these heretic demons, what do we have to resist the enemy’s great army?"

"I heard that those brave young men of the Mo’er Tribe were utterly defeated by the Crusader cavalry in just one round, and the Mo’er Tribe used to be the strongest among our tribes."

The morale of the defenders was shaken, with the dreadful legends of the Crusaders well-known, further compounded by Losa’s elite forces leading the charge, bringing an unprecedented sense of oppression.

At this moment, someone shouted: "The lord is here!"

"Master Yasal, where are our reinforcements?"

"Are we to abandon our ancestral lands, burn down our hard-earned towns, just to come here and fight to the death against the heretics with no clothes and no food, isolated and without support?"

Faced with the surging doubts, Yasal’s expression remained calm: "The heretic army has just arrived, they are exhausted and thirsty, they need time to rest, to go far afield to cut wood and build siege weapons, while Governor Iben’s reinforcements will arrive soon."

He shouted: "We abandoned Arishe, abandoned the land where we have lived for generations, not to be trapped in this narrow fortress, awaiting death, but to claim ultimate victory!"

"As long as we hold Feilai Mai, reinforcements will continue to gather here, and we will be heroes of the entire Zoroastrian world!"

The defenders were convinced by Yasal.

Indeed, in the desert, even finding firewood was difficult, let alone the fine timber needed to build siege equipment. No matter how one looked at it, the Crusaders couldn’t launch an attack anytime soon.

Adram, however, said in a deep voice: "But they seem to have no intention of setting up camp."

Yasal laughed heartily at this: "Even better, if the foolish and reckless Crusaders choose to assault, we’ll show them the valor of Zoroastrian warriors!"

Beneath the walls, the nomads from the outer city had already ascended the wall with weapons in hand. They were terrifyingly silent, as if they knew no fear.

Yasal pointed at them and shouted: "Look, my brothers, the warriors of the outer city are not as well equipped as us, not as formidable as us, yet in the face of the heretic demons, they show not a trace of fear."

"Because they are already resigned to die!"

"Because in this sacred war, every fallen hero shall ascend to the Celestial Kingdom!"

"Holy Fire Everlasting, supreme and grand!"

The defenders on the wall regained their morale, raising their weapons and shouting loudly.

...

Below the city, Losa, who had just remounted the Eclipse, meticulously examined this not very large, but sufficiently fortified castle.

"Losa, why haven’t we set up camp?"

Baron Godfrey rode over.

He knew well that there were no dismantled siege weapons brought along. Unless they were to climb the walls with makeshift ladders, but even with the Crusaders’ numbers, they couldn’t afford such losses.

"No need, we will rest briefly, then attack immediately."

Losa waved his hand.

Baron Godfrey’s voice grew urgent: "Without siege equipment, how do we attack?"

Losa looked at Baron Godfrey and smiled: "Who says I have no siege equipment?"

He knew that Baron Godfrey meant no harm, only worried about his lack of siege warfare experience and underestimating its brutality.

Losa looked at the ’Iron Knights’ beside him: "Prajna, please, could you?"

Prajna nodded slightly.

Suddenly, in the open space reserved by two fully armored Varangian Guard units near Losa, excellently crafted giant catapults appeared without warning, as if they had always been there.

Godfrey was dumbfounded.

Even knowing that witchcraft and extraordinary powers existed in this world, it was still difficult for him to comprehend this ability to produce something from nothing.

Losa ambiguously said: "Moses left Egypt, crossed the Red Sea, and God parted the waters for him to pass through."

Baron Godfrey was stunned for a moment, then realized: "So now the Crusaders want to cross Feilai Mai, and God bestows us with siege weapons to pass through?"

"Yes, all is by God’s will."

Losa smiled, drawing a cross before him: "Now, Baron Godfrey, please return to your post, for the battle is about to begin, and protect well that area between your legs, Urding already removed one for treatment."

Godfrey rolled his eyes: "God loves you, people see you as a saint, but really, you’re just a cheeky brat!"

Watching Baron Godfrey leave, Losa continued to inquire:

"How’s the consumption?"

Prajna whispered, "Luckily, it’s just summoning a bunch of lifeless things."

"That’s good."

Losa loudly commanded, "Pass my order, let the engineers with the army come over immediately to take over these catapults; also, instruct the logistics camp to prepare a sumptuous lunch for my fine lads."

He raised his whip, pointing ahead, "Tonight, I want to stand in that tower, gazing at the beautiful scenery across the Nile River."

...

At this time, overlooking the Crusader camp, the Feilai Mai garrison naturally couldn’t ignore the giant catapults that appeared out of thin air.

"Adram, I didn’t see it wrong, did I?"

Yasal tightly gripped Adram’s arm, feeling a wave of dizziness.

Adram guessed solemnly, "It’s a disguise, just like those black armored cavalry! They hid the siege weapon, escaping the falcon’s sight, otherwise we could not have watched them transport these siege weapons and assemble them under the city."

Seems like that’s the only possibility.

Yasal leaned against the city wall, already regretting why he pushed all his chips in like a gambler who climbed onto the betting table.

"Master, look quickly, it’s Governor Iben’s banner, our reinforcements have arrived!"

Yasal turned back in surprise.

"Not good, the Crusaders are sending soldiers to intercept."

"They just crossed the river and haven’t established their footing yet!"

The garrison, who had just felt a bit of joy, immediately saw on the two wings of the Crusader formation, thousands of knights in various armors, sweeping past the fortress wings like the wind.

And Governor Iben’s troops, who had just crossed the river to support, seemed flustered in response, as if they didn’t expect the Crusaders, who had just arrived and were not yet stable, to launch an attack against them.

Losa’s heavy cavalry unit—composed of dozens of Imperial Knights, two hundred armored cavalry, two hundred Winged Cavalry, and four hundred Monastic Cavalry, stood like a somber iron wall, blocking Governor Iben’s reinforcements.

The enemy was a mixed force of infantry and cavalry, totaling over ten thousand, with nearly half mounted on camels, warhorses, including over a thousand elite with man and horse armor.

It was clear Governor Iben genuinely wanted to help Yasal hold Feilai Mai, sending out the best force the local governor could muster.

The heavy cavalry unit stopped midway, gathering horsepower, awaiting the charge order.

Derum took out jerky from his pocket, nibbling on it in small bites.

"Hey, camel boy."

Eupert shouted from his throat, "I saw it, don’t hide it. Even though it’s Friday, no one can demand that a knight about to tread the battlefield and fight against heretic demons eat only grains that don’t give strength."

Derum stuffed the jerky into his mouth unwillingly, glancing helplessly at the surrounding comrades, "If I didn’t hide some, it would’ve been grabbed by you forever hungry guys long ago."

"Don’t be so stingy. A saint once said that sharing food with your comrades is what a noble person should do."

"Which saint said that, a heretic saint?"

Derum unapologetically pulled another piece of jerky from his saddle bag, stuffed it into his mouth, and opened the cloth bag, indicating to Eupert he had no more.

"You stingy Jew, shame on you."

Derum pointed seriously forward, "Pay attention to the Knight Commander’s banner, now is not the time for banter."

Leading the front of the formation, carrying a white banner with a fleur-de-lis, silver armored on a red horse, the distinct Jeanne was like the sun suspended in the sky, always drawing everyone’s gaze.

"Don’t be so nervous, camel boy. This is your first time fighting with Knight Commander Jeanne, right?"

"Of course."

Eupert wore a hint of pride, "Have you heard the saying - when fighting under the Marquis, even a coward can always be inspired with endless courage, and fighting with Knight Commander Jeanne, even a cripple can become a Sword Saint."

"Really?"

"Of course it is!"

Eupert, along with several veterans, showed a proud expression.

Jeanne’s status in their eyes was unparalleled, not just because she was the Marquis’ appointed "Holy Spear Guardian," and not just for her inadvertently captivating charisma.

But because she always brought them victory.

"The signal’s here, get the lance ready, Derum!"

Eupert’s tone suddenly became serious.

Derum quickly complied, "And then?"

"Do you see the Knight Commander’s banner?"

"Obviously!"

Eupert grinned, pulled down his faceguard, and from beneath the helmet, came his booming voice, "Follow that banner to charge, and then embrace victory—I want to use the enemy commander’s skull as a bowl."

Derum also lowered his visor, responding in a booming voice, "I’ll use it as a night pot—of course, it doesn’t stop you from using it."

Between jokes.

The heavy cavalry unit, like the flooding Nile River, followed the white fleur-de-lis banner with a battle cry of "In the name of the Father," charging towards the hastily arrayed over ten thousand Saracen troops.