In the Middle Ages, people drew cards to be promoted to nobility. - Chapter 717

c714 Crown as King

For the Alexandrians, this period was undoubtedly the prelude to the death knell.

Adil, the governor of Egypt appointed by King Saladin, the master of Alexander, and the king’s most trusted brother, was beheaded. Most of the elite troops were lost, and the rest were no longer organized. Many of them ravaged the countryside and became bandits.

The funny thing is that when the defeated army was fleeing, internal strife broke out. I don’t know whether it was a fight for supplies in the camp by Lake Burulus or a dispute between the Sun sects. The two sides fought fiercely, and the lake was dyed red with blood. .

In the end, the Crusaders who marched into Alexandria intervened forcefully, separating the group of infighting and turning them all into prisoners.

As news continued to spread that the Crusaders were marching towards Alexandria, the news in the city began to change.

First, “the Frankish devils massacred the camp at Lake Brulus, and the blood of the faithful stained the lake red.”

The nobles who stayed in the city began to call on the militia to defend the city and prepare for war, hoping to live or die with Alexander.

The next day, with the news that “the unspeakable man-eating devil crossed the Nile and occupied Damanhur” and the defeated army entered the city, the details of the battle that day and the shocking “God-Slaying Battle” were revealed. , the limelight suddenly changed.

Many well-informed Saracen nobles no longer came forward to try to compete for the power vacuum left by Adil’s death. Instead, they packed up their belongings and hired ships to leave.

On the third day, as “the despicable and shameless pagan devil led his army through the ruined city of Rashid that he destroyed with his own hands”, many people had a sense of the end of the world. After all, with Rashid in front, who could They were all afraid that Alexandria would become the second dead city.

By this time, except for some stupid young people, no one thought about resisting to the end.

The price of ferry tickets in Alexandria began to change every hour, and many citizens who originally had a small fortune could only barely get a place in the cramped cargo hold used to transport salted fish in the past.

On the fourth day, the Coptic believers in the city, in conjunction with the Shadow of Darkness, launched an “uprising” to seize the city and occupied key locations such as the city gate. The two sides continued to fight on the one hand, but kept in contact secretly.

By the fifth day, when the Crusader army pressed on, the secret negotiations had ended.

The rebels held high the cross flag and announced to the people of Alexandria that the great Christian savior, the supreme Lothar the Great, was about to arrive in his loyal Alexandria.

Overnight, flags were changed in the city. Many Zoroastrian minarets were replaced by Coptic shrines, and the Holy Fire flag was replaced with crudely made double-headed eagles and Crusader flags.

The Crusaders, who were preparing to launch a siege, could only look at the open city gate, dumbfounded.

Lothar was not surprised by this result. Alexandria is a multi-ethnic city, with Greeks, Jews, Copts, and Saracens all living here. When the main force of the Saracens was lost, the middle and lower nobles were afraid of liquidation. After everyone fled, it became a matter of course that the city would surrender without a fight.

The team that came to welcome Lothar into the city was led by a Coptic bishop and a wealthy Jewish businessman.

These days, many Jewish merchants have also fled to Aleppo with the Saracens. After all, the Franks’ religious policies are not as enlightened as the Saracens. What is left is that Lothar is not as good as other Crusader princes. So cruel, unwilling to give up the property that he has worked hard for all these years, just want to get rich.

“Your Majesty, you can enter your loyal Alexandria at any time. This city has become the most beautiful jewel in your crown. In order to prevent the jewel from getting dusty, your loyal servants boldly suggest that you let those mighty and majestic soldiers stay. Outside the city.”

The Jewish businessman looked flattering, with big drops of sweat on his plump face.

He was too nervous. He was facing the pagan devil who was said to have killed the “God of Light”. This heavy pressure faced many people in the team who were usually eloquent, and they couldn’t even speak.

No one answered for a long time.

He couldn’t help but secretly raise his head and look at the man riding on the back of a giant horse, wearing a golden mask and unable to see his emotions or anger.

I don’t know how long it took, it might have been a moment, but in the eyes of the Jewish businessman, it seemed like half a century had passed. The sweat on his silk underwear was completely wet. This was winter.

“My soldiers deserve the honor they deserve.”

The man spoke. He ignored the greeting team kneeling by the road. The “civil war” of these people during this period was more like a performance for him. Lothar would give them a certain status to stabilize his rule. But that doesn’t mean he will treat his real base poorly for this.

It is true that with great power and fame, he can completely ignore what others think and be a monarch as he pleases, and he will not be known as a tyrant.

But that’s not his nature.

“Pass my order, all troops and horses, enter the city in an orderly manner!”

Lothar gave a loud order and galloped towards the city gate, followed closely by a group of winged cavalry. The smoke and dust blew away the sumptuously dressed welcoming team.

“Hail, praise Jesus Christ, praise Saint Rosa!”

As soon as they entered the city, there was a sparse cheer.

Hans, who was accompanying him, was startled and pulled out the weapon in his hand. For a moment, the sound of swords and guns being unsheathed could be heard continuously, which frightened the citizens who were arranged to greet him near the city gate and turned pale.

Lothar waved his hand, ordered everyone to put away their weapons, nodded slightly to the citizens, and made the sign of the cross on his chest: “Good day, Christian brothers.”

“Good day, Your Majesty!”

“God bless you!”

The relieved citizens sent their blessings one after another.

Sun Eclipse stepped on the stone road sprinkled with petals, holding its head high and showing its majesty to people, attracting bursts of exclamations. No matter where it is, such a majestic giant horse is extremely eye-catching.

“Is this the legendary horse of hell, the devil’s mount?”

“It’s so scary. Isn’t this Demon King really going to cause a massacre?”

Whispers came from the crowd. Their voices were very low, but they could not be hidden from Lothar’s ears and eyes. However, he quickly blocked these noises. With his current five senses, it would be annoying to listen to these things all day long. dead.

“Sir, where are we going now? The Governor’s Palace in Adil?”

Hans asked.

Lothar shook his head: “I have ordered Coors to make arrangements. Let’s go directly to St. Mark’s Cathedral. That is the place where I was crowned and where I established my unquestionable sovereignty over the whole of Egypt. It is better than the Governor’s Palace. Much more important.”

St. Mark’s Basilica, the cathedral of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, is the center of Coptic Christianity. The remains of St. Mark were once enshrined here, but unfortunately they were stolen by the Venetians, who shamelessly gave away their coat of arms accordingly. Changed to the Lion of San Marco.

The team walked all the way to St. Mark’s Cathedral. This Coptic cathedral did not appear to be decadent or dilapidated. Outside the open door of the church, a group of Crusader nobles had already arrived here in advance.

This even included two kings, both of whom agreed to attend the coronation.

Cardinal Sebastian was somewhat nervously holding the red and white double crown that he had found in Alexander’s treasury, representing the king of Upper and Lower Egypt. It was once a symbol of the power of the Egyptian pharaohs and was collected by Adil in his governor’s palace.

After witnessing the great power Lothar possessed, he worried every day that Lothar would one day settle his accounts.

Therefore, after Lothar made the request to be crowned king in Alexander, he didn’t even dare to resist at all, so he hurriedly agreed.

He walked straight onto the golden seat above the church. A group of priests came forward and anointed him with holy anointing oil. Sebastian recited a sacred and lengthy prayer beside him.

“Lotha von Habsburg, you are the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt by God, the monarch of all Franks, Copts, Saracens, and Greeks in all Egypt. Now you will be crowned king. To abide by it”

“Too long.”

Lothar suddenly interrupted Sebastian’s lengthy prayer.

Under Sebastian’s surprised, frightened, and unexpected gaze, he stood up straight, took out the crown from the gold plate held by the attendant, and put it on his head.

No one questioned his transgression. No matter how much Lothar thought of his theological status, he could not be lower than an unpopular former cardinal. There was no doubt in the minds of the Crusaders who could better represent God.

“Long live the King of Egypt!”

“Long live the Crusader King!”

“Long live my king!”

Cheers resounded throughout the entire church.