Drawing Cards in the Middle Ages to Rise in Ranks-Chapter 540 - 318: Submission (2)

Governor Iben showed a look of astonishment and hurriedly said, "But King Saladin is a wise ruler. You want me to betray him and seek allegiance with the Franks?"

Maimonides paused in silence. That was indeed his original plan, but judging from Governor Iben’s reaction, he clearly could not endure the consequences of such actions. Thus, he offered a compromise: "No, of course not. We only intend to negotiate with the Franks. Whether it’s money, provisions, or even craftsmen to create siege weapons, we can provide those to them, as long as the conditions are enticing enough. The Franks may not remain indifferent."

Governor Iben breathed a sigh of relief.

This matched his expectations.

Were it not for exhausting all options, he truly was unwilling to board the treacherous ship with the Franks—who knows if they can establish a foothold in Egypt—the cost of betraying Saladin was too high. He would rather take his accumulated wealth and army to Alexandria to ally with Adil.

Looking at the nobles and generals who placed all their hopes in negotiating with the Franks,

Senmut showed a hint of sarcasm on his face.

Nowadays, the strength of the Damietta Province has been reduced to less than one-third of its peak. Their weakness has been fully exposed before the Crusaders. How would these Cannibal Evil Beasts abandon their annexation plans for Damietta Province for some petty profits?

...

By the Nile River, in the Crusaders’ temporary camp.

Maimonides respectfully greeted, "Esteemed King of the Dead Sea, Monarch of the Eastern Franks, Commander-in-Chief of the Crusaders, I offer my humble respect to you."

"You flatter me,"

Losa nodded slightly and asked, "You are a close aide to Governor Iben. What does your master wish to convey to me?"

"Here is a secret letter for your view, sir."

Losa briefly skimmed through the content of the letter, and raised his head unnoticed.

The letter briefly stated that with Damietta’s resources, they would win the favor of the nation as long as he abandoned the attack on Damietta City. The villages and towns in the province could be left for him to plunder. If he agreed to attack the other two governors, Damietta promised to provide all necessary military supplies and provisions, even including craftsmen to make siege weapons.

But here’s the problem, if he could directly annex all of Damietta, why bother accepting a gift and heading south to attack Gayer-Abbas Province or jumping past Damietta to attack Manufiya?

If at that time his offensive falters, Governor Iben could turn against him, cutting off his land supplies, then even if the Crusaders don’t face total annihilation, they would at best return with nothing.

"Handing over Damietta Port, it’s non-negotiable."

Losa set the letter down without tossing it into the fire pit. This letter lacked Governor Iben’s private seal, making it unlikely to be used as leverage against Governor Iben. But having it is better than not.

Damietta had long been planned by Losa as an important "fulcrum," needed to be in his grasp.

Seeing Losa’s resolute words, Maimonides eagerly said, "Marquis, Damietta has dozens of giant towers full of catapults and crossbow cannons, with walls built of bricks and mortar which cannot be toppled even by flying stones. Besides, we have tens of thousands of brave fighters, hundreds of thousands of loyal citizens, and the ships outside the port can continuously supply the city. We can defend this city until the end of time."

His tone paused as he saw Losa remained unmoved, and he felt quite disheartened.

"No need for you to worry about that,"

Losa waved his hand nonchalantly.

The defense of Damietta Port was indeed impressive, but regardless of Chelina’s assassinations and infiltrations, Furinjira’s Blood Magic potentiated by Blood Magic Source, his Dragon Breath, or Prajna’s "strategic armchair" could easily destroy it.

Maimonides’ tone grew urgent, "Marquis, are you truly willing to give up the generous terms my lord offered? Back then, your country’s former King Amalric once conquered Alexandria, but ultimately had to retreat with nothing. Damietta City was previously the warfront and its defense was even stronger than Alexandria. Even if you capture it, your losses will be heavy, unable to secure a foothold there. The gains may not compare with the gifts the Governor offers."

Losa sneered, "Times have changed, what forced former King Amalric into retreat was the reinforcements sent by the Zengi Dynasty. But now, the monarchs of Europe sharpen their blades and will soon arrive in the Holy Land, while your monarch Saladin has been defeated by me, powerless to assist you. On what basis do you believe I can’t establish a foothold in Egypt? As for your so-called ’brave fighters,’ they’re worthless, thousands scattered by my forces, unable to inflict damage upon me?"

The army dispatched by the Zengi Dynasty to relieve Fatimid Egypt was commanded by Sherkukh, uncle of Saladin, marking the beginning of Saladin’s rule in Egypt.

The envoy fell silent as Losa gestured, saying, "Today’s meeting was pleasant. I regret we couldn’t reach a consensus. Please return and inform your master that when he dishonorably decided to raid my camp and revealed the cowardice of him and his soldiers, he lost any chance of ending this war with dignity."

The envoy remained silent for a moment before speaking softly: "Marquis, as a close aide to Governor Iben, my conversation with you has indeed concluded, but as the Jewish leader in Damietta, I wish for further dialogue with you."

Losa seemed slightly taken aback, then smiled, "Certainly, I’m very interested."

The envoy spoke softly, "You are an enlightened ruler, and we have heard of your benevolence. Before the war began, I visited Hebron under your rule, where the Jews praised your generosity and kindness, far surpassing the previous ruler Reynard."

Losa casually asked, "Envoy, may I know your name?"

"You can call me Maimonides."

"Well then, Maimonides, we all know that in Albion, Gaul, and Germanic territories, Jews have always been unwelcome. I’ve heard that the king of Albion, the Lionheart, even ordered every Jew in his realm to pay a hefty ’Saladin Tax’ to support the crusade. Even the Berbers of Iberia forced you to convert to other religions."

Losa paused, smiling, "As you’ve heard, I’m a tolerant ruler with no intent to change your beliefs and willing to treat you equally, but that doesn’t mean my vassals, bishops, and soldiers feel the same."

Losa sighed and feigned distress, "Sometimes, even a king cannot have everything go his way."

In truth, the term "Jews" in this era merely referred to practitioners of Judaism. Jews from Iberia and Abyssinia vastly differed in appearance and language.

Maimonides fell silent for a moment before saying, "We’d like to donate a substantial amount of military funds and supplies to your forces."

"Thank you,"

Losa smiled and acknowledged the gesture: "From now on, we can communicate through letters."

When the envoy exited the tent, Losa remarked, "This was a relatively principled Jew, I expected that seeing Damietta’s Saracens’ plight, he would propose to help us take Damietta through inside cooperation."

Jeanne, who was listening nearby, shrugged, "Perhaps you overestimated the influence of these Jews in Egypt."

Losa shook his head, "I only overestimated their courage."

After saying this, Losa stood up: "Send the order, at dawn tomorrow, the army will march, aiming to capture Damietta Port within a week!"