Drawing Cards in the Middle Ages to Rise in Ranks-Chapter 605 - 377

Riding on the back of the eclipse, Losa wrapped his face in a headscarf; it was noon, although it was late autumn, the sunlight was still very intense. His guards, wrapped in black or white robes and headscarves, clearly seemed to lack energy.

"Let’s rest under the shade of the trees for a while."

Losa grasped the whip and pointed towards a grove of locust trees ahead.

He leaned back under the shade, watching the sweaty soldiers, and couldn’t help but laugh, "Laine, take some men to the village ahead to get some water flasks, and buy some fruits to quench everyone’s thirst."

Laine replied, "Yes, my lord," and led a few winged cavalrymen towards the village ahead.

His entourage was not small, and it caught people’s attention from afar. It’s likely that soon the village chief would send someone over to inquire about the news.

Latter generations often say that Egyptians have been replaced and have no connection to Ancient Egypt.

This statement is not reliable at all.

At the very least, as Losa traveled, he saw that the residents were visibly different from the Saracens. Some simple Coptic churches and shrines still stood in the fields, some less than a hundred meters apart from the Fire Worship altars.

However, the appearance of such statements is not baseless.

After all, as early as 500 BC, Ancient Egypt was conquered by the Persians.

Later, it was captured by King of Macedonia, the famous conqueror "Alexander." After Alexander’s death, during the Wars of the Successors, Egypt was occupied by Alexander’s general Ptolemy, establishing a Hellenized kingdom.

The last Pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt was the renowned Egyptian queen Cleopatra. She first became the mistress of Caesar, and after Caesar’s assassination, she became Mark Antony’s mistress.

After Mark Antony was defeated by Octavian, Egypt was officially incorporated into the Empire, becoming a province.

More than five hundred years ago, the Saracens occupied Egypt, and have remained to this day.

Initially, the first batch of Saracen troops entering Egypt was only over ten thousand, and the number of Saracens migrating later has become incalculable. However, the Saracen tribes living on the Arabian Peninsula likely did not number much more than the estimated five million Egyptians at that time.

Mingling of bloodlines, surely it is mingling of bloodlines.

As early as when the Persians conquered Ancient Egypt, Egyptians had already mixed their blood.

Fire Worship, surely it is Fire Worship.

But from a genealogical perspective, Copts are still Copts; after all, the population base is there. Without systematic massacre or massive migrations, it is impossible to eradicate Ancient Egyptians.

Today’s Egypt can be said to have either Copts or Saracens as the majority.

Because the term ’Saracen’ is, much like ’Jew,’ more of a religious tie—a broad concept.

Copts who believe in Christianity are Copts, and Copts who believe in Fire Worship are Saracens.

And the term ’Copts,’ in the broader sense, refers to all Egyptian natives; in a narrower sense, it refers to Egyptians who still adhere to Christianity.

"So, now what should I use to unite these Copts, making them willingly accept my rule, contributing both money and effort for me?"

Losa politely declined the soldiers’ offered water bags, patting one of their shoulders as he continued his thoughts.

Relying on the ’restoration of true Christian faith’ is definitely not going to work; the Saracens have already done quite well in terms of religious freedom, as Copts only need to pay an extra ’non-believer tax’ to continue practicing the Coptic Church.

As for bloodlines, they are even less relevant; Franks and Saracens are not significantly different in the eyes of Copts.

Relying on the Empire’s approval?

At first glance, this might seem plausible, given Losa’s good relationship with Empress Ragaya. If he were to seek the title of ’Governor of Aegustop Province’ from the Empress, she likely would not refuse.

But the problem is, the Egyptians actually do not like the Empire at all.

Take Damietta City for example: it has been raided by the Eastern Empire’s navy, nearly burnt to the ground, with numerous Coptic prisoners taken by the Empire’s army. Therefore, the title of Empire Governor would probably only make Egyptians more repellent.

An idea suddenly popped into Losa’s mind: "How about I emulate Alexander the Great and claim to be a son of Ammon, and give myself the title of Pharaoh of Egypt?"

He couldn’t help but laugh.

If he were to do that, it would probably mean the Franks and Crusaders under his command would start a rebellion against him.

However, the concept is actually not flawed; it’s just dependent on his personal prestige.

If one day, his position is solidified, with enough strength to face any challenges, he could entirely declare himself the Holy Son, declaring that God and Ammon are two sides of the same coin, and that he is both the Holy Son, Pharaoh, and Jesus’ brother.

That would be the Habsburg-style Trinity.

Only, if he had such prestige, he wouldn’t need to consider how to unite the Copts?

Losa was amused by his own whimsical thoughts and walked straight onto a small mound ahead.

In front of him lay a small village, dependent on Damietta City.

This, too, counted as his territory.

But in reality, it was controlled by local chiefs.

’Chiefs’ are often intricately linked with local lords; they cannot be considered nobles, but their words often carry more weight locally than those of nobles.

Jeanne’s father belonged to such a type; though he did not have a noble title, he was the equivalent of a local headman, likely holding some appointment delegated by the local lord. Otherwise, Jeanne would not have received military training.

No matter how talented a girl may be, she can’t just pick up a weapon and ride a horse to fight.

Soon enough.

Laine, who had gone to fetch water, returned with a corpulent man on horseback riding towards them.

The corpulent man had deep brown skin, possibly having a trace of Nubian blood, he squeezed out a smile and greeted, "Salutations, Duke."

Though reluctant in his heart, nonetheless

"Any requests you have, I will do my best to fulfill them. Please, do not hesitate to speak."

In his view, Losa was simply here to levy some extra tribute.

The kings and lords of this era indeed had a tradition of touring their territories with armies to collect money.

In many people’s eyes, kings and lords were no different from robbers.

"You seem to be hosting a banquet."

"Do I have the honor of participating?"

Losa gazed towards the bustling scene ahead, smiling as he inquired. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Of course, there’s no problem."

"It is our honor to invite such a noble guest as yourself."