In the hazy, sweat and hormone-filled tavern, Otto was holding a wine glass, watching with interest an upcoming duel.

Two knights from Europe were still cursing each other in their local dialect-filled country slang.

Otto couldn't even understand what they were saying—he guessed it was likely Latin spoken with a Castilian or Navarrese mountain accent.

The onlookers were enthusiastically cheering, making a ruckus, anticipating a battle of iron and blood that could entertain them.

To Otto, this was nothing new.

Knights might draw swords against each other over any trivial matter.

Not just the knights.

Duels among commoners, and even clergy, often arose, confronting anyone who defamed their honor.

Monks clad in monk's robes, wielding flails and warhammers on the battlefield, were not uncommon.

The Pope had repeatedly stated publicly that dueling violated the religious spirit of non-violence, although where this spirit originated from was unknown, but reportedly, there was indeed a trend in the Pope City in recent years to ban judicial dueling.

However, it was likely to end up like the so-called "crossbow ban", nothing more than an empty promise.

He popped a date into his mouth, thoroughly chewing it, the intense sweetness greatly satisfying his taste buds.

Dates to Otto were indeed a rare delicacy.

As for the future, in the eyes of Easterners, the overly sweet flaw was instead the greatest virtue of this era.

In this era, any seasoning was a luxury!

Otto reluctantly pushed the last date into his mouth, wiped his sticky hand on his body, and secretly thought, "It's said that there are countless date palms in the Losa Territory, I should take some more when I leave."

The two knights were already shoving each other, and even their respective retainers and companions seemed poised to draw swords.

Tavern-goers native to the Holy Land or local knights couldn't help but boo.

The tavern owner came out holding a warhammer: "Gentlemen, please restrain yourselves. If your fight causes me any losses, I will seek compensation from you according to the law."

"Ha, right, still indulging in traditional duels in this day and age, why not play a round of Gwent Card?"

Someone whistled.

Another teased, "Seeing those brutish-looking barbarians, you just know they can't handle advanced stuff like Gwent Card."

This remark immediately garnered agreement.

It seemed that knights holding sharp swords and lances, dueling in tournaments, were gradually becoming outdated, and those "colts" newly arrived in the Holy Land were regarded by the Jerusalemites as barbarians who only knew how to use swords and knives.

The martial spirit of the Franks indeed showed a declining trend in the affluent East.

The Germanic tribes, once dwelling in the bitter cold, driven south by natural disasters with a ferocious demeanor, destroyed the affluent Empire.

And during the First Crusades, they marched the distance, dealing a strong blow to the divided Saracens.

Qi Jiguang also preferred recruiting the poor into the army, the poorer they were, the better they fought, a real truth.

At this moment.

The tavern door swung open.

More than a dozen fully armed knights, armored brightly, stepped into the tavern first.

They walked with heavy steps, their armor gleaming brightly enough to reflect a face.

People immediately recognized this as high-end "full body plate armor" produced by the largest armor workshop in town.

Otto widened his eyes.

Among these knights were several familiar faces, all knights he had brought from Algo.

The knights stood apart on both sides.

The atmosphere became solemn.

People realized that a great figure was about to appear.

The next moment, a young man clad in a red and white cloak, with a black cloak embroidered with a dragon head in gold thread at the back, strode into the tavern.

"It's Count Losa!"

People began whispering.

In the eyes of most, this Count Losa was a significant figure in the Holy Land.

Even seasoned noblemen like Regent King Raymond, akin to half a king, a major duke, in their eyes, lacked the legendary aura of Losa.

In just a few months, he had risen from knight to baron, to the high status of Count of Transjordan, not through marriage, but by honor of battle, truly rare in the world.

The young nobleman, surrounded by the knights, glanced around.

An unseen majesty rendered the crowd speechless.

Otto opened his mouth... Is this the influence his brother now wields in Jerusalem?

Truly frightening.

How did he achieve it?

Indeed, how did he achieve it?

This was not only Otto's question but also the puzzle of all Jerusalemites.

Losa walked directly to Otto: "Come with me to my territory, there might be a few skirmishes soon, and by following me, you'll gain some experience in advance."

Otto subconsciously nodded, feeling a bit diminished.

"I am your brother, and you speak to me like you're ordering a servant?"

Losa, a bit helpless, said: "Brother, come to Hebron and help me fight."

Otto immediately felt satisfied, his vanity greatly fulfilled: "No problem!"

Losa then looked at the two knights who were about to duel, saying, "The Holy Land is in crisis, if you pride yourselves on bravery, why not take it to the battlefield against the heretics?"

"I have no authority to interfere with your sacred duel, this right is granted to you by the Heavenly Father, I'm just offering a suggestion."

The two knights nodding hesitantly, watching Losa's departing figure, couldn't help but develop a thought.

A great knight should be like this!

…

After bringing Otto into the palace for an audience, Losa proposed to return.

Jeanne remarked: "Is there such a need to rush?"

"Though Hans can now stand on his own, Eira Port has just been acquired, it's a time of undercurrents, and you're not there, I'm truly worried."

Though Losa wasn't much of a talent in internal affairs himself, he at least knew one thing, which was to win over and rope in more easily and in larger numbers the commoners.

To drive out those who ate the most and took the most, and thus, since Losa's arrival, the original vested interests, whose benefits might be impaired, harbored the strongest resistance.

And also, those newly sworn Imperial Knights under Losa could be allocated places to guard a village or estate for him.

Losa always believed that his greatest wealth wasn't these territories, but these ever-increasing, systematically retrained, loyal, reliable, and strong soldiers.

Now, Losa had under his command five territories, namely Hebron, Eira Port, Alandler Bishopric, Jorgelisburg, and New Habsburg.

Among these, without a doubt, Eira Port and New Habsburg had the greatest potential.

The former, if the trade routes were smooth, could collect a considerable amount of commercial tax.

New Habsburg, on the other hand, would produce lots of arable fertile land; however, its original trade hub status appeared somewhat insignificant now that Eira Port was under Losa's possession.

Compared to sea trade routes, inland trade routes through Montreal were ultimately secondary.

Also, Hebron, as King David's first capital, remained Losa's largest source of fiscal revenue, especially after wiping out several major local chiefs, with tax contributions predicted to be roughly thirty thousand Suludes gold coins annually.

Next, with some development time, once these Imperial Knights have trained their farmer soldiers under them.

His power would expand to match the status of a major vassal with the title Count of Transjordan, even equivalent to the level of the County of Tripoli.

The importance of infantry, in fact, was undisputed.

Losa had initially not developed infantry due to being restricted by circumstances at the time, which was a move out of helplessness.

Just like in the strategy of sheep-driving wolf-eating, the hardly effective Saracens armored infantry collapsed.

Whoever truly believed infantry was useless.

Losa's arch-enemy in simulated battles, Duke Philip of Burgundy's son, who was tragically cleaved by Swiss halberdiers, Charles the Bold, might have something to say.

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