Chapter 743: The Holy War in Granada in the Autumn of 1489 AD
October 1489 AD, in the southern part of the Imbilia Peninsula, in the Emirate of Granada.
The long Granada War has entered its eighth year. Continuous wars are still burning between the mountains and coasts in the southern part of the peninsula. From Malaga to Granada and then to Barcelona, Granada, which was once extremely wealthy,
The land of Nada has been almost completely washed away by brutal killing and looting, turning it into a white land.
At this point, the farms, orchards and water canals that the Moors were proud to build for more than 700 years have all been destroyed by war. In the fertile mountain valleys in the south, there are burned and destroyed villages and markets everywhere.
There were looted workshops and mines, abandoned fields and pastures everywhere, and knights and retinues wearing cross blouses, shouting jihadist slogans, and charging and killing feverishly could be seen everywhere.
"Praise the Lord! After running around in the wilderness for six or seven days, I finally captured a decent Moorish prisoner!"
The sound of trampling horse hooves came from the end of the valley. Soon, a dozen cavalrymen wearing cross armor, one man and two horses, appeared from behind the hillside with a faint smoke.
The leading knight is young, with a slightly longer face, sharp features, and an excited look on his face. He wears a set of polished and compact half-body plate armor, which is lighter than full-body plate armor and is convenient for long-distance attacks.
In this era when plate armor has not yet been manufactured on a large scale, the price of a set of refined plate armor on the Imbilia Peninsula is equivalent to a dozen sets of chain mail shirts or a set of real estate in Seville.
The war horse under the knight's crotch is wearing a protective riding jacket engraved with the family emblem. If you look closely, the image on the emblem is actually a flying lion with two wings, the flying lion of St. Mark. There is nothing wrong with it.
Question, the knight’s family comes from the Republic of Venice.
"God bless you! This time, King Fernando of Aragon led tens of thousands of crusaders southward. The Moors showed their decline and could only huddle in the castle... Giovanni, they can't hold on for long!"
Next to the young plate armor knight is another older plate armor knight with slightly white hair. He has a calm expression. While talking to the young knight, he is observing the situation in front of him. His movements are simple and effective, and he rides the horse
When galloping, he looks like he was born on horseback, and he is obviously a seasoned veteran. His horse is also covered with protective horse clothing, but there is no family crest.
"Lorenzo, why do you say the Moors can't hold on for long?"
The young knight Giovanni turned his head and looked at the old knight Lorenzo curiously. He blinked and said with a smile.
"You have seen the Moors building forts all over the mountains. These stone fortresses are extremely strong and have the advantage of terrain. If I were to fight, I would just withdraw my troops. I feel that they
I can guard these mountain fortresses until I die of old age!"
"The Moorish mountain fortresses are indeed well-defended. Back more than two hundred years ago, when Governor Enrico presided over the Fourth Crusade, these fortresses would have taken several years to be surrounded.
An eternal city like Constantinople, without the civil strife of the Byzantines and the support of Prince Alexius IV, we would never have been able to defeat it."
The old knight Lorenzo's expression remained unchanged. He nodded in affirmation first and told some old stories about the Fourth Eastern Expedition and the sacking of Constantinople, and then he expressed his opinion.
"It's just that times are different after all! More than 40 years ago, Constantinople was captured by the Ottomans, relying on unheard-of cannons. And two years ago, King Fernando captured Malaga Fort on the seaside.
Dozens of large mortars were also dispatched. In the face of the terrifying artillery, the once solid fortress may have fallen..."
"Ha! Artillery...that kind of heavy and slow thing can only be used at sea and during sieges..."
Hearing this, the young knight Giovanni curled his lips and showed some displeasure on his face. He had seen Venetian warships equipped with artillery, and had also seen the power of artillery when attacking the city. However, the glory of the knight still shrouded him.
In his heart, he instinctively disliked this kind of powerful firearm that treated everyone equally and ignored the difference between knights and militiamen.
"Witness the Lord! So what if there are artillery? King Fernando led all the troops, established a Crusader camp, and besieged the mountain city of Baza. Everyone had been besieging the mountain city of Baza for almost half a year, and the supplies could hardly keep up, but the mountain city was still stable.
Very good!”
"Well, the mountain city of Basa is, after all, the strongest mountain fortress in the northeast of Granada. The city is built on a flat mountain, and the terrain is really dangerous. If you want to attack the city, you can only attack upward along the ravine mountain road.
.The artillery in the camp cannot hit the towering mountain city in this terrain...However, even if artillery is not used, the Moors cannot defend this strong mountain city for long."
"Oh? Lorenzo, are you sure?"
Hearing the old knight's judgment, the young knight Giovanni raised his eyebrows. He turned his head, looked into the old knight's eyes, and asked in a deep voice.
"Witness the Lord! If the mountain city of Basa is really about to fall, why do you still suggest that I take my followers out to find any merit in this wilderness?"
"God bless! The siege has been going on for a long time, and the army has insufficient supplies. The Castilian army in the camp is demoralized and irritable. You have also seen that atmosphere. The Crusader knights have nothing to do, and some are gambling privately.
, some competed everywhere, and some boasted about how many infidels they had killed and how they killed them..."
Facing the young knight's questioning, the old knight's expression remained unchanged, with a smile on his lips.
"Giovanni, staying in the camp will do you no good, so why not go out for inspection. The Moors have completely shrunk, and the possibility of encountering a large group of Moorish cavalry is very small."
"Lorenzuo, while you were saying that the mountain city of Basa was about to fall, you also said that the morale of the troops in the camp was poor..."
The young knight Giovanni frowned, feeling a little hard to understand.
"It's such a mess! If the siege army can't do it, how can we capture the mountain city of Basa?"
"Haha! Giovanni, to capture the fortress, on the one hand, it depends on the attacking side, on the other hand, it also depends on the guarding side."
The old knight smiled and did not mind the offense of Giovanni's words. After all, from a certain perspective, Knight Giovanni would inherit his father's title and status as a councilor in the future, and could be regarded as his future lord. He
He stretched out his hand, pointed to the knights behind him with a smile, and said confidently to a Moorish prisoner who was immediately tied up.
"Witness the Lord! There is a village ahead, and there should be a well in it. After running for so long, we might as well rest there for half a day. Feed the horses some water and beans, eat something, and torture the captured Moorish nobles.
Maybe you will believe what I say!"
"Okay! Hurry up then!"
Hearing this, the young knight Giovanni nodded. He tucked his legs into the horse's belly and galloped towards the Moorish village in the valley. More than a dozen knights and retinues followed closely, in the desolate Granada.
In the hinterland, a burst of smoke and dust was raised, and it was far away in a moment.