Roger thought that it seemed that if the Bedouin people were hired and were sincerely guided, I am afraid that only by putting their own banner can we do it.

He thought proudly that after all, he was the first and only Christian leader who was called a friend by the Bedouin.

But then, Roger thought with distress, so the hardest and most tiring part of this plan - harassing the Egyptian army in the Sinai Desert, may only be able to bear this task himself.

Roger had a feeling that he dug a big hole but finally forced himself to jump in.

But since he could not accept the ending of rolling back to Sicily with his tail between his legs, then implementing this plan and defeating the Egyptians became his only choice.

No matter how hard or tired he was, he could only grit his teeth and resist.

So Roger looked at Adelaide, who was waiting for him to make a decision, and said firmly:

"I decided to lead the team to carry out this difficult task."

Adelaide's eyes were filled with concern, and she said, "If this is your final decision..."

Roger said unequivocally: "Yes, I stick with it."

So the queen's eyes became as cold as iron, and she announced to everyone:

"I agree to this plan and entrust it with full authority to His Excellency Roger, Earl of Sicily.

"From now on, whatever his command is mine."

Everyone shouted: "Affect the order."

So Roger assigned tasks to everyone present as planned.

All the nobles and famous knights obeyed their orders happily.

Their cooperation gave Roger an illusion of being a king.

But Roger knew that the fundamental reason was that these people, like him, were unwilling to give up everything here and go back to their hometown in the West in shame.

Roger drew all the cavalry under these nobles and was followed by a group of nobles who voluntarily registered.

Among them is Lawrence, the Earl of Tibala, who said in a high profile:

"His Excellency Roger, please allow me to participate in this operation anyway.

“If you are concerned that my title will cause trouble to your command;

“Then I hereby announce that I will participate in this operation as an ordinary knight.

"His Excellency Roger, no, from now on, please allow me to call you Lord.

"You can drive me like an ordinary soldier, no matter how dangerous I am put, I have no complaints."

Roger wasn't so stupid that he couldn't hear such beautiful words.

He kindly invited the other party to command the harassment operation with himself as an earl.

The other party was not so stupid that he took Roger's words seriously.

After some praises and praises, both parties get what they want.

Then, under Rollo's guidance, Roger issued a call for recruitment.

Several vassals Sarasen and Turkic tribes will send a large number of light cavalry to cooperate with Luo Jie's battle.

Roger estimated the cavalry power he had collected, including:

He added 50 personal guards full of personnel;

600 Norman heavy cavalrymen were filled with crews;

A total of 240 court guards and knights of Jerusalem were drawn from Rollo;

60 Frank heavy cavalrymen were drawn from the Frank Corps;

Lawrence and several other nobles accompanied the total number of 250 people;

1,200 Crusader cavalry were drawn from all the nobles;

A total of 2400 heavy cavalrymen.

There are also 600 horse-riding soldiers under his command;

It is estimated that 2,000 archers and cavalrymen will be recruited from the vassal tribe;

A total of 2,600 light cavalrymen.

The total combat force is 5,000.

There are also a certain number of non-combat auxiliary personnel such as attendants, herdsmen, doctors, priests, etc.

The troops will also be equipped with a large number of pack horses and camels to carry various supplies.

Roger handed over the task of besieging Ashkiron and blocking the Egyptians to Rolo, the chief of the Jerusalem court.

Rollo will take all the remaining nobles to defend the planned defense line.

Three more days passed after this meeting.

The light cavalry of the vassal tribes needed by Roger, as well as all the pack horses, camels, and supplies were in place.

So he decided to set off.

At Zion Gate south of Jerusalem, Roger bid farewell to Adelaide who saw him off.

Adelaide is just a mother now, she said worriedly:

"Roger, why don't you go? With Lawrence here, he is also a warrior who has been through the battlefield, enough to deal with the dangers that may arise."

Roger smiled and said, "Mom, believe me."

Adelaide drank his entourage and took out a "short sword" and stuffed it into Roger's hand.

She said, "Hold this, Jesus is with you."

Roger looked at the "short sword" curiously.

The top of the "short sword" looks extremely sharp, but it is cylindrical, without a sword blade, and it seems to be an armor-breaking sword that can only be stabbed but not cut.

Moreover, there seemed to be a trace of blood on the tip of the sword and on the body of the sword.

No matter how Roger looked, he thought it was strange.

He asked, "What a broken thing?"

Adelaide hurriedly reached out to cover Roger's mouth, and she whispered:

“This is the ‘Thorn of God’, one of the steel nails that crucified Jesus.

"The blood above is the blood of Jesus himself.

"Hold it and don't let it leave you, as long as Jesus is with you, you will not be in any danger."

Roger said in surprise: "Mom, every stone in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is watched by someone. How did you take out this holy object?"

"It was found in Anurf's collection," Adelaide said.

Roger sighed: "This guy is really greedy and dares to embezzle such things."

Adelaide waved his hand like a fly and said, "Don't worry about him, now this holy object is yours."

Roger carefully pinned the "Thorn of God" on his belt.

Adelaide seems to be not enough, she suggested:

"By the way, there is a true cross. Anyway, there is no patriarch now, so no one can use it. Why don't you take it with you too."

Roger said amused and cryingly: "Mom, you have said everything. No one can use the true cross without a patriarch.

"Besides, that thing is heavy and heavy. How can I march quickly with it?"

Adelaide said in a nagging manner: "Then you just march slowly. It doesn't matter if you can't stop the Egyptians. At worst, we can go back to Sicily. We don't want the crown of the Kingdom of Jerusalem..."

Roger hugged Adelaide and comforted: "Okay, mom, believe me, I won't be in trouble."

"You swear to me, swear to me."

"Okay, OK, I swear, I will come back safely and completely."

"I love you, Roger, I love you, remember your vow."

Adelaide hugged Roger's head and hurriedly kissed his cheeks and forehead, over and over again.

Roger waited until Adelaide was tired of kissing before hugging his mother, who was already in tears.

He leaned against Adelaide's shoulder and comforted softly with her ears.

After a while, Adelaide finally recovered from sentimentality and excitement.

Her eyes became clear and firm.

She said, "Go, my son, go and go the path you chose. No matter what the result is, I will be proud of you."

......

After two days of marching south, Roger's troops arrived at a mountain pass about 5 kilometers wide.

There is a small town there, in the middle of the town, with two deep wells, and there are troughs made of stones around the well.
To be continued...