Even though Norn had seen battle records with hundreds of thousands of troops in his past life, he now felt that 8,000 was an enormous number—especially when 8,000 people surrounded you so tightly that not even a drop of water could get through.
Norn, clad in heavy armor, cautiously poked his head over the castle battlements. Outside lay Saladin's 8,000-strong army, positioned on all four sides, completely encircling the unfinished castle. As far as Norn's eyes could see, there were nothing but Saladin's army tents and banners, with Saladin's royal banner evoking painful memories.
Today, after two days of camping and resting, Saladin's forces were finally on the move. Waves of troops surged forward, densely packed with heavily-armored soldiers.
The first wave to launch an attack was Saladin's counterweight trebuchets. Several burly men strained to turn the gears, slowly lowering the massive throwing arms while the corresponding counterweight boxes were gradually lifted.
A strongman secured the throwing arm with a rope, while another placed a boulder the size of a human head into the leather pouch at the end of the arm. As the heavy counterweight dropped, the rope holding the throwing arm was released. The counterweight box plunged downward, causing the throwing arm to swing through a huge arc and launch the boulder.
"Whoa!" Norn saw a stone projectile flying towards his direction and quickly ducked back behind the wall.
The stone projectile, whistling through the air, struck the castle wall beneath Norn with a loud crash.
The boulder shattered into pieces, sending fragments flying and kicking up a cloud of dust. Fortunately, the wall was sturdy enough that a single projectile left no significant damage. However, when Norn peeked out again, he counted eight trebuchets taking turns to prepare, ensuring that a stone projectile would land on the castle every few minutes.
At that moment, the second wave of attacks arrived. Approaching were about 2,000 archers, divided into several groups, who took turns loosing arrows in loose formations towards the castle.
As a Saracen officer's hand swung down, over 500 arrows shot into the sky, then whistled towards the castle with a deadly howl. Watching the dark cloud of arrows approaching, Norn hurriedly took shelter inside a tower. The soldiers on the wall also raised their shields.
Listening to the constant "thud, thud, thud" sounds, a large number of arrows landed in various corners of the castle. Most of the arrows were ineffective, only falling harmlessly onto the walls and shields, with only a few hitting some unlucky souls and causing a scream.
The castle's crossbowmen also hid behind the towers and walls to exchange fire with the Saracens. The crossbowmen, sheltered behind defensive structures, could shoot more calmly, as they could easily dodge the Saracens' arrows by just shifting their bodies slightly. However, they were outnumbered and couldn't suppress the enemy's fire.
Norn also took a heavy crossbow from Sassan, aimed at a low-ranking officer, and pulled the trigger. The crossbow bolt flew out with a flash, accurately hitting the officer—actually, a bowman standing next to him. Norn tried several times in a row, causing the bowmen around the low-ranking officer to fall one after another, while the unscathed officer hid behind a shield, repeatedly thanking the Almighty for his protection.
"Wait a minute!" Norn suddenly snapped out of his target practice game. Why were the Saracens only sending ranged troops to exchange fire and not sending infantry to assault the castle?
As Norn was pondering, a horn sounded, and the Saracens retreated like a receding tide, even taking their wounded with them. Apart from a few remaining arrows, it was hard to believe that this place had just been a battlefield with tens of thousands of people.
"What on earth are they trying to do?" Norn scratched his head in curiosity, though all he could feel was his helmet. "They're just biding their time here, but it doesn't seem to be getting them anywhere. Wait for my..."
"Reinforcements!" Norn's eyes widened as he finally guessed Saladin's plan. But looking at the Saracens surrounding the castle in layers, all he could do was pray:
"Baldwin, you'd better be sharp!"
Fifty kilometers away from the castle, Baldwin's royal army was marching quickly. They had immediately turned back upon receiving the news of the castle being besieged by Saladin the day before.
As they crested a hill, they saw that the distant village had been plundered. The once-prosperous village had become ruins, with several columns of black smoke rising into the sky and occasional flashes of fire. They could even see many Saracens still carrying away their loot.
"These damned infidels! How dare they treat the Lord's followers this way!" Grand Master Odo cursed repeatedly, then turned to look at King Baldwin.
"Your Highness, please allow me to lead the Templar Knights to slaughter these infidels."
"Your Highness, let me join in defending the kingdom's people," Count Raymond also pleaded.
Exhausted from the continuous march, Baldwin weakly waved his hand.
"Go! Be careful of Saladin."
With permission granted, Odo and Raymond immediately led their knights, about 500 in total, charging towards the village.
Faced with the surging knights, the Saracens were extremely panicked. They abandoned their loot in an attempt to organize resistance.
"In the name of the Lord!" Grand Master Odo took the lead, crashing into the crowd. His massive longsword, empowered by the speed of his horse, effortlessly split a Saracen's body in two.
More Templar Knights charged into the fray, hacking and trampling the Saracens with their swords and hooves. In just a short while, the Saracens' morale collapsed, and they scattered and fled.
"Thwack!" An arrow struck Grand Master Odo's shield. He glanced over to see about 300 Saracen light cavalry drawing their bows and shooting arrows, trying to stop the Templar Knights from slaughtering their infantry.
"Perfect timing! I was worried that the infidels I've slain wouldn't please my Lord!" Odo spurred his horse again, leading the almost unscathed Templar Knights into the charge.
At that moment, Count Raymond also charged out from the other side, and the two groups merged and charged towards the Saracen cavalry. In just one clash, more than half of the Saracens fell, while the losses of the royal knights were negligible.
The heavy losses terrified the Saracen cavalry, who dropped their weapons and screamed as they fled northward.
"Let the glory go to the Lord!" Grand Master Odo shouted the battle cry again and pursued the enemy.
"Wait! Grand Master!" Count Raymond tried to stop him, but seeing the already galloping Grand Master, he gritted his teeth and followed with his men.
The royal knights chased the Saracen cavalry closer and closer, but they were getting farther and farther away from their own infantry.
On a distant hill, Saladin, surrounded by his army, calmly watched everything unfold.
"Baldwin, this time I won't make a mistake!"