"Since the Crusaders have already gone, we won't go either!"
"This time, the Crusaders have mobilized 200,000 troops, and there's really no need for us to go. It seems we'll have to watch the Crusaders' performance this time!"
"Alas! Ultimately, we were a step too slow, otherwise, those enemies would have been our prey!"
Knowing that the Pope had mobilized 200,000 Crusader troops to attack Lin Tian's army, the people of the Roman Empire understood that the outcome of this war was already decided.
Although their Roman Empire had suffered two defeats, this also proved that those people had a certain fighting strength.
However, their army was not so powerful in front of the 200,000 Crusaders.
Or rather, in front of the 200,000 Crusaders, they seemed even more vulnerable.
Therefore, the army they had originally planned to gather returned to its original positions.
And all of them chose to watch the show.
Even the great emperor of their Roman Empire made the same choice.
He even ordered that the Crusaders should not be obstructed.
After all, when the time came, they could provide intelligence and assistance to the Crusaders.
His actions allowed the Crusaders to reach Lin Tian's city more quickly.
And when Wang Wu and others saw so many Crusaders, they were also surprised.
"Hiss! I knew the Roman Empire was very powerful, but I didn't expect them to have so many Crusaders!"
"There are probably about 200,000 Crusaders here. It's truly astonishing to see so many Crusaders appearing together."
"This is just the Crusaders. The Roman Empire has more than just the Crusaders; one can imagine how many troops the entire Roman Empire has!"
Thinking that the Crusaders alone were so numerous, and then considering the entire Roman Empire's army, Wang Wu and others were exceptionally surprised.
In their estimation, the entire Roman Empire had no less than 600,000 troops.
While the number of 600,000 troops could not compare to the total number of soldiers in the Great Qin, it was enough to make Wang Wu and others feel pressured.
If these 600,000 troops were to attack together, they really didn't know how they would cope.
Fortunately, this time, only the 200,000 troops of the Crusaders were attacking.
For Wang Wu and others, this was a piece of good news.
However, facing 200,000 troops, Wang Wu and others were indeed somewhat flustered. He could only hand over his command back to Lin Tian.
"Your Highness, their 200,000 troops are attacking, what should we do?"
"Defeating their 200,000 troops is not difficult. The difficulty lies in how to defeat them with the least cost."
"Therefore, when fighting them, we must not charge out impulsively, but rather feign weakness and exhaust their troops as much as possible!"
"Once their forces are sufficiently depleted, we can swallow them whole!"
If it were purely about combat effectiveness, Lin Tian would not fear the 200,000 troops of the Crusaders.
He was confident that with 150,000 troops, he could defeat the 200,000 Crusader troops.
However, defeating the 200,000 Crusaders was not Lin Tian's goal; his goal was the entire Roman Empire.
Or rather, it was multiple countries in the West.
Therefore, he could not afford to let his army be depleted here.
Lin Tian's words were immediately understood by Wang Wu and others.
They immediately withdrew their troops, ordered the soldiers to defend the city, and stand by in full readiness.
This posture, seen by the Crusaders, was interpreted as fear of them.
And such fear, in the eyes of the Crusaders, was very normal.
This posture also made the Crusaders relax considerably.
"These people don't seem that strong. How could they have scared our soldiers out of their wits?"
"Indeed, they are not strong, but they are cautious enough. Coupled with their large numbers, our troops might indeed be intimidated by their army!"
"Forget about the losers. Our most important task now is to take this city and capture them!"
After saying this, the Crusaders became serious.
This time, they had mobilized 200,000 troops. With 200,000 troops appearing together, defeating Lin Tian's army was inevitable.
Therefore, they should now discuss how they would take Lin Tian's city and his 150,000 troops.
"They only have 150,000 troops and only one city. I think we can directly storm their city!"
"Yes! Their army is not strong either, so a direct assault is indeed a good option!"
"If we want to resolve this quickly, we naturally need to resolve it quickly! However, we cannot be too careless. We need to proceed step by step and secure them steadily!"
"Therefore, let's first test their combat effectiveness!"
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately agreed.
Subsequently, they dispatched 50,000 troops as the vanguard to directly attack Lin Tian's city.
The charge of the 50,000 Crusaders was extremely fierce.
As they charged, the entire battlefield resounded with the sound of their hooves and war cries.
More importantly, they were all holding small round shields, which made the situation entirely different.
Those holding small round shields were highly likely to be able to resist the attacks of arrows.
Because of this, many arrows were blocked when Lin Tian's army fired.
And when their small round shields proved effective, the Crusaders became even more excited.
"Charge! Charge now! Charge quickly and dodge their arrows!"
"Quick, our shields can withstand their arrows. If we charge faster now, we can break through their gates!"
"Soldiers, although this is just a probing attack, even with 50,000 men, we must break through their defenses, set a good example, and win the battle in one go!"
The words "win the battle in one go" immediately ignited the hearts of the 50,000 Crusaders, and their blood surged.
At the same time, they whipped their warhorses even harder, galloping even faster.
If they could truly win the battle in one go, they would undoubtedly receive great merit.
Furthermore, winning the battle in one go would also serve to establish their reputation for the Crusaders this time.
Therefore, they yearned for victory in one go.
...