"I need some time to think this through."
Bahram wearily pinched the bridge of his nose.
The Franks had openly raised the banner of his rebellious younger brother precisely to split his ministers, and then, with a thunderous and swift offensive, created an almost irresistible momentum.
Only heaven knew how many people in Tarsus and Baghdad were secretly flirting with the Heretics at this very moment.
If victory were possible, he naturally did not want to flee into exile just like that—but the problem lay precisely in the fact that he could not win.
Seeing Bahram seem somewhat tempted, Governor Ali hurried to remonstrate: "Your Majesty must not; if you truly believe Mustafa's nonsense, wouldn't that be tantamount to handing over orthodoxy and righteousness on a silver platter?"
"Saladin at least died for his country, fighting to the last moment, so the Ayyubids are still able to carve out their own domain, because they still possess the righteousness of resisting the Heretics."
