A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

"Oh, this is mine." Ferdinand smiled. He was not lying, this was the tunic he wore when he was a member of the Knights Templar.

Although he betrayed her, he still kept the clothing.

It was an unintentional act, but now it comes in handy.

"Honestly, the Knights are still as defenseless as ever. I'm wearing this outfit, and no one stopped me." Ferdinand couldn't help but laugh. "Don't think I just came to you now. I've been wandering around the city for a long time!"

He casually strolled around and roughly understood the impact of today's battle on the Knights.

To be honest, it was pretty much what he expected. Even if there was some difference, it wasn't that big.

The only thing I don't understand is that the Knights sent all the wounded, especially the seriously injured, to the church. In addition to the cross and the crucifixion of Christ, the church also has a hammer and sickle emblem.

What the hell was this? He finally remembered a rumor that some Christian archaeologists had discovered a new saint. But he didn't take it seriously.

Now it seems that this saint has made quite an impact.

However, he didn't care about these religious formalities. After confirming the number of seriously injured people, he came to find Demetrios.

"You actually..."

"Demetrios," Ferdinand said. "We're alone now, so let's not waste any more time on meaningless nonsense. Although I'm no longer a member of the Knights, to be honest, I don't want the Knights to be destroyed here."

"What did you say?"

"I mean, Demetrios, you should be able to see that the Knights have no chance of winning this battle, right?"

"No chance of winning? We just won a big victory today!"

Comparing the casualties, this was indeed a great victory.

The Turks lost at least three to five thousand men, while the Knights lost only a few hundred.

"Haha, don't kid yourself." Ferdinand let out a mocking smile. "With your abilities, I believe you can see that this attack isn't from the Turkic elite."

"Elite warriors are incredibly scarce... The soldiers' equipment, training, and morale aren't particularly high. While their morale surged at the beginning after witnessing the city wall's explosion, their true colors were immediately exposed after encountering strong resistance. Isn't that right?"

“…” Demetrios did not answer.

He knew very well that Ferdinand was telling the truth.

"You don't think that today's battle is the Sultan's full strength, do you?" Ferdinand said.

"Humph, it was his own fault that he missed the opportunity!"

"I knew you'd say that," Ferdinand laughed. "In fact, humans are rarely immune to taking chances in this regard. This is real war, after all, and in the history of warfare, countless people have made mistakes ten times more exaggerated than this, leading to irreversible consequences."

"After all, even if victory comes from an opponent's mistake, it's still a victory. Furthermore, this kind of victory can sometimes be even more glorious and honorable than a victory achieved through a head-on confrontation with the enemy!"

"Well then," Ferdinand reached into his arms and pulled something out. "Let me destroy your last hope!"

He threw the thing in his hand at the other person.

Demetrios was puzzled, but instinctively took what was thrown to him.

It was a folded paper document.

Demetrios unfolded the paper and with the dim candlelight from the candlestick, he could see the contents clearly.

Ferdinand clearly saw that Demetrios's face turned pale.

What Demetrios saw was nothing else but the entire citadel structure of the New City of Smyrna.

The drawings are a little rough and are not made by an artist or engineer, but this is not important because the real key positions are almost all standardized.

The weak points of this city were all noted one by one.

This is unavoidable. During any construction project, practical problems of one kind or another will inevitably arise, forcing adjustments to the original design. Therefore, a castle will always have various weak points due to various reasons.

From this we can see that the section of the city wall that was blown up today was a weak point in the castle.

The city wall here is weaker than elsewhere.

In addition to the weak points on the city wall, there is a lot of other information. For example, the positions reserved for artillery are marked, indicating the blind spots for long-range artillery on the city wall.

Various places for storing supplies, hiding soldier caves, etc.

"You..." Demetrios's hands were shaking slightly as he held the blueprint. "Where did you get it from?"

It is impossible to get this thing unless you are a middle or high-level member of the Knights.

Even the middle-level managers are not ordinary middle-level managers, but the kind of people who hold key power and can conduct such detailed investigations in secret.

There is a traitor in the Knights!

"That's not something I can tell you about," Ferdinand said with a smile. "But there are always old friends willing to help, right?"

"So you see, there's a reason the Sultan wouldn't commit all his forces to the siege," Ferdi continued, adding to Demetrios's pressure. "Because he's already won this battle; it's just a matter of how or when. And when facing a battle you can't win, you have to consider the losses. Minimizing losses is always better, isn't it?"

"What do you want to say?!" Dimitrios used both hands to tear the drawing in his hand into pieces.

Ferdinand made a gesture of welcome.

Needless to say, he had more than one copy of this blueprint.

"Admit defeat as soon as possible, Demetrios." Ferdinand suppressed his smile, "Otherwise, there will be no hope for the Knights."

"Nonsense..."

"Thomas saw this long ago, which is why he abandoned you and fled. You are now just cannon fodder," Ferdinand said sincerely. "For the sake of our friendship, I can convince the Sultan to allow you to evacuate with dignity!"

Chapter 300: Persuading Surrender 5

"What did you say?! The Grand Commander..."

"He abandoned you and fled," Ferdinand said. "Don't look at me like that! I know this is a topic you don't want to talk about, but Demetrios, we must face the facts. The Knights no longer have any chance of victory militarily!"

"Captain Thomas, it's impossible..."

"Hahaha..." Ferdinand interrupted with a laugh. "Is it really impossible? Demetrios, you have to admit—I have to admit it, everyone has to admit it—that Thomas is a very smart and powerful person. His keen vision is beyond your reach. That's why he can leave with dignity, leaving you to die!"

“…” An unhealthy blush appeared on Demetrios’ pale face, revealing the intense struggle in his heart.

"There's nothing surprising about this. Thomas has high vision and great political skills. He saw the essence of the matter immediately—the Seljuk navy was weak. Even with the naval reinforcements from other countries, it's possible to confront the Knights at sea, but thinking of attacking Rhodes across the sea is completely unrealistic!"

"So, he started this war, but chose the safest position."

"Once he wins, it is his wisdom and bravery, and no one can deprive him of his glory."

"Even if he fails, he can sit in a completely safe position and watch everything happen, and he still has the capital to make a comeback!"

"If you want evidence, then I can say this—before the capture of Smyrna, the Knights focused all their efforts on strengthening the navy, neglecting the army. That's understandable. But after they captured Smyrna, having anticipated a siege, they continued to strengthen the navy and neglect the army... That's a problem."

"I can even make a guess. Thomas probably thinks you old knights are a nuisance! He wants to use this war to legitimately and legally... make you troublesome guys disappear completely!"

"This isn't the first time this has happened. There's a saying from China, far to the east, that goes, 'A new emperor, a new minister.' I'm sure you've heard it too. The new Grand Master wants to promote his trusted men, but the ranks in the Knights Templar are limited. So he wants to take this opportunity to sweep away all of you old troublemakers. It's only natural."

"No...impossible..."

"Impossible? But as far as I know, although Grand Commander Thomas often leads the army in person, he is almost never on the front lines!"

Ferdinand was somewhat confident about this matter.

After all, he had once witnessed the Byzantines attacking Smyrna from a cliff, a battle in which Thomas had also participated.

I didn't see any outstanding performance from the Knights' team or Thomas.

Combined with the subsequent intelligence, Thomas's own combat capability is not weaker than that of a half-step protector of the country, or even weaker than that of the protector of the country. This also means that if Thomas charged into battle at that time, he would definitely not escape Ferdinand's sight.

Even though Ferdinand was absent during the later escape (his attendants watched this video for him), his attendants' accounts show that Thomas did not lead the charge. In other words, Thomas's performance in the battle was mediocre.

That is to say, he played the role of a main general.

If you have an army of tens of thousands, it's understandable that the commander would stay behind to hold the line. But with an army of hundreds, if you, a half-step protector of the country (or even a potential protector of the country), don't lead the charge, wouldn't that be a waste?

So, although Thomas is ambitious, he is definitely concerned about his own safety.

It is clear that I will never put myself in danger unless it is absolutely necessary.

Demetrios took a step back.

The other party's words made his mind confused, but the next moment, his eyes became clear again.

Because he remembered the scene before the Wolf God came.

Thomas could have left. In fact, led by Demetrios, the Knights launched a small rebellion in an attempt to force Thomas to leave.

Because everyone knows that Captain Thomas must not have any accidents.

But Thomas chose not to leave.

Instead, he immediately suppressed the rebellion with a thunderous force. He then faced the Wolf God head-on.

He stared at Ferdinand in front of him with wide eyes.

Ferdinand noticed the subtle change in the other's face, but it wasn't enough for him to figure out what Demetrios was thinking.

"So you see, I bring you your last hope. As long as the defenders of Smyrna surrender, then the Sultan will let you leave safely. The Sultan has made a promise. This is a king's promise, and it can be trusted."

Of course, in reality, the opposite is true; the Sultan made no such promise.

Not only was there no intention of forgiveness, but because of the continuous fighting, the Turks had suffered heavy losses, and the soldiers were furious.

Although no one said anything, Ferdinand knew very well that once the Knights laid down their arms and surrendered, a massacre would probably occur immediately.

There is absolutely no possibility of leaving safely after surrendering!

But all this has nothing to do with Ferdinand.

Even if someone investigates this matter later, it will be the Sultan's reputation that is damaged, and it has nothing to do with him.

In fact, the Sultan would definitely be happy to see Smyrna open without bloodshed at the cost of a little reputation.

At this moment, under his deliberate guidance.

Demetrios saw a desperate situation: traitors within, heavy troops outside, his own forces infiltrated, crucial intelligence leaked, victory hopeless, and nowhere to retreat. He was even abandoned by Grand Commander Thomas...

There is no other choice but to surrender.

"I don't believe it!" said Demetrios.

"Well, it's normal that you don't believe it. Next time I come, I can bring a written letter from the Sultan." Ferdinand said.

He brought many talented people from within the Star-Moon Sword here, one of whom was quite good at carving.

It is easy to get a fake stamp and forge a document.

The Knights, with their unsophisticated level, would never be able to see through it. Even someone with a bit of culture like Demetrios would never be able to see through this deception.

"Ferdinand, I don't believe you, a traitor!" Demetrios said decisively.

"If the Sultan thinks he can win, then come and fight! I'll show you the power of the Knights! We will never retreat!"

Ferdinand wanted to say something, but in the end he could only sigh.

"Dimitrios... you see, many things could have ended decently. But paranoia only makes things more troublesome!"

Forget it, if plan A fails, he still has plan B!

This is much simpler, just kill Demetrios directly!

Perhaps we can kill a few more high-ranking Knights, throwing the entire Knights into chaos.

This is also the responsibility of the national defenders in the army under normal circumstances.

The defenders of the country will not fight with ordinary soldiers in a consumption battle. The enemy's generals or even the main generals are their targets.

His hand rested on the hilt of his sword.

At the same time, Demetrios also placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"I was wondering who it was... Turns out it's you, the traitor!" A voice suddenly rang out.

The two of them looked towards the source of the sound at the same time.

The person who spoke was none other than Knight Andrea.

He didn't know when he arrived not far behind Ferdinand.

Chapter 301: Persuading Surrender 6

Andrea's residence is actually right next to Demetrios's.

It's not surprising that he appears at this time.