"It's losing..."
Saladin sat on horseback, his finely crafted scale armor gleaming with golden radiance.
He let out a soft sigh, his face revealing little emotion, though the tight grip on the reins betrayed his inner feelings.
He was an usurper.
He needed an achievement recognized by the entire Zoroastrian world to stabilize his fragile dynasty; he didn't want his conquered lands to shatter like the Abbasid Dynasty after his death.
This is also why after usurping the Fatimid Dynasty, he began to vigorously support the Sunni Zoroastrianism and suppress the previously prevalent Shiite Zoroastrianism in Egypt.
Within the vast Ayyubid Dynasty, the undercurrents had long been raging. Saladin did not believe any of his sons could secure the dynasty like he did.
But now, the defeat seemed inevitable.
At his age, with the recurring injuries and illnesses over the years, this might be his last opportunity with the capability to launch a "Jihad" to reclaim the Holy Land.
