Eagle Byzantium

A brigantine carried the plenipotentiary envoy of the Holy See. Although it was a little late, it set sail from the port of Bari with the great mission of saving all the remaining guards of Lazzo City. Although the negotiations between Anselm and Rome broke down, This new Holy See also Holding the scepter in his hand, he magnanimously asked the city "to release these envoys and to pray for the lost people who suffered in Durazzo, who were only deceived and instigated to unwisely fight against the Roman emperor and were filled with blood in vain." Strait of Otranto.”

But no matter what the envoy said, it was still a little late.

The emperor has ordered the use of two siege cannons, six very destructive fire bear cannons, plus four "Kaon mortars" and fourteen light wooden frame mortars. The firepower is concentrated in San Miha in the north of the city. At the southern base of the Il Monastery, a devastating bombardment was carried out on the city of Durazzo.

The day before, the emperor sent an envoy, escorted by twelve Imperial Guards soldiers, they walked up to the curtain wall of the main entrance of Durazo, beating trumpets and trumpets solemnly. The envoy held up a long halberd with a halberd branch. There was a swallow-tailed flag tied on it, and what the messenger said was also upright. He first said with emotion to the citizens of Durazzo who were sent to guard the battlements:

"People of Rome, the Emperor is always worried about the danger of weeping for you. Tomorrow morning we will bombard the northern city wall. The gunners will ensure that the amount of Khitan snow powder packs will not penetrate and damage the blocks inside the wall, but for the most basic reason For safety reasons, His Majesty Basileus and Basilisa still advise you to evacuate to other neighborhoods tonight, and your Majesty will give you appropriate compensation after the war for the houses that collapsed during the bombardment."

This heart-warming advice made the citizens on the battlement inexplicably moved and burst into tears.

Then the messenger sternly read the emperor's ultimatum aloud again and demanded an answer from the enemy commander in the tower.

However, Count Duane was injured and captured, Giosofat and Gonletto were killed in battle, Clembald defected before the battle, and the city was in panic and without a master, and couldn't decide what to do.

When there was no reply, the envoy stepped back with his halberd on his shoulder. Two other inner palace guards with gray and white swan feathers on their ring shoulder armor came forward, holding a letter of seal and placing it into the palace hanging from the city. In the basket.

Then the trumpet sounded, and the emperor's envoys retreated and quickly disappeared through the forest. There were strict fortifications on the front of the forest, and behind them were the axes, spears, and spears of sentry soldiers.

The document was a brocade book with purple ink and stamped with the seals of Gawain and Anna. It stipulated in detail the procedures for the citizens of Durazo City to receive inventory and asylum after the city was broken, how to get out of the house, how to communicate with the imperial army, How to settle out of the city; it also stipulates what should be done to surrendered soldiers, what is the ransom, and what must be observed.

In short, in the eyes of this couple, after two or three days of shelling, Durazo was completely in their pocket.

Half an hour before the day's main bombardment, the messenger ordered Macianias to wake up on time from his tent. The tent was very small, with a semi-triangular entrance and exit. The prince inside used a shovel to dig out the living space from the soil, and paved the inside. He was wearing a blanket, with a windproof lantern hanging on the stand, and also tied with an astrolabe mechanical clock given to him by Princess Helena, which he cherished even more. The prince put on his armor, rolled up his blanket, put away the princess's mechanical clock, and then solemnly performed a short morning worship in the direction of the Holy Land, then got on his horse.

With the sound of horse hooves, he began galloping on the path to the south base. His mission was to report to the police that the eastern siege forces commanded by his stepfather, General Branas: the Guards Brigade and the Opushkin Brigade were properly arrayed. The emperor and his wife told Nan Liao that "the bombardment can be carried out."

In front of the gray curved path, in the open space under the city wall and behind the stretching deer village, the attacking troops of the two brigades, a total of twenty-two companies, were ready. Behind this front, there were a reserve of forty companies. The echelon is personally supervised by Branas and is responsible for supporting key teams. All the soldiers continued to make louder and louder noises, and the noise alone seemed to be enough to collapse the curtain wall. However, the enemies on the battlements at the head of the city were fighting like trapped animals, and the torches and lanterns were not extinguished all night long.

When Markianias was halfway through the run, other artillery on the south base in front of him began to bombard first: the ground shook, the roar of the fire bear cannon became noisy, and long red flames jumped out from different small artillery forts. , the black cannonballs sparkled with sparks, and were struck by the These flames pushed forward, spinning out in long arcs and hitting the northern city wall of Durazzo. The steep roofs and battlements of the fortress under the early morning sun were smashed into rubble. The Orthodox-style gold-clad spire of the church in the north of the city soon Swallowed by thick smoke, he disappeared before the prince's eyes.

The prince did not dare to neglect. He rode his horse through the heavy wooden gate and reached the highest point of the south base.

There, the emperor with a majestic beard, Baselisa wearing a crown, the gray-haired imperial ink officer wearing embroidered robes, and many generals and guards wearing silver armor, all stood " Behind the "Bear" cannon, a hundred and fifty feet away over there Squatting on the parallel high platform is the "Lion" cannon. The various small flags on the two forts whirred in the wind. The ink clouds and fog on the sea were blown away, and the flames of the stoves in the forts were also fanned. , reflecting the faces of the emperor, his wife, and subordinates into pale gold.

They all went to dangerous places to supervise the firing of cannons.

With reverence, the prince stepped forward to salute His Majesty and told Gawain, "The attack team to the east of the city is ready."

His Majesty nodded, turned around and said to everyone, "The Red Hand Brigade in the north of the city is also ready. Let the lions and bears roar. Once there is a gap in the north wall, all the soldiers will press forward, capture Du Lazo, and rise at the top of the city. Raise our eagle flag.”

After saying this, Basilisa's face suddenly flushed. She looked at the solemn, slender, sturdy and wild "bear" cannon in front of her, until it was about to fire a shocking shot. Her hand suddenly pinched the corner of her robe, her breathing became turbid, and she leaned against Basilius.

Because the emperor was right beside them, the bear cannon gunners did not dare to fire first for safety. Stalianus sent a flag signal and asked the lion cannon over there to fire first.

Soon, Markianius suddenly saw a "fire dragon" spurting out of the artillery over there, and a thunderous sound rumbled through. It was the lion cannon that fired a heavy projectile at the north wall of Durazzo.

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The smoke rose and soon dissipated. Markianius wiped his eyes, and the outline of the north wall of Durazzo slowly emerged again. But of course he didn't notice: Anna, who saw the cannon firing, was panting and almost fell into the emperor's arms.

Agnes, with sharp eyes under the red umbrella, shouted to the gunners, "No, there is no damage to the north wall because the charge is insufficient."

"Your Majesty, if we increase the Khitan snow as the imperial ink officer said, the gun barrel and gun carriage may be in danger." The gunners beside the gun barrel turned around and expressed their concerns to Gawain.