Eagle Byzantium

In front of St. Nicholas's church, there was a flag with a red hand and a cross sword. Then Peter pointed to this flag and said, "Whether you are a believer in the Catholic Church or a believer in the Orthodox Church, from the city of Bari you can to Dalmatia, to the Sava River, and then to From Constantinople, to Nicaea and Minor Armenia and Cilicia, to Antioch in Syria, and to our Holy Sepulchre, a glorious and sacred path has been formed in which all believers should be united. Get up, the door of heaven is open , the following is the moment for everyone to take up arms. Even if you cannot take up arms, you must pray faithfully for the soldiers and pilgrims. The 'called ones' I call are you, the 'chosen ones' I call The warriors who fight for the Lord and the Son will be protected by Saint George, Saint Michael, and Saint Nicholas, whether on land, in the forest, in the river, or in the ocean! Now a distinguished warrior and general stands before you, Stephen Gawain. Russell, his flag is as holy and bright as his state of mind. This warrior possesses the holy sword given by St. Michael, carries out the will of God, and kills the heretics without moving forward. The red hand he commands The Dalian team will never fail." Then he said. He had to raise his crutches high, and with his bare feet on the floor, he was about to enter a state of madness, "Abandoning the family, abandoning those meager possessions, going to the East to redeem myself, and walking along the radiant holy road, Archduke Gawain will be with everyone. In this holy era, believers are about to engage in the greatest undertaking. His Royal Highness is about to cross the Alps and go to unite the believers in the entire West Francia; and in Germany, under my mobilization, one hundred thousand men and women are preparing to make a pilgrimage. waiting In Italy, the Duchess of Lombardy, the Duke of Apulia, and the Governor of Bari, Archduke Gawain, all agreed to arm themselves and hire fleets to cut through the waves without fear of danger. So believers, you still have to wait. What are you hesitating about?”

Then, Gawain, who was fully armored, stood next to his sworn brother, clasping his arms and shouting. "I have the sword of St. Michael and the seal of St. Nicholas. The names of my most cherished brothers are written on the brocade. This is the Lord who has chosen me, and I will give it tenfold. Zhongchen went to report back. Now I need your help. If you can wear chain mail, can use spears and swords, can handle bows and crossbows, can ride horses, can even throw stones, and can pull fiber. join mine In the Dalian team, we will witness the glory of the Lord together in front of the Holy Sepulchre. And if you can't do this, or you are just a weak woman and child, then follow my sworn brother Peter to Lake Leman, although you will be on the way. It’s a bit dangerous. But I will lead the Red Hands to the border of Constantinople and the Sava River in advance to open up the passage to Asia Minor, so that you can reach the Holy Tomb in the future.”

Then, Gawain waved his hand, and there were two rows of priests standing at the entrance of the hall, one row in Orthodox clothing and the other in Catholic clothing. So countless pilgrims and pilgrims flocked there, throwing all the coins they had brought in from the sale into it. Come and buy the dry food, tents and luggage provided in the city.

The bells in the church tower were ringing, and Diogenes passed through the restless and enthusiastic crowd. Arriving in front of the self-proclaimed Grand Duke, he handed him a lead letter, "This is a document submitted from Dyrasium, written by Grand Duke Nikephoros Breanus."

Gawain glanced at the officer, then took it out and handed it to Andodat, who read it out:

In accordance with the decree of His Majesty the Emperor, as the Grand Duke of Dyrasium and the Consul of the Governor-General of Bari, I would like to ask His Excellency Count Aconis Gawain to arrange the relevant matters and welcome my fleet to cross the sea to take over. Not only do I need to pacify the local area, but I also want to discuss major matters of cooperation with the Western Patriarch of Rome.

So Gawain pondered for a moment, respectfully took the document and put it away, and handed it into the hands of the guard. "The dock in Bari has been fully equipped. We have also hired Venetian oars to escort us. The Archduke of Dirasium and Penny Passebastos Your Excellency, your trip will be worry-free. Diognis, you will be responsible for going to Durazzo to greet you first. The city will be under the supervision of General Titicius, while I will go to the Galganus Cave with the brothers. To fulfill my vows during the Hajj, I will send my adopted brother on his way.”

This arrangement was very reasonable, and Diognis happily accepted the delivery document, on which Gawain had stamped the seals of the commander and St. Nicholas, "Go by speeder, now is the season for sailing." "Gu Siyun will stay in the female guest house at the entrance of the city. Everyone will take good care of her. When you come back, it will be the time when the Red Hand Dalian team goes out to fight." Gao Wen's smile was kind and gentle.

Speaking of this, the guard was still a little disappointed, "Will you go on a pilgrimage?"

Gawain also sighed slightly, and then nodded to the captor, "This is the oath between me and my adopted brother. Immediately, you and Titicius will stay in the city of Bari to assist His Majesty and Penipasibastos. , to guard and restore the former territory of the good empire.”

"What will you do with the pagan territory you have established along the pilgrimage?"

"Leave it to my patroness, Princess Anna Komnenos." Gawain said without thinking.

Thinking about the days that followed, Gawain would go on an expedition with his sword, and his life and death would be at stake. Diognis even had red eyes. He had already regarded Gawain as his true superior and comrade-in-arms in his heart. Finally, he made up his mind and betrayed Gawain. Turning around, "That's it. After the expedition, I will stay in Barry City to pray for you and the Red Hand Dalian Team."

"You, Gusuyun, and General Taitius should also take care of yourselves." Gawain was also very sincere.

A few days later, Gawain and more than a hundred Jince brothers, including Melo, Francesco, and Peter and Birelle, covered with cloaks, wore armor inside, rode on horses or walked, and headed for the Cave of Garganus at the junction of Benevento and Aversa. Along the way, countless pilgrims from Italy and Frank shouted slogans and walked towards the direction of Bari.

And Ingrina hid her beautiful figure in the fat robe, only revealing her eyes, riding a horse with Muzafiadin, following Gawain, pretending to be a deputy military servant to hide from others.

The Galganus Cave is actually an independent hill in the wilderness with long grass. On it, the remains of the colonnade and arches are integrated with the rocks. There are also ruins of the temple from the ancient Roman era. Later, Italian craftsmen used the ready-made large stones to roughly carve a simple archangel on it. It is really sad that the artistic level of the later ones is so different from that of the former. With the passage of time, the stone statue of St. Michael leaned on the hillside, lost its nose, and its appearance was completely unrecognizable.

In front of the cave, Gawain turned over and dismounted, and then more than a hundred Jince brothers knelt in the wilderness outside, watching Gawain, Peter, and several followers walk in. (To be continued ~^~)