Eagle Byzantium

This background shocked Hallam so much that he broke into a sweat. He quickly apologized and said, "You are worthy of being General Gawain. It is reasonable for you to become the son-in-law of the empire. Please speak well of our desire to make friends with the general. All the words just now are just my presumptuous and irresponsible talk."

"Of course, as for the three brothers Calegos in the central city of Sis, you will also be in charge of the negotiation." Baldwin stamped the document.

Soon, Orson and the three brothers Calegos organized more than 3,000 soldiers and joined Baldwin. At this time, Tancred, whose transportation was cut off, had difficulty in getting food for the army, so he took the main force to the north to try to meet the Armenians. In addition, he sent about 500 old, weak and injured people in the team to Baldwin's Adana City.

Because at this moment, the naive Tancred still believed that according to the agreement between him, Gawain and Baldwin in advance, Tarsus and Adana would still accommodate this group of people.

But when this group of people walked to the wall of Adana, the gates remained locked despite their begging and shouting. Baldwin walked up to the battlements and made demands to everyone: "If you want water, food, and herbs, you must swear allegiance to me."

The crying below was deafening, and many pilgrims and civilians denounced Baldwin for being unfaithful and ungrateful, but the wall was guarded by the ferocious Frankish soldiers. Finally, under the heat and thirst, this group of sick and weak people succumbed. They succumbed to Baldwin's coercion and inducement, and then Baldwin selected several Norman wounded soldiers who were familiar with the layout of Mamistra and bribed them.

Two days later, these wounded soldiers led Baldwin and Orson's army, took advantage of the gap when Tancred went north, attacked Mamistra, burned and abandoned the Norman flag, and raised his own battle flag.

At this time, Baldwin felt proud. He also felt guilty. He heard the news that his brother was injured and ill in Antioch Minor, and that the entire subsequent pilgrim army was now led by Bohemond and Adhemar. He was afraid of being blamed and attacked by Tancred, so he quickly wrote a secret letter and sent it to Gawain. Requesting him to lead the army to join him and support the situation.

The above is what Vesart Melo reported to Gawain, and now the situation of the entire Eastern Cilicia.

"Go to help Baldwin, why not? Only seeing practical benefits but not justice is short-sighted, and only seeing justice but not practical benefits is stupid." When some generals felt afraid. Gawain made the final decision, "At any time, we must distinguish who is our friend and who is our enemy. The hatred of the defense of Bari City must never be forgotten!"

Soon on both sides of the Sidenus River, smoke was flying and flags were fluttering: Gawain's 5,000 Red Hand Brigade. With 600 cavalrymen (because only 600 had horses, the remaining 400 were left in Seleucia), the two young brothers Gaia Calegos and Nexus Calegos served as guides, and headed south along the city of Tarsus. Advancing towards the cities of Adana and Mamistral; Andreev and Jarguba's fleet stayed between the river and the seaport to transport food and fodder; and Melo was his deputy, commanding the two Ginat nobles Aspar and Monomachus, and more than a thousand servants (400 cavalrymen and more than 900 lightly armed servants), and marched towards the Lampron Castle where Orson was, one to serve as a decoy. The other was to block the secret passage to the Cilician Gate. "It's time to teach Tancred and the Normans a lesson. We have been waiting for this moment for years. Don't let anyone disturb us." In the sound of the marching horn. Gawain has decided to fight out the situation in Cilicia.

At this moment, beside the Phramis River that flows horizontally from the Amonos Mountains, under the banner of St. George, Tancred, wearing chain mail, holding the hilt of his sword, stood beside the rushing river, watching Baldwin's troops who were shouting and setting up camp on the other side, with the weak and tired Norman warriors behind them. Around him were the father and son of Parkard, Earl Richard, and the flag officer of the Holy Banner Cavalry Company, Brad. The young general was furious, "Parkard, even if the princes of Armenia don't come to help me this time, with only the less than 3,000 troops at hand, I will fight to the death with the bastard Baldwin on the other side! Because there is no retreat and no place to go."

"Please be patient for a while, sir, don't let your uncle down. This time it was Baldwin who was ungrateful and attacked our castle, leaving the pilgrims exposed in the wilderness. And it is rumored that Gawain will lead the army again, preparing to put this land back into the misery of slavery. So from the perspective of justice, we have a complete advantage, and Prince Reuben will definitely come to reinforce us!" The bald-headed Parkard kept cheering Tancred.

"How long do we need to wait, Puckard? The morale is angry, the soldiers are hungry, and Gawain's army is said to be rushing here. Mamistra has also been occupied by the despicable Baldwin. We have no way to retreat and no supplies. Damn it." Tancred hit the hilt and the hilt of his sword with his fists, and even cut his fingers and bled.

But Puckard kept persuading him to stay calm and persevere: Now the princes of Armenia have established a foothold in Eastern Cilicia. They will not tolerate outsiders like Gawain and Baldwin to get involved in their land. Therefore, they could not unite against the leopard-like forces of Orson and the three brothers of Calegos before, but they will definitely gather under your banner to fight against the big crocodiles like Gawain. Everyone still understands the principle of prosperity and loss.

Just when Tancred was still anxious, the young warrior Hercules (baldhead's son) standing on the high ground and looking at the distant Amonos Mountains suddenly pointed to the mountain passes and said, "Sir Tancred, father, they are coming!"

Amid the thunderous marching shouts, Tancred looked back in joy and disbelief: groups of elite infantry and cavalry troops came out from all directions on the roads and rivers of the entire mountain range, and the first one was holding the fluttering "Lion" battle flag, "It is Prince Reuben, the King of the Seven Mountains!"

Following him was the commander of Tubercena, Fel, who came with nearly a thousand elite cavalrymen; on the left wing was the commander of Lavodra, Kusus, who also brought countless loyal warriors and archers; behind him were the Armenian nobles of Marash City - the entire wilderness and valleys were bustling with people and horses, and flags were in full swing, covering the sky and the sun.

"There are eight thousand elite soldiers, enough to compete with Baldwin and Gawain!" Parkard kept congratulating Tancred.

At this moment, Baldwin's army across the river was in turmoil. They all saw the grand and majestic appearance of the Armenians. Now the coalition forces of the three brothers Baldwin, Orson and Calegos are about seven thousand people, many of whom are temporarily recruited Turkic and Greek soldiers. Their combat power levels are uneven. They could bully Tancred before, but facing this group of fierce Armenian mountain warriors, Baldwin and Orson, who were standing on the high fort and watching, all changed their faces, "Go and find out, where is Gawain now?" (To be continued ~^~)