Eagle Byzantium

At almost the same time that Yaqi was beheaded, Cobuha's main army of about 50,000 people, carrying this huge and luxurious camp, slowly arrived in front of the valley east of Antioch City. The Governor of Mosul The three hundred outpost cavalry dispatched by the prince saw the fireworks rising from the acropolis and knew that a fierce battle must have taken place in the city, but they did not know whether the pilgrims won or whether Achish successfully defended the city.

Attaberg, the leader, ordered all the outpost cavalry to be divided into ten teams, and seven teams entered the valley behind the city of Antioch. The two teams were divided into front and rear, and went to contact other armies in the Atta City and Port San Simeon areas. (about four thousand cavalry and two thousand infantry), the last group rushed to the camp in Kobuha to report for instructions.

"Why, the Acropolis actually caught fire? In your opinion, what should I do?" Four miles away, in front of the army that was continuing to march, Kobuha, who was riding on a gorgeously decorated horse, heard the scout's call. report, hesitantly asking the officers around him.

General Kalagedi under Kobuha suggested setting up camp on the spot, holding on to the dangers, and waiting for the sentries to bring back reliable news before deciding to advance or retreat without delay.

But Budakis, the youngest son of Achish, was extremely anxious. He begged Cobuha to quickly send a team of 5,000 people into the valley behind the city of Antioch. He was familiar with the local terrain and was willing to act as a guide, because if If my father's castle is not preserved, then the pilgrims will occupy the entire Antioch. What separates us from them is not only the mountain peaks, but also the fortress called the "Iron Gate" with defensive rocks and gables. It will be very difficult for us to win.

"I will adopt the advice of Azaze Emir." Kobuha promised immediately. The other generals also lowered their eyes. No one dared to say anything. Everyone knew that the youngest son of Yaghi had recently been appointed governor because of his red lips and white teeth. Your Excellency's favor not only gave him the rich city of Azaze, but also kept him by his side. "I will give you three thousand elite cavalry and casual soldiers in Kalagedi." Soldier, you and Budakis coordinate with each other and enter the valley. If you encounter a small group of enemies, you will kill and chase them without hesitation. You must seize the Iron Gate Fortress that Budakis mentioned. It is a key place southeast of Antioch, and effective cavalry must be sent in front and behind, not only to maintain contact with the Achish acropolis, but also to maintain communication with me at all times. "

Kalagedi received the order and rode forward to mobilize the soldiers to attack. The sound of horns and drums sounded intensively. Kobhara pulled the reins and said to the clerk in a robe beside him, "Send fast horses to Aleppo and Damascus as soon as possible, and ask Ridwan and Dukak to come and join my camp."

At this time, in the Church of St. Peter in the city of Antioch, the bloody heads of Achish, Sansadonias, and Cupasixion were laid out on the reeds. Among them, there was a purple pillow under the head of Achish. Silk, along with his long white beard, became a striking symbol.

Amidst the incense and hymns, the freed Patriarch of Antioch happily hugged and kissed Ademar, and rubbed their noses together intimately. According to the agreement between the two parties, John Oakshilt will remain As the head of the Orthodox Church in Antioch, he has authority over all Orthodox Christians in Cilicia, Antioch and Syria, and continues to be the "Father" of this group of people. Oxhilt also praised the Ecumenical Church as the "Prince of God" and said that the Ecumenical Church could also send priests and have churches and believers in the city. Both parties handle their own church affairs independently and do not interfere with each other.

In short, the relationship between the two is to send out such a signal: in the action of fighting against the Turks and recovering the Holy City, the Eastern and Western churches, the Emperor of Constantinople and the Holy See of Rome can go hand in hand.

However, Titicius' previous behavior of escaping and capturing the port of Latakia without authorization to imprison the pirate Wenmoha still shrouded the hearts of the participating lords like a dark cloud, causing many people to still be extremely distrustful of the emperor.

"So the real sincere cooperation is for the emperor to issue an order to return the troops who fled to Cyprus, severely punish Titicius for deserting his post and betraying the covenant, and unconditionally release Wenmoha and his sailors. Not only In this way, I hope that His Majesty the Emperor himself will lead the army and fight alongside us." Among the crowd, Godfrey spoke in a firm tone, as if he was directed at the Patriarch of Antioch, and he won a great victory. Some people agree.

John Oakshilt responded with a silly and kind smile. In fact, it was difficult for him to understand the language spoken by Duke Godfrey, let alone do anything about his proposal - he and his church had already cooperated with him. Constantinople has been "out of touch" for many years.

Over there, Bohemond's face was uncertain, and he slowly walked among the crowd. From time to time, he looked at Gawain who was still watching others talking, and his heart was filled with waves: he had done this to all the pilgrims before. He promised that if he successfully attacked the city with the help of Doacum Bohemond's bribes to the soldiers in the city, the entire Antioch, both the acropolis and the city, would be his.

But now that Doakum is dead, Gawain can be said to have succeeded in a sneak attack on the castle; in addition, although the central tower was finally captured by the Normans, Gawain took the lead and sent cavalry to catch up and kill Achish.

In this way, in terms of merit comparison, his desire to monopolize Antioch seems to lack persuasion. At least if Gawain takes action, there will probably be another internal strife with little chance of winning.

Seeing Raymond standing next to Gawain and acting bossy, he understood a little more, "Damn it, the Holy Spring Stone Fort is always guarded by Raymond. It seems that he is in collusion with Gawain, allowing the Syrian Greek brigade led by Gawain to camp next to the stone fort, so that after Agi escapes, he can use cavalry to intercept and kill him in time and steal my credit... Also, why did Agi prepare for my night attack but not for Gawain? Even if the Armenian soldier Pragit, who is loyal to Patriarch Antioch, sold a tower, it wouldn't be like this... Gawain, this octopus spider, is probably a big deal. What ulterior plot has been made to frame me before?"

Just as Bohemond was looking at Gawain, gritting his teeth and feeling uneasy, several wounded Frankish soldiers ran in with tired and panicked expressions. They came to Godfrey and said, "Your Excellency, we were in the valley east of the city, sweeping the Acropolis deserters, and suddenly encountered many Turkish cavalrymen who attacked and trampled our formation. Some of them died in the battle, some were captured, and less than ten of the remaining people escaped back."

Now, all the lords looked solemn. They understood that this group of fresh Turkish soldiers was undoubtedly the main force of Kobha.

"Where has the enemy advanced?" Godfrey was very calm. He needed reliable information on the battlefield. (To be continued ~^~)