Eagle Byzantium

"Now I am recharging my strength with two rich plains. When the time is right and the army becomes strong, we will naturally be able to invade the Anatolia Plateau from all directions. By then, no one will be able to resist my pace. I hope you can control your unscrupulous and immature remarks on the governance of the country. March, no one here is more inexperienced than you, but when it comes to talking, no one in the camp can compare with you, my son." Alexios was furious, thinking that John's words just now, Not only is it a rejection of all the experienced lords and generals, it is also a mockery of myself.

But in Prince John's ugly and dark face, his eyes were burning. He kept making various clumsy but powerful gestures. He did not look like the royal family from Constantinople at all. "My father was content to occupy the plains, but the enemy could easily Perched on the plateau, once my father is full of ambition, he will be satisfied. By marching on the plateau, we have a sure chance of victory. But little does we know that the enemy is already very strong. By then, the enemy will be at a higher level and we will be at a lower level. We will have no military advantage at all if we attack from above. My father can advance from all directions, but the enemy will attack from all directions. It is cheaper to send troops and horses to attack our weakly protected plains; another In addition, there are many rugged and difficult-to-travel areas on the plateau, and most of them are solid fortresses left by previous dynasties. If we do not take advantage of the current weakness of the Turks to completely capture them, then waiting until the enemy's garrison strength is strengthened, and then seizing them is tantamount to wishful thinking, and we The plains of Lydia and Bithynia on the other side are a flat plain. The place will be a perfect place for the enemy's cavalry and light troops to gallop. Once the enemy rushes down, it will be like a river bursting its banks. Even if his father has been in business for many years, he will still be vulnerable! "Prince John almost always said! He had never said so many words, and the whole camp was stunned.

"That's nonsense." Alexios blushed. In fact, he didn't know what his son said, but he really couldn't summon up the confidence to rescue Antioch and set foot on the plateau to fight the Turks to the death. However, John said them one by one in public. , he felt embarrassed, as if he had to bear full responsibility for any adverse crisis that might occur in the future - and "taking responsibility" was exactly what Alexios feared the most.

"I'm not talking nonsense at all. Right before our eyes, General Theodoro of Trabzon, although he only has a few thousand troops on hand, is still struggling to seize the mountain fortress of Chardia, and Danish Mond and Armenia. The Turkic chiefs fought fiercely; if we go back to ancient times, as long as our empire occupies the plateau, it will be easy to conquer the Saracen Emirate of Cilicia or conquer the heretical kingdom of Teflis. Father, our defense line is here Here! Father..."

But Alexios's reaction was to ask Nicodemya and several eunuchs to "invite" the prince. Then the emperor looked at everyone with his hands behind his back in embarrassment without saying a word.

At this moment, Tatisius stepped forward with a bowed waist and knelt down behind the emperor.

"Tell me what you think." The emperor said with a troubled tone.

"In the current situation, it is not advisable to go back to rescue the city of Antioch. The Earl of Blois has made it very clear on this point. I don't dare to waste any more words; it's just that what the prince said is quite reasonable." Taticius touched his forehead to the carpet and spoke sincerely.

"I didn't let you judge. If there is a solution, then tell me." The emperor replied angrily.

"Yes, my servant's suggestion is to hold the line from Nicaea to Doli Laem, so that we can resist the enemies who may rush out from the plateau, because once the Turks capture this place, they can rush straight to the strait, Divide Lydia and Bithynia into two complementary parts.”

"Very well continue, Taticius."

"Yes, your Majesty, please allocate the army of your servants to His Highness the Prince to monitor Gawain in Pamphylia; and ask General Harold's team to withdraw and merge with the captain of the guard Mikhail to resist Danish Mond . In this way, both plains are protected by solid mobile troops."

"Then what?"

"Your Majesty is sitting in the imperial capital to suppress the disobedient forces in Dalmatia and Macedonia and restore their strength. Then we will choose the opportunity to march together and recover the plateau area."

"Then what should we do in Konya, Miliocephalon, Tarsus and other places now?" The emperor was waiting for Titicius to give the answer.

The noseless general raised his eyes and looked into the emperor's eyes. It seemed that the other party was determined to speak for himself, so he paused his head and said in a low voice, "The city of Tarsus hangs alone, but no matter it is Gawain, Neither Baldwin nor Baldwin had the guts to seize it; as for the Konya and Miliocephalon areas, I feel and sincerely recommend to Your Majesty that this is the den that the Konya dogs have been operating for many years, so as not to become the capital for Giliki's comeback, They should all be set on fire."

The last word "burn" was said very strongly, and everyone present was shocked. If the emperor said such words, it would be such a terrible word: the emperor recovered the territory that was originally the Romans, and now in order to guard against them Being an enemy, you actually want to use fire to burn everything down?

Even Stephen of Blois was trembling and silent.

Therefore, the emperor had to ask Titicius to speak.

"You are the commander-in-chief of the Asian army. You don't need to ask me for instructions on this matter. You are fully responsible for the withdrawal of the army. Meles, you should make a tactful document of today's resolution and submit it to Antioch and Rome." After saying that, the emperor waved goodbye to everyone, walked out of the meeting tent, walked to the door, and then looked at his son who was blocked on horseback by several eunuchs and attendants.

"Father, you may regret what you did in the future." John was still speaking.

"As a guard, you should control and advise the prince's every move, such as his rebellious behavior today. Instead of standing stupidly by the side." Alexius saw Axepochus, who was still holding the bridle and not speaking, and was also the slave he gave to his son.

"But I think what the prince said is right, even though I am now loyal to this side." Axepochus said this without any stage fright.

"What a perfect match between a master and servant." Alexius didn't know whether to be angry or laugh, so he turned and left.

Check out the correct version in 16-9 Book Forum!

Two days later, the fires in Mileocephalon and Conia, as well as all the surrounding villages and towns, dyed the sky of the entire plateau red. Countless Christian churches, mosques of Allah, and various civil and commercial buildings were twisted and collapsed in the fire, and the cries of the expelled residents shook the earth. Teams of Byzantine Roman soldiers, holding torches and accompanied by carts, set fire everywhere from the outskirts of the two cities to the valley, burning everything they could see, barns, cottages, workshops.

This miserable scene could be seen from the Ferna Castle. Giliki Arslan's eyes were red. "Greek dogs, you underestimated the Turkic warriors. Even if I only have a whip, I will kill them all the way to Nicaea, Brusa, no, Constantinople to show you." (To be continued ~^~)