Eagle Byzantium

Within three days, the emperor's army drained the 300-foot-long swamp in front of them, which was equal to one-quarter or one-fifth of the length of the Great Swamp. The soldiers laid bundles of firewood on the exposed mud to strengthen it. Dry ground so that both infantry and cavalry can walk on it.

Seeing this miracle in front of them, the defenders of the big city, including Severn and Ace, couldn't help shouting fanatically. They recruited more strong men from the residents of the entire fortress to guard the city walls and demolished almost all the houses. , working day and night to make defensive equipment, desperately fighting against Gawain's siege army, and thwarting several sneak attacks by the Gemgeis brigade team.

"Look, the food in the city is hidden in deep cellars, enough for us to eat for three months, and the emperor's great project will drain the swamp in about ten days, and we will fight Gawain on the plains. At that time, we will All revived!" Gawain stood at the top of the city, staring at the whizzing stone bullets, waving his fists every day. Intimidation also inspired the defenders' confidence, "Someone asked, Gawain still has two brigades at the Syria Gate. If they are transferred What to do when you come back? Let’s not talk about it for now. An emperor like a holy apostle will definitely win against a despicable barbarian like Gawain. What's more, the wise emperor has sent a secret envoy to form an offensive and defensive alliance with Prince Ruben of Armenia. Ruben is willing to join our Kallegos family. before abandoning (The three Kallegos brothers had previously assassinated the last Armenian king supported by Ruben) and jointly dealt with Gawain. The two brigades were simply nailed there, and the Armenians would cut off their access to Chili. The path of Chia.”

"If we hold on for another month, it will be our turn to enter Seleucia, destroy this city built by despicable barbarians, rob and kill everything, and take back everything that belongs to us!" On the other side, Ace Kale Goss was impassioned and made supplementary agitation, and many of the guards and citizens who were repairing the city worked even harder and frantically, echoing in unison. The slogan "Counterattack to Seleucia" was moving to heaven and earth. The Gemmagis soldiers besieging the city below heard these chants and saw the emperor's army gradually draining the swamp and approaching the castle, and they couldn't help but start to panic. As a result, Giovanni, who was on guard duty that night, caught more than a dozen deserters preparing to escape at night for the first time. This was the first time since the siege began.

Seven were from Blois and five were from Syria. After interrogation, the military judge Giovanni hanged them all on the execution stake in the middle of the camp. Then he hurried to the Grand Duke's house with this news. Scarlet tent.

The Turkic military servants opened the curtain, and the military judge who entered saw Gawain sitting nervously behind a table covered with purple cloth with his back hunched, "Your Highness the Grand Duke, there must be deserters in the second detachment of the besieging brigade." Things, you already know.”

Gawain frowned, nodded, and said nothing.

"If the current situation continues, in about seven or eight days, the emperor's troops will be able to drain the swamp and engage our defense line." Giovanni was worried.

The Grand Duke's words also had some tremors, which is simply rare. It shows that although Gawain seems to be confident on the surface, he is still uneasy in his heart. After all, the success of this attack on Alamein Castle is different from the first time. Completely different. It can be said that the future destiny of Seleucia is a huge one. adventure, "Let me think about it carefully. Tomorrow at the latest we will come up with a plan to deal with the emperor. We can't delay it for a moment, um..." At this point, Gawain felt a little confused. In pain, he hunched his shoulders and put his hands on his chin. It seemed that he was suffering from no good solution.

The military judge also pursed his lips solemnly, then mustered up his determination and asked, "Should we also draw the two brigades from the Syria Gate?"

"Don't act rashly for the time being. You can send fast horses and ask them to prepare for marching and fighting first. Anna's armored knights in South Cappadocia will also rush here today, and the use of reserve forces must also be graded. , Um..." As he said this, Gawain leaned down and mumbled a little unnaturally. Then he put his right hand on the table, started tapping, and twisted his majestic eyebrows. It seemed that The military surplus is being carefully calculated.

"Then I won't disturb you. Please ask the Grand Duke to issue a response plan as soon as possible tomorrow, so that the morale and morale of the military will be stable." Giovanni also felt that it was useless to stay any longer, and the Grand Duke should be given space to think privately. , then saluted and left - Gawain did not stand up, but waved his hand to indicate that he could leave.

After Giovanni left, Gawain swallowed his foam and lifted the purple cloth covering the table. He only saw Capellamia kneeling between his legs, sucking her braided hair as if no one else was watching. He was also swaying back and forth rhythmically, "Hey, Kabeami Ya!" Gawain was a little angry because she couldn't stop hiding under the table and almost made a fool of herself in front of Giovanni. Fortunately, she was a military judge who had always been loyal and rigorous. If Wright came in to report the affairs, I'm afraid It has long been seen through. It’s hard to imagine that a few years ago Cabeamia was a Pauline holy golden-hand consul who desperately resisted Gawain’s “lance”, but now she almost “can’t put it down” for this spear. Of course This is also her little secret. Only Gawain can see her current appearance.

Hearing this scolding, Cabeamiya, who had been "working hard", raised her eyes, her cheeks rose and fell, and she rolled her eyelashes and looked up at Gawain. This gesture and expression were the most unbearable for Gawain, so he raised his head suddenly, bared his teeth, twitched his shoulders a few times, and started scratching the purple cloth with his fingers, and soon the sound of Cabe Amiya was heard below. A choking cough...

"This is very simple. The emperor can drain the water like I did to you just now. Can you also continue to pour water into the swamp here? On the other hand, we must not relax during the siege." After finishing, Cabe Amiya sat on Gawain's knees intimately and gave a plan.

"Continue to pour water into the swamp?" Gawain pondered, and then felt that the words of the female consul just now seemed to have a hidden meaning...

The next day, Gawain gathered all the military servants and idle soldiers, opened another sluice gate under his control, and leveled all the ditches of the Alaman River that originally irrigated the fields under the city, and dug frantically to divert all of them into the swamp. Soon the water level rose again, submerging more than half of the firewood bundles previously laid by the emperor's soldiers on the other side.

The emperor, who was inspecting in front of the spreading water, saw that all his previous efforts had been wasted, and couldn't help cursing and hitting his palms hard with a horse whip, but he didn't know what to do?

At this moment, Axepochus offered a new plan. "Ordinary firewood is easily damaged and rotten by water. Your Majesty can use seaweed and reeds instead, and have the soldiers tie them into bundles. After draining the water, use mud to build the back half, and pile these bundles on the front half. Not only can they absorb water, but they can also generate heat and squeeze each other more firmly." (To be continued ~^~)