Eagle Byzantium

But General Kosa was not as optimistic as the emperor: From Ataliya to Alanya, there was a narrow and long coastal road, and then it turned an angle in front of Fort Alaman, forming a blunt delta river island. The north was full of dense forests and mountains, and then there were piles of soft sandy beaches near the sea. In ancient times, the entire Ataliya Bay was under the jurisdiction of the "Gibiodont Fleet Military District", which was rich in wood and a large number of light warships "Pamphylia Ships". Because the bay was shallow, it was not particularly suitable for large ships to berth. In addition, the sea water often brought silt to swallow the land on the shore, making this delta river island wet and soft. Now, General Kosa's troops were stepping on this land, just like walking on a swamp, with one foot deep and one foot shallow.

"It's not easy to advance, and it's not easy to retreat. The emperor led 20,000 men to rescue Alaman before, but failed, and was played around by Gawain's 7,000 men. Now I only have 7,000 men, and the enemy still occupies a solid barrier. If there is any mistake, it will be troublesome. What do you think we can do to fulfill the emperor's mission and not lose our merits?" Before setting off, Cosa asked his adjutants for advice in the Alanya Castle.

Some people advocated throwing all the military forces to launch a lightning raid on Alaman Castle;

Some people advocated dividing the entire army into two teams, and advancing in coordination, because no one knew what was going on in front, and where Gawain's main force was;

At the same time, some people advocated that only a few people should be deployed outside Alaman Castle, and General Cosa would lead the main force, bypass the fortress along the mountain, and directly break into the city of Seleucia.

There were three options, the first one was too reckless, and the second one was too risky. General Cosa, who was worthy of being Brennus's friend, finally chose the second option, which he thought was the safest. He appointed a deputy general named Simon to lead 1,500 people in the front, and he led the rest of the troops and walked slowly behind them. "If the situation is not right, retreat to Alanya immediately." Because this fortress not only provides Cosa with a place to stay, but also serves as a gateway to the Attalia Bay.

In the first hour of the morning, under the gray night, the gates of Alanya Castle opened, and Simon took the lead with his troops to march towards Alaman; about an hour later, General Cosa also set out after him.

At the same time, under the city of Seleucia, the Red Hand Cavalry mounted their horses one after another in silence in accordance with the formation. The current flag officer held a torch for lighting, and the other cavalrymen stared at the moving "flag" with hawk-like eyes. 1,200 people rode their horses at a rapid trot, crossed the long battlements of Seleucia, and advanced along the gray-white road in the vast fields. The slender and sharp black shadows of the lances tied to the shoulder armor or stirrups with ropes flashed, piercing the blue-gray night sky, and only the subtle sound of armor and weapons rubbing against each other was emitted, like a low tide. There were twinkling torches among the rows of feathers. Anna got up early. She stood on the terrace at the top of the Acropolis. Her small silhouette was particularly conspicuous between the gray battlements and the dark blue sky.

All the cavalry saw the purple princess's farewell figure. They were silent, raised their arms one by one on the horse's back, saluted the princess on it, and then pulled the reins to the battlefield.

Gawain was also included. Under the red feathers, his eyes deliberately looked at the small silhouette for a few times before heading towards the Akum market - the big hospital on the hill, the pointed cross reflected the early morning glow.

After the morning star disappeared in the night sky and the morning light shone down along the foothills on the north side of the coastal road, General Simon's 1,500 soldiers were somewhat restless and deployed in the open space seven miles outside the west gate of Alaman Castle - because opposite them, three lines of cavalry appeared at some point, with various war horses, lances on their backs, shiny armor and colorful feathers and horse manes. "When did the enemy cavalry arrive? So silent." The Simon's imperial army, who were nervously stacking shields and holding spears, were surprised and terrified, but fortunately the hills on the left and the seashore on the right provided natural shelter for the wings of their array, so they could still withstand the spear formation against the cavalry in front of them.

They were waiting for General Kosa's reinforcements. Soon after, General Kosa, with his flag hoisted, did arrive with the main force.

Amid the sound of the trumpet, Kosa pulled on his bridle, passed through the array of soldiers, and leaned against Simon and other adjutants, observing the large group of cavalry in front of him that had also not moved: the flag car with the red hand cross sword logo was mixed with the battle flag with a black cloth and a white cross. The guards wearing shining armor gathered around the flag car to protect it, and then there were lines of cavalry. "The sand is soft, they dare not charge at our spears." General Kosa grinned, as if he was talking to his staff and subordinates, and also as if he was talking to himself, "The general with red feathers over there is the traitor Gawain..."

He saw that Gawain was riding a black warhorse in the distance, between the flag and the guards, with an iron face, and he never said a word to anyone else.

Behind Gawain's cavalry, with their backs against the swamp, was Gregor's brigade and all the Armenian logistics soldiers. They were densely packed and half-kneeling, with their flags and shields laid down to cover their positions in order to confuse the enemy.

And Cosa really didn't understand what was going on. This state of mind made him "frozen". When everyone asked him to give orders, Cosa turned his head and issued a very clear military order: "Divide everyone into two groups and set up battle lines. The front line will all stack shields and form a spear formation, facing the enemy's cavalry to prevent them from rushing forward; the soldiers in the rear line will each hold weapons and be ready to go, to prevent the enemy from blocking our retreat with ships on the sea. Send a messenger to keep in touch with Alanya at any time. Once night falls, take turns to retreat back to Alanya - if the emperor makes progress in Miliocephalon, Gawain will retreat because he has to go to the rescue. Our army will then set out to attack Seleucia. This is the perfect strategy."

After this impeccable "panacea" was offered, Cosa's subordinates couldn't tell what the flaws were, so they followed it.

The sun slowly moved above the heads of all the soldiers on both sides. Gawain's army was in a strict and silent formation, and Cosa's army was also in order.

Around noon, there were indeed several sailing boats flying the Seleucid flag, accompanied by a row of light boats, beating drums and appearing on the sea. However, seeing that the Kosa army was well prepared, these boats just circled like patrols and slowly retreated. The swing of the oars was clearly visible outside the water.

General Kosa on horseback breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this scene.

Then they stood in silence for another half an hour. Kosa suddenly heard that on the undulating hills on the left side of his team, there began to be regular tremors, which seemed to be caused by the footsteps of the army. (To be continued ~^~)