Eagle Byzantium

In fact, there is nothing easy to negotiate: the cornerstone of everything is Raymond's departure from the Levant. He is now unable to turn around. The fleet of the Red Duckman is heading towards Jaffa, and within a month or two There is no way to come back; Gawain and Godfrey once again stood aside and watched, Patriarch Sapphobel Abandoned him; Bohemond's army was pressing him hard. If the battle continued, he would either starve to death, or Raymond would launch a suicidal counterattack to meet his death, or he would be forced to go to Acre and The gulf of Tyre, perished at the hands of the heathen and suffered humiliation.

Several Venetian ships were moored quietly on the shore of Jubail. Raymond, Ademar and the remaining four hundred soldiers who were still loyal to the Marquis of Provence were unkempt, wearing tattered boots and holding up their hands. The holy spear, but the purple belt tied to it was torn, and he walked down the sea in despair. After boarding the deck and being forced to "forever give up all rights and interests in the Levant and Antioch", he set sail and left the coast of the Levant, heading towards the island of Cyprus - waiting there The Grand Duke Apsomatus will arrange another ship to send Raymond to Atalia.

Raymond left full of humiliation and hatred. In fact, due to the despicable attacks from behind by Bohemond and Gawain, the Eastern Expedition army he had put together after all the hardships had been scattered and disintegrated.

His ambitious campaign against Castile and Aragon, which had begun in his youth, vanished on the shores and valleys of Tripoli, disappearing like a cloud over the sea and sky, as if it had never existed. Like him, it was a bloody and fragile dream. He longed to conquer the pagans with a sword to gain wealth and glory, but he was stabbed to the ground from behind by his fellow sect, and his spine was broken.

"I'm afraid, I'm afraid that even Toulouse and Provence will not be able to go back." Raymond gritted his teeth, holding the holy spear in his hand and making a squeaking sound, pointing the tip of the spear towards the rolling waves.

Ademar was lying weakly on the deck next to him, looking at the rotten wood cracks where several unknown insects were carefully avoiding the glue and crawling hard, "You can report this matter to the new Holy See, we await a just verdict.”

"When we were squeezing you out in the secret room meeting, we never thought about the city of Rome." Raymond retorted. He simply lost interest in what the other party suggested and said harshly (due to the long paragraph, so Integrating the words of Lord One-Eyed), "I am going to Constantinople to ask His Majesty Emperor Komnenos for territory and Glory, the second round of the Eastern Expedition is about to begin. As long as I still retain these hundreds of loyal and brave soldiers, carrying this invincible holy spear, give me another two to three years to fight in Anna. I will regain my former glory and power on the Tolia Plateau - as long as I tell the emperor that I am willing to deal with Gawain, the emperor will naturally allow it. "

Ademar was stunned, and then he lowered his eyes. Amidst the roar of the waves, the deck kept shaking and bumping. Those poor bugs were still wrestling and pushing there, as if they were fighting for their own territory. Fighting and rolling there.

"Sir, please continue to work hard. I plan to stay temporarily in a monastery in Atalia that is willing to take me in. After the Holy City is recovered, I will visit the Holy Tomb to fulfill my wish, and then return to my hometown." Son, the former priest's state of mind actually calmed down. After saying this, he covered his body with the worn robe, fell on the deck, looked at the constantly shaking sky, and said no more.

Raymond didn't bother to say anything to him. His ambition to retaliate was now burning hot, and he had no other thoughts in his mind except borrowing troops for revenge.

After the ship carrying the driven away Marquis left, Bohemond immediately used Argyll Castle as the dividing line with Gregor: Tartus and Latakia in the north belonged to Bohemond. In addition, he also expelled Raymond All the German subordinates at the Iron Bridge Fortress on the Orontes River not only truly unified Antioch, but also almost doubled their sphere of influence; and in the chaotic situation to the south, Bohemond also kept his promise , and threw it to Gawain.

In other words, from Tripoli to Tyre, along this narrow strip of land along the Lebanese coast, there are many fortresses, and the messy and intricate distribution of forces, all of which are placed in front of the six thousand soldiers of Gregor and Gemmagis Brigade. Before the Soldiers' Eyes: Tire, Saracens and Turkic Forces in the Far South They are all Crescent Christians and occupy a fortified island city (the ancient city of Tyre was built on an island near the sea). They are connected with the city of Acre. Previously, they only paid some fees to passing pilgrims. Just tribute and never really conquered; while Beirut, Jubail and Tripoli were It is a place where Crescent Christians and Orthodox Christians mix and mingle. Most of the latter are of Syrian "Greek (Roman)" origin and have not really changed their beliefs for hundreds of years. However, during the previous Seljuk conquests, the ferocious The Turks forced a large number of the latter's groups to convert to the Crescent Religion, and they killed many corpses for this purpose. Mountains and seas of blood have led to the extreme decline of Lebanon, which has always been fertile. What's more, there are a large number of castles and towns belonging to the heretical Maronites in the interior, and their power cannot be underestimated. In Damascus further away, there is another Seljuk Sultan. The territory of Dukak Tutusi is also eyeing this.

However, Gregor, Plagit, and Parney were not as panicked as expected, because long before the operation, the chief patron Gawain had given very clear instructions to their brigade, "Don't try to occupy the territory." , don’t attack the city rashly, We might as well set a small goal for ourselves first - that is, first occupy a corner, and then make peace with the Normans, Maronites and Venetians, and gain security on all sides on land and sea; then in the name of restoring Orthodoxy, we have the Patriarch of Antioch moral support, since However, if you are like a fish in water, your brigade will recruit 10,000 to 20,000 former Syrian Orthodox refugees (heretics are also allowed), stick to the castle you live in, and be able to farm and fight and defend yourself will be a success. I will then graduate from St. Paul's University College this Christmas. before and after festivals Send a group of one hundred and fifty students to supervise your territory. In addition, you and Plagit will be jointly responsible for the military affairs. After leaving an appropriate garrison, immediately take a boat to Jaffa Port to participate in the attack on the Saints. The faster the siege of the city, the better.”

Therefore, Gregor commanded the entire brigade. After forcing Raymond away, he sent a message to Antioch to congratulate Bohemond, and then retreated in an orderly manner to Jubail and Beirut, which happened to be in Lebanon. In the central area of ​​the coast, these two fortresses were occupied - because these two places had been particularly completely destroyed by Raymond's massacre and arson, and the Crescent Christians were almost killed by the Marquis, there was no difficulty in occupying them.

Next, the Gemmagis Brigade neither went south to capture Sidon and Tyre nor went north to besiege Tripoli. Instead, they quietly settled down: Gregor in Beirut, Plagit and Parni in Jubail. They were like each other and set up the spiritual banner of "defending and restoring Orthodoxy". Within a week, 7,000 Syrians came to seek refuge. (To be continued ~^~)