Eagle Byzantium

On the fourth day, Bohemond, who was almost out of shape due to spiritual desolation and disappointment, was deprived of his principality after a military defeat and became a prisoner. He lowered his head and looked at the mud under his feet. The tip of his boots was kicking the mud and drawing something. It was words or pictures. No jailer outside cared. With a creaking sound, an Armenian officer warrior from Marashburg walked in through the opened iron gate.

Then Bohemond's shackles were opened, and a wooden chair was brought in, asking the former duke to sit there.

The sunlight shone in through the high window holes, through the barrel-shaped eaves, and cast on Bohemond's cheekbones and red hair. His collar was unbuttoned and he lay on the chair. Now even if he was given a sharp sword, he could not kill the Armenian warrior in front of him, because his hands and feet had lost consciousness and strength after long-term imprisonment and could not kill anyone.

"Your nephew has repelled the attacks of Ridwan and Cobha and saved the city of Antioch."

"Then my hope of redemption is even slimmer."

"No, there is a secret envoy from Antioch who said that as long as you are willing to give up the titles of Duke of Antioch and Duke of Apulia and return to your hometown, you can be redeemed soon."

Bohemond raised his hand, looked at the warrior, wiped the blood clots from the corners of his mouth, and laughed, "My uncle Roger occupied the entire rich Two Sicilies. He has been asking me for the latter's title for many years, and I have not yielded. Why do you believe that I will give up the two titles to a fledgling kid now?"

The warrior shook his head, "You are really stubborn."

"Is this the only news you brought me?"

"No, there is another one." The warrior said, and took out the roll of paper and handed it to Bohemond.

Bohemond hesitated for about two seconds and took it. The texture of the paper was very clear, with the tendons of plants, and it was obviously produced in that area.

"There is someone who is willing to ransom you. That is the king of Tarsus, the patron of the Seleucia Hospital, the White Death of the Turks. He is negotiating with our envoys in Castabala."

"What else is there to talk about? Only by taking out the ransom money can you express your sincerity. You hypocritical Varangian barbarians." Bohemond rolled up the paper and threw it at his feet. Then he raised his forehead and said to the Armenian warrior with a sinister smile, "I really sympathize with you, because your masters and nobles sold your lives, and the price is the ransom you asked for. Three hundred pounds or four hundred pounds of gold, just such a small amount of money, sold the blood and lives of your group of people..."

"The emperor of Constantinople will come east soon, and I will die after you and the White Death of the Turks. After all, the emperor is blessed by the Lord and the Holy Apostles. How can you, a bunch of grass-headed traitors, achieve great things?" The warrior laughed at the whimsical Bohemond with a serious attitude and emotion.

"Emperor..." At this point, Bohemond's red beard rose up, and then he smiled with a chill, shrugged his shoulders, and laughed mockingly. His eyes quickly turned into a sharp dagger, "Soon he will be afraid of my shadow. In this ocean, the war will burn completely. I, Bohemond de Tevere, swear on my family name that sooner or later I will graze my horses in his palace full of women and eunuchs."

In the garden outside Castabala, Gawain met with the ceasefire representative from Marash. Of course, the other party's more important purpose was to negotiate Bohemond's ransom - it was rare for someone to really be willing to pay a price.

"Two hundred pounds of gold, no more." Gawain went straight to the point and quoted his price to the envoy.

"We can make some concessions, how about 350 pounds?"

"You think I'm a vendor bargaining in the market? I'm talking to you about serious matters as the patron of the hospital, matters concerning Bohemond's life." Gawain bowed sternly and sat firmly in his seat.

But the messenger was not giving up. "Two hundred pounds of gold is fine, but we can also return the imprisoned Toros and Lolita to Marash, and we can also return the Vatican's financial agents, Bill Leoni and Bohemond."

"How dare you say such shameless words? Toros is enjoying a comfortable and noble life in my court, learning elegant etiquette and philosophy. If you want to welcome him back to be king, I can send two brigades to escort him to Marash, but will your governor Fel accept it?"

"I'm sorry that I can't reach a consensus with you."

"My friend, it's very simple to reach a consensus. Just reach a commercial contract. How about this, I am willing to release all the armed groups on the eastern border, let them walk out of the fortress, restore their freedom and their families, end the current wartime life, and set up a trading post on the border between our two sides; and you must release all the captives of the previous Gimages Brigade, and I am willing to pay additional ransom for my captured soldiers." Gawain proposed the final plan.

The messenger hesitated for a few moments and then agreed.

After discussing the issue of ransom, Gawain quickly wrote a letter and asked the horse to gallop to the city of Tarsus. He asked Sheriff Andodat to open the small treasury and gave the original emperor to the dead ghost Reuben. The prince's two-hundred-pound gold nugget, stamped with the Royal Treasures Department's mark, was taken out and loaded into a long wagon drawn by oxen. Here, it took twelve post riders and thirty civilian soldiers to escort it, and it was delivered to the city of Kastabala. A few days later, Maras Fort took away the gold and kept its promise to release it. In addition to Bohemond, Richard and Reinold, there are about forty remaining knights from various places.

Check out the 16-9 book bar to see the correct version!

They walked out of the Nice Fort on foot. The soldiers guarding the gate brought two donkeys, but Bohemond was unwilling to ride such humble animals, so he hung some luggage on them and continued walking with the others until they arrived at Marash Fort. Leoni and fifteen merchants were also released and joined.

"Where are you going?"

"My money was all lost in Marash, so I have to try my luck in Iconium. To put it bluntly, I will go to Gawain - please allow me to temporarily resign as the 'Latakia Navy Grand Admiral'." Bill Leoni did not give up his desire for money. After saying this, he pulled out a relatively long thin hardwood trunk from the grass on the roadside to use it as a walking stick, "What about you, Your Excellency the Duke?"

"Except for revenge, I really can't think of anything else to do in the rest of my life. But now it is dangerous for me to stay here or go back to Antioch. My former friends have become sworn enemies, even if they are enemies. Frey’s guarantee doesn’t reassure me—since my former enemy Gawain bought my freedom with money, I will go straight to the Bay of Issus.” (~^~)