Eagle Byzantium

The emperor ordered that the secret passage be completely sealed, and then he personally performed the burial ceremony of Bohemond. A few days later, at the port of San Simeon, all the masts and towers of the ships were hoisted with black flags of mourning, and the shooters fired rows of projectiles into the sky. The coffin of the Lord of Antioch was once again used by the lifting equipment erected at the port. Hoisted by ropes and placed on the deck of a clipper ship, all surrendered The Norman nobles who were later pardoned by Gawain (most of them were placed by the emperor in the expatriate area on the outskirts of Constantinople. When the time was right, the emperor would promise them benefits and use this group of people as the vanguard to kill Apulia. , Calabria) once again knelt in front of the prince's coffin, holding his sword ring.

On the hills beside the port, surrounded by the red morning glow, the emperor stood under the "Antian Royal Umbrella" with purple and gold tassels, watching the sailboat carrying Bohemond's coffin sail towards Seleucia.

Previously, Bohemond had faked his death and left the port of Seleucia to return to the mountains of Italy, but this time the indomitable adventurer, conspirator and jihadist hero was really dead. For unknown reasons, the victorious Roman emperor stubbornly demanded that Bohemond be buried in the Arahant monastery at the northern end of the Seleucia Valley instead of Aversa, the ancestral tomb of the Normans.

The first person to surrender to Gawain in the city was Maurice, the Patriarch originally sent by the Ecumenical Church to the principality. Sitting by his umbrella, he kept saying to the emperor: "The abominable Bohemond has actually converted to paganism. He has deceived all upright and good people." The Lord will not allow a good person to enter the sacred cemetery unharmed, absolutely impossible.”

But the Roman emperor was very cold to him and ignored him. He just asked Philactus, the confidential official of the palace, to tell him: "From now on, Antioch no longer needs the patriarch of the Roman Catholic Church, and he will immediately give you a generous sum of money." For the cost, go back to Italy.”

But Morris then expressed his feelings to the emperor with a solemn expression, stroking his chest: "Why did your majesty say this? I am willing to switch to the imperial religious order, serve as the patriarch of Antioch, and be loyal to the empire and the royal family. I have learned how to The oath was made in Greek: loyalty, hard work, renewal!”

Philactus told this man that the Patriarch of Antioch was still His Excellency John Oakshilt, and that once he returned, he would unify the order of the local Armenian, Syrian and Maronite churches.

"Then I will be the priest of the Renewed Order here, serving as His Majesty's eyes and ears to monitor everything, and be a sharp and fierce hound. Loyal! Work! Renew!" As he spoke, Maurice beat his chest and chanted "Renew" repeatedly. The oath of meeting.

Gawain sneered twice and ignored the man. Then the ring that Bohemond gave him before his death came into effect. Gawain turned around under the umbrella, and all the elite troops lined up in the port and the plains of the city. Ready to go, call In the howling wind, the feathers on the soldiers' helmets and shoulder armor fluttered in patches, like endless colorful reeds. "The prince of Antioch was bewitched by the enemy from across the Oxus River and rebelled." I also have it He deserved the punishment he deserved. After you invaded Antioch, he fought bravely until his last breath. He was a respectable warrior. Before his death, he left me this ducal ring, and also his wife and unborn son. Leave it to me, I I decided to live up to his expectations. If the baby in Constance's belly is a daughter, she will be engaged to my youngest son; if it is a boy, I will give her the title of Prince of Taranto, and he will have an influence on the whole of Apulia. Unquestionable ownership!"

"Long live!" All the soldiers raised their flags and shouted.

After more than ten years of fighting with His Majesty, the veterans all know that once the battle of the Oxus River is over, His Majesty will never treat them badly. He will definitely lead them personally or let a famous general lead them to invade the most beautiful and rich Italy. Especially the Two Sicilies (Sicily and Naples), Apulia and even the legendary Holy City Rome, where there are countless treasures and women, and the elite veterans and brothers who have followed His Majesty from there have told everyone, "The time has come for us to return home in glory, and we don't want to be buried in the east as far away as Great Khorasan." , we are afraid of the East, yes – there are always endless terrible things coming out of it.”

Hearing the cheers of the soldiers, Gawain, who originally wanted Bohemond's son to be an unknown palace guard, could only give up this idea. Bohemond finally made his own counterattack: "Gawain, you must have a flag when you invade Italy. It is not impossible to use the original legal principles of Constantinople, but times have changed. It is really too far away, and it has long been filled with immigrants from my family, so if you want to win over Apulia and attack Sicily, you will have to use my child as a flag, so you will have to let my child be famous. Once You can’t remove or demote him (her) for no reason, hahahaha, he deserves it!”

Gawain smiled bitterly and raised the ring, as if he saw Bohemond's mean smile appearing in front of his pupils.

The emperor then continued to deliver a speech to encourage the morale of the entire army: "There is nothing to fear about that Song Dynasty. So far, he has only sent some monks to lobby and deceive others to oppose me. The flames of rebellion have been extinguished by me, and I have no care at all." Worry! I will contact the ancient and powerful Axum Empire to attack Fatima soon, and I will personally take you to the Oxus River for a decisive battle with the barbarians they mobilized. The Song Dynasty only has an expeditionary force behind the barbarians. As long as the main force of this expeditionary force is captured and defeated, they will no longer be a threat. Empire. Isfahan would serve as the empire's eastern shield for at least fifty to a hundred years.

I promise that the pension or consolation money for soldiers who died or were injured in the battle of the Oxus River will be increased by half compared to before, and the soldiers who participated in the war and made meritorious contributions can get three-fifths of the spoils. I will not keep any of the beauties (or beautiful boys?), livestock and treasures given to me by the Seljuk Sultan, and they will all be distributed to everyone at that time!

But now all your luggage must be empty. Why?

First, you must have no worries when you go to the battlefield. Grab your sharp spears and firearms, move forward, forward, and forward again, and kill all the enemies in front of you;

Second, your luggage is full now, which is not conducive to marching, and it is even more difficult to transport more valuable spoils after victory! "

The emperor's last words made the morale of the people present reach a white-hot madness. All the soldiers shouted and took off their helmets and swung them in their hands, or picked them on the spear blades. The whole scene overwhelmed the roar of the sea water in Port Saint Simon.

"We will always be loyal to little daddy and little mom! ”

“Long live the Imperial Umbrella of Heaven!”

“May the Lord and His Majesty bless us and strive!”

“Long live Romana, Romana will win!”

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“March to the Oxus River!”