Eagle Byzantium

St. Nicholas Cathedral is just the heart of the entire religious complex and the place where all ceremonies are held. It is surrounded by a huge group. The square in front of the church is connected to the coastal market of Bari City. The south is manor-style. The priest's accommodation area is connected to the church by a long and narrow corridor courtyard. On one side of the corridor are the wine cellar, brewery, food storage room and baking room, and on the other side are the bathroom, washroom and clothing warehouse. The second floor of the corridor is full of connected priests' apartments and dormitories.

Surrounding the accommodation area and the area between the walls are vegetable gardens, livestock pens, barns, stables and shacks for servants. At the gate to the northwest of the accommodation area, there are two buildings. One is to receive important messengers and visitors, and the other is to receive pilgrims and pilgrims from all over the world. Then there are the remaining buildings, which are used to provide relief and accommodation for the people in the city. A widower and a lonely person.

The entire main building of the dean's accommodation is located between the two buildings. It is an elegant three-story brick and stone building with carved crosses and pillars, and is covered with evergreen vines in winter. The self-proclaimed This is the temporary office and accommodation place of Gawain, the "acting consul of Bari in the Roman Empire".

The exquisite holy armor decorated with red hand feathers was hung on the wall behind the porch and was carefully maintained by the military servant Muzafiadin. Gawain wore an "Latin ancient robe" made of exquisite silk and satin produced in Corinth, lazily leaning on On the recliner, there is a huge bookshelf behind him, filled with scriptures and stationery. The warm winter sun shines on his body, making him very comfortable.

Presumably Anselm and his party were already following the streets, approaching the city of Rome, and conveyed his statement to Pope St. Peter.

But the troublesome thing at the moment was the indignant officer standing in front of him.

"You have violated the sacred official position again. I swear that if you do this again, I will leave with General Titicius with the team your Majesty gave you."

Gawain raised his hand to ask him to calm down. Then he took the document that he had drafted long ago from Andodat and handed it to Diognis. The other party raised it to look at it. It turned out that Gawain was about to give it to him. Lead letters from the imperial capital. It was full of words of praise and humility, and asked Emperor Alexios to grant him a slightly larger official title to control the Bari area, and ensured that he had begun to restore the power of the Orthodox Church in the city.

These words finally continued to make the officer feel at ease, and he felt that he was following Gawain. It's like riding a horse and galloping on the edge of a cliff. Sometimes you are in danger of falling into the abyss, and sometimes you can save yourself from danger and return to the right path.

"Don't forget, Anna Comnenus is my patron and mistress. How could I betray the empire?" Gawain said with a pleasant expression.

But after the captain left, Gawain immediately received several important guests: members of the Orthodox Church in Bari. The guild leader, the dock owner, and Francesco.

"You can cooperate with the person next to me as soon as possible to take over the St. Nicholas Cathedral. Recover quickly and continue to receive pilgrims from afar."

"The guild will sell some daily necessities and 'holy souvenirs' in the square in front of the church, or they can surround the shops and tents around the church, instead of being restricted to the trade corridor of the seaside pier. In addition, in the cathedral, In front of the cemetery on the east side , there is an idle open area. It was established as the location of the military camp and the city, separated from the residential area and the commercial area by wooden fences and trenches. Franchisico was responsible for setting up a ban and punishing those who crossed the boundary without permission. Merchants and commoners must be whipped.”

At this time, Francesco confessed that there were only about 5,000 settled citizens in the city of Bari, and now a total of 4,000 craftsmen captured by the Red-Hand Dalian Company suddenly poured in, plus the pilgrims who continued to come here, food and supplies. The problem becomes very prominent.

Gawain nodded, "So I want to restore the long-distance route to the Adriatic Sea and use it for trade to revitalize the economy of the city of Bari. Originally, this city was governed by a church that didn't understand economics at all. Now after expelling Anselm, , we can use our fists.”

Soon, Gawain took off his Latin robe made of light sheepskin material for office use, put on a lined military uniform jacket, and Byzantine armor, put on his weapons, and began to fight with Francesco, who led a team of guards holding the flag. , began to inspect this seaside town.

At the entrance of the harbor, soldiers and craftsmen have been hired to dredge the ship's route, and to set up navigation marks on the sandbar in small boats. On the side of the city of Bali facing the land streets, repairs to the city walls and fortresses have also begun - " In the spring, Bohemond's Norman army will come to attack, and we must be prepared."

"Gawain, I know you will give full play to your talents here. Even if the emperor of Constantinople does not recognize you, all the people in the Red Hand Dalian Team think you are an excellent governor and fully qualified for this job. Position. So I want to ask, what do you think about the suggestion I gave you earlier?" On the cobblestone street in front of the square, Francesco inquired about Gawain's thoughts.

"Go to the City of the Holy Sepulchre for pilgrimage? And help the church and business in Amalfi to revive the hospital and church there. Of course, I remember Francesco, but this kind of pilgrimage without the protection and support of the army will turn into a disaster under the swords of the Turks, so I will take the Red Hand Company to fulfill my promise with you and go to the East together." Gawain's answer surprised the other party, but Francesco was also worried, that is, the composition and faction of the company were relatively complicated: there should be six or seven hundred Italian veterans directly under Gawain, who lived on military pay and respected Gawain after the defeat in Nicaea. Now no one would object to where Gawain took them, not to mention that in the previous battle, a group of native officers were promoted to serve as the backbone of the command, eliminating the influence of Greek nobles on this armed force. However, the nominal command of the Tecopo mercenaries was still in the hands of the stubborn Diogenes. If Gawain used the Red Hand Company for the pilgrimage, Diogenes would certainly oppose it, but at least he would take the Tecopo mercenaries back to the emperor; and the cavalry was in the hands of Taitius, whose attitude was not so clear.

And if this company did not have the cover of archers and cavalry, its combat effectiveness would be greatly reduced.

"Don't worry about this problem. I will kill three birds with one stone. I can control the army, protect Bari and Amalfi, and make our future Eastern Expedition without obstacles." Gawain looked nonchalant, looking at the sea on the other side of the pier, very confident. Now he is completely different from when he was in Nicaea. At that time, he was powerless, but now he can do a big job.

At this moment, there was a big commotion and noise in the seaside trade corridor on the other side of the street. Many vendors were nervously holding boxes and leading mules and horses, and they avoided here.

I found the correct version on the 16-9 book forum!

"Are there soldiers making trouble?" Gao Wen thought. (To be continued ~^~)