Eagle Byzantium

After listening to Taprunzi's narration, the uncle and nephew deeply hated the emperor, Gawain, and even Adhmar, believing that this was still Constantinople's diplomatic tactics against the Normans: I, Bohemond, was the previously appointed commander-in-chief of the Asiatic March, but now there is a cardinal meeting with the army, and there is also an imperial expedition privy meeting, which completely wiped out the honor of his title. What's more, now the Port of Saint Simon is going to do some kind of zoning berthing and equal opportunities, which is equivalent to angering the Chamber of Commerce of Pisa, and Bohemond still owes Pisa a debt of 40,000 to 50,000 Byzantine gold coins because of the expedition!

Although these merchants were very soft-hearted towards the Roman army, they were very tough towards him as a debtor. "After Antioch is captured in the future, if you do not guarantee our absolute lease rights to the port and the city, then we will not hesitate to take decisive measures."

It should be noted that the Pope of Rome also has a large interest in Pisa. Once Pisa spends a little ink and parchment to put Bohemond's debt into the file of the Pope's income, the Holy See will be angry and directly excommunicate the Duke. Then the territories of Apulia and Calabria will sooner or later be snatched away by my uncle with ulterior motives. There is really no way out.

"Tancred, I was the one who brought you out of the Italian countryside, wasn't I? You now own the entire territory of Marash and Edessa. Can you take 30,000 gold coins from the generous annual tribute? No, just 20,000 gold coins to give to your uncle. After we overcome the difficulties and occupy Antioch, I will return the money to you in two years at most!" Suddenly, Bohemond smiled and grabbed his nephew's shoulders and asked.

"But uncle, there are only castles of Armenian and Greek lords who are subservient to me. They all have their own troops and fiefs, and the annual tribute they pay to me is very limited. The only city I can directly control is Samosata..." Tancred was a little unprepared for this question, but when he reacted, he honestly said that it was too difficult to organize such a thing.

But Bohemond was crying and extremely distressed, and Tancred finally reluctantly agreed to borrow 7,000 gold coins from Barak (a Greek), the governor of the richest city of Edessa, to help his uncle through the difficult times.

Then the two of them decided that since Adhmar was also forbearing, they might as well pretend to be confused. As long as they could get a piece of land after taking Antioch, it would not be too late to take the whole territory after the Normans established their country in the future. At that time, no matter whether it was the Greek emperor or the Pope of Rome, they would not have to take them seriously.

On the other side of the Farfa River in front of the dog gate, at the soft river beach where it meets the Orontes River, under the flat and wide twilight leaden clouds, several soldiers of the Guard Brigade were using their hands and feet to erect long pointed tree trunks. Every five feet apart, they stood up with the pointed ends facing up, and then inserted them into the soil to tamp them down. Another group of inexperienced recruits, carrying wicker baskets filled with gravel and mud, piled up layer after layer in the gaps between the stumps, split the willow branches on both sides with a sickle, and tied them tightly to the stumps on both sides. In this way, the "wall" of the field camp was soon completed - the side facing the river. The soil was also dug out, making the river bank a steep slope.

The foundation of the entire camp was operated in this way, and there were stumps everywhere. The people carrying wicker baskets and pack animals, and the soldiers who were resting because of fatigue sat on one side. While wiping sweat, looking at the distant but very majestic Antioch wall, "The old man was hung out again."

On the dark wall of the Acropolis tower on the mountain, the dishevelled and ragged patriarch, like a piece of rotten meat or rags, was slowly dragged down by ropes and iron rings and hung at halfway.

"Is he dead?" a soldier asked through the half-finished tree stump, squinting his eyes.

Soon, the Patriarch of Antioch moved his feet slightly, "Ha!" A Benevento man standing on the mound and holding a crossbow pointed, because he had the sharpest eyes. Several soldiers wearing chainmail helmets and double-eared cloth hats squatted down in frustration and cursed, while the others smiled and took the "Seleucid" copper coins thrown by the former. Of course, they all called this coin "saffron". "Twenty, twenty. Who's still betting on tomorrow's share, who's still betting on tomorrow's share?" A "dealer" wore a nose helmet at an angle, tossed up and down stacks of coins in his hand, making a jingling sound, pointed at the Patriarch, who was about the size of a grain of wheat and hung on the city wall, and shuttled among the soldiers, asking continuously.

A slight whistle was heard, and everyone hurriedly put their coins in their pockets, then sat down, waved their tools and continued to work hard - on the road that had just been opened in the camp, Military Judge Giovanni was inspecting along the road with a serious face, surrounded by a group of brotherhoods. If he caught the soldiers gambling privately, and the bet was still the miserable Patriarch, then the punishment would definitely be swift and severe.

So all the soldiers of the brigade continued to work silently. The camps of the Guardian Brigade and the Red Hand Brigade extended in a rectangular shape along the river bank. Gawain's scarlet tent, together with the Twin Cavalry Company, was in the small camp behind it, forming a "pin" shape with the two brigade camps, and the Genat soldiers of Orson and others were also arranged in several smaller camps, arranged further back, not far from the camp of Taitius.

In front of the altar tent, all the lords gathered, and Stephen of Blois pointed at the city model sand table and said loudly:

"Now, except for the St. Paul's Gate and the Dog Gate, all the other front gates and bridges of Antioch have been sealed and blocked by us. Achish has been trapped in the city. In addition, since Lord Gawain, Godfrey, and the hermit Peter If we all come together, we can completely take position in front of St. Paul's Gate and Dog Gate to form a strong oppressive advantage - now, we have to follow this gate to the east side of the mountain. At the newly constructed "Holy Spring Stone Castle" on the top, everyone was urged to dig trenches horizontally, and then build a stone wall to defend against the enemy, connecting the two places. The army stationed behind it, and then erected a strong defense and siege. Tower, arrange catapults and crossbows on it, and focus fire on the city wall in front of it. Once the gap is opened, our troops will attack in batches and seize the sacred city of Antioch! "

"Everyone, you must break through the city wall, capture the acropolis, and kill Yaqi Siyan before the reinforcements of the Turkic King Khidwan of Aleppo arrive. Only in this way can the Lord's soldiers be invincible in the next battle. Earth!" Ademar, with bright eyes, shouted together with the hermit Peter.

"Except the noble Hugh, with the Count of Blois and the two Lord Robert's men, who continue to watch the other sections of the wall. General Titicius, Gawain, myself, Tancred, Lord Raymond, Lord Baldwin , Duke Godfrey, everyone gathered the elite cavalry capable of fighting, and took turns to set up guard positions from the Holy Spring Castle to the Dog Gate to ensure that the siege equipment and towers were completed as soon as possible. "Bohemond. Also impassioned.

"Gather all the civilian pilgrims to build forts and make stone-throwing equipment. The project must be completed within five days. The moment of decisive battle with the Turks is coming soon." Gawain, who was decorated with red hand feathers, was full of energy and stared. Looking at the sand table model of Antioch, he held the hilt of the sword.

"The moment of decisive battle is coming, and the Christian warriors will surely obtain the palm leaves of victory!" Then the entire camp burst out with these heroic words. (End of this volume) (To be continued ~^~)