Eagle Byzantium

I would like to express my gratitude to the "seemingly expert" classmate for the 100,000-coin reward. I also congratulate "Eagle Byzantium" on having a leader. At the same time, I would like to thank you and my classmate for the two 5,888-coin rewards. Sulla will write the book more carefully.

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Gawain walked up the hillside and looked at the rafters that were still exposed and the mottled walls. He walked into the chapel. On the dark dome, the white paint that Peter had originally painted was still there. He vaguely saw the rough appearance of the Virgin and the Holy Child, and he smiled.

At this time, there was a burst of neighing of cattle and horses outside. Gawain was surprised and walked out. He only saw a few ragged peasant men and women on the village road under the high slope, timidly holding the hands of long-haired men with thin heads. The ox and the iron-clad wooden plow stood under Gawain, rubbing their hands and shaking in the cold wind.

Gawain also looked at them, and didn't know what to say for a while, because he was mobilizing his memory, hoping to confirm that there were villagers who once lived here among these people, but he really couldn't remember it, because the farmers looked like Pretty much the same.

Finally, the eldest among them stood up, bowed to Gawain, and then said to him, "We are from Nicomedia. I heard that the noble master of the stables allowed the refugees to settle down, so we I came to this abandoned village to cultivate the land again, but I didn’t expect a military master to be here. I’m really sorry.”

"Abandoned village, abandoned village..." Gawain muttered these words to himself, and then he looked at the ruins of the village and the desolate land again, and a turbulent feeling surged in his heart, and then He said to the old man, "Yes, this village no longer exists! But now that you are here, rebuild houses, farms, and wells, and attract more people to come. We will protect you at the border." "

After saying this, several farmers were still whispering below, but Gao Wen himself felt much relieved, and showed a calm expression towards the stretching mountain forest, and then waved to Phiteas who was still at the bottom of the mountain—— The little army servant immediately began to put the saddle and bridle on Sabina, while Ericson, with the military flag whirring, rushed down the high slope and walked at the front of the queue.

On the way back to the military camp, Gawain, who was riding on horseback, looked back and saw that several farmers had temporarily set up a tent frame on the edge of the ruins. The cows were tied up. A woman was holding a child and was heading towards the chapel. They were walking there, seemingly to pray, and the two middle-aged men seemed to be looking for tools, as if they were trying to reopen the abandoned wells in the village. The old men were evaluating the seeds and food left by Gawain, "Everything can start again."

Maybe hope is just a faint seed, taking root and sprouting on the devastated earth, soaked in tears and blood, full of sorrow and futility, but as Ajiehe said, substances and terms are created by the devil, but destroying them He is also the devil. In the game between God and the devil, the ones who persevere and live forever are the mortals who are sown by the wind and rooted in the soil like seeds.

Five days later, Gawain's army lined up and entered the magnificent and majestic city of Nicaea!

This is a city abandoned by the Turks in advance. It relies on a large lake and a tall city wall that surrounds a long distance. There are countless towers and huge city gates made of bronze and iron. It is not difficult to imagine that if the Turks If they insist on resisting here, Chief George's army will inevitably pay a heavy price.

Nicaea is a holy city with countless churches and monasteries. Even after the Turks came, they did not dare to persecute or destroy it, but at least maintained basic respect. But among the crowds who were joyfully welcoming the troops who had regained the empire, there was also the Imam of Nicea. This man, dressed in a full dress, stood at the front of the team. He was extremely enthusiastic. He looked less like a priest and more like a dancer and master of ceremonies at parties and weddings. In front of the church, this man took Gawain and Diognis, who were in the front row, into his arms, and kept kissing and praying.

Then, all the soldiers and citizens stood in the square in front of the church. There were slogans and hanging garlands everywhere. The dean held Gawain with his left hand and Diogenes with his right hand. This scene was warmly touching. It also made the two parties involved extremely embarrassed, not because they never dealt with each other, but because it was too much like a wedding ceremony - they were newlyweds, and the dean was the witness.

"During the days and nights under the rule of the pagans, Bahta, I wanted to kill you, Bahta!" The Patriarch was a kissing madman. He opened his bow from left to right and kept clicking. "Now the entire city of Nicaea is filled with sacred caves and sacred paintings. Showroom, teach everywhere The church and the monastery, including all the people of this great city, are once again under the protection of the emperor and the Lord, and our souls are saved!" After saying that, the dean pouted and hugged the governor directly. The kiss made the people cheer.

"Be happy, God's sheep and people, don't refuse the request of this army and support them with all your strength!" Then, Gawain saw the thick lips and big beard of the dean again, and with a clicking voice, he moved toward them. He covered himself up, hurriedly lowered his mouth first, put his hands firmly against the shoulders of the dean who was approaching quickly, and then gently rubbed his lips on the dean's top, then smiled and hugged the dean tightly. The captain refused to let him move freely and waved to the crowd.

What the imam said was indeed correct. Before long, the people of Nicaea privately raised a large amount of supplies and money and sent them to the military camp of Stablemaster George to relieve the urgent need. It seems that the sacred urban consciousness is very important. Same as usual.

Afterwards, George sent out a detachment, and they also shot left and right, and recovered areas such as Nicomedia and Malagia. The current situation was really as George had promised, and Asia Minor was gradually re-dyed with royal purple.

"The emperor issued a golden edict to use fields as payment, so when the payment is made, the full amount cannot be paid to everyone - I stipulated that all the money will now be pooled together and distributed to the mercenaries from Italy, and Imperial Institute Each branch of the army will be granted land, and the land granted will be military real estate. "In the camp beside the lake in Nicaea, the stable chief stood on a high platform and issued the emperor's message written in purple ink to the soldiers sitting on the ground below. edict, "His Majesty the Emperor has decreed that the minimum value of each share of military real estate is seven gold pounds for cavalry, four gold pounds for infantry, and three gold pounds for sailors. They are not measured according to Modi's scale, but only according to value. These military The descendants of the real estate have inheritance rights and can now rent it to farmers. If the lease period is one year, the income will be 50%; if the lease period is three to ten years, the income will be 37%, and the farmer who rents the land will receive 70%; if the lease period is more than ten years, the income will be 70%. , then one or nine open.”

As soon as the director of the stable said this, there was a lot of discussion below. Gawain hugged his knees and looked at his fellow inner palace guards on the left and right. They all had expressions on their faces that "the matter has nothing to do with them." After all, they were from the palace on a monthly basis. The emperor received salary and silk cloth from the emperor. The descendants of the Vikings, holding a sword in one hand and a scale in the other, reacted very indifferently to this practice of digging food from the soil.