Eagle Byzantium

It turns out that Gawain had always asked his post office and messenger cavalry to pay attention to the direction of Bohemond's army and keep in touch with him. When he learned that Bohemond insisted on going his own way, he still took the route of Samosata Afterwards, Gawain was very angry in private. He told people around him more than once that Bohemond would never be a big deal and would "even bring trouble to our country of Tarsus!"

Regarding the latter sentence, in the secret room in the palace where the mercury plate and map table were placed, the couple Gawain and Anna discussed the situation very much. Regarding the situation, they finally came to the conclusion that although Gawain had just arrived on the plateau A huge victory was achieved against the Crescent Sect, but it was still very serious:

Now the enemies are no longer mainly Turks. The Sultanate of Konya has been destroyed. Danishmund has only the Erzurum region left on the plateau, but the swollen Theodoro has begun to make moves. , Gawain and Anna used caravans and spies to collect intelligence that showed that the old general was frequently contacting Kievan Rus, Kipchak, Alanya and Georgia The princes and lords of other places seemed to want to form an alliance of independence, and even coveted the crown of Constantinople. While Theodore was making huge profits on the Iconium trade route, he was also conquering the city of Chardia, and his power Trabzon had already broken through, and it was not easy for Gawain to take the initiative to fall out with him, because after all, Trabzon was the terminal of trade routes and its location was very important;

In addition, the emperor, who had just obtained firearm formulas and blueprints, had already put down rebellions in Macedonia, Dalmatia and other places. It was a foregone conclusion that he would return to fight again, and the emperor was likely to join forces with Theodoro, a powerful enemy. If In that case, Raymond, Breanus, Stephen and Robert might even besiege us. In that case, even if Tarsus now has a population of 1.5 million, plus 40,000 soldiers of all levels, it would still be difficult to resist (not to mention there is a Gemges You cannot count on the brigades, there are only two brigades that can move the main force);

And now Bohemond's reckless use of troops against Marash will actually cause a considerable chain reaction. If Bohemond wins, it is easy to say. If he really does not go well or even suffers a setback, Aleppo and Marash It will inevitably take the opportunity to rebound, and the emperor will definitely seize this opportunity to declare war on Tarsus and Antioch;

As for Baldwin's Adana County, its military strength is only 300,000 people, 200 knights of various colors, and 5,000 Cilician Greek servants. It can only be used as a front army, and the island of Cyprus It is difficult to say what the position of Apsomates will be at that time. It is possible for him to rebel against us and act as the emperor's vanguard - the Kingdom of Jerusalem is also having constant military friction with Egypt, and it is difficult to spare the power to reinforce us.

"Anna, the previous victories were all based on making good use of the situation and means to form a unilateral advantage over the enemy. So I would rather let Bohemond capture Marash and win." After speaking, Gawain pointed his finger at the mercury plate. Go up to Iconium and whisper, "This is actually a mine." Surrounded by the territories of Nus, Raymond, Stephen, and Robert, it is also the place that your father must take in the future. Once a war breaks out in the future, this will definitely be the place for a decisive battle. But by then, with the strength of the two brigades, and It’s really hard to win against so many strong opponents.”

After hearing this, Anna stared at the map, and the dangerous situation mentioned by Gawain gradually became clear in her mind. "The Frankish fiefdom adopted by my father ostensibly divided the western part of Anatolia." The region was closed and the territory was divided, but the reality was that Raymond, Stephen, and Robert Each occupied a piece of land to besiege us, because every time my father fought against us, he led a team with a unified banner, but various problems of the imperial army never defeated you as expected, and now my father has created it for us at the same time. Three or four tough enemies.”

"That's right, if your father's army comes to fight me across the plateau, and his generals are all Cosa and Brenus, I won't necessarily be afraid. But now Raymond and Stephen are both battle-hardened warriors. Will, Robert Curtis followed them It can also play a role behind them. They each have fiefs and armies. Now with Theodoro on the border, dangers are really emerging from all directions, and the variables and difficulties are too great. "Now even Gawain saw it. The situation was serious.

In the end, they decided to write another cautionary letter to Bohemond, telling him to pay attention to the rear route at all times. "It is best to put the Gemmagis brigade in your rear guard position to facilitate the response - and Baldwin and I We will go to the city of Kastabala today to provide you with assistance - if something unexpected happens, please be sure to break through the Armenia Pass to the west, and never go east or south. "

“To what extent should we be involved in the war on the Armenian side of Marash?”

His wife's words made Gawain think about it for a while, "First place the Guardian Brigade in Fanka. If something unexpected happens to Bohemond, we can intimidate him and deal with this arrogant red beard. After all, he is still there now." You can't die. If there is any action in Constantinople in the west, immediately leave some civilian troops to guard it, and then transfer it to the western front with the Red Hand Brigade. It is not terrible to lose some territory, and we must create a fighting opportunity."

"Leave the diplomatic and conspiracy tasks to me." Anna assured her husband.

Gawain's big hand held Anna's, "We stand side by side and will never be defeated. No matter how difficult or dangerous it is, even if all the previous dreams were fools of you and me by the devil, I will never give up." , and we will work together to overcome all the difficulties.”

Anna closed her eyes and hugged Gawain tightly. "Let's discard the previous fantasy and prepare for the next round of desperate fight for survival and the continuation of our country. Let's not talk about going to the Queen of Ten Thousand Cities. Let's gain a foothold in Tarsus first and protect all the people and all the children."

"You are my eyes, my comrade-in-arms, and little Gawain without a lance." This sentence suddenly made Anna burst out laughing.

Outside Constantinople, on the wilderness of Sarabria, the emperor's triumphant army, tents, and ceremonial guards filled all the plains and slopes. All the guilds and members of the competition party on the city wall waved beautiful flags and pendants, and praised the emperor's military power in various languages.

Alexius' prestige was shaken by the military setbacks on the plateau in the past six months, but now he has regained his strength: teams of prisoners were escorted to the imperial city, along the golden gate, "You should be grateful for your failure, otherwise you humble and rough country bumpkins will never see the golden palace gates and straight and wide streets and monuments in your life." - The prisoners were all rebellious Slavs, as many as 6,000 people. Alexius planned to settle them in two places, 2,000 in the Thessaloniki area, and 4,000 to the South Opskin area to strengthen the army there.

In the thunderous hymns, the emperors under various fluttering flags rode on black horses, "Sons, show the new and powerful weapons of the Roman Empire!" (To be continued ~^~)