"How I wish I had personally escorted you from the city of Philadofiam to Seleucia, but my father had just joined forces with an archduke of the empire, Stephen. Gawain made an agreement, and for a year we will not be able to enter and leave each other's borders, so that the road to the valley of the Mutt will be left to you. As he said this, John bitterly embraced the princes and noblewomen from Denmark and Flanders.

"It doesn't matter, I have fifteen hundred strong soldiers to escort me, and I will definitely be able to walk safely to the Holy Land." The blonde-haired, courageous and noble Prince Sven spoke confidently, and then he turned to his fiancée and took the hand tenderly, while Florina smiled reservedly and adoringly.

Florina was a noble-born woman who was ready to marry the Danish prince when her first husband died, but now that the prince had embarked on a pilgrimage, she rode the same horse and accompanied him, and when her dream of recovering the Holy Land was completed, she would marry this noble and lovely young man.

"But from here to the valley of the Mut, to cross the Mendras, and the rugged peaks, I can take with me thirty or forty thousand civilians, and I have heard that there is still the remnant of the heretics of Konya at work." Reinstein questioned mechanically, and John politely replied that the Konya party and army had already been wiped out in the previous battle, and even if there were scattered bandits operating in the mountains of Issuriya, they would not pose a threat to you, not to mention that my father's army and Gawain's party had just passed through here, and the Turkic bandits did not have the courage to act aggressively.

"But why do you mobilize so many civilians for the pilgrimage?" Then, the prince asked suspiciously.

"Because all the civilians of the whole land of the Franks are living in misery, I will take them to the Holy Land to find a new and equal life." Reinstein's remarks below. is enough to prove that his nickname is well deserved.

The crowd awkwardly diverted the subject, and then each returned to camp, and the next day Prince John, with his guards, sent tens of thousands of pilgrims across the Dressy River, the gate, and then Sven rode his horse. His fiancée, Flolina, rode a docile mule and a team of soldiers from the Danish royal palace, leading the way, while Count Ryanstein followed with more than 30,000 civilians.

It was crisscrossed by tributaries of the Menderes River, with strange valleys and mountains, and the procession drove away in waist-deep reeds, startling from time to time with wild ducks and birds, and many Danish soldiers drew their swords with curses. Chopping and mowing these annoying long grasses to make the way for the prince to move forward.

In a lake surrounded by reeds, steaming from a natural hot lake in the Phrygian mountains, the Danish soldiers who first discovered it shouted with joy, and then took off their cold iron armor and jackets. Shirtless, they threw themselves into the lake one after another. Flutter and take a bath. Sven and Florina laughed and watched from their mounts.

In front of the steaming heat is a large meadow of green grass, especially suitable for grazing horses and pack animals, and the soldiers who have enjoyed bathing lead the horses ashore. Roll them up.

"Don't kill me, don't kill me!" At this time, the Danish soldiers were noisy, and they found in the grass and brought up a guy who kept shouting Greek, and threw him on the ground. To behead him, "I'm just a shepherd, just a shepherd, my flock is still there, and I can take you out of this valley." ”

Prince Sven, who approached on horseback, waved his arm and signaled not to kill the Turkic shepherd, and then summoned an interpreter who knew Greek, "Take us to Milio Sephalon, to spare your life, and to give you some money, and we will pass through the pass there, and go to the valley of the Mut River, where we will meet with a priesthood named Gawain." ”

"I know there, I often drive my sheep to Milio Sefalon, and even to the Arahan Monastery Bazaar in the river valley, to exchange for necessities." The Greek shepherd hurried and kept gesticulating, submissive and humble.

Sven then leaned back, looking at the navy blue distant mountains and the endless reeds in front of him, "Is there a team of Sultan Konya ahead?" ”

The shepherd shook his head sincerely, "The Sultan has not come to collect our military taxes for a long time, and the Sultan himself does not know whether he is alive or dead, some say that he went to the chief of Danishmund, and others say that he took a detour to Antioch and took refuge in Agy. Siyan went. ”

Hearing this, all the people were relieved, and it seemed that the shepherd's words confirmed Prince John's judgment that there would be no extreme danger on the road below.

"Go ahead, Florina, maybe in two or three days we'll be able to meet that figure named Gawain."

By the time Ryan Stein and the brigade of civilian pilgrims arrived at the hot lake, Sven and the army had already marched forward for nearly ten centuries, and of course the hot and beautiful lake was even more tempting to the civilians, and the men and women, without the slightest shame, took off their clothes, and ran naked to the lake with joy, and in an instant the whole lake was full of flesh-colored bodies, either youthful and vigorous, or old and ugly, and then blurred by the heat, was the smell of dirt and dirt of the human body that had not been bathed for a long time, wafting throughout the reeds.

At this moment, in the camp of Mirio Sephairon, the vanguard cavalry had already set out in formation towards the western mountains, "Bramsson, you rode fast horses and led scouts to gallop first, and warn the Danish prince that the vast mountainous area between the Mendrais River and the valley of the Mut River is in fact a vacuum where the various forces meet, and the fleeing Sultan of Konya is likely to be hiding there, tell the Danish prince to be careful of Najiki. Arslan, aka Surelman's ambush interception. I took all the cavalry with me, and then arrived. ”

"Obey." Bramson got on his horse and ran in the direction of the Menderes River crossing with a dozen or so capable riders.

Between the long canyon and the river network, the Greek shepherd led the prince and his fiancée with his head, walking slowly, the white reed flowers fluttering like snow, and on the trunk of a tree, two Turks quickly slid down, sneakily carrying a recurve bow, hiding among the reeds, following the Danish team that was unaware of the march, walked a section, after judging the formation, number and equipment of this group of people, the two Turks gestured to each other, and shot a chirping sound at the high mons over there, whining, Soon it spread to the distant mountains.

"What sound?" Sven gripped his sword and asked alertly, while Florina, who was riding on a mule, had an uneasy look on her face.

"It's the voice of a waterfowl, Your Excellency." The Greek shepherd turned back, put his hands on his knees, and replied.

Sven looked around, and it didn't seem to be in danger, so he plucked up his courage and waved his hand, "Keep going." (To be continued.) )