The oracle issued by the new Holy See spread like thunder throughout the Apennine Peninsula, and thousands of pilgrims flocked to the ports of the coastline, such as Bari, Ravenna, Taranto, etc., hoping to board any ship and set sail, and they heard that the Anatolian plateau was a place as rich as the Holy City, and that all kinds of regular and grass-headed ecclesiastical personnel, carrying all kinds of "holy relics", including goats with thorn crowns, and white geese with purple strips, entered their procession. "The pilgrims have conquered Antioch and sown the glory of the Lord, and are now marching toward the holy city," he said. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 infoAre we going to follow their path and be ridiculed by the wisdom of others? We should first go to the capital of the Greek emperors, then march to Ankaras, which is full of endless wheat fields, and we can harvest with a sickle, and then we will cross the plateau of Paphragonia and Sivas, destroy the Turkic chieftains, and then go straight to Khorasan, with countless herds and milk and honey flowing from the ground...... Let's go to Khorosan, let's go to Khorosan! In this way, you will not only be cleansed of all your sins, but you will also receive the Lord's gifts and rewards, and all that you have conquered along the way will be yours. ”

On the outskirts of Bari up to the seashore, with countless ships and ships with sails and masts, and the camps of princes and commoners were numerous and colourful, and the total number of armed pilgrimages is said to have reached 260,000, instead of the 120,000 previously estimated by Brenus, for there were so many that it was impossible for them to concentrate on one route or at one time. Now the largest group of 120,000 men was gathered at the sea in the city of Bari, all from Burgundy, Blois, Soissons, and on the banks of the Loire, Seine, and Meuse, and the commander of the powerful group was Guillaume, Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Poitiers. William (who was the grandfather of the famous Aquitaine Eleanor) was accompanied by Vallo, the Counsellor General of the Royal Court of France, who had left Antioch for a time to return to France, but who soon received orders to go on an expedition to find out the truth about the death of the royal brother of France, "Venerable Hugh".

He was accompanied by two other counts, Earl Oude of Neville and Earl Alban, Count of Bourges, who, after reluctantly bidding farewell to the drunken aristocratic life and chivalrous manners, took the initiative or were compelled to put on their armor and mount their horses to go "on a small but recited military adventure in the mystical Anatolian plateau."

The camp of the Duke of Aquitaine was decorated with golden ribbons and ornaments, and the troubadours came and went, and the sound of orchestral strings was incessant, making it particularly noticeable in the camp.

On the shore off the coast of the port of Bari, Granaia and his attendants were on the deck of a ship belonging to Venice, and the owner of the ship, with his men and crew, was holding up a watch book and calculating how many people could be carried, how much the cabins above would charge, how much would be charged for those with beds, how much would be charged for those without beds, and how much would be charged for those crowded on deck.

When Granay smiled and carried a money bag containing seven silver coins to the shipowner, he was flattered, and then resolutely resisted, for he knew that the female physician was from Barry and Seleucia, "The other pilgrims will disembark in the port of Modong, and then my ship will continue to take you to the port of Seleucia." ”

"I heard that Seleucia is at war with the Greek Emperor, and that ships heading to Seleucian waters will be blocked by ships loyal to the Emperor."

The shipowner laughed at the doctor's question, and then whispered, "We will not go along the port of Smyrna, but after leaving Modong we will sail to Crete, which is our sphere of influence—and then we will go directly to Cyprus, and then to Seleucia." Rest assured, we will deliver you, and by the way we will have to ship some Cretan sulphur to be sold there, which the Grand Guarantor of Gawain has been very fond of buying lately. ”

"It's tiring." The female physician smiled softly and insisted on delivering the money bag to the shipowner, "We need a spacious cabin, because there is more luggage and paperwork." ”

As a result, when Granaai was about to command the attendants and carry the things down, she suddenly saw two men with crosses and cloaks and swords, also boarding the side of the ship and following her team, only to be recognized by the owner of the ship, "You two got in without paying?" ”

The old man, who was about sixty years old, had a sparkle in his eyes, his pale yellow hair neatly combed, his eyebrows and eyes teasing Grana Love, and he replied in a flirtatious tone, "Don't you see? This beautiful and skillful lady needs a graceful and brave knightly escort to reach her destination safe and sound. ”

"Dear knight, if I want to have a romantic adventure in this blue ocean, I will definitely find your son of this age." Grana's loving reply made the attendants laugh.

Behind the old man, the knight, who was slightly inferior to him but looked very low-key, also sneered.

But the old knight showed no shame, and bowed politely to the female physician, "Joceland, from Courtenay, a relative of the last of the Eustace family. Behind me was my unsuccessful brother Garilland, greeting the beautiful lady, and my age did not deter me from using the 'riding spear'. ”

"So your boat fare ......," the owner of the boat next to him continued to ask impatiently.

"Are you two brothers not successful, or are they 'small instruments'?" Grana's second smiling reply continued to make the people around her laugh, and they could all hear the female doctor's riposte against Joselan's "obscene terrier" - since Granaai followed Gawain's expeditionary force alone on the road, she was naturally not a shy and unruly noble girl in the boudoir.

But Joselan remained unfazed and continued to talk.

"So your boat fare ......," the owner asked for the third time.

In the end, Grana's love still gave the two people in front of her a step, and she happily increased the fare of the two knights, because she knew that the Joceran brothers must be down-and-out nobles, and they were going to the east to try their luck, "The seats on the two decks, one can be far away from me, and the other is that this lord Jocelan can play the strings against the moon at night." ”

"Thanks, it just so happens that our brothers want to go to the Adanab Kingdom, that is, His Excellency Baldwin, who is also from the Eustace family, he will surely give us a bowl of rice." Joselan, who had been paid in advance, was ashamed, and leaned back on the side of the ship, "But this lady, as the chief guarantor of the Seleucian Hospital, must be interested in the question of the number, leader, and route of the Second Crusade in the future, right?" ”

Hearing this, Grana's eyebrows twitched slightly. (To be continued.) )