After entering Western Cilicia, the local lord Monomachus hurriedly mobilized and sent 800 Jinat soldiers, half cavalry and half lightly armed archers, to participate in the expedition.

Locally, after Gawain had previously eradicated Asparta, he had set up a large number of sacred estates in core towns such as Zephilim, but he did not exterminate the small Jinat estate, but required them to use the amount of the "shield tax" as the benchmark to start a military service system, the reason is also very simple, so that Jinat can also serve with peace of mind, providing a large number of high-quality soldiers (they have mastered riding and archery, and are exempt from training), in addition, their expeditions, Gawain does not have to bear anything financially, but there are still limitations in the service period- No one wants to follow the Grand Duke, and the war has been too long, resulting in the desolation of the homeland.

"So sooner or later, the currency mining thing still needs to be implemented." Before the expedition, when Anna pouted on the bed and tugged at Gawain's armpit and arm hair, Gawain said this leisurely to the princess.

"Then hang all the Jinat of Cilicia, don't you have it, do they dare to say a word after the counterinsurgency war in the Mut Valley?"

"Don't be so violent, Your Royal Highness Princess, you can take less thunderous measures below." Gawain stroked Anna's hair and continued to say "loveandpeace".

The city of Tarsus, with the eight thousand horses of Tetisius and Theognes, had just been dispatched to the city of Antioch as agreed. The Catcher looked with some unease at the Lamprun and Babalon Hill Forts on this side of the river, as far as the cities of Sith and Sichistra on the plains, stretching for nearly a hundred miles, between the plains, the forests, and the valleys. Everywhere is the scene of war drums chirping and people and horses gathering. Many armored cavalrymen came and went, and they were within easy reach of their camp.

"Don't worry about Diognes. This is just the scene of Orson and Polibi, who received Gawain's orders, and began to send men to join the army. "They don't pose a threat to us." ”

The turban-wrapped catcher grunted twice, "But now there are two thousand soldiers and horses left in the city of Tarsus, which is very thin, and the emperor has only sent a few tax collectors to station, but now the entire city is not even the surrounding fields. ”

"You may report this difficulty to Your Majesty by letter. I also find it very difficult. Tetisius held the hilt of the saber and was unfazed.

The restless Theognes walked back and forth on the grass in front of the tent, and then said to the chief of the march (the previous emperor had issued a golden edict to promote Tetisius as the chief of the march of Asia, and Theognis was the deputy governor), "You are misleading, my concern is not this, there is no property around the city of Tarsus. It was all occupied by Gawain's peasants and Jinat, and the chambers and workshops in the city all left for Galvan or Baldwin, and the whole city was lifeless. Supplies also need to be brought here by boat from the city of Konya, along the Sidnus River. Navigable roads for ships. Halfway through, he was also controlled by a castle loyal to Gawain! ”

"But Gawain kept the agreement and did not collect the toll tax on His Majesty's ships." Tetisius replied. Look out over the spectacular plains of Eastern Cilicia in the distance.

"The core isn't here yet?" Diognis's tone became even more restless, and his hands made a gesture of counting and counting. "Since the last time His Majesty instigated the rebellion of the nobles of Cilicia and the Mut Valley, he only got an empty dead city, but Gawain took advantage of the situation to completely unify Seleucia, and even in Cilicia, his sphere of influence has expanded sharply into the plains around the city of Sith, and the five castles of Lamprun, Barbalon, Sith, Cicestra and Gemalicia, which are either dangerous or rich, have all bowed down to him, which is equivalent to an increase of one-third of the territory." After speaking, the guard made a "bang" gesture to swell.

Tetisius looked up at him twice, sighed, wiped the blade of the sharp-edged horse with a silk silk, and whispered, "That is a mistake in Constantinople's intelligence work, but you and I are not responsible for it." I'm sure Your Majesty thinks the same way."

The subtext of General Gounose is that His Majesty is just "self-defeating" in the current situation, if it weren't for his frivolous and impatient implementation of conspiracy and bribery, if it weren't for his lack of response to Gawain's lightning defense, or if Gawain made the first move, colluding with the city of Rome to plot against Constantine in Dalmatia. Berdin has left the empire at the back of the enemy, etc., for a thousand reasons, and it has nothing to do with you and me anyway, "Now we just need to go to the city of Antioch, and contact the Grand Duke of Cyprus, prepare the fleet, and decide at any time if there is a change." ”

It's like a chicken and a duck!

The guard officer, the current deputy marching chief, held his head, squatted in distress in front of the chief manager, and his tone was sincere, "You and I have both served and fought under Gawain, and it is finally a fateful friendship, Tetisius, you tell me frankly now, whether your heart is on Gawain's side or the emperor's side!" ”

In response to the serious expression of the captor, Tetisius smiled, which made his entire face even more terrifyingly distorted, "If you ask like this, you must be hesitant and wavering. Then I ask you, when you were writing the inspection report and submitting it to Constantinople, did you waver in your heart between Gawain and His Majesty? ”

"Of course I didn't! I have always done my duty and fulfilled His Majesty's mission, and I have never been associated with Gawain. The captor's face flushed, and he tried his best to deny it.

"I'm the same." Tetisius replied with a sigh of relief, but then his demeanor changed quickly, and his expression was extremely serious, "But Diognes, my comrade-in-arms, I can tell you that in the future, Gawain's kingdom will become stronger and stronger, and sooner or later it will pose a mortal threat to the Emperor. ”

Hearing this, Diognes grew his mouth, then stood up, grabbed the wine bag, and took two sips, "Also, the eldest princess is also by his side now, and the oath he signed with the emperor, even I will not believe that Gawain will fulfill it when the appointed period comes." ”

"Huh." His Excellency the Marching Commander covered his face with an embroidered cloak and seemed to sneer, "The only thing that is interesting now is what means Gawain will take to break the contract. ”

"His Majesty the Emperor is so pitiful." Diognis inadvertently spit out this sentence, and then he himself was surprised, he turned his head to look at the cloaked general, who was smiling teasingly at himself, and just as he was about to say something, there was a trumpet sound in the distance, and the soldiers in the camp were noisy and boiling.

The reason for this comes from two directions:

From the banks of the river Sidnus, a huge army carrying the banner of the Seven Ridges of the Red Hand and the banner of St. Theodor approached them in a joint line of cavalry, while the Gentots of East Cilicia, the "Land of the Five Cities", shouted slogans, and marched by the wooden fence of the Imperial army camp towards the team led by Gawain;

And half a mile away in the ocean, the Grand Duke of Cyprus, Lapsomatus, also approached the shore slowly on eight large galleys, and he had come to the aid of the imperial army and the battlefield of Antioch at the behest of the emperor. (To be continued.) )