Sure enough, a few days later, Molitor arrived in the beautiful city of Laudisia. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

At this time, Monomachus and Billell led a large number of frontier infantry and rode to the troubled Lydian region, preparing to cooperate with the Nika Brigade to resolutely suppress the Orthodox rioters, while Roland, the "General Secretary of the New Society", was behind the scenes to deal with all kinds of matters outside the military.

Somewhat frightened, Molitor walked into Gawain's camp and met the king of Anatolia.

Before the scarlet tent, Gawain personally walked out to greet his old friend.

Molitor had not changed much from the time he first came to Bari, except that he was a little older, and of course he was more ornate in rank and dress, and his black silk hat was full of bright feathers, swaying warmly in the wind.

Gawain, on the other hand, today dressed entirely in the Byzantine ornament of the great nobility, with crossed and diamond-embellished straps, long loose robes, and self-imposed crimson boots, "You were like a knight of the Franks or Apulia, but now you are like the chief nobleman of the Roman Empire." ”

"For I find this decoration to be more of a reflection of rank and majesty—welcome to my shabby makeshift barracks, my friend." Gawain stepped forward and hugged Molitor tightly, and then rubbed the tip of each other's noses to express intimate joy, and then Gawain pressed the other person's shoulder, and his pale blue eyes forced Molito to look, "I will not have complicated etiquette, nor will I have the calculations of the Venetian merchants." Therefore I ask you, why did your kingdom's fleet sink my ships and wound my sailors? Can't I have sovereignty over Crete and Rhodes? ”

"Something went wrong, and it was a technical mistake that could have been avoided." Molito struggled to squeeze out a sincere smile explained, "Because when Emperor John asked for reinforcements from the Tempest States, he only said that there was an anti-imperial rebellion in Crete, not that Gawain was involved. ”

Gawain blew his beard a few times, then laughed, and then he took a few steps back, raised his hand and went straight to the showdown, "So Crete must be the forbidden territory of your state?" Molitor I'm not stupid, your noble commander has sent me a very unfriendly letter of challenge, and you will always be blind in the ocean. ”

"No, the original noble commander has been replaced, and of course we have the most kind attitude towards you, and the new consul of the state is just anxious about Caesar's continued grant of trade charters to the city-states of Reladuck and Pisa."

At this time, the two of them had already entered the scarlet tent, and Gawain held on to the central case for a few moments, and then turned back to report the conditions, "I will give up the claim of Crete and Rhodes for the time being, and I can also open the ports on the island of Cyprus to your state, do you think this is okay?" ”

Molito frowned, "Very well, I promise that the warships of the Venetian state will never attack you again, and that the Venetian ships will pay the standard customs duties in your port, without any privileges." ”

Since the island of Cyprus was also an extremely important transit point in the Levantine Sea, Molito believed that if they could occupy Crete and Cyprus, then their city-states would operate the best route of trade in the East, and would soon be able to seize supremacy, expelling the other city-states from the eastern sea, and not offending Gawain too much: this was the best diplomatic strategy he could think of.

"No, it's not enough. I want you to promise that I will not contact Bohemond to secretly harm me and do things that are not good for me; The second is to provide about six large war ships with Pisa, Rela, and Amalfi in two years' time to help us besiege Tripoli. Gawain's fingers were outstretched, and his nickname of the "Octoplawed Spider" was not for nothing, and he would never provide free stoves and meals.

Molito said that he could agree to this offer on behalf of the city-state and the Senate, but that Gawain would then provide the war ships with pay and supplies.

When the agreement was reached, Molito specifically asked, "Can you tell me the answer, why did you postpone the siege of Tripoli until two years later?" ”

"Quite simply, next year I will focus on conquering Trabzon, Danishmond, Sagitus and Georgia." Gawain held the other man's hand tightly, and said it in a casual and flat tone, as if he were going to the market to buy a few steers.

"Oh......" Some of Molito's words were blocked in his throat, and he couldn't go up or down.

After the envoy to Venice had departed, Gawain breathed a sigh of relief and fell back on the couch with some fatigue, and the Turkic servant, who had been sitting cross-legged on the felt beside him, got up, and the arrows and helmets hanging from the hilt of his sword clanged, and he helped to take off his master's scarlet boots, and asked very carefully, "The master has wisely made a peace with the city of San Marco, but what about the future?" ”

"I have only one goal in taking the national debt, and that is to build a fleet capable of defending the two seas, and then cooperate with the army to defeat Venice and completely defeat it."

"I didn't know you, master, would have such a hatred for Venice."

"No, I don't hate it. But I must destroy it, and the blame will come with what I have gained. "I think back to the time when I went with Ingrid to that beautiful floating island city, the sky, the river and the rainbow were so beautiful, like a painting, but it was also a terrible fortress, suppressing and threatening my future seat and the life of my country, so I did not hesitate to destroy this painting when the time came...... Prepare my horse for tomorrow, Muzafiadin, Anna has returned to the city of Tarsus, and I am going to the city of Iconium, for Theodoro on the northern front is again fighting for the eastern territory of Paphragonia, and I will force him back, and then destroy him in the season of the coming year's snowmelt. ”

After arranging, Gawain covered his eyes with his hand and fell into a deep sleep......

In the northern wilderness outside the city of Philadofiam, 40,000 rebellious fanatics lined up in a dense array with no edge in sight, and with great noise and clamour, they made high points and slopes up to the wasteland at the foot of the mountain.

The army burned many villages along the way, and as they prepared to attack Philadofiam, they found that their advance was blocked by a Tarsus army that had arrived from Laudisia: Birell instructed three thousand infantry, of whom two thousand were from the Pisidian border army and one thousand of the Nikitas, to form a rectangular barricade in front of the city of Philadofiam, using twelve large caravans covered with iron bars and shields, and dozens of wagons and improvised mule carts. The Nikitas were in the middle of the ramparts, while the border dwellers were placed on the two flanks.

Monomachus took with him three hundred frontier cavalry, plus an equal number of Oghuz volunteers, and also received Gaia. With the help of Sanzabal's Comaloy Cavalry Regiment, some 2,000 cavalry formed in independent formation, on the slopes flanking the ramparts.

Farther north, General Licapanus' Nika Brigade followed, forming a flanking attack, encircling tens of thousands of fanatics between the hills.