George was not reluctant to do anything about the palace guards, for the Emperor's officials (the acting envoys sent by the Emperor to the barracks and various government offices to convey the will and distribute the money abroad) were already standing next to the warden with two bags by his side, one with brand-new coins and the other with layers of silk material, which had been paid specifically for the Varangian Guard, even if it was far away, and Alexios never forgot this.

When Gawain's name was called, he climbed the stairs and shouted "Long live Your Majesty" in front of the smiling officials, and then received a full amount of gold coins and a roll of silk material.

Then, on the school ground, under the envious eyes of the other soldiers, the warriors of the guard directly unfolded the gorgeous silk material and hung it proudly on their bodies like cloaks, judging each other's results. Therefore, this move happened to play a guiding role in the behavior of the warden master, and immediately many soldiers enthusiastically pressed their handprints on the paperwork and table books of the field, thinking that they had not died on the battlefield in the past three or two years, and since they were fortunate to survive, they had to leave a little gift to their descendants, and they could not be inferior to this group of blonde and red-haired barbarians.

Soon, the village where Gawain used to be located slowly rose a new smoke, not only a little, but in the entire territory of Asia Minor recovered by George, the peasants came out of hiding one after another, and began to urgently plant food and vegetables for emergency use, and the land was quickly divided and granted, and the military land and the peasants' self-cultivated land were intertwined, but it was also very harmonious and natural, and the anger was scattered again, and it became a prairie fire, and most of the land was leased to the local surviving or wandering peasants, which was also some kind of emergency method.

The spirit of the army soon stabilized, and Gawain could continue to sit on the felled trees in his spare time from the exercises, watching the fields where the snow began to fall slightly, and the peasants busily busily moving on them, and sometimes the children would laugh and touch his brown beard, and play with his strange sword, and bring him unpalatable but warm vegetable soup.

"The Great Varyag Barbarian without a Sheath", this is the nickname given to him by ordinary people in the nearby countryside, which is exactly the same as when he first came to that village.

"Charming tall brown bear", this seems to have been passed down privately by the girl in the village.

And in the barracks, many of his fellow guards directly called him "Gawain. Lusail", as the mercenary hero and butcher was called, and he had forgotten his original name.

In front of the fields and fields in front of the First Army Gate of Constantinople, braving the falling snow, a cavalryman holding a dragon banner, with a long, whirring windbag dragged behind the dragon's head, quickly rushed to the front of the military gate, and the garrison soldiers on the tower raised their flags and poked their heads down, shouting echoing in the silence of winter,

"Did the emperor come in from the military gate, or did he come in from the golden gate?"

The cavalryman tilted his head, under the helmet with nose protection, the snow melted mixed with hot sweat, and he couldn't suppress his excitement, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty has won the most glorious and great victory at the foot of the Rila Mountain, all the barbarians invading Pecheneg have been annihilated, God bless Rome, we have won - Your Majesty will escort countless captives at the Golden Gate, and hold a prisoner sacrifice ceremony at the Grand Palace!" After saying this, the cavalryman bowed his body, mixed with excitement and typhoid fever, and coughed loudly, one after another, heartbreaking, but was soon overwhelmed by the gradual sound of trumpets and drums.

The heat wave of cheers, which surpassed the walls of Theodosius, followed by wave after nightfall, came to the walls of Constantine, "Your Majesty has triumphed!" ”

The messenger almost stumbled on the snowy Avenue de Metz, and came to the door of the Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom, where the ladies of the court, dressed in splendid costumes, the Grand Patriarch, and numerous patriarchs were waiting anxiously in the golden hall.

Anna leaned in front of her mother, Queen Irene, her eyes constantly moving, and watched the hooves of the blindfolded steed with a golden halter wander wherever it was going - according to the request of the Chaldean soothsayers, this set was used every time, and if the horses could step on one of the mosaic stones on the floor, that is, the stepping stones of the original cathedral, it would mean that the battle on the front line would be victorious, and vice versa, it would represent hardship and disadvantage - no way, this grandiose superstition appeared in the temple of serving the Lord, This shows how much Byzantine Rome relied on ancient customs.

In fact, Anna had already seen that, because she was the first spectator to sneak in through the side door of the cathedral, she was able to see several church handymen, stuffed in the horse's favorite alfalfa and oats under the movable stepping stones, "Oh, it's foolish to write before you see it with your own eyes, and that's really Anna's wise saying." ”

But the strange thing is that today's steed doesn't know what's going on, it always turns in circles and sneezes, doesn't cooperate at all, is not interested in what is under the stone, and is so anxious that the people around her are around, even Anna has a trace of worry, she grabs her mother's cold hand, and looks at the vice queen mother of Marlena, and her brother, and Constantine, who is engaged to her. Augustus couldn't help but worry in his heart: Could it be that his father's northern expedition would really be unfavorable?

Superstition is such a thing, and when the authorities are confused, they believe everything, and psychological hints are at work.

While Anna was looking at the horses' hooves, and at the cornerstone, the herald, covered in snowflakes, ran in and stood in front of everyone, almost speechless for excitement and exhaustion, and all of them were stiff and nervous, and Anna even covered her mouth.

Eventually, the man said, "Just one day away, the Pechenegs have missed the opportunity to see December forever." ”

Patriarch Maastas was the first to bow down before the altar, looking up at the splendid frescoes on the entire dome, and shouting thanks to the Lord for the protection of His Majesty, and then Empress Irene and others also bowed down with the Patriarch reverently, while the young attendants could not hold back, they looked at each other, and kept pulling their swords out of their sheaths and closing them, and they all made agitated noises to express their ecstasy.

"Father, today the whole barbarian nation was exterminated on the same day." Anna closed her eyes and raised her small and beautiful chin, the golden light of the dome still projected in her heart, "The glory of Rome is about to be revived in the hands of my father, and I will always support you, my beloved father." ”

Then the whole of Constantinople boiled, the bells rang in every corner, and the clergy, citizens, merchants, and women automatically formed a huge procession, holding aloft the images of the Virgin and the Child, the various holy apostles, holding candles in their hands, braving the wind and snow, singing hymns, like a huge fire dragon, marching along the entire walls of Constantine in celebration and procession, to prepare for the triumph of the Golden Gate of Emperor Alexios.