"Father, the inner responder must be among the patrols at the time when the crossbow arrows were fired." Sansadonias reasoned.

Aggie nodded, "But it doesn't make sense to exclude the torture one by one now, it will cause panic in the team, so it's better to plan it." Tell your most trusted subordinates to prepare for battle according to the date agreed on this cloth. ”

"Yes, Father!" Sansadonias stroked his chest and stepped back.

While the Acropolis of Antioch was secretly preparing, opposite the camp of the Gawain Red Hand Brigade and the Gimagis Brigade outside the city, Kobuha's cavalry lined up in the wilderness, galloping back and forth indulgently, stirring up smoke and dust, and on the high posts on both sides, all their infantry stood, holding all kinds of brightly colored battle flags, and the fierce and terrifying chanting was heard, as if the waves of the Orontes River were trembling.

The pilgrims and brigade soldiers behind the wooden fence looked a little frightened, and bowed down beyond the range of the enemy's bow and arrow, looking at the huge formation of the other party, and couldn't help but worry about whether their Grand Duke and the other brave lords and lords would continue to lead them to victory in front of the sword of the new enemy.

Now, the hermit Peter, who was responsible for boosting his morale, carried a heavy and rough cross, rode on a small black donkey, from camp to camp, confessed and prayed for the soldiers, and the wounded and sick sat or lay around him, begging the Lord for salvation, hoping that this great test might be passed safely, but there were also many people who were not strong-willed, with confusion and uneasiness, who kept asking the hermit questions and so on.

"O noble monk, you have won the favor of the Lord and Jesus for your steadfastness and poverty, and you have aroused our love. But we are all mortals in the flesh, and now that the devil is constantly bewitching us, what is the meaning of this trip? Some say that it was Christ's shed blood for mankind that stirred up the courage to fight in our hearts. But there are also those who say that Christ never spoke, that the time of judgment and redemption had not yet come, and that it was only the frivolity and impulsiveness of the minds of Pope Peter and the Frankish lords who began this disastrous journey. ”

"How can you see it, tell me what everyone thinks!" Peter the hermit stood up kindly, holding his cane in one hand and the rosary and cross in the other, and spoke to the crowd that kept coming.

"If this is not the case, why were we ambushed and intercepted by the Hungarians at the beginning of our journey? Why do we die of hunger and plague in the wastelands of Anatolia? And why did we lose all our strength in this city of Antioch, and we were surrounded by other pagan enemies? Several old men, both aged and well-informed, fell on the sand in front of Peter's knees, their gray hair swaying in the wind, and questioned the hermit.

The hermit immediately raised his cane, facing the heavens and all those who thirsted for answers, "You must believe that this conquest and journey, of course, is arranged by the Almighty Lord, but is presented before your eyes and ears through the Exalted Holy See, and that anyone who embarks on this journey, who abstains from greed, injustice, fornication, and theft, and whose heart is purified by the love of the Lord, will be counted and written into the list of judgments in the Lord's possession, and those who are dead or alive will enter the courtyard garden of God's glory." and forever. Then he lifted up several doubtful old men with his hands, "Before this journey, I have traveled almost all the places where there are churches, St. Nicholas, St. Mikhail, St. Ambrose, etc., and countless miracles I have encountered have told me not to be afraid of martyrdom and sacrifice, even if someone falls, their souls will only ascend to heaven one step earlier before the survivors, and the Holy Apostles told me that the surviving believers will eventually occupy the Holy City and destroy the shackles and tyranny of the infidels!" ”

"Let the fire of war cleanse us from our sins." The words of the hermit stirred people's hearts, and all those present knelt down, drew crosses on their chests, and shouted in unison.

After the outer defenses had been settled, the night of Pentecost in the city was also the day agreed between Doyakum and several traitors in the Acropolis, some of whom were afraid of death after the fall of the city, and some of whom were tempted by the abundance of money, gathered in the same patrol, and were ready to sell the tower directly in front of them and let the Christians enter the impregnable castle after receiving the signal.

On this night, the storm was raging, and the whole mountain range where the Acropolis was located, the mountains, trees, bushes, and grasses uttered a terrible cry, and there were no stars, no moon, and even the bonfires could hardly keep their light on, and the flames struggled in the wind, and at the entrance to the path leading to the gable of the Acropolis, Bohemond, Tanfred, Godfrey, and Robert of Flanders, and the three of them gathered seven hundred warlike knights and sergeants, all quietly lay in ambush in the dark and lush valley. Bohemond lay down behind a rock, and looked at the highest peak that slowly stretched upward, and finally covered with torches, where the Acropolis of Agy was located, and his eyes burned, and then he turned around, wiped the sweat from his forehead, sat down on the ground, and stretched out his right hand to Godfrey and Robert, and when all the lords' hands were clasped together, "Immediately my servants, New Bohemond, will lead the way to all, all the warriors who are dedicated to God, and at once we will be thrown into battle, and I declare that it is strictly forbidden to make any noise or run around." Otherwise, my sword will cut off the head of anyone who disobeys the order. ”

At the sound of the armor shattering, almost all the warriors clutched their chests, felt the pounding heartbeat, and nodded at Bohemond, who could not see his face clearly.

Then Bohemond made a move to that side, and used his arms to support himself to get up, and his newly subdued "New Bohemond" carried a scimitar, bent his back, along the rugged and broken mountain road, there were no torches, just one after another, the people behind pulled the scabbard of the person in front of him, and advanced towards the frontal "Sansadoni Asta", almost everyone was desperate, their steps kept kicking down the small stones, making a sieve-like sound, and then many people in the vicinity would nervously half-squat down, Hold on to the hilt of your sword until you realize it's a false alarm, and then move on

On the slope under the "Rosellen Tower" on the southwest side, a hundred Italian veterans who were accustomed to fighting also gathered behind a sheltered wood, and the Grand Duke of the Empire, Gawain, with a dark cloak on his shoulders, stood in front of everyone, "According to the original military deployment, we need to resist and monitor Kobuha on the outside line." But," said the Grand Duke, holding the two pieces of cloth in his hand, lest they be blown away by the storm, "Earlier, at the same time and place, we received another arrow from Pragit, and everything was agreed. Now that the enemy has been lured by my stratagem to go to the tower in front of us, we must not lose this opportunity, and at once you will follow me to take the tower of Rosselon and kill Yaji. Siyan, Rescue His Excellency Patriarch Antioch. (To be continued.) )