They stayed in the market town of Rum for about a day, and the next day, when the sun was no longer terrible, they headed for the monastery of Arahan, the northernmost point of the Mut valley, on the border with the Isurian mountains.

As the altitude increased, the winds from the clouds cooled, and the hot southerly winds from the island disappeared and were replaced by east-west winds, but most of them were blocked by the mountains on either side of the valley, and the pleasant mountains seeped in, urging large areas of cotton cumulus clouds, so that the arrow-like sunlight could not leak and scorched the people.

Anna rested sideways on her shoulder, the curtain fluttering, looking at Gawain, who continued to ride in front of her, and was quite satisfied with her and Cabeamia's "performance" yesterday.

"Stretch out your hand, it seems that you can reach the clouds above" Agnes was also fascinated by the beauty of the mountains and rivers, and stretched out her pink arms.

In the surrounding mountain roads of their chariots, there were also some frightened peasants, most of whom did not want to stop in the village communes or suffer from the exploitation of the Jinat landlords, so they fled to the edge of the mountains, relying on streams, cultivating some arable land from the mountains and rocks, and becoming self-sufficient, free from the state and power. It was the opening day of the Arakhan Monastery Market, and the crowd came from all corners to sell their donkeys, mules and horses, loaded with surplus grain and handicrafts. So when they saw the Gawain procession with flags and scepters, they instinctively felt that it was dangerous, so they hid in the bushes and woods, and walked and stopped.

The monastery itself sits on a high hill full of reddish-yellow gravel and rocks, with the exception of a few rough bushes and dwarf pine trees. There is a colonnaded road that winds its way to the top, so it doesn't take much effort to climb to the top, and the whole church is typical of Byzantine style. Except for most of the collapse, only the East Church is well preserved, with a triple stone carved pattern door with a triple drum window on top of it, and the walls are not moldy because of the dryness of the perimeter. But Anna and Agnes were not in the mood to enter the process, and they followed Gawain excitedly to the arches of the abbey and the open walls, and looked at the thickening cumulus clouds, and the mighty river below, and the towering mountains of Isuria on the opposite side, and jumped with joy, just as playful maidens of all ages.

They soon saw it, on the north-facing slope. There was a large settlement, with tents of all colors, and many of the peasants who had just traveled with them led their cattle over the roads under the monastery to the other place.

"It was a great trade route where the mountain people of Isuria, the caravans of the Sultan of Konya, and the merchants of Panphyllia would come to trade. It can be seen as a kind of compensation on land after the decline of the Seleucian trade by sea. Gawain clasped his hands to his chest. The introduction said.

"And what is the difference between this land trade and the sea route?" Anna asked, looking up.

"Overland routes are low-risk, low-margin, and suitable for short-distance small-scale trade; The sea route is high-risk, high-profit, and suitable for long-distance bulk trade. In the Anatolian highlands, there is really no precious trade to offer. That is, iron ingots, linen, honey, grain, livestock, etc. are more sought-after. ”

"Do you want to revive the sea trade of Seleucia?"

"Of course, without the wealth of the ocean, how can we quickly accumulate wealth and reform agriculture and commerce?" Gawain leaned on the collapsed stone stack in front of him and said, "In addition, the land trade routes of the Mute Valley must not be abandoned. Cattle and iron ingots from the plateau are also very valuable. But Anna, the monastery, has long since been abandoned, and actually collects taxes from this trade road."

"It's the Callegos family." Anna replied first, Gawain's brown hair dancing in the cool breeze and nodded.

"Sooner or later, this will have to be resolved." Anna then said as she leaned down on the masonry with ambition in her eyes again.

Gawain was silent.

"Ahh Agnes was suddenly surprised and pointed to the mountain road in the distance, and Gawain and Anna followed her point, and it was actually the banner and cross of the pilgrims, guiding thousands of people towards the road of the river valley, "It's Androdart. Gawain couldn't hold back his excitement, and sure enough, his brother Peter sent all the believers who admired him, and there were tens of thousands of them, plus the 2,000 people he had sand down from the division and army (most of whom could not adapt to the army), and now there was no shortage of manpower in the cultivation and workshops of the entire Seleucia and Western Cilicia!

"Oh, Walter, you're here too!" In the midst of the cave where the monastery and the mountain peaks merged, Gawain enthusiastically lifted the arm of the old knight who survived the catastrophe. After expressing his gratitude, Sanzawar bowed to Princess Anna again, thanking her for the care she had shown for her injuries.

Subsequently, the confidential officer Anderodat also knelt down in front of Gawain, "Anderodat, you can be regarded as unharmed, and immediately entrust the affairs of the entire region's land and residents to you, and the entire Brocade Brotherhood." Gawain was also very enthusiastic, and immediately threw a heavyweight task to him.

The official was also surprised, this time the Grand Duke summoned him back in a hurry, but it was for such a vital matter! "Your Excellency General Stratigos, two years ago I was just a trainee monk in the mountains of Calabria, and I was only familiar with writing and ink, but now I am actually asked to lead the inventory of the fields and people in the entire Seleucian region, I am afraid that I will fail you and Her Royal Highness the princess." Anderodat hurriedly refused.

Anna, who was sitting in the chair, laughed at the same time as Gawain, and Gawain was relieved, "The world is unpredictable, why do you say that I was originally just an Oy-speaking Varyag, and that I had made a pilgrimage to Asia Minor, so why did I first go to Bari, Italy, to become the Grand Duke, and now I have come to Seleucia to become the general of Stratticos?" But the princess in purple said that she had decided, and I had no choice but to refuse, so I could only chant a sonnet with a fork rhyme.

When forty fierce flames besiege the kingdom I love,

Dig a deep trench in its beautiful garden,

If you can make its cold blood feel refreshed,

How can I care about my own happiness?

Therefore, Androdart must not refuse, I appoint you and Wright, who is about to arrive in Seleucia. The two Bozias, as the princess in purple and my chief and deputy heraldic officers, this is a new position, and the mission is what I just said. ”

"I just ask Your Excellency the General to signal us to unify weights and measures, otherwise the mixing of various units will not only be detrimental to the army's system and law, but also not conducive to the measurement of acres in the future." Androdart no longer shirked, but there was a new problem in front of Gawain.

Gao Wen bowed, "It is true, the manufacture of weapons and ships, the calculation of the range of the trebuch, the reporting of the mileage of the march, the previous confusion of the internal standards of our army, caused a lot of trouble, and it should also be unified." Then Anna, who was sitting next to him, felt that her little hand was pinched by Gawain's big hand, "So I decided to use the most perfect woman in the world as the standard for new weights and measures." (To be continued.) )

PS: Today's update of the situation map in the post bar, please pay attention.