So Gawain hurriedly asked the military servant Muzafiadin to give the two members of the Brotherhood suitable horses, and told them to hurry to the palace district to find the Venetian consul, who was staying in a room in the other side, preparing for trade and immigration.

On the road leading to the city of Ata, a large number of Byzantine Roman soldiers were carrying their luggage and escorting the baggage carts in a procession, Tetisius and Apsomatus were directing and supervising in front, and the captor Theognes rode his horse and followed the procession, turning his head from time to time to look at the abandoned camp behind him, the silhouette of the remnants of the night, the crooked river and the clumps of woods, and his heart was filled with mixed feelings.

Could it really be that this is the will of His Majesty the Emperor, and that the reputation of the Empire is disregarded? Of course, this system does not allow him to think and question too much, even in the face of the emperor's throne, he can only kiss His Majesty's boots, what His Majesty asks, he answers, and whatever His Majesty instructs, he will do.

What's more, until now, Diognes still doesn't know where this army is going although it has left the city of Antioch, and it should be him who is good at geography to guide the army forward, but now he wants him to be the queen, and Diognes really can't figure out what this is about.

Suddenly, there was a neighing sound of horses, and several Plonian cavalrymen hurriedly turned around, monitored the direction from which the sound came, and made a gesture of preparing for battle, and the guard officer also looked back in surprise and excitement, and sure enough, under the light of the torches, Gawain turned out from behind the hill, and looked at him and all the rear soldiers of the empire through the range of bows and arrows, the Grand Duke looked a little tired, with a face full of grief and indignation, and then shouted to the guard:

"I am not here to hope that you will change your mind, but I am very, very saddened that at such a critical moment in which all believers in Christ have befallen him, and at a time when the pagans are pressing on the city of the Lord, you have to sit idly by and watch the countless churches, monasteries, and crosses in this city, and once again risk being attacked by the enemy, and thus divide my role from life, so that the whole empire and the emperor and the pilgrims will be completely ruined with one hand. I need you to ask Tetisius my inquiry, to ask him to come to me, I just want to know the answer. ”

Gawain was sincere, and Diognis was so uncomfortable and embarrassed that he could only pull the reins and let his mount turn back and forth, and soon a cavalryman with a military flag ran from the marching procession, and then shouted to the catcher and everyone around him, "General Tetisius has been informed of the arrival of the Grand Duke, but he replied that the Imperial army has nothing to do with the arms of His Excellency the Grand Duke, and the Imperial Expeditionary Privy Council has been dissolved." ”

"But what is the reason for your departure, the Emperor's will, or Tetisius's own opinion?" Gawain was in great pain, raised his hand and continued to shout.

The commander bowed his head, and the cavalryman, apparently having received an answer, raised his banner and said to Gawain, "It is now General Tetisius's own judgment of the situation of the battle, and he thinks that with the present reserves and army strength of the pilgrims, it is almost impossible to defeat Kobha's army, and he has no reason to let the emperor's army suffer unnecessary losses." ”

"And where are you going?" Gawain held the horsewhip hatefully, and made a gesture on the horseback that he was about to turn away, "Anyway, I am going to turn back and fight, the real empire gives up the battle and loses its prestige is the greatest loss, I don't mean anything else by asking this question, just to know the location where the good news will be sent in the future." ”

But the cavalryman did not give any answer at all, and turned and rode away with a "da-da-da", and the commander was silent and helpless, making a "good luck" gesture to Gawain, and then left with his head hanging down.

Seeing the Imperial troops lining up on the road from the beginning to the end, slowly leaving, Gawain also drove his horse back in the direction of the camp, and then after leaving about two hundred feet, he said to Androdart, who was also riding in a cloak beside him, "Just now the Brotherhood came to report that the Venetian consul was still in the city of Antioch, and was unaware of the withdrawal of Tetisius, then the retreat route of Tetisius's army can be confirmed, it is nothing more than two roads, one is from the port of St. Simon, One is to head south along the coast of the Levant, via the port of Latakia, and no matter how you go, the final staging point is the island of Cyprus. ”

"Then even if it is two paths, why do you care so much about his retreat route, Grand Duke?" Anderodat was puzzled.

"They don't go through Syria, because if they do, they will march in an environment of hostility and humiliation, and no one can afford and will help them in the territory of Adana, West Cilicia and Armenians. Therefore it was safest to go to the island of Cyprus, and according to the reports of the scouts at the front, Kobuha's army would reach Antioch in three or four days at most, and those who were as cautious as Tetisius would have feared that if they were to withdraw at the port of St. Simon, which was also full of pilgrim ships, they would be delayed by the lack of ships, and the army would be stranded, either by the pilgrims or by an indiscriminate attack by Kobha. Gawain furrowed his imposing and good-looking brow, and then judged with certainty, "Tetisius must first go overland to the port of Latakia, which is the southern part of the battle line, and he can use the fleet of Laptsomatus to transport his army to Cyprus at a leisurely pace." ”

"So, why do you care so much about the route of that slashing nose's retreat?" The heraldic officer still has this question.

With the sound of horses' hooves and men's footsteps, the old fortifications of Tetisius had passed on both sides, and the early morning flocks of birds had begun to fly among the trees, making a loud noise that almost obscured Gawain's answer to the heraldic officer, "Of course it is useful, the judgment of this route is like the two sides of a sword, illuminating my next path—first, the Count of Blois, who is stationed at Little Alexandria, is about to run away completely!" Moreover, since Tetisius is not on the same path with him, then he is destined to not affect them, and besides, I have already spied out the situation inside from Inglana's reply, and now I can send the urgent mail to Seleucian City, inform Anna Ming, and prepare the relevant measures - Anderodat, prepare to draft the paperwork! ”

After the heraldic officer had prepared all the seals according to the dictation of the Grand Duke, he took out the seals and stamped them, and handed them to the messenger of the horseman, who then straddled the sealed leather cylinder on his back, shouted his mount, and galloped in the direction of the Syrian Gate, which was full of towering hills (to be continued). )