"Stop chasing, most of them have set up an ambush in the hill leading to that Ferna Castle. We are not familiar with the geography here, and since we have dealt a heavy blow to the enemy, it is enough to clear and grasp the ownership of this passage. "Following the guards, Gawain, who came to a miserable battlefield, commanded the generals who held the whip and the scepter.

The road between the reeds, the streams, and the valleys, about two and a half miles long, was now covered with corpses and wounded, and the arrows that were so dense that there was nowhere to put their feet, so the soldiers of the cavalry company, having seized the hillside, jumped off their horses, held their shields, and carefully avoided the scattered cold arrows, and began to move closer in the direction where Sven was.

Because there is still the flag of the Danish royal family, although it has been shot by the arrows of the Roma Turks, it is full of holes.

Fifteen hundred of the prince's proudest elite soldiers, carelessly, were taught what it means to be "Anatolian sinister" by the thunderous blows of "Surelman"—half of them were plotted to death, their bodies lay on the surface of the wilderness, and many of them had their heads cut off, and no more than 300 able-bodied people who could walk and fight with swords by Sven's side.

"Florena!" Prince Sven wiped the blood from his face, and shouted in shock and anxiety, he wanted to ride his horse, but all the horses were shot dead, and the guards around him formed a column from the left and right, sandwiched him in the middle, and walked in the direction where the rescuers came.

Eventually, the two soldiers met in a field full of mules, horses, and human corpses, and after informing each other of their identities, Sven continued to run up the hill, eager to find but afraid to see Florena's body.

Until the opposite side came riding a silver-white war horse. The general, who was taller than the Danes, said in the Auss. "The Florina you said is safe, she is resting under the protection of my rear guard."

Coo-knock. Sven collapsed and knelt on the ground, looking at the hideous and bloody battlefield, and then kept holding the hilt of his sword and thanking God Almighty.

Dozens of general-purpose cavalrymen, after crossing this road of death, continued to search in the direction of Hot Water Lake, because Sven told Gawain that there were more than 30,000 civilians led by Count Ryanstein, stationed there. Then the cavalry discovered the most terrible and terrible sight: a huge lake of hot water appeared in front of them. The reeds were soaked in blood, and the lake had turned red, blending with the blood-colored sunset in the sky.

Previously, 800 Danishmund cavalry swept through the area and then withdrew, slaughtering the unarmed civilians who bathed here due to fever, filth, and infirmity, and they were slashed by arrows and knives, trampled by horses, and the bodies and heads of men and women **** were scattered in the wilderness. Until the middle of the lake, the bodies that drowned and floated in the heat (they were so frightened that they hid under the water and drowned when they saw the Turkic cavalry attacking) followed the surging waves. It was washed up at the fork of the river, stacked layer by layer, shocking.

on several dilapidated vehicles. There are also the bodies of children who have been thrown by shuttle darts, and their luggage has been burned or looted. These children were originally in the car, pushed by their parents and families. Sitting on piles of luggage, dozing in a daze, waking up and looking around, they would ask, "Has the Holy City arrived?" and now they don't have to ask such questions anymore.

"Are they all dead?" A brigade cavalryman asked in a trembling voice.

"How is that possible?" Another veteran from the Magyars replied, "There are more than 30,000 people, and although there are many corpses lying here, they are only a small part of them, and most of them must have fled and hidden." ”

The old soldier was right, and the cavalry continued to move forward, and slowly more and more survivors came closer with their hands raised, and Count Ryanstein, who was so frightened that he had only half his life left, was also found in the crowd: about six thousand were slaughtered, more than two thousand were missing, probably either taken captive or drowned, and the rest came running one after another before nightfall, like a flock of sheep that had just been attacked by wolves.

Gawain's army, along with the remnants of Sven and Reinstein, gathered together and camped for the night on the safety of the stream outside the reeds. As for the more than 20,000 remaining civilians, they could only be put on the flat area next to them, hoping that the Turks and Isurya mountain bandits would not attack in a big way after nightfall.

This expectation was fulfilled, and when night came, Gawain's patrol cavalry, in a valley half a mile away, met Hajib on horseback, and asked for a private audience with the "Grand Duke."

"This time the Sultan kept his word, and when he saw the Grand Duke's battle flag, the Sultan retreated." In the tent, Hajib bowed respectfully before Gawain and said so.

But Gawain was silent.

Hajib snorted twice, and now he knew that it was better to deal with the man in front of him directly, so he continued, "The Sultan wishes to make peace with the Grand Duke, and to extend his verbal promise into a covenant of brothers who help each other. ”

"Brothers don't have to, help each other, I think it's better to accept each other." Gawain also said bluntly, and the nature of a merchant came up again, "In the mountains of Issuria and Phrygia, Surelman can move freely, and I will not interfere with it. ”

Anyway, in this mountainous area, it is the most suitable for the activities of the Turks, and it is equivalent to creating a separation zone between Gawain and Alexios and Prince John.

"Yes." Before Hajib came, he felt that this statement might be inconceivable to others, but for Gawain, it was still very promising.

"Sign a secret pact to recognize my control over the mountains of Cappadocia, and I also recognize your control over the mountains of Isuria." Gawain then reported the first condition.

He didn't feel at ease just by controlling the Cilician Gate, who would really take the oath with the emperor seriously? He needed to occupy the whole of Cappadocia, a central part of Cappadocia, with Cilicia and Seleucia to the south, Paphragonia or Danishmond to the north, Ruben's rear roads to the east, and Nicaea to the west.

"Yes." Hajib did not hesitate, because before he came, Giliki had asked him that now we have thousands of people, surrounded by some unstable Greek bandits, and the negotiations with Gawain are all air-to-air anyway, as long as we can temporarily do not interfere with him, we can expand freely.

But Gawain also knew that this promise was also a completely meaningless "division of forces", and then he entered the real link, "I will return Seleucia after receiving the Danish pilgrims, and your master Sultan can continue to operate here, but the bazaar of the Arakhan Monastery will be open regularly, and I need you to import a large number of iron ingots and iron sand collected from the mountains and rivers, and I can also return the materials and coins you need." ”

This request was made in response to Gawain's most scarce strategic resources, and the Ordnance Department could not always import expensive iron from other regions to make weapons, horse harness, and agricultural implements.

The two hit it off, in secret, of course, "for me to greet the health and beauty of Mrs. Shah Namy." After signing his name, Gawain said to Hajib, "Of course, this matter should not be known to any third-party forces at all, but I am not afraid to know it, but there are many reasons to kill Surelman." (To be continued.) )