In order to deal with Antioch and Tarsus, and to gain the approval of the Isfahan court to truly become the Seljuk Sultan, Ridwan reached an agreement with the emperor and Marash's chief envoy, and immediately made arrangements:

General Ma Polo led 3,000 of the weakest tribal soldiers in the territory, carrying bright banners and large gifts and money, to accompany Bohemond on the expedition to Marash and paralyze the other party;

The most elite Suvak Brotherhood in the country, with 5,000 soldiers, plus 300 Midrex warriors (mostly young and courageous students of the madrasas), gathered and hid themselves at Muya Castle and returned to Ostu. JIANG Mo. Borduka commanded, and Vizierdawla acted as overseer;

The leader, Ridwan, led the warriors from all the Iqta fiefdoms of the realm to hold the city of Aleppo, and sent envoys through Azadze to sign an armistice with the governor of Mosul, Kobha, calling on them to gather under the banner of the Crescent Cult to fight the pagan enemy. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

In the midst of the intensifying conspiracy, the white and gold-edged banners of the white background and the Phnom Penh crossed the ancient stone bridge in front of the dog gate of Antioch in August, when the heat had not yet dissipated, that is, the time of the grape harvest, and Bohemond, wearing a light crimson velvet cloak, and with extraordinary grace embraced by the battle flag and four hundred knights, in a long line, and crossed the ancient stone bridge to the cheers and salutes of the countless guards of the battlements and towers, and came to the plain of the Orontes River, where countless camps were stationed. Among them were the mercenaries of various tribes summoned by Bohemond and the private soldiers of the Norman lords who defected to his command, and Tancred, although he did not come in person (because he had followed Godfrey to attack Asuf), still sent seventy knights and fifteen hundred ordinary soldiers to supervise the two naturalized Turkic officers, Aidian and Joseph.

The camp near the Iron Bridge Fortress was the largest and most regular, with dug trenches and wooden fences on all sides, leaving a double gate for two wagons to enter and exit, and the central camp was crowned with the Silver Spike Banner, which was none other than Gregor's Gimagis brigade.

In order to show his gratitude and importance to Gawain's assistance, Bohemond set up a meeting place before the expedition, and when the Antioch lord saw Gregor in front of the camp, he deliberately humiliated him, dismounted and hugged the general who was born a convent slave.

"Richard of Samosata is ready, and as soon as our army has passed through Azadze and reached there, Richard has brought a hundred knights and corresponding troops to join my conquest." In the large camp of the Gimagis Brigade, Bohemond held a ceremonial dagger and instructed the rivers and valleys on the map, and to all the commanders of the men and horses who participated in the battle.

"Your Excellency, since this is a direct attack on Marash, you must also pay attention to the protection of the enemy's flank along the left bank of the Euphrates. I would like to ask you to cross the river to spy on Ravodra and Tubsena of the Ani. Gregor pleaded, and then clenched his fists, "My former comrades-in-arms, who were buried alive by the Ani near Laverdra, will be my place of revenge." ”

"That's right, General, smear the blood of the Arnies all over their castles and hills, and this group of monkey-like mongrels in the mountains deserves to be treated like this." Bohemond applauded loudly and gladly accepted the other party's proposal.

Four days later, Bohemond marched out with nearly 500 hoplite knights, and the rest of his retinue of 20,000 sergeants, soldiers, and mercenaries (including more than 4,000 men from the Gimagis brigade), and soon reached the Azazadze region like a torrent comparable to the Pharates.

There, the fortresses of Mosul were silent, and all of them were shut up, but they sought to protect themselves.

Ma Polo, on the Aleppo side, with a large number of mules and horses with a large number of mules and horses, came to Bohemond and offered a lot of date wine, grains, and figs. Rynolde looked at the wheat-straw military presence in Aleppo on the other side, and was furious.

But Bohemond was overly arrogant and careless, and the succession of good fortune and brilliant victories in the past, as well as his reckless and competitive intentions, made him more interested in the abundant military goods that Aleppo had offered, so the lord of Antioch raised his finger on horseback and only asked Polo, "In the past, I was in Fort Medens, and I saw that your monarch had an elite infantry army, and where are they now?" ”

"Your honorable prince, because the prince of the kingdom has heard that in the autumn season, our enemies Mosul and Damascus will launch a powerful offensive against Aleppo, and the prince must have some elite troops to deal with it." Ma Polo was pitiful.

Bohemond laughed, "In the autumn, I should have triumphed from the ruins of Marash, and when the time comes, I will easily defeat any enemy for your prince." ”

"Thank you for your generosity and kindness!"

In the midst of this confusion, Bohemond led a long and majestic procession through the Azadze corridor, under the hot clouds and blue sky, the yellow earthen embankments on both sides of the road and the water of the river reflected the diffuse heat, the date palms swayed in the wind, the nostrils of the horses grew wide, many knights on horseback hung silk curtains in front of iron helmets and nose guards, and swayed in the wind, and the stoic sergeants and non-commissioned officers of the marching class, carrying heavy spears, shields, and crossbows, formed a sinuous column, sweating like rain, the sand and dust rising from the distant sky floated and fell, a confused yellow.

The column of the Gemmageis Brigade followed, and all the soldiers swung their spears into the baggage carts and accompanied them on foot. Gregor, on his horse, also saw the Aleppo servants still in formation.

Under the bright sun, behind him, a young man from St. Paul's College, Stalianus, who was now serving as the quartermaster of the brigade, with dark skin and sweaty head, wrapped in a crescent-like turban, asked the general in front of him in a low voice, "Are we just like this, following this arrogant lord of Antioch?" ”

"After passing through Samosata, we will cross to the left bank of the great river." That's how Stalianus got the answer.

"I'm curious about the attitude of the Great Lord Guarantor to this expedition of the Lord of Antioch." Curious, Stalianus continued to ask.

"Of course, I don't want the other side to suffer! After all, Bohemond's defeat in the current situation will cost us much more than his victory. Gregor turned his head a little impatiently, interrupting Stalianus's further questioning, and then the general turned back to the gray sky in the distance, and at the striking banner of Antioch in front of him, and sighed and added, "But the good and the bad are not in my hands and the patron of the great lord, but only the shrewd Norman prince himself." (To be continued.) )