In the Grand Palace on the shores of Constantinople, Godfrey, Baldwin, Peter, Gottschalke, and many dignitaries from West Francia wore various animal sweater collars with snow-white, brown, and red, smocks embroidered with striking crosses, smooth and beautiful armor, and swords inlaid with gold and diamonds.

Alexios, who was on the throne, was also amazed at the bravery of the Frankish lords, whom he originally regarded as hillbillies, "If only Anna were still around, she would have recorded this historic dramatic moment with her pen." The Emperor thought of his eldest daughter with a little sadness, though he had sworn in his heart that she would be Apate. Philotes looked at it and no longer worried about her, nor prayed for her.

"To His Majesty the Supreme Holy Apostle Emperor." Godfrey stabbed his sword and held a bouquet of flowers tied to it with a book on which he had sworn allegiance to the emperor with his lords, and walked up the steps. Alexios, on the other hand, got up in a hurry, and went down two steps (the number he had calculated in advance, so as not to degrade him or make the Franks think he was too arrogant), and took the flowers offered by the Duke of Lower Lorraine, and then the whole scene froze for a moment, and all eyes waited. Finally Alexios opened his arms and kissed each other very politely on the cheeks, very lightly, very lightly.

All the Byzantine Roman ministers, generals, court officials, and Frankish lords cheered in unison, "Please stay in this city for the time being." Let me do the friendship of the landlord and entertain all the dignitaries with the wedding ceremony of my daughter. ”

"Please ask His Majesty the Emperor to arrange the ship as soon as possible. Send us across the strait, there is a lone army. He is also a servant of His Majesty, who is fighting alone against the infidels and saving the suffering believers there. Godfrey politely refused.

Alexios still kept his smile on his face, "The fallen believers of Chivit and Nicaea, I have mobilized men and horses to rescue them. ”

"I can't wait for Your Majesty, because according to our people's reports, Your Majesty's fortress in Minor Asia has no sign of sending troops at all."

Thankfully, this was said quietly. The emperor was a little embarrassed, "Toulouse, Normandy, and the royal brother of the king of France will all come with a large army, and then I will also send the general of Xinai to join you, and then it is more appropriate to go and attack the thief?" ”

"Your Majesty, just now you and I were kissing peace and subservience. At the same time, it is also the kiss of the alliance against the infidels of conquest. If His Majesty wants to send troops, he can come later, but the contemptible person still says the same, and the situation can't wait. If tens of thousands of pilgrims were to be slaughtered, I believe that not only us, but even His Majesty's dignity would be greatly damaged. Godfrey finished. Walked down the stairs and grabbed Baldwin's arm below. Lang Sheng said, "In order to show our sincerity with the help of the fleet, the contemptible people are willing to take my brother as a hostage. In His Majesty's palace - all the fortresses and towns that we have taken along the way in Asia Minor, from Nicaea to Antioch, and which we have taken from the Turks and other pagans, are to be delivered unconditionally into the hands of Your Majesty, and we swear before the Lord that we will never break our word! ”

Seeing the Duke of Lorraine like this, the emperor's heart was overjoyed, but he still had to make a high gesture, "There is no need for this, I can dispatch all the fleets around the strait, and levy the civilian ships of the imperial capital, Gallipoli, and Thessaloniki to assist your Excellency in transporting the army across the sea." In addition, not only do I not ask you for hostages, but I am also willing to take Prince John as a hostage and pledge it to your army. Naturally, Godfrey vehemently rejected this proposal, and in the end the two sides reached an agreement: the hostage exchange did not reflect the good faith of both parties, so it was cancelled; The proceeds of the pilgrim army along the way were to be returned to Emperor Komnenos; The Emperor, on the other hand, sent auxiliary troops, ships, and supplies to support the pilgrims.

Then, when all the lords had finished their salutes and left the palace, the emperor looked at the hermit who had set up the head of the palace with complicated eyes, and said to the eunuch Nikedemia, "Keep your promise and give him five thousand gold coins—and besides, three hundred, and let the hermit give them to Gawain, and it should be to Apate. After all, when she left, I didn't have time to give away the dowry that I had originally raised."

"Your Majesty" the little bird couldn't help but mourn, and old tears came out of his eyes.

Alexios also tried to raise his face so that his tears did not come out, he looked at the paintings on the dome of the palace, at the tapestries and curtains, and still could not fully forgive Anna in his heart, why she was so cruel, why, after meeting the man she liked, she did not hesitate to pierce the "quenched dagger" into his father's heart - she actually flew away like a nightingale perched temporarily in the canopy of a tree, without shame or responsibility, and wandered with a wild eagle, without caring about the owner of the room.

"Nick Demia, don't be mistaken. That was just my duty as a father, and from now on I would still be the enemy of Gawain and Apate, and if they dared to do anything that would jeopardize me, they would be annihilated cleanly, and Apate would not be given any chance. ”

Half a minute later, Diognis, Mikhail and Tetisius took Andronicus, who had just arrived from Adrianople. Branas, walking out of the veil, bowed down at the foot of the Emperor's steps.

"The situation in Asia Minor is assigned to you. Thee Diognis assisted Branas, with two hundred Pronian cavalry and a thousand Turko archers, and followed Gawain all the way; Mikhail assisted Tetisius, with a hundred Plonian cavalry and four thousand infantry, and followed Godfrey and Bohemond all the way. Not only to cooperate with the pilgrims in battle, but also to shoulder the duty of supervision, I will order the fleet of Assasidus to assist you, Isaac and Brenus I have seen that they are all empty and honorable waste (Your Majesty, are you really good to say this), I have transferred them to the West, and the peace of the empire and the recovery of Asia Minor will depend on all of you. ”

"Your Majesty, the servants are reluctant to follow Gawain." Theognes bowed his head and pleaded loudly.

"Tell me why."

"After all, I fought side by side with him, and everything will fall behind him, and if I face him, I will definitely lose."

Alexios laughed, saying that the captor was really a frank person, and then he fell silent, "Actually, in the hearts of you and Mikhail, you still hope to continue to fight side by side with Gawain's guy, instead of becoming an enemy"

Hearing this, Mikhail leaned down in fear, but Diognes continued to be frank, "Your Majesty is right. ”

The Emperor laughed a little desolately, "That's it, you and Mikhail have a position." (To be continued.) )