With the howl of beasts, small boats quickly rowed in front of the circular breakwater of the military port, each of which sat about twenty or thirty pirates, who, armed with long scythes and torches, destroyed the chains and hidden stakes, sailed into the docks and docks of the military port, and set fire to the landing everywhere. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 Thirty soldiers of the Civilian Army bravely stood there on the two small forts on the rocks and the walls of the coastal defenses, and fired fiercely with Latin bows and muskets at the bay and the trestle, resolutely preventing the pirates from approaching the coastal side of the Acropolis.

At the same time, at the mouth of the river east of the city, Musetto, the son-in-law of Zahas, with 800 pirates, had burned down more than a dozen farmsteads along the road, seized the bridges over the river, and blocked the eastern pass of Seleucia. The ferocious pirates not only robbed many cattle and led them to the ranks, but also killed many innocent holy peasants who could not escape, and exposed the bloody heads of the victims, men, women and children, to the bridge as a sign of intimidation. The pirates also tied up some of the captured peasants, set them up by the river, and shot them as live targets, and the corpses fell into the river and drifted to the burning water wheels, which were dyed red and terrifying.

Dozens of pirates then seized the large sawmill (where Vinromina worked before entering the court), killed the overseers, and coerced the other slaves to carry the log out and make it into a simple battering ram with a spire covered with leather, and rumbled over the curved bridge towards the gates of eastern Seleucia.

The original old city of Seleucia was divided into two parts, the eastern city is also the "lower city", with a ring of walls and some small towers, and inside are barracks, stables and dwellings; To the west is the Acropolis, adjacent to the military port, with a sturdy core main tower that is tall enough to overlook the perimeter of the lower city. Later, as Seleucia flourished, it began to build new walls along the area further west and north, connecting the Great Hospital with the Mut River Valley, and prepared to enclose the new Great Hospital Pavilion, the Chamber of Commerce's Warehouse, and the Akum Bazaar, but it was not yet completed.

Now the land pirates are attacking the lower city, and the sea ones have also broken into the military port, ready to climb the coastal defense wall of the acropolis at any time.

In addition, another group of pirates and Cretan mercenaries from Cyprus, about 500 men, came ashore from the agora of Aqum and slaughtered and slaughtered the Great Hospital Hill and the Pavilions below, the streets of which were full of people who had taken refuge and fled, some towards the hill where the Great Hospital was located, and others towards the Seleucian Acropolis.

The director of the Great Hospital was about to flee towards the Mute Valley, but Granaai, who was working in the nearby convent, came and sternly stopped him, "This great hospital must not fall into the hands of pirates, or it will bring shame on our lord." Call all the students of St. Paul's College over there here, around the gates and the high walls! ”

At last more than 200 teachers and students of the academy, with more than 30 wandering prostitutes who remained in the baths, and more than 200 useful peasants and apprentices of the craftsmen and craftsmen of the guild gathered together, closed the heavy door of the great hospital, blocked several wagons behind the door, and then climbed the gate tower and the wall of Basilica, found the reserves, and then refused the threat of the pirates, and when the pirates swarmed up from under the wall, they rained down bricks and stones, and transformed all kinds of utensils into weapons that could be struck and pierced. Desperately defending.

Soon, the beacon fire on the gate tower of the large hospital was lit high.

"Your Highness, please retreat to the Acropolis, it's too unsafe here!" At this moment, on the small tower of the lower city, the warriors of the guards eagerly persuaded Anna, who was still there.

"No, I'll have to stay here for the time being—the soldiers of the People's Army will stand bravely on the walls of the Lower City, with Caesar of Tarsus at their side." Anna relentlessly said that there were now more and more pirates on the roads and on the banks of the river under the city, and that after the wall of the gate tower was perforated, the guards could see their terrible dress and appearance—many Berbers and Susu were wrapped in coarse cloth headbands and cloaks, and their feet were bare, and some were hiding behind battering rams made of large trees with large swords, driving the captured peasants and slave laborers to push and pull, and some were constantly raising their bows to shoot at the city walls, and from time to time cold arrows flew through the piercings and pheasant moats, with an alarming whistling sound, Mixed with the cries of the Cypriot soldiers mixed with the pirates:

"Catch ...... Grab the rebellious princess and catch her! ”

One near, one far away.

But Anna stood high in the tower with her belly protruding, and the light in the perforation shone down her face, giving Caesar's face and clothes a pale golden light, and Anna touched the child in her belly, who was also a little frightened, and said in a deep voice, "You need not be afraid! Here I am, and I will not go anywhere until sunset, so please defend your Caesars. ”

"Oh!" In the gatetower, more than a dozen soldiers of the People's Army who were standing here answered in unison to Caesar.

"Hang down the hanging sandbags, and in groups of three, you will hold two Latin bows, take turns to kick the crossbows, and shoot at the approaching battering rams, calm down—shoot people." Anna waved her hand and ordered, saying that her experience in military warfare was much richer than when she first arrived in Seleucia.

In addition, Anna has divided her guards into several teams and scattered them throughout the castle to serve as the preparation and backbone of the guards, and also let the acropolis also ignite the beacon of alarm.

In the previous reorganization, the Seleucian People's Army had divided 800 men to the Milio Sepharon Border Militia of Birel, and 300 remained in Seleucia, and about 2,000 men were scattered throughout the cantonment: 500 of them in Alarmanburg, 200 in Fort Mut, 300 in Arahan Monastery Hill, 400 in the small coastal town of Ramas, which connects Cilicia, and 200 in Fort Collegia.

Although Anna and Grana Ai were in one place, they both lit beacons in Seleucia and the Great Hospital, just to ask for the help of the local people's army.

At this moment, the Mentari militia not only lowered the iron gate, but also hung sandbags in front of the gate to block the impact of the battering ram. The pirates shouted in rage and began to shoot arrows at the sandbags, while the militia in the tower suppressed them with Latin bows, and one crossbow arrow after another flew down, and some of the pirates by the battering ram cried to their chests and screamed and fell to death by the wooden wheel, some were shot in the foot, holding their shields to protect themselves, and constantly crawling back with their elbows, but more were not afraid of death and screamed wildly and pounced on the battering rams and rushed towards the city gate.

"You go to the ordnance workshop in the city, and tell Samuelfa and the craftsmen to carry up the two perfume bottles that have been completed and are ready to reinforce the front line of Firomero, and shoot at the enemy, rest assured that they will not be able to break through this door for the time being." Anna turned to the notoriously loyal servant samurai and ordered, "Let Hetomia and all the female officers keep the ranks of the old palace in order, and if necessary, they must serve at the front—and in addition, summon all the representatives of the guilds and merchants of the city to my palace during the night, and take care of the great things together." (To be continued.) )