The two men had made up their minds, and could not wait for the other lords for the time being, so they took their own guards and marched through the central side of Antioch, and went directly to the other side where the consul of Pisa lived: there was a wall and a river, opposite the abandoned and deserted West Fort of Antioch, and a corner tower was used as the residence of the consul of Monicny, and the city gate and the river bank below, and the Pisans quickly hired men to build a simple pier trestle there, and made lifting equipment out of wooden poles.

When Gawain and Bohemond came to the so-called "trade area" of the Pisan people, Gawain looked at the huge corner tower with the flag of the city-state of Pisa, gasped, and then said to Bohemond, "You actually gave the Pisan people the most dangerous and strong military stronghold in the city to which you were assigned." ”

Hearing this, Bohemond was also a little embarrassed, "Because Monigny promised me a lease of one thousand Byzantit gold coins a year. ”

"It's crazy to be poor." Gawain said to himself, and then their horses could not move forward half a step.

Even Bohemond was dumbfounded, unaware that in such a short time after entering the city, the Chamber of Commerce of Pisa had taken the lead in building the corner tower at the corner of the city wall and the commercial street below it into a huge and independent "city within a city": on the towering corner towers, with crossbows and ballistas erected in layers, Monique and his employees and sailors also took the opportunity to occupy the walls on both sides, and built new "walls" diagonally in the streets, built them with solid wooden fences and earthen baskets, and recruited the original idle hooligans in the city. There were people of all nationalities, carrying crossbows and bows and arrows, shouting and shouting, patrolling them, and at the door stood a column of mercenaries armed with spears, and a row of antlers facing outward, and behind this curtain wall were many fortified warehouses, connected to the docks outside the city.

Bohemond grabbed his horse's head and shouted to the guards, "I want to see your consul, I am the "deacon" of the entire army of the pilgrims. Morality. Tver.

"Hey, Monnicky, you disobeyed and took advantage of me. I have entrusted you with informing the fleets of all the city-states in the port of St. Simeon to bring the grain to Antioch, but you have deceived the others and destroyed most of the grain by the enemy! When Moniqueny's thin, withered face appeared in front of the staked battlement, Bohemond could not contain his anger, pointed at it, and shouted rebuke.

"Your Excellency, I am just a merchant. There are only two things that a businessman has to do, one is to sell his goods, and the other is to sell his goods at a good price, so everything I do is completely consistent with this theory, and I have no reason to apologize to you. Monique chattered, and Bai Sensen's fingers gripped the battlement, condescending.

"You have lost the faith of a merchant, but you have not learned the virtues of a gentleman." Gawain kicked the spurs, and Sabina hissed, swinging her horse's hooves back and forth, "Your actions will cause all the pilgrims to perish here, and neither you nor your city-state can bear the blame." ”

In the face of Gawain's threat, Monnickini had no fear at all, and he continued to laugh arrogantly, "Why, do you still want to appeal to me before the Holy See?" Now that the grain is in the fortress of my chamber, it can be sold to the warriors of the Lord at a very reasonable price, not to mention the Pope, even if I read the whole Bible, I cannot fault the slightest fault. Then Moniqueny pointed to the Duke of Apulia below, "And you Bohemond, you have dared to interfere in the private affairs of the Pisa, and you have completely forgotten that a down-and-out fellow like you is just a hound we have raised, and if we are disgusted with abandoning you, we can raise another lord with money, which is simply easy for us." ”

"It's so vain that I ignore any authority, and soon I, the Grand Duke of the Roman Empire, and all the other lords, will organize troops and horses to level your fortress." Bohemond was ashamed and anxious.

Moniqueny laughed even more presumptuously, and he raised his hand, "I have twelve of the most loyal Moorish slaves, who have been guarding the entrance to this warehouse all day and all night, covered in fire sickles and fire-starters, and if I give the order, they will burn all the food before you can enter." This is also the third amendment to the merchant's theory, which is that the merchant always has the right to destroy his goods. Haha, haha! ”

At this moment, Bohemond grabbed the angry Gawain on his horseback, "All the lords and soldiers, after the invasion of Antioch, have captured a large amount of silk, money, pepper, and other things, which can be exchanged with the Pisas for food. ”

"But the anger of the Pisan people is uncontrollable, and no one is willing to hand over the money they have earned in exchange for birth and death to the copper scum on this curtain wall." Gawain then warned Bohemond, "If the anger of the soldiers is rising, I may not be able to avoid it, but you, as the commander of the army, will be the place where the water of evil is poured out, and you will bear the brunt." ”

Gawain was not wrong at all, and a look of horror welled up on Bohemound's face.

The two of them could not open the Pisan granary for the time being, and the other hoards of grain in the port of San Simeon were also destroyed, and the cavalry of Kobha cut off the connection between the city of Antioch and the port, the Syrian Gate, the Samosata, and other places, and now the 150,000 soldiers and residents in the city of Antioch had nothing to eat, except for the very little food that had been stored in the barracks.

The shadow of the broken cooking hung over the hearts of Gawain and Bohemond, and they returned to St. Peter's Church in the city in a state of confusion and anxiety, and paid homage to Admar, and then the other lords, hearing the military alarm, also came to ask the commander-in-chief of the army how the battle was going on.

When questioned, Bohemond, who was standing in front of the sundeck, had a pale face and did not know how to explain to the turbulent public opinion, and finally it was Gawain who stood up, and with a heavy heart, he said to everyone:

"The port of St. Simeon was seized and occupied by the Turks, and our detachments and soldiers stationed in the cantonment were simply unable to defend themselves against the cavalry of Kobuha, who were innumerable. The ships of Venice, Amalfi, and Rehab had sailed away in search of a new safe anchorage, and only the ships of Pisa had succeeded in bringing grain to the city. Just now, the army chief and I went to negotiate with the consul in Pisa, and the other party promised to sell us the grain. ”

Gawain's words surprised Bohemond, and it was obvious that he was covering up his mistakes.

But before Bohemond could cast a grateful glance, many of the lords and knights below began to boo pessimistically, and they suggested that a more secure sea route should be changed to ensure the supply of Antioch.

"I suggest going from the port of Latakia in the south, which is owned by our pirates." Then Gawain suggested in public.

Soon, however, a hurried herald burst into the auditorium, shattering his hopes. (To be continued.) )