At the foot of Sinop, when they saw that the Paulines had already stood outside the city gates, and their own men had gone to receive the key, the officers and men of the Dalian Brigade could not help but burst into loud applause: many of them had regretted that they had not been able to enter the city of Nicaea in a dignified manner, and now they were finally able to enter a large city, show their glory, and conquer all.

In the meantime, it was said that this journey had finally come to an end, and that we would henceforth settle down from here until Trabzon, for His Majesty the Emperor would reward us for our merits and distribute the most fertile land and many herds to the Dalian.

But there are also many people who are still thinking about the great cause of the expedition and are willing to restore the Holy Sepulchre, and they hope that Gawain will meet the pilgrims again as soon as possible.

The former voice was mostly made by the Greeks, Magyars, and Cumans, who had been honed in previous campaigns, but there was no fundamental change in the character of the Greeks who longed for the gift of imperial power, and the Magyars and the Cuman cavalry also carried more or less the idea of "going to Asia to settle down and make a fortune".

The latter voice was mostly voiced by the brocade brotherhood, Italian veterans of Benevento, Lucania, and other places, and Lombards, who were more determined to guard their pilgrimage vows, and preferred to go to the holy war, participate in the most sacred war, recover the holy city, and fulfill their lifelong wish.

As for the thousands of pilgrims in Gottschalk, their attitude is now very resolute: they will go wherever Gawain goes, and the hearts of these Rhineland and Bavarian farmers are very solidified under Gottschalk's mission.

In fact, the current split in demands cannot be blamed on the Dalian team. Because all of Gawain's previous military operations were still under the pretense of the emperor's orders for the time being. to deceive all, including the pilgrims. Rebuke the Paulicians.

But Gawain must face up to this disagreement, and must re-twist the Dalian team into a rope, but after accepting Merlot and Wright's submission, he is distressed: now he can no longer use the royal orders of the Komnenos to induce the soldiers, and he has to change the way.

He first used the name of "following the military code and capturing Sinop, the camp of the Dalian team is still stationed outside the city" to temporarily stabilize his troops. Instead of Paul's garrison, members of the Brotherhood were sent to take over the governor's residence, barracks, towers, gates, and dockyards.

Then, in the tent where Gawain received the female consul during the day, he urgently gathered all the company flag officers and queue leaders, the general secretary, the flag bearer of the armed regiment, and the backbone of the brotherhood, and of course, including Anna, who was sitting behind through the curtain, to discuss the question of advance and retreat.

"Now the Dalian team must decide to stay, because His Majesty the Emperor's men will arrive here soon. Their mission is to destroy us. Gawain's first sentence came as a bolt from the blue.

Most of the generals, except for a few henchmen, stayed on the spot. Everyone looked at each other, wondering why the emperor's chief of the march in Asia Minor had said this.

"I am continuing the spirit of the oath I made to all of you in the city of Bari. So my words are absolutely true. Some people thought that the emperor would give us land and mansions here, and then he would have the right to supervise taxes. Serving the Roman Empire in allegiance is all a false idea. ”

"But. Your Majesty has married the princess," several flag officials leaned over and said to Anna behind the curtain, because most of them, except for Merlot and Wright, thought that Anna was the Emperor had promised Natus. Komnenos.

Previously, during the Battle of Axero Gaogou, Gawain claimed that His Majesty had sent the princess here, and asked all the soldiers to keep it secret (in fact, this kind of decryption is also equivalent to secrecy in disguise), anyway, most of this group of soldiers is called "Her Royal Highness the Princess", and Gawain also protected Anna's whereabouts, and can only be stupid and can't tell the difference, even Bohemond, who has always placed a sentry to closely monitor, does not dare to judge, because Agnes is another smoke bomb.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am indeed the purple-clothed princess of the empire." At this moment, without waiting for this group of people to hesitate for too long, Anna behind the curtain made a voice, very solemn, worthy of escaping from the city wall in the palace - everyone present heard this, and immediately fell down and knelt on the ground, "I have indeed concluded a sacred marriage contract with your Grand Duke, but His Majesty the Emperor felt remorse afterwards, and the reason why he promised me to Gawain was because the Dalian team and other pilgrims had approached the imperial capital besieging him at that time, and it was only an expedient measure. But I kept my oath and crossed the sea to follow Gawain, and for this I reaped the hostility and revenge of my father, the Roman Emperor, who tore up all the promises that had been sworn by both sides, and tried to catch up with and annihilate us at Sinop, which is the danger I face."

Then, all the flag officers and the brotherhood actually heard Anna uncontrollably emotional, covering her blurred face with a handkerchief, and letting out a mournful and low sobbing voice behind the curtain, "If the Dalian army is destroyed, Gawain will be castrated by His Majesty, and I will be imprisoned in a monastery, or married far away in a very barbaric place." ”

Merlot hurriedly climbed to the edge of the curtain and was the first to say that he would never send Her Royal Highness back to the whirlpool of tragic fate, nor would she allow Gawain's sound body to be mutilated, and then Dorus. Lambert, Wright. Bozia, and soon all the Dalian generals present also collectively followed Merlo to make an oath, and Gawain was on the side with a sword.

"Ladies and gentlemen, because I am the princess in purple, I can get the divine revelation from the dream realm." Anna went on to speak, and when she heard this, everyone was even more respectful - she really deserved to be a real princess, and she could even meet the apostle in her dreams, and as for why she could meet her, because she was a real princess! This logical chain is unassailable.

"Divine Revelation tells me, and tells all the soldiers of the Dalian Brigade, that this is by no means a paradise and a destination, and that we must continue to move forward until we reach the hometown of the Holy Apostle, a place surrounded by seven high ridges and facing the sea of gold."

When he said this, even Gawain was a little stunned, it was the first time he had heard of the goal of "Land of Seven Ridges", and it was difficult for him to judge whether this thing was Anna's invention or whether it was true. Anyway, the original Gawain worldview has already been thoroughly washed away by what happened in front of him.

But Anna's voice and expression behind the curtain didn't seem to be a lie at all, "I repeat it again, this is the divine revelation given to me by the Almighty Lord, and it is also the same fate as the entire Dalian team, that is, after arriving at the land of the Seven Mountains, not only can we recover the great holy city and glorify our lord." Every officer and soldier will also be given a share of the true fertile ground to build a great kingdom, and as for the martyrs halfway, they will ascend directly to heaven, which is the Lord's promise to me. ”

"We are willing to follow the military code of the Dalian Army, the oath of holy war, and the divine revelation of Her Royal Highness the Princess." Soon, the generals reached a surprising unanimity. (To be continued.) )