Eagle Byzantium

After hearing this, Bohemond frowned, blew his red beard, and asked the envoy: "But I still need more firearms. You have to know that I do not rule a vast country than your new emperor." "The Principality of Antioch is short of everything. In addition to pitch, match rope, and saltpeter, I am also short of charcoal, sulfur, and metals."

The envoy thinks that you lack everything, so if you want to extort money, just say so.

"This is not a problem. Your Majesty will sell the supplies that the monarch lacks to the city of Antioch at the most favorable and low prices." Although he complained in his heart, he still wanted to speak tactfully on the surface.

Bohemond hummed indifferently, and then actually asked his attendants to hand over a list to the envoys, asking them to read it, "Gawain wants me to send 10,000 troops, but the army lacks armaments, so just giving It’s difficult to raise all the supplies within a year, so you might as well just give me five hundred long fire muskets, six perfume bottle cannons, and three hundred pack horses.”

Even the envoys were dissatisfied with this unreasonable request. Although they accepted the list, they also warned the king of Antioch, "Your Majesty gave the king a large amount of materials and money in the hope that the king could cheer up and revive the country of Antioch. So from now on, it is best for the king to do what he can in this kind of horse racing competition.”

With a "boom" sound, the furious Bohemond kicked the table over with his feet. All the gold sand fell to the bottom and spread all over the shiny floor like water. "Don't use these condescending words to suppress me. I can't." Not a slave of Brachna Palace, I am the despot of Antioch , can barely be regarded as your emperor's ally, but how long this relationship can last depends on your emperor's sincerity. You must know that when the emperor's envoy named Mr. Zhao passed through my court, I spent thousands of silver coins to entertain him. He, and added supplies to his mission.”

"Yes, yes." All the envoys knelt on the ground, apologized to Bohemond, and said that they would immediately convey the prince's request to Basileus in the imperial capital.

Then, as if to calm Bohemond's anger, the envoy took out another copy of the golden edict issued by the emperor. Bohemond gasped and took it over to read. The content above was actually Emperor Gawain saying, "You I have claims to Calabria and Apulia, and those territories should have been yours. When I send troops to Italy in the future, you will also send troops to accompany me. Antioch will be yours, and these two places in Italy will be yours. The country is also yours."

"It seems that Gawain is really embarrassed. He actually wants to play such a trick. Is it because there is too much pressure from the east?" Bohemond chuckled.

The envoys hurriedly stated that this was not the case. His Majesty the Emperor had assembled the most elite troops and would soon cross the Tigris River to fight the eastern barbarians. The mere barbarians were not a problem at all. His Majesty the Emperor was just looking for partners for the future Italian expedition. .

"I understand. Go back and report to your master. As long as the material assistance is in place, I will naturally dispatch the military forces in the agreement to accompany Gawain to the battlefield on the Oxus River."

Looking at the envoys who had completed their mission and walked down the stairs, Bohemond breathed, then placed the wine on the small table next to the couch, and said to the slaves, "Have fun! Prepare my Seruki hounds and The falcon of the Caucasus went to Daphne for a happy day of hunting." Then he winked at them mischievously, "Someone will take care of me soon!"

It turns out that Bohemond adhered to strict celibacy for his career in the first half of his life. Now after obtaining the Principality of Antioch, he realized how important it is to have an heir: how the Raymond family of Toulouse became extinct. This is He saw this tragic scene, and now Raymond's home territory was almost completely annexed by Duke Guillaume of Aquitaine.

So Bohemond finally found a match.

The threads between them were Stephen of Blois (now serving the Kingdom of Jerusalem) and his wife Adela. The person who immediately crossed the sea to the Antioch court was Constance, the daughter of King Philip of France.

This girl happened to be sixteen years old, but this was by no means her first marriage. She was originally the wife of Lord Valois, but when the child died, she took the initiative to file for divorce. She was sad that all the reasons were Unhealthy blood marriage, Constance then left Île-de-France and went to the court of Blois to become Adela's close friend. Later, she accepted the proposal of the jihadist hero Bohemond and prepared to take a ship to Antioch to get married. .

Bohemond understood that this was a political marriage, and he needed the King of France's support for the principality to fight against ill-intentioned neighbors (Gawain and even Baldwin), so he just told his slaves to have fun before the marriage.

In the stables of the fort, the fierce Arabian war horse was kicking the long grass and the ground, calling for the king's choice. Bohemond liked the white war horse very much. When it was brought out, Bohemond's Seruki hound jumped up like lightning and squatted on the horse's hindquarters, "Haha, that's great. "Smart guy. As expected, this dog can be obedient according to your training methods." King Antioch praised the dark-skinned Bedouin dog trainer and rewarded him with a handful of gold sand.

Then, Bohemond also sat on it, and the hound stretched out its front paws and put it on the master's back belt obediently. Then the small door of the fort was opened by the flying slaves, and one person, one horse and one dog went Opened the city gate.

But at the edge of the moat, Bohemond saw a figure in strange clothes surrounded by his troops. He was still bald and standing in front of his horse's head.

"Who is this? I've never seen such a strange guy. Is he a mystical monk?" Bohemond laughed and pointed his whip at the bald man who saluted with his hands together. The Selukki hound behind him also showed its sharp fangs and growled at the bald man.

In the castle tower, Bohemond, who had canceled the hunt, sat back on a chair, then hit his palm with the whip and said to the bald monk, "You mean, you believe in Buddha instead of Allah or Jesus?"

"That's right. My name is Jinghang, and I come from the far east."

"How did you come?" Bohemond said he didn't believe this guy.

"It's not difficult. The Nestorians along the way offered me a good deal." Jinghang smiled and told Bohemond this with the interpreter beside him.

"So, why did you come to my country?"

A correct version at 16191 book and forum!

"Because the intelligence of the Song Dynasty is pervasive, His Royal Highness the Great Duke Gong knows that you are the most unsuccessful king in the land of Daqin (Daqin, that is, Syria), and you are humiliated by the Emperor Fulin and the King Fulang."

"Ah? What Fulin, what Fulang?"

Bohemond was very surprised. Later, he understood through the interpreter that Fulin means Rome, and Fulang is of course Frank. The former refers to Gawain, and the latter refers to Baldwin.

This touched Bohemond's heart, but he still hesitated, so he pointed at the bald monk and said, "I want to help you and your master, but now they haven't even reached Isfahan, why should I take such a risk?"