Eagle Byzantium

"One hundred thousand pilgrims, but how many soldiers do you have?" Gawain asked Peter in front of the cave.

"A famous Frankish knight named Walter is the commander of the guards in the pilgrims' team, and there are eight poor knights wearing chain mail. This is the core of the whole team." Peter said without reservation.

"It is impossible to pass through the whole of Hungary in this way. Many people will die. Eight knights are going to command the entire 100,000 fanatical pilgrims in Germany. The discipline and order on the way will inevitably collapse." Gawain couldn't believe it and raised a fierce objection. At this time, the two of them had already walked into the dark cave holding the phosphorescent sword.

There were broken marble ruins everywhere, some of which had completely merged with the weeds and vines inside, covered with greasy moss, and the smell of dampness was everywhere. The blue light of the phosphorescent sword was particularly conspicuous. The remaining lamp posts and the altar with only rubble left allowed Gawain to confirm that this was originally an ancient pagan temple built in a cave. Then Gawain took the torch from Ingrina behind him, lit it and inserted it on the base of the lamp post. A group of black bats whistled over everyone's heads, scaring Ingrina, who was in disguise, to get into Gawain's arms.

"You should protect your master, not demand his protection." Peter looked at the cloaked attendant curiously and dissatisfiedly, and said.

In the firelight, Gawain saw the words and graffiti carved in the murals, painted with white mud, like a landscape line, extending straight into the bottomless cave. Gawain's fingers were stroking it. He already knew a little bit of ancient Latin. The murals were all white skeletons, as if they were holding a garden party, some were holding hands and dancing. Some were sitting or lying down, toasting and chatting, and some were sitting on the railings of the courtyard, playing the harp, "Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Sappho. Pindar..." Gawain muttered, and continued to raise another torch to look down and read, but Ingrina's green eyes were full of fear, and she grabbed the corner of the man's robe, unwilling to let him go forward, "Alexander, Caesar, Pompey..." Then he saw something very strange. The skeleton, who looked like a general wearing a beetle-embroidered cape, was holding a baton in one hand and a tower model in the other hand, looking arrogant, "Carabis. Aemilius. Cornelius. Lipidus. Marcus F. Augustus, what the hell..." Gawain was not interested in watching it anymore, so he raised the torch. He returned to Peter.

"It is not convenient for me to force you to modify the established route, but I still suggest that you should enforce military discipline when passing through Hungary and Bulgaria. I will meet you at the mouth of the Sava River as soon as possible."

Peter nodded and said that it was decided, "But I heard that the Greek Emperor Alexius will send the real Grand Duke to take over the city of Bari. What will you do then?"

"It doesn't matter, just take over." Gawain smiled indifferently, "It's good this way, so that the emperor's eyes will no longer be on the Red Hand Company." Then he paused. He said to Peter very seriously, "I will do two things right away, and I hope to get your help."

"Go ahead."

"I will go to Rome to meet His Holiness." Gawain reported the first thing. Then he raised his finger and said the second thing. "In addition, I will form the Jin Ce Brotherhood. After obtaining the permission of the Holy See, I will also go to Venice to observe and tour. It will take about a month in total."

"No problem at all." Peter agreed very readily.

Then, at the exit of the big cave, Gawain raised the phosphorescent sword again and walked out as if holding a holy object. He stood on the hillside and said to all the people below, "When I was guarding the city of Bari and repelling the Normans, this Grand Duke promised that all the brothers registered in the brocade book, no matter whether they are from Italy, Frank, Peloponnese, or Asia Minor, no matter whether they are warriors, monks, or pilgrims, are of the same body, fate, and destiny with me. My guard has a total of thirty Varangian warriors, who survived the bloody battle in the Nicaea Gorge together with the Italian company; Francesco is the commander of the Benevento light crossbow detachment, and is also my comrade-in-arms who has accompanied me all the way; my sworn brother, the hermit Peter, is the first friend I met in Nicaea; Melo and Chiser, who were originally expelled from the city of Bari by me, now join my brotherhood with swords to restore the honor of their family. Ranks. And here..."

While saying this, Gawain suddenly lifted Ingrina's cloak, revealing her soft golden hair. The widow touched her head and exclaimed, but was soon hugged by the other party's shoulders, "Even the widow of the Mesadini family, who is rich enough to rival a country, has joined our brotherhood."

All the brothers in Jince below were surprised, but soon turned into warm applause and cheers, because the appearance of female characters in the pilgrimage team was not surprising at all, and the ladies of status were even more numerous. At this moment, Ingrina also plucked up the courage, holding Gawain's hand and shouting, "I have given up wealth and family, and am willing to go to the Holy Sepulchre with Gawain and all the colleagues in the brotherhood to recover the land occupied by the pagans!"

"Now I ask my sworn brother, the hermit Peter, to speak." Gawain shouted while the iron was hot.

Peter frowned. Sure enough, this cloaked attendant was actually a beautiful woman. It seemed that his sworn brother Gawain was gradually showing his scary and cute fangs. Fortunately, Gawain still supported the crusade wholeheartedly, so the minor issues could be laughed off.

"What I want to say is very simple. Your Archduke and I will not return to Bari for the time being, but will follow the footsteps of the Holy See and go to Rome to obtain the qualification of your Brotherhood of Garganus to fight against pagans! We must race against time, otherwise the Holy See will soon move to Le Mans." Peter's words aroused a loud shout, all of which were slogans of "Long live the Brotherhood of Garganus".

That's right, Gawain deceived the garrison and Taitisius. In his heart, he didn't want to give the resources of Bari to Emperor Alexius, let alone Caesar Macolinus. However, he wanted to find a "powerful buyer" who could negotiate a suitable price and benefit distribution. Now the Holy See in Rome is the best choice, and the upcoming Frankish and Germanic, as well as the Norman expedition to the Holy Land, will also provide unlimited opportunities for his business expansion. As for the Italian city of Bari, it is now the best support point in his rear, and he will not give it away.

When the silly Diogenes took a light boat and crossed the sea to Durazzo, Gawain had already rushed towards Rome with Peter and all the members of the Brocade Brotherhood. (To be continued ~^~)