Eagle Byzantium

At the same time, Cabeamiya heard an earth-shattering noise, and she was so startled that she walked out of her tent. The wind blew her long black hair. The female consul looked at the wall of Sofia that was engulfed in flames, and she couldn't believe it. Dare to believe your eyes.

Amidst the sound of trumpets, hidden behind the wooden fence, Gawain's two Greek infantry companies and the two infantry regiments (Latin vulgus) sent by Godfrey, holding ladders together, rushed towards the undefended area. The city wall where the fire projectile is located He rushed towards the blind spot, put up a ladder, and then climbed up. Bramson and Giovanni, who had just recovered from their injuries, jumped up with a ladder each, holding shields and swords. "Pay attention." Throwing stones, Lombard bumpkins!"

"The credit for the first attack this time is mine. Don't even think about Bramson, you bastard from Germany."

In another blind spot, it was Baldwin who was struggling to direct the Frankish infantry to attack the city. The shouts of killing were shaking the sky. The Byzantine troops who were guarding the city wall could no longer bear it. They were fighting around the crenellations. They didn't suffer a serious blow at all, but they lost the courage to fight to the death, began to abandon the towers and posts, and fled in all directions. Over there, Isaac, who was still smelling of alcohol, climbed up to the central tower with a pale face, where several of his generals were scrambling, "Your Excellency, Your Excellency, the barbarians from Frank and Gaul are attacking. Your Excellency must make a decision and take the lead with the army to block the enemy back. "

"Block it back... Where is the defensive fire! Where is my defensive fire! Burn all the enemies to death." Isaac did not answer the request directly, but shouted and pulled the machine shut one by one. The rope, and then pulled out the broken tails that were burnt and blackened, still smoking. Then the noble Sebastocrat became extremely frustrated and threw the broken ropes on the ground. This expression could be witnessed by every general present.

The Roman military code clearly states, "As a general, do not let your bad expression be exposed in front of your troops, because everyone has entrusted their fate to you, and no one will like to see such an expression. If you do this, it will be the beginning of the collapse of the entire army."

The fact is that the Byzantine garrison in the fortress city. It soon collapsed. The Turkic cavalry abandoned their horses and stables, surrounded Isaac who hurriedly hid his face, gave up the blocks and towers, and retreated to the small city facing the mountains to the east of the city. But the Franks and Gawain's company seemed to be in no one's land, galloping freely inside and outside the city wall. In particular, the two Greek companies, the Archduke and the Furies, showed their own bravery when faced with the embarrassment of their compatriots, "We are from Calabria, and we are with the Normans." The gangsters who have fought fiercely are different from you weak chickens." Then they stabbed with spears and chopped with axes. After killing many garrison soldiers, it was not until late that night that under the orders of the officers, several key towers and small fortresses were occupied. Staring at the small town where Isaac escaped.

Most of the city was captured, and street fighting broke out below. Under Godfrey's order, the Frank soldiers began to set fire to drive away the Byzantine troops hiding in the houses. As a result, by night, these soldiers were driven out In a small town.

Under the tower they had just taken, soldiers in smocks held torches to illuminate the scene. Godfrey of Bouillon, his brother Baldwin and Gawain met together, "It's not time to completely fall out with the Greek emperor. Sir, you need to prohibit looting and killing." Gawain leaned on his sword and said to Gover Ray shouted.

The Duke nodded. Expressing his approval of the restraint imposed by the priest, "Except for the soldiers who went out to guard tonight, the rest of the team temporarily withdrew outside the city to rest."

Soon, Samuelfa, who was injured and captured, was thrown on a mule cart by the soldiers of the "Nemesis" company, and was pulled in front of Gawain, "Your Excellency, he confessed that he was the fortress. Roman fire engineers."

"Treat him, don't let him die." Gawain asked simply, and then several soldiers agreed, and then pushed the mule cart towards the camp outside the city.

At Fort Sophia at the juncture of sunset and night, the mountains in the distance have faded away. There are residual flames burning everywhere in the city. Soldiers wearing helmets are coming and going. The dead bodies and the wounded are all sent to the gap in the collapsed city wall. The former was buried, the latter was stripped of weapons and armor and banished from the city. Isaac Komnenos, who ran into the small city, stared at his bloodshot eyes and selected the cavalry loyal to him to protect him in the early morning before the city was completely captured. Charge out together.

"Your Excellency, this strategy is possible." At this moment, even Andronicus Branas agreed with the emperor's brother's idea. So Isaac was very moved. He patted Branas' shoulder armor and said that the position of vanguard officer would be given to this young general. "You must protect me from standing out."

Bonfires were lit all night on the fort in the small city. Branas carefully selected about 500 cavalry as the main force to break out eastward, "marching along the Prevensus River behind the castle, and then Then go to Adrianople, where There are other troops there to support you. We must protect Lord Sebastian Krat!" Everyone cheered up and responded in unison. After all, Fort Sophia is a very big city, and the enemy should not have come yet! Block the road to the east.

In the watchtower on the top of the hill behind the town, several soldiers who stayed there complained: Lord Sebastocrat has the cavalry guards, so he will definitely be able to escape from here, but it is hard to say for us. We may die in battle or become prisoners. Even if the Frankish barbarians don't kill us, they will tear off our armor and confiscate our weapons. In that case, we will be killed by bandits everywhere during our escape and our bodies will be thrown into the wilderness.

But even at this point, the superiors still require them to hold on to this isolated mountain, because this place can overlook the river road behind the entire Sophia Castle, and can serve as the "eyes" for future breakouts.

"If we see the fireworks on the third tower in the town, we will wave the flag and light the flames here, instructing Lord Sebastocrat to break out to the east with the cavalry. Do you understand!" said a Byzantine junior officer wearing a sword, and the others leaned against the wooden fence and the fire tunnel platform, answering weakly.

Then a man stood up, and then he picked up a candle, illuminating his stunned expression. On the path between the gray-white bushes and trees at the bottom of the mountain, it seemed that a group of dark creatures, not sure whether they were human or beast, were approaching their watchtower.

He looked down along the path, but saw that the bend of the Plevensus River flowing through the castle was filled with small boats commonly used by local Slavs, and countless people holding torches to land... (To be continued ~^~)