Eagle Byzantium

Not only the emperor's ordinary soldiers had to suffer the pain of the explosion of the fireballs, but also their officers. Among them, the Pronian cavalry often abandoned their horses and led the soldiers to the forefront of the siege with the sense of honor of a Roman warrior. They saw that the soldiers were all shrinking their necks, holding shields, and crossing the deep trenches like fools and idiots, rushing to the place where the oil fire of the opponent's city could shine, which was simply the "slaughterhouse" set up in advance by the defending militia.

When the voice of "Avoid!" was shouted, the emperor's soldiers cried and fell to the ground. They could only do this now, because no one knew how to resist the killing of this all-pervasive and fierce thunder and fire.

At this moment, the Seleucid militia on the tower and the high platform could clearly see the enemy's approaching formation through the firing holes in the flat-top wall. After locking the position, the responsible grenadiers (most of them were tall Germans) held the ladder, took the ignited iron fireballs, and threw them down across the battlements. Often, there were more than a dozen iron balls with flying sparks, which rolled down along the inclined and thickened city walls at the same time.

"Bang", several iron fireballs rolled along the backs of the prostrate crowd, and then orange-yellow flames, with scattered smoke and debris, blew up many of the emperor's soldiers. Then, in the firelight, there were figures groaning and crawling everywhere. Some soldiers couldn't bear it, so they turned around and ran towards the trench while the defenders threw arrows. "Don't run, don't retreat!" The emperor's archers who were lying behind the sub-wall behind them threatened and cursed one after another in the dark night. Then, arrows flew one after another. The deserters covered the arrows that had sunk into their chests, turned around twice on the spot, and rolled to the bottom of the trench and died.

The second wave of iron fireballs was thrown down again with sparks like the grin of death. A brave Pronia knight stood up and shouted to everyone, "Kick them away or throw them back." After that, he took a step and kicked a fireball away quickly. The fireball hit the city wall and exploded, making a slight hole in the city wall. Inspired by him, the soldiers began to imitate him in a hurry, and the light of the explosion kept shaking-a miracle happened. This round of throwing fireballs actually only killed and injured a few people.

"Long live the emperor!" At this time, the emperor's officers and soldiers who were lying on the ground shouted and stood up and ran, pushing the special iron-hooped ladders (to prevent the explosion of iron fireballs) against the city wall, and began to swarm up. In order to prevent burning damage, the soldiers who jumped up first all carried shields and were wrapped in wet felt cloaks from head to toe.

"The enemy is climbing up." The militia soldiers behind the battlement began to follow the dog-foot wood, holding the axe tightly and raising the iron fork. The oil fire pot hanging below was full of dense arrow feathers, but it still swayed and did not fall, and it was still burning there. "Cut the fuse short, don't let them have the opportunity to kick it away or throw it." As the militia officer shouted like this, the rest of the people held up iron scissors to shorten the fuse of the iron ball one by one, and then lit it with a flint, and the grenadiers whistled and threw it out one by one along the shooting holes or between the battlements.

When the black iron fireball rolled down again, the brave Pronia knight rushed over to pick it up and throw it away without thinking too much. However, when he just raised his arm, a red light exploded with flames and limbs - the iron fireball with a short fuse exploded in advance, and soon the knight's head and neck were full of flames and wounds, and his broken arm was hanging like a dead branch. He groaned in pain and despair, and subconsciously searched for his broken hand among the corpses on the ground, but he couldn't stand it anymore, and he pulled out his sword with his remaining hand and killed himself.

After such a brave man died, the ladders that the emperor's soldiers desperately put up were constantly hooked and pushed down by the defenders with iron forks and hooks. The soldiers couldn't bear it anymore. They ignored the supervision of the arrow team behind them, and rushed to discard almost all the equipment and equipment, and collapsed like a tide.

The next night, the emperor's army bypassed the inner city and attacked the militia camp on the flank of the crab formation: the Seleucid militia also learned their lesson this time. When the emperor's archers shot fiercely from the periphery, they erected wooden boards and wooden shields along the camp, lurking behind them and standing still. When the emperor's spearmen began to advance, the militia used fire tubes to shoot out streams of saltpeter, burning the attackers' armor, equipment, and even their bodies. Later, when the emperor's soldiers began to crowd over the trench, the militia would bravely throw iron fire balls across the wooden fence. After groups of bright fireworks burst into countless beautiful lights in the night sky, the emperor's soldiers could only flee like a group of rabbits, leaving behind corpses in the trench.

"Both attacks failed, and 1,500 people were killed or wounded." The angry and frustrated old general Harold pressed the token and the list in front of the imperial edict officer, panting, "In the end, the order from His Majesty is to attack again. If we continue to fight like this for three days, all the backbone soldiers will be killed. Do we have to rely on the lives of our men and horses to consume the terrifying fireballs like Gawain to win?"

The imperial edict officer Myles also looked heavy and uneasy, "The enemy has complete fortifications, powerful fireballs and fire tubes, and there are additional camp reserve troops behind. Is the emperor angry? He is angry with the fate of the empire."

"You have to criticize it!" Harold said bluntly.

"Order a ceasefire across the board. All the troops in the camp, except for the guards, should rest, treat the wounded and bury the dead. All the responsibilities will be on my shoulders." Meles was no longer vague, "I will write a letter to the emperor in person, asking His Majesty to withdraw the army."

When the imperial eunuch's letter, which was fiercely worded and sincere, was delivered to the emperor's camp, Alexius was leading his troops, futilely confronting Gawain's army, which was backed by the Lesser Antioch.

The emperor learned with a heavy heart that the attack on the Miliocephalon camp had suffered a serious failure. At the same time, he was also sent a report from a spy in Rome. The letter was delivered two months ago, and it once again verified the rumor: Pope St. Peter in Rome was seriously ill and was about to die.

But before his death, Odal Urban sent a series of urgent letters, asking the emperor and pilgrims such as Gawain to make peace and stop fighting, and jointly deal with the Turks on the plateau. This is also the primary goal of the second wave of the Eastern Expedition. For this purpose, 150,000 people and hundreds of the most noble and brave knights have been in place, waiting for the emperor to make the right gesture, so that they can cross the Marimara Sea and fight for the emperor on the plateau.

The emperor sighed slightly, rolled up the letter, and supported his forehead with his fingers, "Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims swept across this world, from one end to the other. For me, have they opened the Pandora's box of disasters..." (To be continued ~^~)