Eagle Byzantium

The huge fleet quickly docked at the shore, but there was no command flag flying on the deck to command the battle, and it seemed that it was not hostile to them - but even so, Gawain and Gawain were already preparing to leave eastward. Baldwin sent a cavalry detachment each to monitor the place where the fleet disembarked.

Soon, several figures who looked like the leaders of the fleet and were covered with fancy cloaks changed to boats and landed on the reed field on the shore. When Gawain and Baldwin rode to meet him, Baldwin saw the tall man who was leading the fleet. The short and stout man said happily, "Isn't this my distant cousin, Wenmei Eustace? They say you went on a pilgrimage and have not returned yet. I didn't expect you to start this business here." "

The “business” that Baldwin refers to is piracy.

The oldest profession of mankind, pirates have emerged since mankind began to trade with the ocean. In the ancient Greek era, they were an indispensable role in legendary adventure dramas, and Cilicia has been a place where pirates have gathered since ancient times. zone, the ancient Roman Republic spent a lot of energy Later, after entering the Middle Ages, although the limelight was stolen by the Danes or Varyags, piracy has always existed, and was mixed with more "international colors": Greeks, Syrian Maldetes, Salar Morans and Moors all joined this ancient and great business.

Originally, Cilicia and Pamphylia to the west, the Gibiodont military district established by the Byzantine Roman Empire, owned one-half of the entire empire's warships and nearly 20,000 sailors, but when Manzikert After the defeat, the fleet in this military region disappeared. After taking off their military uniforms, many people engaged in piracy to support themselves.

What surprised Gawain was that this group of pirates, who were originally imperial sailors or descendants of sailors, actually worshiped the Frank, Wen Ermo, who was from the ancient Eustace family, as their leader. This was originally just a pilgrim. On his way back to Xiaoya, he was attacked by Turks. As a result, he worked hard to kill the bandits. He was spotted by the leaderless pirates. From then on, he became the leader and started a business without capital. .

Now Wen Ermo's subordinate. It already has thirty or forty large and small warships, nearly 2,000 men, and has stolen goods strongholds in Cyprus, Rhodes Island, Cilicia and Seleucia.

This group of people also robbed a variety of targets, including those from Greece, France, Venice, and Egypt's Fatima. They also engaged in slave trading - not the white-skinned Germans or Franks. To go to Africa means to trade black slaves from Africa to this side. In short, both sides take it all, and business is booming.

"Very good, Wen Ermo, you can now lead the men and fleet to assist me and Lord Gawain in pacifying Cilicia." Baldwin was naturally very happy, because now the pilgrims lack the power of the sea.

"After the peace is over, I won't treat you badly." This was Gawain's promise.

At this moment, a dark-skinned man wearing a Crescent turban suddenly walked out of the queue of pirate leaders, and knelt down in front of Gawain, "The great empire's first Lombard Aconis commander. I am Jal Guba, Do you remember me? But as soon as I saw your feathers, I knew it was you, General Gawain Russell."

This name, this appearance, this gender, only Gawain can remember it. But the man continued enthusiastically, "When you went to Calabria, you also issued a letter of appointment to me. Later, my team was defeated by the Normans in the Lucania Valley, and I ran out. First, I joined Zahas’s fleet, and then Zahas was expelled from the Peloponnese by the Empire’s Sebastocrat, so I drifted here and surrendered to Master Wen Ermo’s banner.”

"Jalguba, if that's the case, your experience has been really rough! How about your performance now under my flag? From now on, Andreev Yergo is the shipping master, and you are his deputy. The salary is easy to negotiate, and your fleet After I captured Seleucia, You can also enjoy free parking." Even Gawain still couldn't remember this person because he had too many nobles in Calabria, let alone this Saracen. But now. He definitely has win-win value. So the excited Galcuba, Wenrmo and other leaders gathered together to discuss for a while and came to the result: Galcuba took the separated fleet, about 300 sailors, and 12 Pamphilis. Gawain also handed over the "Elder Princess's Family", a company of about 400 sailors, to the joint command of Andreev and Galcuba, an Asian double-decker warship, sailing in parallel by sea and land to Seleucus. West Asia advances!

The remaining more than a thousand pirates, all under the command of Wen Ermo, assisted Baldwin's army and horses in attacking the city of Adana eastward.

The Wallachian company, which suffered the most serious casualties in the Paphlagonia mountains, was handed over to Lete Bozia and Baldwin's armed monk Oden to hold on to Tarsus and deliver supplies to the east and west. Transportation Responsibilities.

Then Gawain secretly used means to assign the "Wallachian Company" to the "Guardian Brigade" (this company is currently resting in Tarsus), and transferred the "Elder Princess's Family" to The establishment of the sailors' company was also allocated to this brigade (this company operated at sea) - in this case he would It is enough to provide another infantry company of "Grand Duke's Dead Soldiers" to Branas. As for the "Saint Cyril" cavalry company that should also belong to the new brigade, Gawain also called it "all cavalry fighting horses". If there is a shortage, both sides must fight together" as the reason, and the land will continue to be in their own hands.

Now, the "Red Hand Brigade" still has three Italian veteran companies, three Greek companies and three sailor companies. Now, according to Anna's "promise", a thousand strong Germans who originally belonged to the armed group have been added. Gawain ordered: the original Greek companies, Germans, and Birrel's Lombards were all mixed together and reorganized into four bandas (regimental detachments). All bandas have a scale of 600 people per detachment, using spears of the same length as lances, and fighting in vertical or horizontal formations; then the cavalry companies, sword and shield veterans and archer sailors will serve as auxiliary operations on the flanks or behind the "banda" team.

As for the more than 3,000 people of the "Guardian Brigade" who were still on the battlefield, they were also divided into five banda detachments (10 companies, two companies in each banda), but Gawain only made a division of the organization, and all the other details were left to Branas and Dolus. "There is no cavalry, no archers, and no training. This new brigade that Anna relies on is only politically significant. On the battlefield, it is just to help my Red Hand Brigade." Anyway, Gawain thought so in his heart, but for the sake of the overall situation, he still did not say it publicly.

So, the two brigades of the "Archery Division" now have about 8,000 people together (if the full number is sufficient, it should be 10,000 people), and they are rushing towards the city of Zephilim, which is closest to Tarsus. Gawain locked his first target here, which is to open the passage to Seleucia. (To be continued ~^~)