Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 354 Two pairs of brothers
Georgia is located in the South Caucasus region, with magnificent terrain and a long history.

For the Kingdom of Georgia, the Greater Caucasus Mountains stretch from east to west, forming a natural barrier, with steep canyons and deep valleys interspersed among them, and the mountains are covered with glaciers, pine forests and alpine meadows.

Then, south of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, the terrain gradually transitions to hills, and then to the Tbilisi Plateau, which occupies the central part and is composed of wide river valleys and undulating hills, giving birth to fertile farms.

This region, which has become less famous in the 21st century, once had glorious moments in history and produced many historical figures.

Apart from the famous poet Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili who influenced the global situation in later generations, another person who left a deep impression on people is Queen Tamara.

In later cultures, Tamara has become a symbol of Georgia and a concrete representation of its golden age.

Living in such an era is undoubtedly a blessing for Georgians.

Alexios was a Georgian who lived in this era. Although his actual surname was Komnenos, he was a descendant of the former Roman emperor in terms of bloodline.

That was several years ago, 1185, maybe something like this.

Alexius could no longer remember many things. He was only three years old at that time. He vaguely remembered that he lived in a mansion and had a grandfather who was feared by others.

What's his name?

Andronikos Komnenos
An emperor who reigned for less than three years.

Alexius had a very vague impression of his grandfather. After all, when he was three years old, that guy was tied to a stone pillar and beaten for three days by the angry citizens of Constantinople.

The flames burned down his family's mansion. All the past glory and boasting were insignificant in the flames and were completely burned to ashes.

From then on, he lost all his glory.

I have never experienced it myself. After all, I was only three years old at the time and I couldn't remember anything...

However, Andronicus's backup plan finally worked. During the disaster, he and his younger brother were sent to the mountainous country of Georgia and came to the court of his mother's sister.

Here, he and his younger brother grew up and received various education and training.

Here, the brothers became Georgians.

The year was 1201, and in the previous winter he had heard the news of the fall of Constantine.

Now, it is time to return to Rome with the army.

Behind him, thousands of soldiers were ready to fight with flags flying.

Next to him was his younger brother David.

David came up to Alexius and said to him: "Brother, it's time to take back everything that belongs to us."

"Take back the faded glory from Angelos and the Latins"

……

In the real world, people are divided into two.

One is high above, and it is the grievances and hatreds of princes and nobles, and the endless disputes between countries.

The other lowly ones are no different from mud. In fact, they do rely on the mud to absorb nutrients to feed themselves and provide for the world above.

In this simple and humble world, people work from sunrise to sunset and rest from sunset to sunrise, dealing with manure, crops, straw, tax collectors... all day long.

Many people are tired or numb physically and mentally, but this is a good thing because it saves them from having to face the boring emptiness.

But many times, the body and mind are tired or numb, which is not enough to stop certain pains. After all, the other party picked up swords and set the farm on fire.

At the location where the swords of the Komnenos brothers pointed and the flags were pointing, that is, outside the city of Trebizond.

There was also a pair of brothers hiding in the bushes.

It is now night, and there is a raging fire in the farm. The evil-looking villains are killing anyone they see.

Earlier, Greg and Nice tried to fight with the leader, but they were knocked to the ground in a few moves and kicked into the thorn bushes on both sides of the road, and then no one cared about them anymore.

Therefore, they could see with their own eyes how the farm was destroyed.

Nico, their brother, the six-year-old was crying and in pain, and then there was a crisp sound, and then there was no sound. Then it was Helen, her sharp and hoarse screams became more miserable and heartbreaking, and finally there was no sound.

But what about the two of them?

They huddled among thorn bushes, which pierced their flesh, trapping and entangling them.

They were so overwhelmed with fear that they no longer had the courage to raise their heads and take a look at the atrocities being committed.

Overnight, Greg and Nice lost everything they knew in the past...

……

"what is it call?"

"Greg"

"What's going on?"

"..."

The other party remained silent.

In response, Alexandros came to his senses and felt that he had asked a nonsense question.

After all, anyone with eyes could see that the fire had just been put out on this farm, there were corpses everywhere, the property had been looted, and the cattle and sheep had been taken away.

Obviously, it was looted.

It is March now, spring is here, flowers are blooming, and the sun is no longer cold but brings warmth, but it cannot cover up the biting cold here.

Alexandros wanted to comfort the other person, but he didn't know what to say.

Since he fled with Zoe on his back that winter, he did not just wait for Antiochus' reinforcements to come north.

Instead, he took Arsalan and Zoe with him, mobilized each other's connections, and got to know many people in this land.

Gradually, he formed his own caravan.

This caravan included Turks and Greeks.

After all, Arsalan was quite prestigious among the Turks, and Zoe actually knew quite a few Paulician survivors.

The main purpose of everyone gathering together was to facilitate trade between the Turks and the local Greeks, and to think of ways to transport goods from the south to the north.

Last year, because the Bey State became independent from the Rum Sultanate and established relations with Jerusalem, many good things in Jerusalem have been sold to Erzurum.

Alexandros and his men started a small business and transported the goods further north.

Whether it is needle and thread or cheap cloth, both farmers and herdsmen like them very much.

This caravan has successfully traveled between the north and the south. Although it is not large in scale, it has been recognized by everyone.

This is the second time, and the plan is to see if we can get some cheap iron from Trebizond and bring it south.

Then on the way, we came across this farm with black smoke rising.

When the caravan rushed here, they helped to extinguish the remaining sparks and search for survivors here.

Most of those who could be found were already seriously injured and difficult to save.

Brother Gregor was only slightly injured, so he was the main person for communication.

"who are they?"

“They are Turks.”

As he spoke, Gregor's tone was mixed with hatred, and he looked at Arslan beside him with uncertainty.

Arslan was a Turk.

(End of this chapter)