Vitus scouted the area near the river mouth with his cavalry for a while, then chose an abandoned harbor nearby.
The Syrian Gates separated Antioch from Cilicia, limiting transport by land. A more efficient approach was to have the fleet unload along the coast and send supplies overland to Antioch.
At four that afternoon, Vitus returned to the city. The Ottoman soldiers had surrendered, and the Eastern Roman army had taken over its defenses. Troops were clearing the ruins and trying to build barracks on open ground.
At that evening's war council, he divided the army in two. The main force would remain in Antioch to repair its defenses, while the rest would occupy the eastern and southern passes and launch probing attacks inland.
During the meeting, Romanus studied the tangled lines and markings on the map until his head swam. "Another tedious fight over mountain passes. Anatolia's terrain is far too complicated."
The next day, bored with nothing to do, Romanus accompanied Andronikos to see the ancient ruins nearby.
Their first destination was Mount Sipylus east of the city. They climbed a steep mountain path past abandoned towers and vaults, as well as a vast cistern forty-five paces across, now filled with rubble and earth.
"So the defenders held out for eight months under siege by relying on these fortifications?"
Leaning on a wooden staff, he followed Andronikos onward to a ruined castle high on the slope. Built in the early days of the Eastern Roman Empire, it had been expanded during the Crusaders' occupation and ultimately destroyed during Timur's conquest.
Local clergy told them that Antioch was not the only place Timur's army had ravaged. Other parts of the Levant, including Aleppo and Damascus, had suffered too. The campaign had dealt the Mamluks a grievous blow, and they