Romanos, taking his army back to the north, placed archers to defend the rear-guard and those carrying the food supplies from enemy attacks. He realised it would be unwise to besiege one city ('Azaz?) as the area was unexpectedly short of water and winter was approaching. So he marched to the Roman border, burnt the village of Katma which belonged to Mahmud, amir of Aleppo, and stopped at another village called Terchala. Standing on the right bank of a stream near Terchala, he was the first to notice two Arabs attacking on horseback and killing two soldiers, and shouted ordering his troops to pursue them. But they escaped to their camp on the left bank. He marched on, capturing places that he could, till he reached Alexandron in Cilicia