Guiscard addressed his counts (as reported in the text of Anna Komnene), reminding them of the wrong done to his daughter Helena by Nikephoros III. He claimed that the new younger Alexios I should accept responsibility - but warned he would be much harder to defeat. To win the upcoming battle they needed unity of command - and he shyly allowed them to choose him as leader. They also needed absolute determination - and he successfully proposed burning their baggage and sinking their boats