With Ruben's capture, Cilicia had almost completely fallen into the Normans' hands.
However, Eric was still doing his best to prevent the Knights from entering the countryside, keeping them in the cities as much as possible. This was to avoid them mingling with the Armenians and causing unnecessary conflict.
The Armenian villages were guarded by their own organized militias. Although their combat effectiveness was little better than nothing, the most important thing was to make the Armenians feel that they were protecting themselves.
Eric abolished all taxes, levying them only on the citizens within the cities.
The Normans were not short on currency for the time being, and their food supplies—grain plundered from Cyprus and Ruben—were also sufficient.
Once trade resumed, Cilicia's situation would improve immediately, and it would once again become a breadbasket.
