Eagle Flag of Epirus

A vigorous army appeared on the plains of Thessaloniki. This sudden scene made the Bolgars who were preparing to organize the encirclement network could not help but become nervous. The fastest update. If the enemy is the enemy, they are likely to encounter a front and back flanking attack, that would be terrible!

After all, this time the Bulgarian army adopted a solitary and in-depth tactic, and once the back path was cut off, the consequences would be disastrous.

But when Tsar Kaloyan, who came out of the tent, saw the two-headed eagle flag flying in the army from a distance, a smile appeared on his face instead.

Finally, the Roman army from Epirus arrived at the city of Thessaloniki on time according to the previous agreement. This is also the reason why Kaloyan has not ordered the attack. Although they have become allies a year ago, in fact, both sides should know that the other side is still carrying ghosts in their hearts, so in this case only the two sides share the same Only by attacking can we let go of worries for the time being. Immediately, Kaloyan ordered his soldiers to contact the early warning, and on the other hand, he brought the nobles from all over the kingdom out of the camp to welcome the arrival of reinforcements from their allies. With such a large-scale army reinforcements, at least the casualties of the attack on Thessaloniki will be greatly reduced, and at the same time the possibility of the Epirus people from reaping the fishermen's profit is avoided.

However, when the Bolgars went out of the camp to see the face of this army at close range, the expressions on their faces who were originally delighted to be assisted by one party suddenly became a little ugly. Especially Czaroyan himself, his expression at this moment suddenly became gloomy.

The size of this army does seem to be quite large. As the vanguard, there are already more than 20,000 people, and there is no problem with the banner it carries. However, what he really expects is the reinforcement of the strong Romans, not the present one. Groups of skirmishers roaming bravely.

I saw that this vanguard army under the banner of Rome was in a mess. It was obviously an army conscripted from various places, not the elites directly under Epirus that were once seen by the Bolgarians to Rusnina. Most of them consisted of poorly equipped local militias, that is, the border guards of Rome under the so-called military district system. However, with the military district’s existence in name only, these soldiers said that they were no different from ordinary farmers, and it was more difficult to make a living. Going to battle on the battlefield, maybe the charge of the Latin cavalry might be gone.

If it weren’t for the other party’s flag that was flying the particularly eye-catching double-headed eagle, at first glance, who would dare to believe that this was actually an army of the Roman Empire?

However, under the current circumstances, no matter how small the fly is, it is meat. Disappointed, Czaroyan had to fight hard and prepare to go to meet his allies. Anyway, the follow-up troops of the Romans should still arrive, at least part of the Romans. The arrival of reinforcements also somewhat dispelled his previous doubts.

...

On the other hand, the leader of this army is not someone else. It is Prince Theodor who was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the crusade against Thessaloniki. His elder brother, the co-emperor Mikhail Dukas, did not indeed have any. The enlisted soldiers were handed over to him in command. It’s just this quality...it’s hard to say. Many nobles who have just surrendered both ends needless to say, and the Roman generals who are loyal to Mikhail are naturally unable to hand over their elite private soldiers. Theodore commanded. Therefore, in addition to the 8,000 troops he brought from Agrinon, the other nobles recruited were simply vulnerable. In a sense, it was reluctant to call it cannon fodder. But the arrow was on the line at this point, and Theodor knew he had no choice.

"Hehe, when we meet the Bolgarians later, they don't know how ugly their faces will be." Prince Theodore, who was riding a horse, looked at Justinian who was following him mockingly. He smiled and said, obviously looking at the weak army in his hand, he also knew how reluctant the Latins who attacked Thessaloniki would be.

On the side, Justinian was still as calm as before, and replied unhurriedly: "Isn’t this something that was expected? With the character of our co-ruling emperor, if you don’t secretly use it, Kizuna is actually disturbing and suspicious. Isn't it?"

This sentence carries a deep irony, but it is a fact. In Rusnina, because of Theodor and Justinian’s co-tenancy, he was almost completely lost in front of the nobles, and he was able to hand over the power of the army to the mention. Prince Odor has been hard-won.

After all, Justinian tilted his head to the other side and looked at the city walls of Thessaloniki, which was already in sight, and hung on his face with a mocking sneer. He had already learned about the qualities of certain Roman nobles. Up. After all, those people can do things to sell the interests of the empire for their own personal interests without hesitation~www.readwn.com~ It is very rare for them to be willing to send troops at present.

Looking at Justinian who was silent, Prince Theodor shrugged slightly and said with a helpless tone: "It's true, but you don't seem to be leading many people this time." Looking at the young man's leadership. The look of the man in the army directly under the jurisdiction is also a little subtle, after all, Justinian only brought hundreds of cavalry and more than a thousand infantry to join the expedition this time. However, the army that Justinian could mobilize in the Battle of Athens was more than double this number. How can the army that can be brought now is about 10,000.

But after hearing Theodor Ducas’s words, Justinian asked, “What about the supply problem? Now that we are alone in the depths, all the supplies we rely on will depend on Rusnina. If Leading too many infantry will inevitably cause too much burden... That's why I led my most elite army on the expedition. Do you still think I am deliberately preserving my strength?"

Such outspoken words suddenly made the atmosphere a little stiff for a while, so that Prince Theodor looked awkwardly away from his eyes, and said after a long while: "I didn't mean it, Justinian, as a cooperation. Naturally, I still believe you. But look, it seems that I’m not wrong. These bulgar barbarians have come out to greet us, but their faces are really ugly, like persimmons that have been frosted in autumn. ."

He deliberately changed the subject, but Theodor did not let Justinian let go of the grudge in his heart just now, but compared to the Bolgar who was about to meet again, these things are now insignificant.