Eagle Flag of Epirus

In 1206, the Bulgarian-Roman coalition forces that besieged Thessaloniki under absolute superiority successfully burned the Latin warships and had already taken the initiative on the battlefield. But at this moment, an unexpected event turned the war.

The death of Bulgarian Tsar Kaloyan Assen completely put a stop to the joint attack of the two countries’ coalition forces to regain Thessaloniki. Under the leaderless group of dragons, almost half of the Bolgar nobles stood on the side of Ivan Archduke. The class teacher returned to the court. And yet another militant archduke Bolier Assen was also ambiguous at the moment. No matter how hard the Prince Theodor himself tried to lobby, the final dissolution of the coalition forces was irretrievable.

Now that the Latins in the city are in desperate situation, it is only a matter of time before the city of Thessaloniki is captured. Are the Bolgarians really willing to watch all these efforts come to an end?

The helpless Theodor himself couldn’t help but feel heartbroken. At this moment, there was still no fluctuation on Justinian’s face beside him, and he didn’t seem to be surprised at all what happened. The prince himself was a little skeptical.

"Do you know the inside story of Kaloyan's death?"

"Is this important? He is dead, and the impact of all this has been irretrievable. That person's purpose has been achieved, and even if you do anything else to redeem, this army is already fragmented. You should be the most distracted by this. Clearly, Your Royal Highness." Answered calmly, Justinian did not directly answer Theodore's question to him. On the other side, all the nobles in the Bulgarian army camp are ready to leave Macedonia with their troops. However, it is not so much that Gal’s talents chose to retreat without the backbone, but rather it is to go back and fight for the dominance after the power vacuum. Since there is no direct evidence to find the murderer who really killed the Tsar, and the Bulgarian Iron Crown as a national treasure has disappeared. Today, Bulgaria does not even have a legal heir, so whoever returns to the mainland and arrives in Sofia next means that he will fight for the Tsar in the future. The position will get the dominant power.

This is why neither Ivan Assen nor Boriel Assen are interested in the upcoming city of Thessaloniki.

While looking at Justinian's body at this time being covered with a thick cloak, Theodor always felt that something was wrong. Since that day, the young man’s complexion had been very bad, and his body seemed to have been born. A serious illness always speaks weakly. And now the loss of the Bolgar's assistance can be said to have worsened the situation, and the disappointed Theodor Dukas finally chose to give up.

"It looks like we can only choose to retreat now." The exhausted prince uttered a helpless sigh. When the Bulgarian army withdrew, he and Justinian's army totaled no more than 20,000 people. It is almost impossible to conquer a well-guarded city. After all, the Roman Empire army is depleted and hard to return, and they have not many soldiers at their disposal. If they continue to stay here, they will undoubtedly bear huge risks. Other Latin aristocrats who were afraid of the Bulgarian army may be ready to counterattack at any time, and if Constantinople and Venice will also take action, then it may be them who are in crisis.

However, something unexpected happened to Prince Theodor.

Just listening to Justinian calmly said: "Why retreat? Now is the best time to attack the city of Thessaloniki. In a sense, the death of Kaloyan and the retreat of the Bulgarian army helped. We have solved many problems."

"You shouldn't be kidding me, Justinian! This is the second largest city in the empire. With our current army, it is impossible to break this place. It is not allowed to return to Epirus for the time being, and wait. Reorganize the army to counterattack." In Theodor's view, Justinian's idea of ​​still insisting on fighting again is a crazy move.

"Of course I am not joking. If we withdraw now, it will really ruin all our efforts. If the opportunity is missed, it will not only mean that the recovery of Thessaloniki will be delayed for several years or even more than ten years. The important thing is that Emperor Mikhail will take this opportunity to get rid of dissidents for the truth. This is the only chance for you and me to come back. Your Highness Theodore, now you know this, you are sure to give up like this. "

Justinian, who had a sharp analysis of the pros and cons, explained Theodor Ducas’s worries, and after listening to what the young man said, he had already given up attacking Prince Theodore who planned to attack Thessaloniki. At the moment, he was silent.

This kid is by no means ostentatious and alarmist. In fact, based on Theodor's knowledge of his brother, he knew that Mikhail Dukas would definitely do what Justinian said. At that time, I am afraid that even he himself will not be guaranteed, let alone a separate party~www.readwn.com~ To some extent, he and Justinian are really life-and-death related.

However, Prince Theodor still hesitated. After all, with a few people, how can the young man in front of him be confident that he can conquer the seemingly impenetrable city of Thessaloniki?

...

While the man was still hesitating, the rush of horseshoes and the roar of war horses interrupted his thoughts, and saw a cavalry from the Bulgarian army suddenly galloping in and in front of the Roman army's stronghold. The arrivals were majestic and impressive, and the Byzantine soldiers who were uncertain for a while also hurriedly took up their weapons and prepared to organize defenses to watch these uninvited guests vigilantly.

At this time, the headed Bolgar cavalry officer shouted outside the camp: "Your Excellency Justinian is here. I am here by the order of Grand Duke Paulier. Please allow me to see if I have something to do."

Grand Duke Boriel? ! Both Justinian and Theodore were a little surprised. They didn't understand why the other party sent someone over at this time, but in the end Justinian walked out of the camp alone, looking at the menacing momentum in front of them. The elite cavalry asked:

"Are you looking for me for anything?"

And Justinian’s words just fell, and then the Bolgar riders who were still on the horse suddenly jumped from the saddle and knelt down on one knee. "By the order of Grand Duke Boriel, we will stay Follow Lord Justinian’s command and we will be loyal to you until the end of the war here. And this is the favor that His Royal Highness owed you when he attacked Thessaloniki before, and it is also our way of repaying you. The reward for saving grace."

Hundreds of Bulgars said in unison, neat and uniform as one person, and this sudden scene made Justinian stunned.