Eagle Byzantium

As Dalasena said this, Anna sat down dejectedly. She clearly heard the cheers of the crowd outside and the bells of the Holy Wisdom Cathedral. For some reason, it was like the death knell for Constantine.

Outside the city, at the edge of the Varangian camp, the military judge sent by Caesar to take over the army was suddenly grabbed by several warriors. His letter with seal and official hat were torn to the mud, and his flag was taken away and torn to pieces. He was dragged outside the wooden fence amid curses and insults. Many terrified citizens and pilgrims came to watch. Then the military judge's white cape was pulled down, but he was still struggling hard, with his fingernails deeply wedged into the mud. It was obvious that he didn't want to die, but a sturdy Varangian warrior said nothing, grabbed the long-handled axe and chopped it down, and blood splashed into the bright sunlight, accompanied by a cry of surprise from the crowd.

Then, Agafi Nistas, with a full beard and murderous look on his face, suddenly walked out of the crowd:

"The Caesar of the Empire, disregarding the trust of His Majesty the Emperor, openly kidnapped the Queen and the eldest princess in the cathedral, attempting to depose Prince John, completely disregarding the love that the prince had received from the capital's elders and citizens..."

Beside the archery guards camp in the suburbs of Sarabria, Mikhail raised his hand, "Your Majesty has announced that this is a shameless and sinful rebellion and a war against the Palace of Brachna, so you, as glorious guards, whether you are Roman nobles, orphans of martyrs, or people of Tekopo who are loyal to His Majesty, must take up bows and arrows to fight for His Majesty and the royal family in this crisis, and for the safety of the capital..."

In the camp of tens of thousands of pilgrims, Forche and Reinold also stood on the high platform, and the old knight Walter stood behind the cross flag behind them. In front of the black mass of heads, Forche shouted to everyone. "Your Majesty has made a solemn promise in front of the image of the Lord to provide a large amount of grain for all the pilgrims in our camp, and to use the fleet to carry us across the strait to fight against the evil pagans. Therefore, we must not let down the great Emperor. In the camp, we will not only enshrine the images of the Holy Father, the Holy Son, the Holy Mother, and Saint George, but also the images of the Supreme Emperor Komnenos. No one can have any connection with the rebels in the capital who oppose Your Majesty at this time. Once discovered, his oath and qualification for holy war will be immediately revoked. , expel them from the camp, and show no mercy. "

"From this moment on, the capital has entered a state of high alert. This is an order personally granted by His Majesty. You should treat this period of time as a war, until the flames of rebellion are completely extinguished and will no longer spread to our homes and warehouses. You must restrain everyone and not let anyone participate in Caesar's rebellion. You are also not allowed to sell any supplies to the rebels, otherwise I will tear your tendons and bones out later. "In the commercial and guild areas of the capital, the casual bird Nickdemia sat on the chair. Facing all the industry representatives and palace supervisors who came to the secret meeting, he said coldly and firmly.

On the arrow path in front of the blue-gray Blahena Palace, more than 900 Varangian warriors of the inner palace guards, holding battle axes and spears, lined up in front of the camp. At this time, Alexius, wearing a simple cloak and wearing two sharp blades on his waist, Even though he didn't wear a crown or a purple brocaded robe, everyone could recognize him. Soon, a huge shout of "Welcome the Emperor" broke out. Alexius Komnenos rode his horse and appeared in front of them accompanied by several close followers. No one dared or was willing to step forward to block the emperor's horse.

"Sons!" Alexius still had his usual confident expression and his usual words.

"Our father, the honorable emperor!" I didn't expect the emperor to rush here so promptly, but more warriors were extremely excited - as expected, the emperor came to the camp of the inner palace shield guard as soon as he appeared, which was enough to show that we were the legion he trusted and relied on the most.

"I need you." After the emperor said this, he didn't say anything else, turned his horse's hoof directly, and rushed towards the direction of the Grand Palace.

Afterwards, the warriors of the inner palace guards, without even shouting, carried their weapons and flags, lined up in a long and neat line, and followed Alexios closely.

At this moment in the Cathedral of Holy Wisdom, Irene and Anna had already retreated into the side hall where Caesar and his guards were. The "defense line" outside had all been declared to have fallen after the sudden appearance of the Queen Mother Dalasena. In the side hall, the Patriarch was detained on a chair by the warriors, but he continued to ask the Queen and the Princess to compromise in time and confess to His Majesty, "Don't use the empire as a gambling chip."

"If I lose, it's because Komnenos is more despicable than our Ducas family and knows how to play with people's hearts. I never regret coming to this gambling table. Let everything end. Brother, you can do it yourself." Irene said, and then her mood became calm, and she sat on the chair without saying a word.

Macolinus was devastated. He covered himself with his robe sleeves and wiped the sweat off his face. But he couldn't bear to leave his sister behind, so he knelt in front of Irene and said, "Sister, I brought 500 Isaurian guardsmen with me into the city, and there are also some ships and soldiers outside to support us. You and Anna will follow me out of the city and go into exile in Asia Minor. I don't believe your husband will take this lightly."

Then, Macaulinus held his bald head, as if remembering some plan, "Yes, not only can we escape, but we can also defect to the Norman leader Bohemond. I have already made a secret decision with him. The deal has been made - he brought 6,000 elite Norman troops with him on this trip. We can use Bohemond's power to counterattack. Yes, there is someone we can trust, that is Gawain. He also has a large company of red hands, which is said to be in the Sofia area."

"What nonsense are you talking about, you bastard, the son of Satan!" After hearing what Caesar said, the Patriarch roared angrily, and several warriors could barely restrain the furious old man.

Even Anna couldn't stand it anymore. She rushed to her uncle and suggested quickly, "Bohemond, the cunning Norman gang leader, cannot be trusted at all, and the barbarian army is too far away from the imperial capital. . How about you, uncle, take the guards to protect me and my mother and hold on to the Grand Palace. The palace here is a strong barrier. As long as we can give time, the whole situation may still undergo some subtle reversal with the arrival of the barbarian. of."

But Anna's suggestion was completely unacceptable to Macaulinus Dukas. He smiled bitterly and said to Anna, "The messenger outside has told me everything. Not one of the imperial troops in the capital has mutinied. My The action failed. And the Gawain you mentioned, Anna, has insufficient prestige and qualifications, and is not as good as Bohemond's status and appeal. Wouldn't it be self-destruction to rely on him?" (To be continued~^~ )