Eagle Byzantium

At this point, John had quickly grasped the evidence and evidence for the future crusade against the Brenus couple, but he did not rush to do it, but endured it. After all, John did not have even 10,000 men at hand to mobilize. Therefore, the following "Administrative Chief" took control of the administrative department of the imperial capital more resolutely, quickly promoted many elders and new nobles who had followed him in the days of Thessaly and Moria, and succeeded Burrill and others who were dismissed. After the arrest, the vacant position began to truly operate this wandering "empire".

In terms of governance, John simply abolished the military region system in name only, unified the establishment and strength, and unified the land under his control into two "regions", namely the "Western Region" and the "Eastern Region", each The heads of the regions are all "Grand Dukes". The former's position was delegated to his uncle Isaac Komnenos from a distance, and the scope of his jurisdiction is Tie. Thessalonica, Thessaly, Morea and Epirus; the latter position he secretly granted to his most loyal general, Tatisius, who ruled over Plusa, Gallipoli and Epirus. Doli Laem area; as for the "Grand Earl of the Navy" and the "Grand Earl of Laodicea", they are still reserved for Asasidus and Raymond to win people's hearts. In addition, John appointed Axeppochos as his "Imperial Secretary" and Chief Administrative Affairs. This was originally a position during the Heraclius Dynasty, similar to the Royal Ink Officer. However, because his father's life and death were temporarily unknown, he became the Imperial Ink Officer. Meles died heroically on the battlefield, so John, in order to avoid suspicion, restored the Turkic slaves who had been granted him an ancient official position.

For the two newly established regions, the prince's policy is to "integrate combat readiness", and all resources of the imperial capital and the empire must be provided to these two regions free of charge. But although the slogan of "war preparation as one" was loudly shouted, privately the prince had sent many envoys and monks he trusted to contact Bohemond, Gawain and Theodoro to explore the path to armistice and peace talks.

A few days later, Queen Mother Dalasena and Patriarch Masdas came to John angrily and reprimanded him for not holding Titicius accountable for escaping from the battle at Philomelon, but for promoting him to "Grand Duke".

Faced with such accusations, John immediately accepted it and "immediately sent imperial officials to the city of Prusa, revoked all military posts of Titicius, and detained him back in the dungeon for interrogation and conviction."

But this was completely an excuse. Titicius had always stayed in the imperial capital area to advise John, but now he was mixed with the "imperial official team" and crossed the sea to Prusa to "punish himself". After entering the military camp, Titicius claimed to the outside world that "he was arrested", but in fact he was hiding behind the scenes and commanding Melicelos and all the new troops, secretly like a snake, towards the bird's camp in the city of Nicaea... .

At the same time in the imperial capital, the second request of the Empress Dowager and the Patriarch was that they should no longer humiliate and torture the Imperial Prime Minister Burrill, and release all officials who were imprisoned into the dungeon and go home.

John readily agreed, but he revoked all the honors and titles of this group of people, and asked each of them to hand over one-third of their family property to "atone for their sins" and transfer it to the Imperial Property Department treasury to which he held the key. When the money was ready, John summoned Axepochus and asked him to ride a fast horse along the road and go directly to the city of Thessaloniki to negotiate with Bohemond. "Now I have changed my mind. Instead of sending the money to To give Salian Caesar and Venice two unreliable partners, it is better to talk openly and honestly with Bohemond."

"It's easy for me to lift the siege." In the siege camp under Thessaloniki, Bohemond in the tent was swinging a knife for cutting meat, sitting on a chopped down icon sculpture, behind him They were piled with plundered candlesticks, portraits, gold and silver utensils and jewelry, and they talked to John's envoy, "First give me 60,000 imperial gold coins, and then give me the title of despot king of Antioch."

After speaking, Bohemond stood up and walked to Aksepokos with the knife in hand. Several Normans with ferocious faces followed him, "Are you a Turk?"

Aksepokos took off his hat, and it turned out that he had a bare head with two braids like ox tails on the back.

Bohemond burst out laughing and even said it was interesting, "For a Turk, Gawain used him as his personal standard-bearer and military servant, but John actually appointed him as the imperial secretary and diplomatic envoy. Well, I have already made this peace agreement. I have stated my conditions sincerely, can you accept it on behalf of your master?"

But seeing Aksepokos straightening his hat on his head in the hot weather without any fear or shame, he said, "Of course there is no problem. It is difficult to collect 60,000 gold coins in a hurry. You can give it to the father first." Your Majesty, how about 40,000 gold coins and renting ships from various city-states and providing grain and fodder to pay for it?”

"Okay." Bohemond raised his beard, turned the knife down on his fingers, and opened his arms.

After Axepochus retreated, Guy and other confidants approached Bohemond and asked, "That's it?"

"Just like this, what's the use of taking down the city in front of us and continuing to march towards the opponent's huge imperial capital full of granite?" Bohemond said, shaking his middle finger, "No, no, no, my Friends, with the military power we have put together now, it is impossible to achieve the goal. The original rhetoric will never be able to catch up with the actual estimate. The Greeks rented ships and signed land sales treaties with the Italian city-states. The more money they could get through deception, the better. Then they went to Cyprus, captured the cities there, and sold them to the Italian city-states or to Gao while they were conquering them. Wen. Then, I will use Cyprus as a springboard to return to Antioch with the official canonization of the Greek Empire and the title of genuine Duke of Apulia."

Then, Bohemond suddenly turned around with a fierce look in his eyes, and threw the knife out with a bolt of lightning, flying past the stunned people, and stuck it directly on the tent pole. The handle of the knife was still buzzing and shaking.

"Now that the Greek emperor has been completely defeated at the hands of Gawain, there is no point in fighting the lost dog. I just want to go back to Antioch. I have been waiting for this opportunity for a full year. It is not to prove that I am better than others. But to prove that I must take back what I have lost..."

At this moment, under the scorching summer sunshine on the plateau, close to the border between Brasillon and Bithynia, there are endless ocher-yellow and red-black gravel peaks, making the green of an apple tree somewhere in the heat wave particularly conspicuous. white The fruit blossoms fell on the flat ground. A middle-aged warrior wrapped in broken armor and cloak, with dark face and messy and dirty hair, was sitting under the tree holding a stringed bow. His mount had fallen to the ground. The one next to me was so tired that he was dying.

The sound of horse hooves was heard, and twenty feet away from the apple tree, several Cuman horse bandits riding ponies (this group was very common after the defeat) were standing there.

The two swords hanging from the middle-aged man's belt were shining with golden scabbards, illuminating the eyes and curved sabers of the group of horse bandits.