Eagle Byzantium

John's words were, "No matter what, if I go to the negotiation place, I am afraid that my mother Irene will rebel in the imperial capital."

After saying this, John closed his mouth sadly, and the sound of rain outside seemed to suddenly become louder.

Marlena didn't know how to reply for a moment. Her worried eyes followed John's back, back and forth on the colonnade terrace, watching the young man pacing back and forth. Finally, he seemed to have made his final decision, "This way Okay, I’ll take my mother with me when I go to negotiate.”

After saying that, he chuckled a few times, dryly. I don't know if it was self-deprecation, helplessness, or some other emotion.

"What about Mikhail?"

"Also accompany me..." After John finished speaking, he held his adoptive mother's shoulder and asked, "After I leave, the imperial capital and the palace will be entrusted to you and Aksepokos. As for Teti Xius still wants him to follow me, now I can only trust him. "

This seemed to be a kind of farewell. The sadness in Malena's heart welled up. Her tears stained the smoky eye circles. She stroked her adopted son's definitely not handsome face with her fingers, "I will do my best to protect Brahe." Nagong’s.”

The next day, the rain still showed no sign of stopping. Mixed with the cold wind from Thrace and the Bulgar Mountains, it seemed that it was about to snow.

In Irene's bedroom, John and Axepochus stood in the corridor, and Irene sat on the seat opposite.

In the corner next to the gate, Titicius, whose face was covered with bruises and scars, was huddled there wrapped in a cloak, with his saber hanging down. From a distance, he looked like a drowned dog, without raising his head or saying a word.

"Because my position is too important, and because you love your mother so much, you want me to attend this negotiation to face Anna and Dido?" The Empress Dowager held the application petition and said these words Come.

But John just lowered his head and said nothing to his mother's teasing.

But he had no intention of giving in, and he just asked his mother Aileen to follow him to negotiate.

Soon, correspondence continued between Constantinople and Tarsus. The location for the negotiations was finally determined to be the "Queen's Monastery" on the ridge of the scenic Hay Belida Island.

But John always suspected that Gawain and Anna were playing tricks on him - although there was nothing wrong with the procedures they carried out, many skua boats came from Sinop and Amisus to gather on the other side of the strait. , there is also a strong task force on standby at any time.

How could John let down his guard under such circumstances?

He was afraid that Gawain would really rush to the Gulf of Mesembria, attack Thrace from the side, and surround the imperial capital.

This group of "Skuas" light boats are particularly good at playing a role in the waters of Euxium. They are wolves and light cavalry. A fleet carrying about two thousand soldiers ashore can cause a huge shock in Thrace. fear.

Therefore, when John decided to go to the appointment for negotiation and took his mother Irene with him, he hesitated again and sent a document to Gawain, in which he accused the other party of being unsincere and that he should be in Abydos and Prusa. , Nicaea fully withdrew its troops fifty to one hundred miles, and disbanded the ships and task force soldiers stationed at Fort Caltarimon, because no one wanted to negotiate with "people who still hold butcher knives in their hands."

In the city of Prusa, which had been transformed into a huge petal castle, Gawain received John's complaint and made a very angry gesture and said, "I have been waiting here for nearly a month and can go to Hayberry at any time. But it is John who is stalling now and not me who is insincere! If the Pope’s mediation is not accepted by him, I will let the light ships, perfume bottle cannons and cavalry take the place of peace negotiations.”

John, who was frightened by this, immediately found Molitor, the Venetian Consul General of Pella in Constantinople, and asked him to mobilize several large ships to enter the Euxine Sea and use the powerful weapons on the ships to stop Gawain's attack. Group of light ships, "One of your sterns is a match for ten or twenty Skuas of Tarsus."

Faced with the emperor's request, Molitor expressed his embarrassment.

Because according to the contract signed between Emperor Alexios and Venice fourteen years ago, Venetians were not allowed to cross the Bosporus and enter the black Uxen Sea. In his eyes, this ocean was the "inland lake" of the empire, and Italian ships must not be allowed to touch it.

But Gawain would not be bound by this contract. He cleverly arranged the ship group to attack the target of landing in Thrace. He had the intention of using this contract to restrain the hands and feet of John and the Venetians—— -This is also the first step of the strategy carefully planned by the elder mentor Maglendius.

John had no choice but to urgently meet with the Venetian Consul General Molitor in the River Hall of the Brachna Palace. On the surface, he was discussing trade matters, but in fact he hoped to secretly tamper with the text of the old contract and make the war in Venice easier. Ships can pass through the Bosporus with dignity.

Of course, Titicius, who was recovering from his injuries, fiercely opposed this. He warned that if a ship flying the Lion of San Marco passed through this sensitive area, "a rebellion in the imperial capital may break out."

But John was stubborn and had two solutions. "First, let Axepokos not change the original text of the old contract, but only modify or add annotations to the contract. The annotations stipulate that 'if the imperial capital is threatened by the sea, , then the warships of the empire's vassal city-states can take expedient measures in such an emergency and support the empire in defending the imperial capital through the strait'; 2. When Venetian warships pass through the strait, in order to prevent the residents of the imperial capital from getting too excited, the lions can be removed Battle flag.”

"This kind of covering up people's eyes will be self-defeating."

"Get out!"

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In this way, Titicius was once again expelled from the River Hall.

Frankly speaking, the emperor asked Molitor to change the text of the old contract, but the other party refused extremely. Molitor frankly told the emperor: "It is impossible for the servant to sign his name on such a thing (after all, it was done more than ten years ago) In the text of the contract, the presence of Molitor's name on it is tantamount to admitting the crime of tampering), but once it triggers changes in His Majesty's imperial capital or country, affecting the life and property safety of the citizens here, The servant neither dares nor is able to bear such a huge responsibility."

But John, who had no retreat, angrily accused Molitor of being a recognized "pro-Gawain" person, thereby intimidating him into submission.

Molitor could only prevaricate, please allow me to send a letter of opinion to the city-state and wait for the consul's approval.

After the Consul General retreated, John felt tired and exhausted. He sighed and sat on the throne, staring blankly at the archway between the tapestry and hanging curtains.

Soon someone came out from the corridor, making John shrink back in his seat in shock.

But after taking a closer look, he found that this man was his confidant Aksepokos. He told him angrily: "Just now, a private soldier of the Ducas family appeared in front of the gate of Isaac. Claiming that it is to protect the safety of the Queen Mother, I request your Majesty to put them into Brachna Palace."