Eagle Byzantium

The report made of Seleucid paper was spread out in front of Gawain. Maglundius was indeed an experienced imperial bureaucrat, who was well aware of the situation in the western part of the empire. He summarized in detail the lessons learned from the confrontation between the empire and Serbia and Bulgaria in the past. He was indeed an old man who had experienced the bureaucracy and local military circles in the capital. He asserted that "with the foundation of the ancient Roman Empire and the vigor of the emperor's new army reform, the Mosians, Comarois, Wallachians, and Savoys (the name of the Serbs) are not to be feared.

Even if the pseudo-patriarch of Tuscany and the great earl of Sicily are making a fuss, they are just jumping and domineering people.

Your Majesty will first take Savoy, Moesia, and Thessaly. Three years later, you can use the big tax book to obtain a powerful vassal army in these three places, and then take Diocletia (Dalmatia) to force the Hungarians to Gambia and Venice signed a humiliating treaty to withdraw from the war, and vassalized the city-state of Ragusa, making it echo Bari, closing the gates of the Adriatic Sea, and prohibiting Venice from going out to the sea. In this way, Venice would have no hope of helping the false emperor John; then turn back to the south to capture Morea, obtain the response of the local Velzti (another Slavic tribe), and dispatch the fleets of Attalia and Mysia to assist in the siege. After taking this place, the navy can be sent to isolate the Strait of Otranto again, and block the sea route of the Norman bandits in Sicily; then all the roads will advance simultaneously, immediately break through the pass of Kastoria from the center, sweep across Desyura and Epirus, and the vast territory of the former dynasty will be restored soon... By then, Venice's military, trade, economic, and political independence must be eradicated, and its city-states must be destroyed... The unification of Asia Minor will surely obtain Constantinople It will be as easy as pie; and if you get Constantinople and Thrace, you will be able to get Macedonia, Moesia, and Savoy as easily; if you get these three places, you will also get Morea, Thessaly, Epirus, and Deicria as easily; after that, Your Majesty will swing your sword westward, and Italy will be at your disposal. At that time, you can destroy the Normans in Sicily, unite many vassals of Bari, Ancona, and Taranto, be friendly with allies such as Rica, Pisa, and Amalfi, and divide the border with Salian Caesar, and you can do it slowly.

Your Majesty has already obtained the major cities of Mesembria, Sozopolis, Deltuvisi, Veclon, and Tervono, which are all places where military, financial, grain, and trade converge. Therefore, the Moesian rebels have weakened their momentum and are confined to the mountains. They will not last long. Your Majesty does not need to go deep into the northern mountains, but only needs to send Giovanni to Tervono and Andeodate to prepare the land tax and military system. That's it; Your Majesty does not need to attack the rebels in Sardica (the name of Sofia in the Byzantine side) by other routes, as there are many dangerous places there, which are conducive to the enemy's sniping and ambush. Instead, you should make a false appearance and leave the Stara Pass, but actually lead the Red Hand, Gimages, the cavalry guards and other experienced main forces, directly through Virsignynia, Adrianople, and Philippou, to the Trajan Gate to meet General Melo, and then use the huge force of five brigades, with General Branas's southern flank attack as support, to attack Sardica head-on, use the latest explosive firearms to destroy its city defenses, and wipe out the Berdin rebels in one go.

If Berdin escapes, a strong barrier will be built along the line of Sardica and Nis, which can split the entire Savoy and Moesia regions in two, and then you can focus on the Berdin rebellion, guard against the attack of Hungarian and Venetian reinforcements, and also defeat the harassment of the remaining rebels in the Moesia Mountains. As long as the key hub of Sardica falls into your majesty's hands, the Latin scoundrels from the west will be helpless. As long as your majesty conducts careful detection, you can capture their main force and crush this mob at a suitable decisive battle site. "

After reading the letter from Grandpa Little Sunfish, Gawain's plan suddenly became clear. Without any hesitation, he asked the attendants and confidential officers to enter the tent, did a careful homework on the sand table map table, and asked General Diogenes to make a model of Sardica Castle and began to simulate the deployment of artillery and explosives to attack the city.

Three days later, in the military camp of Versignia, the emperor personally reviewed the imperial guards on the parade ground and officially raised the new flag of the empire: representing Basileus, , the double-headed eagle (fog) of the dual rule of Barcelissa, and its two secondary flags were the former red-handed cross sword flag and the traditional white background with blue stripes and small purple cross flag of the empire. When the flag was raised, all the soldiers shouted long live. Gawain then secretly "entrusted" the flag to Giovanni - the Grand Inquisitor of the Imperial Holy See led the "Bulgarian Brigade" and the main forces of the Pisidia and Dolilaem militias, and then rushed to Trvorno, Vipo to Stara Pass.

And Andeodate, the Minister of Posts and Posts in the capital, With a new mission, he must also rush to these areas to supervise the formulation and operation of the "Great Tax Book of Mosia" in the next year.

Andeodate didn't know what his title as the Minister of Posts and Posts was for? Now he really looked like a postman running around.

In mid-March, Berdin of Sophia Castle suddenly received a scout report: a large number of enemy troops with the flag of the Roman Empire appeared at the Stara Pass on the east side, and they were not friendly - it was almost certain that Gawain had brought the main force.

At the same time, the report from the south line was that the three brigades of Branas had entered the Vardar River Valley and expelled the Turkic herdsmen living there (the source of the Vardarite cavalry) everywhere, on the charge of assisting the rebellion before. Some Vardar tribes have surrendered, while others have fled everywhere, spreading panic to Ohrid and other areas.

The three brigades of Melo in the Trajan Gate area also had deep trenches and high fortifications, and the soldiers trained every day, full of murderous intent, ready to attack at any time.

"John, Simon, the Venetian governor, and especially the recent Hungarian princes, are their promises and their armies just empty words on paper?" Berdin was furious because he felt the genuine terror of the enemy attacking from three sides.

But with the enemy at hand, Berdin had to deploy troops to resist possible threats.

For the sake of caution, he first sent a 3,000-man guerrilla army to ambush in the forest road from Stara to Sofia Castle, first for effective military reconnaissance (whether the main force of Gawain was coming), and secondly to rely on soldiers familiar with the terrain to inflict heavy damage on the enemy. Then he asked his brother Vladimir to lead an 8,000-man infantry and cavalry team to station between the two castles of Skopje and Prizren, just sandwiching the upper reaches of the Vardar River, to provide a barrier for Ohrid and Sofia Castle, and monitor the army against Branas heading north. Finally, he brought 15,000 Serbian troops to continue to defend the core Sofia Castle.

Then, Bourdin calmed down and continued to ask allies to support his defense line. After all, once it collapsed, Gawain's "flood of disaster" would rush straight to the Alps.