When the news that the vanguard troops were ambushed reached Henry's ears, as the commander-in-chief of the entire army, he naturally did not panic. He ordered the troops to be more vigilant, slow down the advance, and try to keep the distance between the troops to facilitate the front line.

When encountering unexpected events, the rear could arrive in time for support; at the same time, he replaced all the vanguard troops with Greek servants, the so-called miscellaneous army, allowing these "cannon fodder" to consume the effective strength of the Nicaeans.

In the next few ambushes, the Nicene army did not achieve much success. When the Greek servants entered the encirclement, the Nicene soldiers who had been waiting for a long time attacked across the board. Although these Greek servants had low combat effectiveness and were quickly defeated

They were annihilated, but the main Latin force would arrive soon, and some Nicene soldiers who had no time to retreat were easily killed.

Using a bunch of Greek cannon fodder to consume the effective strength of the Nicaea army was a good deal for Henry; but for the Nicaea army, it was indeed a loss that could not be afforded, because the enemy could quickly replenish troops, and the Nicaea army could not afford the loss.

West Asia cannot, one less person means one less person.

Therefore, John had to adjust his strategy. He changed the focus from "ambushing the Latin small forces" to "attacking the Latins' logistical supply lines." This is easy to understand.

First, the Latins are invaders. Generally, the residents of the country are more inclined to support their own army and hate the invaders. Therefore, while the Latin army is dealing with the Nicaean army, it will also face stubborn resistance from the local residents, which naturally increases the

Logistics consumption requirements.

Secondly, John implemented the "scorched earth policy". The residents of the province of Bithynia evacuated to the interior with their property very early. When the Latins attacked, they often saw empty villages or towns, let alone any looting.

They could not obtain a grain of grain or a gold coin, so they could not achieve the goal of "fighting to support war" at all. All material expenditures were completely supported by Constantinople, which naturally increased the pressure on logistics.

Third, although the land in Western Asia Minor is fertile, the harvest is only in spring and autumn. The Latins chose to fight in winter. Although they did not have to suffer from the high temperatures, their stomachs would suffer a lot.

With these three points, the logistical problems of the Latin army have been grasped to death. If they cannot solve the battle quickly, whether it is the "tenacious resistance of the local people and the army" or the implementation of the "scorched earth policy", then

The Latin army will be faced with a logistical shortage and will have no choice but to remain in a stalemate with the Nicaea regime, with both sides unable to launch a war.

The effect of raids on Latin supply lines was significant.

The Nicaean soldiers appeared elusively at the rear of the main Latin army, constantly attacking their supply lines. The unsuspecting logistics personnel were unable to resist. Most of the supplies that were supposed to be delivered to the army were burned. When the Latin soldiers hurriedly arrived,

At the scene, only corpses and burned materials were left everywhere.

Henry had to mobilize part of his troops to protect the rear, and at the same time stopped his march and rested on the spot waiting for new supplies.

After hearing the news that Henry had stopped his march, John was relieved. Although Bithynia was half-fallen, from a time perspective, he had held Henry back for half a month, buying time for the rear. From a strategic perspective,

This is undoubtedly a success.

For more than half a month, Henry could only march about one kilometer a day on average, which was exactly the speed of a tortoise. And the deeper he marched, the more intense the Greek resistance became. By then, the distance he could march every day could only be measured at a hundred meters.

Let’s do the math.

Delaying, now it all depends on delaying time. In John's eyes, delaying time can wait for reinforcements to arrive. Although Theodore will not give him a single soldier, there are still reinforcements, but they are not Nicaea reinforcements.

Although Kaloyan, the Bulgarian tsar, did not have a very good relationship with the (Eastern) Roman Empire, the arrogance of the Latin Emperor Baldwin I also angered the tsar. He put aside his hatred with the Romans for the time being and dealt with the new neighbors first.

is the first thing to do.

It was not that Theodore's diplomacy was so successful that he "successfully" united the Bulgars, but simply because of Baldwin's arrogance. When Kaloyan sincerely hoped to form an alliance with the Latins to carve up the remaining lands of the Romans, Baldwin replied arrogantly.

He said: "You are already my subject, do you need to form an alliance?", causing Kaloyan to be forced to declare war.

It is not cold in Asia Minor in December. Compared with the hot summer here, the Franks are more willing to accept the winter here.

Henry's main force was stationed in a town. The residents of this town had long since fled without a trace, so when the Latin army entered the town, they encountered no resistance.

The church originally used for prayer has now become Henry's base camp, and the private houses have become the "new homes" of the soldiers. The noble knights are arranged in nobler rooms. Before new supplies arrive, they can only be temporarily stationed in

here.

Most people were unprepared, and there were even fewer patrolling troops.

Inside the church...

"Henry, let me be frank. The Greeks are not terrible. They dare not fight us head-on. They just scurry around like mice." Some knights complained.

The heroic knights were starving, being treated like monkeys by the Greeks, and yet they had not fought a decent battle, which was undoubtedly a huge shame for them.

"Yes!" A knight echoed: "The Greeks regard courage as recklessness and only play tricks!"

"Okay, I understand your thoughts very well." Henry shook his head helplessly and said: "This shows that our enemy is quite smart and knows that the front is unable to resist the knights' attack. Didn't you notice? We have not marched until now.

How many steps? It was completely different from what was expected. It was obvious that the Greeks wanted to hold us back."

"But this cannot change the characteristics of the Greeks' low combat effectiveness!"

"But what about those Saracens (here referring to Turks, non-Arabs) who sent troops to help? Don't forget that the Greeks have always had a tradition of cooperating with foreigners. Those Varangians who are causing us headaches are also Greeks

A masterpiece?"

As soon as Henry said this, the scene was completely silent. If the Sultanate of Roma really sent troops to help, then it would be even more impossible for the Romanian Empire to achieve a quick victory. The Sultanate of Roma was not weak, and no matter how arrogant Baldwin was, it would be impossible.

Ignore this potential threat.

While Henry and others were discussing, a soldier with his face covered in blood rushed in, fell to the ground, and regardless of his appearance, shouted at Henry: "Hey... Greeks! They are coming to kill!"
Chapter completed!