The Trebizond area does not need much cleansing. It has not been damaged much by Angelos. The areas that need to be cleaned are mainly concentrated in Asia Minor. Only after the Latin Empire is severely damaged will he have enough ability and time to devote himself wholeheartedly to it.

In the midst of a major purge.

Refugees from Bithynia can only be resettled in the fringes of towns, that is, slums. Only mature men who are suitable for farming will be favored by rich farmers and hired to farm in the countryside; there are also some girls with outstanding looks who will be hired by nobles or landlords.

It seems that they are bought as servants; due to the shortage of labor, many mine owners even hire boys as workers, and their wages are even pitiful.

The only people who really live in the slums every day and night and rely on the food provided by the government every day are the elderly, the disabled and women.

The Trebizond government was short of food, and Alexius even had to send people to the Sultanate of Roma to buy cattle and sheep at high prices to promote the development of animal husbandry; to purchase wheat or other products from the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia

Materials.

All this has led to a serious trade deficit problem in Trebizond, with a large amount of money flowing into foreign countries, but very little money flowing into the country.

During the Comnenus Dynasty, these countries imported food, weapons, diamonds and other materials from the Roman Empire at high prices, and the empire made a lot of money as a result; but now, the situation on both sides is completely reversed.

Under the diligent rule of three generations of wise kings in Comnenus, the Roman Empire became stronger again. The Sultanate of Rome, the Principality of Antioch, the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, the Kingdom of Jerusalem and other countries were all vassal states or servant states of the empire; and now,

The Sultanate of Rum regained its strength and became the overlord of Anatolia. Alexius even considered servitude to this country in order to obtain the Sultan's help.

After being destroyed by Basil II, the Bulgars remained peaceful for more than a hundred years until the tyranny and corruption of the Angelos dynasty forced them to rebel and establish the Second Kingdom.

When it comes to the most decadent dynasties in the (Eastern) Roman Empire, the Dukas dynasty and the Angelus dynasty must be among the best, and the Palaiologos dynasty can also be ranked among the top few.

This side of Laskaris,

While John was resisting the Latins, Theodore received an urgent message from Abydos - the local defenders had encountered a fierce attack by another Latin army. They had crossed the Dardanelles and

The ancient city of Troy was captured and used as a bridgehead to attack the province of Abydos.

At least there are hills in the eastern part of the province of Bithynia that can slow down the Latin attack. Even if it cannot be defended, one can retreat to the Pontus Mountains and rely on the high mountains to resist the Latins; while the province of Abydos is completely plain, almost Frankish.

The "paradise" of the heavy cavalry was located at the rear of the province, in the dense river valleys of western Asia Minor and the Southern Bithynia Mountains.

However, once the defenders retreat to the rear, it will be equivalent to handing over a large area of ​​land between the Sea of ​​Marmara - the Pontus Mountains - the South Bithynia Mountains to the Latins. These places are mainly plains and have fertile land.

Cities such as Nicaea and Nicomedia are all here.

When Theodore learned that this place was being attacked, he also received news that Trebizond was about to move. Alexius reassembled an army in the Pontus coastal corridor. Obviously, the Komnenos brothers did not want to lose

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take advantage of Laskaris' main force being entangled by the Latins to launch a massive attack on Nicaea.

Under siege from three sides, the Nicaea regime was already on the verge of collapse. To make matters worse, just as Theodore had predicted a few months ago, the local nobles finally couldn't stand it anymore. They secretly supported the Latin Empire and informed the Latin army.

, constantly providing them with important military intelligence, hoping to get a piece of the pie after the fall of Laskaris.

At the same time, the people's confidence in this war is also worrying. They hate the Latins, but they are afraid of the Latins. The Frank knights destroyed Constantinople and also destroyed the people's self-esteem. Even the Theodosian wall could not

If they stand in their way, who else can save the Romans?

The landowners and clergy who helped Laskaris stabilize his rule were also shaken at this moment. Like the people, they hated the Latins and were horrified by them. The successive losses of land on the front line made the two war against each other.

The Bureau has lost confidence.

Some nobles began to look for new successors. The capitulation faction and the peace-seeking faction colluded to continuously suppress the main war faction. At the same time, when the time is right, they will assassinate Theodore, evacuate the Laskaris family, and make the future

The perpetrators were stigmatized as "the culprits who started the war" and became a scapegoat.

At the same time, Theodore's wife complained more and more loudly. She did not understand her husband's foolish behavior. They quarreled almost every day. After each quarrel, Theodore would comfort his wife first and ease the situation.

Her resentment.

Many times, as soon as he walked out of his house, he was surrounded by people. Some people even threw stones at Theodore and shouted at this "war maniac" under the bribes of the opposition.

The whole country is filled with an atmosphere of despair from top to bottom. The main war faction is too few, while the capitulation faction and the peace-seeking faction have the upper hand. Everyone knows that if they continue to help Laskaris at this time, they will be completely captured by the Latins.

After this land, those who "help the enemy" will surely have no good fruits to eat.

Theodore temporarily lost the support of the nobles, priests, and landowners. His spirit began to collapse and he stayed up all night. He asked his secretary to write down his thoughts in the past few days, but as he spoke, he began to speak incoherently.

In the end, it turned into a murmur. He kept cursing the Latin people, and suddenly he didn't know where he was talking.

That night, Theodore sat alone on the rooftop. Snowflakes were floating in the sky. His eyes were filled with tears. Maybe he was wrong. Peace negotiation or surrender was the only way to save Rome?

The nobles only cared about protecting themselves, but never thought about the country.

When Theodore returned to the room, the secretary found that he was sitting alone in the damp and dark cabin, losing his awe-inspiring aura.

He is now making a desperate move and placing his last spiritual trust on the army. If the army also collapses, then this war will end in victory for the Latins.

Three thousand men, this was all the troops in his hands, while his opponent, Baldwin I, had at least 20,000 armed soldiers, as well as a large number of Greek servants.

On the sea, Dandolo's Venetian fleet was rampaging on the Bosporus and could provide maritime support to the army at any time; while Theodore did not even have a single warship.

The hope of victory is slim, but it is not completely gone. It flickers like a spark. Before the darkness completely swallows everything, everything is possible?

The complexity of the development of things is also full of randomness and possibility.
Chapter completed!