Hermes seemed to see Theodore's thoughts. Nobles, landowners, priests and even his wife were against him, and no one could accept it.

Hermes sat next to him and comforted him kindly: "Your Majesty, don't be discouraged, we will win."

"But the country is now in panic."

"What about you?" Hermes asked suddenly.

Theodore said frankly: "I'm afraid, I'm the most afraid. Most people have lost confidence in resistance. They just want me to be kicked out."

"But you swore that you would resist to the end."

Theodore didn't reply. He just sat there blankly, his eyes empty. The long-term and high-intensity mental pressure drove him almost crazy. In this era without cigarettes and morphine, he could only prick himself with needles to ensure that

I won't fall asleep suddenly.

Seeing that Theodore was still the same, the secretary raised his voice. At this moment, he loudly said in the same tone as treating a prisoner: "Fight to the end and you will rise again, but surrender without spine will only perish!"

Perhaps Hermes sensed his previous unreasonableness, so he changed his tone and comforted him: "Your Majesty, I will support you unconditionally. Even if everyone is against you, I will stand by your side."

These words woke Theodore up, and he looked at his secretary in surprise. His relationship with his secretary was not a good one. Although the two of them were often together, the relationship was more like a "supervisor and employee" relationship.

There was not much friendship; but now, he did not expect that this person with whom he did not have a very good relationship would support him in times of crisis.

Hermes continued: "Anyone who can make that tyrant feel afraid deserves our wholehearted trust."

These words gave Theodore great confidence, but these alone were not enough. He needed more support from the people or the army.

At this time, the secretary reminded him: "You should listen to the voices of the people. They are the foundation of this country. If our army is defeated on the front line, then they must be mentally prepared."

"The people are the foundation of this country." These words kept echoing in Theodore's mind. At this moment, he found a breakthrough point.

the next day……

It was raining lightly in the sky. Theodore looked at the people who were wet by the rain. He kept thinking of what the secretary had said in his mind, so Theodore uneasily walked into a church. The place was full of people, and prayers were about to begin.

At first, when everyone saw the emperor walking in, everyone was surprised, but they soon came to their senses and showered the emperor with enthusiasm and flowers.

Here, everyone knew him, and the people greeted him warmly, and in return, Theodore greeted them.

Theodore asked these people, do they have confidence in the current situation? At this moment, everyone nodded. Theodore was shocked, and he asked: "If the enemy invades our town, what will you do?"

Do?"

"Resist." was everyone's answer, and the church was filled with battle cries.

Their answers made Theodore's pressure much less stressful, and he asked again: "What if we sign a peace agreement with the Latins?"

Everyone answered in unison: "?χι (never)"

One of the little girls caught Theodore's attention. He came to the girl and asked: "Will you never compromise?"

The little girl said firmly: "?χι,?χι (no, never)."

At this moment, Theodore remembered the famous saying of Horatius: "For all living things in the world, death will eventually come, but no death can compare with facing a powerful enemy directly..."

Thinking of this, he choked up, and then an old man beside him added: "It is more noble to die to protect the remains of our ancestors and the temple of our faith."

Theodore patted his shoulder with relief, and tears burst into his eyes. The little girl didn't understand why he was sad. Theodore wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, squeezed out a smile, and explained: "I know, I cry often.

, you will slowly get used to it."

At this time, the time for prayer came. Theodore prayed sincerely with everyone, and the priest talked endlessly. At the same time, the rain outside the window stopped unknown when, the dark clouds dispersed, and the sun shined through the window.

Shining on the cross, it emits a dazzling light, dispelling the darkness in the church and, perhaps, the darkness in Theodore's heart.

Before leaving, Theodore looked back at the people in the church. He walked out of the church resolutely without saying a word.

Most of the nobles, priests and landowners reached an agreement and tried to force Theodore to negotiate for peace. However, he accepted the secretary's suggestion and went to the people to ask what they thought, and found that he was not alone.

Although the people are afraid of the Latins, they hate the Latins even more. The fear of death is an irresistible factor for everyone, but what people are afraid of is dying in waste and having no sense of existence. When enemies come like a tide, people dare to use everything around them.

The available items are used to fight to the death, chop with hoes, smash with bricks, or simply bite with teeth, just to die bravely and protect their things.

What do they protect? The emperor? Or status? None of these. Perhaps the old man has already given the answer.

"It is more noble to die to protect the remains of our ancestors and the temple of our faith."

At the same time, the people told Theodore that if the agreement was signed, they would become puppets of the Latins. The Latin Empire flag and the Venetian Golden Lion Flag would fly wantonly on this land. They would occupy the Roman homes and occupy them.

Women, plunder the wealth of this land and destroy this colorful civilization.

"So, do we need to talk to the Latins?"

"?χι,?χι. (No, never)"

(The political systems of Rome and the East are very different. The East is a traditional centralized monarchy, which eventually evolved into a republic; while Rome evolved from a monarchy to a slave-owning aristocratic republic, and then gradually evolved into a centralized monarchy. In a strict sense

Generally speaking, the Roman Empire from Octavian to Diocletian had no emperor, only the head of state, the chief member of the Senate. Octavian had a dictatorship, not an empire. By Diocletian

After a series of reforms, it gradually developed towards an imperial system. In the Dongluo period, the monarch could even be elected by the people, and his status was similar to the current president. In the history of Dongluo, we often see examples of people overthrowing the emperor and electing another emperor, which is similar to the Eastern Emperor.

The concepts are completely different. Therefore, according to the Roman tradition, anyone can be the emperor of Rome, whether you are a noble or a commoner, whether you are a Greek or an Arab, and it does not matter what your surname is. In summary, the Roman Empire, especially the Eastern Roman Empire
Chapter completed!