The walls of Adrianople were strong, and the rebels relied on this advantage. For half a month, Baldwin I failed to capture the city. Baldwin had no choice. Before he could build large-scale siege equipment, he could only siege the city.

It is possible to "starve" the rebels to death.

Varisi was not a fool. Before the Latin army completely besieged Adrianople, he had already sent soldiers and civilians to ask for help. The one who finally agreed to "reinforcement" was the Kingdom of Bulgaria ruled by Kaloyan.

The Kingdom of Bulgaria, since it was destroyed by Basil II, was ruled by the Romans for more than a hundred years. Until the end of the 12th century, the Bulgars could not stand the decadent rule of the Angelus dynasty. They resisted with arms and finally defeated Rome.

The army restored the Kingdom of Bulgaria, which was known as the "Second Bulgarian Empire" in history.

In 1205, Bulgaria was ruled by "Tsar" Kaloyan, the youngest of the Asen family, who succeeded to the throne in 1185.

After the Crusaders captured Constantinople, Bulgaria became the dominant player in the Balkans.

Kaloyan originally wanted to form an alliance with Baldwin I to carve up the remaining land of the Romans, but Baldwin replied: "You are already my subject, how can we talk about an alliance?" Kaloyan was forced to declare war.

After Kaloyan was severely humiliated by Baldwin, he no longer had the idea of ​​forming an alliance with the Latins. He was waiting for the opportunity. When the time came, he would give the arrogant Baldwin a lesson.

In this land of Orthodox Christianity, it is not the turn of Catholicism to run wild.

Kaloyan was very responsible. He recruited troops and rescued Adrianople in early April because he saw an opportunity to expand Bulgaria's influence in the region.

Varisi and others were very happy after receiving the rescue help. They found the flag of the Kingdom of Bulgaria and hung it high on the city. When Baldwin saw this, he thought the encirclement had been broken through and the Bulgarian army successfully entered the city.

.

Varisi's measures successfully delayed the Latin attack. By the time Baldwin discovered that the encirclement had not been broken through, it was already too late - Kaloyan's reinforcements had already appeared in front of him.

The war officially broke out between the two armies outside Adrianople.

Kaloyan sent a light cavalry force composed of Cumans. The fast-moving Cuman cavalry troops quickly approached the base camp of Baldwin I. They used bows, arrows and javelins to give cordial greetings to the Latins.

"Hush, rest, rest!" Arrows fell on the Latin army's lineup. The Latin soldiers were well-equipped. Under the protection of armor, only a few people were injured, but this succeeded in angering the knights. Some Frank knights led the squire cavalry.

Rushing out to meet the enemy, the Cuman rider turned around and ran away.

"Coward! You dare to fight me!" some knights yelled. Although the Cuman arrows could not hurt them, the arrows hit the armor and made a "bang bang" sound, which made the knights feel unhappy.

This was the only time that the Latin army forgot their discipline and went all out in pursuit. Some hot-blooded cavalry also joined the pursuit.

While riding on horseback, the Cuman riders turned around, used the short bows in their hands, and once again released a rain of arrows at the Latin riders who were chasing them.

This is Parthian archery, which seems simple but is actually complex.

Latin knights did not have the habit of wearing armor on their horses because it would affect their speed. Some horses were hit by arrows and their riders fell to the ground.

But despite this, the knights did not suffer many casualties.

The knights chased farther and farther, and some knights woke up from their fanaticism. They called their comrades around them, and they all realized their impulse, so they turned their horses and returned to the base camp.

The Cuman cavalry also left the battlefield.

That night, in the Latin army base camp.

The impulsive knights angered Baldwin. He was very annoyed by these unorganized and blind pursuit of the enemy, so he convened a military meeting to discuss the next battle plan.

As soon as the meeting began, he issued a fatal order to the knights: they were not allowed to leave the team without explicit orders.

At the war meeting, a blind old man over ninety years old also participated. He was Enrico Dandolo, the Governor of Venice.

He was the main planner of the sack of Constantinople and hated the Roman Empire because the Romans cruelly gouged out his eyes. (1182 Latin Massacre.)

From that moment he vowed that he would destroy the Roman Empire, and finally when he was ninety years old, this wish came true.

Historically, he died shortly after completing his dream and was buried in Hagia Sophia. When the Romans returned to the city in 1261, they spat on his tombstone.

After the Ottoman Empire's Muhammad II captured Constantinople, he ordered Dandolo's tomb to be dumped.

"I suggest that your Majesty be careful in dealing with these heretical barbarians. Their strength may exceed ours."

"Absurd!" A knight suddenly stood up. He was Louis, Count of Blois in France, and one of the best commanders in the Latin Empire.

"Those barbarians who dare not fight have nothing to fear! The heavily armed French knights can easily overwhelm their formation! Take away Kaloyan in one wave! These rabble will quickly collapse."

The two discussed for a long time and reached a stalemate. They had to give in each other, and finally came to the plan:

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Dandolo led part of the Latin army to continue the siege of Adrianople, while Baldwin led the main force to attack Kaloyan.

Early the next morning, the Latin army was ready. Just as Baldwin was forming his second line of formation, the Cumans appeared from the hills to the north. They continued to harass the Latin army just like last time.

When Baldwin saw this, he was not in a hurry. He planned to wait until the Cumans were closer to his army, and then send the knights to attack head-on, block the Cumans' movements, and force the latter to fight in close combat, so that the knights could exert their greatest strength.

combat effectiveness.

However, what Baldwin never expected was that when the Cumans' arrows struck again, Louis actually led his troops to charge!

The Cumans were temporarily caught off guard. The two cavalry units staggered together. The sounds of metal clashing, soldiers' cursing and horses' snoring could be heard all the time.

However, after a short close battle, they stopped fighting.

The Cumans knew that they were no match for the Latin cavalry, so they turned back and retreated, seemingly to escape to the Taza River in the north.

Louis completely ignored Baldwin's fatal order before the war - do not act without permission before receiving an order.

Louis was furious and chased the Cuman riders all the way. Baldwin was angry and helpless and could only follow Louis' rhythm. The emperor was forced to reinforce this "pig attack". He hurriedly organized his troops and joined the pursuit of the enemy soldiers.
Chapter completed!