When the Rus arrived at the Norman camp on the coast, there was a joyful atmosphere.
No wonder they were like this, because they won another victory, and the various materials captured made everyone rich. Even the Greek civilians also gained a lot of wealth that was exposed from the fingers of the Normans.
The joyful atmosphere was in the air, floating together with the alcohol. Women's smiles and men's triumphant voices kept coming. Continuous victories made everyone's wallets bulging, so these things became more and more common in the military camp.
However, the Normans still maintained their usual military standards. The camp and security were still well done. The wooden walls were repaired and the trenches were dug. Russell did not get carried away with his victory. It seemed that he did not forget that the place where he was was a vast area.
A hostile land.
This made Monomach couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. As long as the Norman was still maintaining his level, he was really afraid that if the Norman relaxed completely, failure would really not be far away.
Passing through the groups of mercenaries who were either busy having fun or bragging and drinking, Monomach and the two important Ross officers under his command - Anton and Radko - arrived in front of Russell's tent.
Anton and Radko are the only more authoritative people in Russia than the two Ruriks, and they often have their own ideas. Their relationship with the two Ruriks is more like partners, but they often
They don't speak easily, and few people can see what they are thinking.
Entering Russell's tent, Ross discovered that all the rebel generals had unknowingly arrived, and there were generals in armor everywhere.
Now everyone is talking about the current war situation in the tent. Everyone is extremely optimistic and believes that the imperial capital will definitely be in their possession. With the weak fighting power shown by the Greeks, they will definitely win.
This made Monomach quite concerned. With so many people gathered, it seemed that Russell wanted to announce something.
Prince Ross did not wait here. He chatted with several companions around him and told them not to act without authorization. Then he also found a few familiar generals to talk to. Monomach had made many friends, and among these
He learned a lot of things during the chat.
The Pechenegs and Bulgarians in the Northern Empire launched a rebellion. Emperor Michael cut a lot of funds that should have been used in these places, which made the locals very dissatisfied, so there was an uprising.
Because of the war in the north, many imperial troops were also attracted there. This was good news for the rebels, but it was still secondary after all.
The next piece of news we got was more important. Emperor Michael of the Imperial Capital seemed to have ceded all the territory east of Ankara to the Turks in exchange for their attacks on the Ankara rebels.
The Turks are currently advancing westward under the leadership of their leader Suleiman. This uncle of Seljuk Khan seems to want to establish a kingdom of his own, so he is advancing very eagerly.
Monomakh was not surprised by this. The imperial capital of the military region east of Ankara has basically lost its ability to govern. Anyway, the population of these military regions is relatively small. Those in the imperial capital think that cession does not matter. Rather than continuing to maintain it awkwardly, it is better
Trade them for an army.
After all, in the eyes of those in the imperial capital, except for Constantinople, it didn't matter if other parts of the empire were gone. They were all places where country people lived anyway.
However, he has not yet received any news about the Turks' eastward advance. With the mixed nature of the rebels, it is impossible to cover up the news. It seems that the Turks still want to wait and see. These guys are as cunning as ever.
But even so, this is still not good news for Russell's rebels. If they were not about to attack the imperial capital, there would definitely be problems within the rebels. The imperial capital is right in front of them, and no one will leave at the right time, but if they can't
If you take it, then you can...
While Monomach was thinking about the situation and the prospects of the rebels, finally the Norman Russell appeared in front of everyone.
Russell was wearing a set of typical Norman robes, which was in sharp contrast to his previous dress. At that time, he was moving closer to the Greeks, but now as the leader of a group of foreign mercenaries, naturally he should not be too Greek, but let him
It’s better to look down and be more friendly.
"Gentlemen, I declare a victory to you. Nicaea has surrendered to us. This city has given a huge tribute. According to tradition, these gold and silver will be among my men, who are you."
Medium distribution!”
Russell's words caused cheers. For mercenaries, nothing is more attractive than gold and silver, and nothing is more popular than this. Their support for Russell is also rising crazily.
"In addition, I want to announce something important. The real Roman Emperor has come among us, and we will enter the imperial capital in his name! Everyone, come and welcome the emperor!"
This sentence made everyone a little confused. What kind of Roman emperor was he? But people with quick thinking immediately thought of what Russell was doing, such as Monomach.
"Supporting a puppet is indeed smart, but is it really of any use?"
While Monomach was mumbling, the Roman emperor Russell mentioned appeared in front of them.
This man was none other than the man they defeated and captured Ducas. This man's face was now full of horror. It seemed that he was being held at knifepoint by Russell as the emperor.
Russell took the lead and knelt down in front of the so-called emperor who was wearing a gorgeous purple robe and a gorgeous crown found among the tributes from Nicaea. Everyone saw this and followed suit. At this moment, everyone knew that the Normans were doing this.
what.
Everyone had no objections to this, they just kept cheering for this "emperor". Many people felt that this was right. A Greek emperor was easier to accept than a foreign emperor.
However, Monomach keenly noticed another meaning behind this matter, supporting the Greeks as emperor. This shows that Russell is beginning to become unconfident. Before, he thought that relying on the troops he had was enough.
sweeping across the empire.
This represents a very bad signal, but Monomacher feels that this is not necessarily bad. The situation remains to be seen, and everything must continue to be observed.
But we have to be prepared. If Russell's ship is going to sink, then he must lead his men and jump off the ship in time.
After the ceremony to meet the "Emperor", Russell issued an order to cross the sea to seize the throne for the newly minted emperor. They also sent letters to all cities that had not bowed to them, asking them to submit to the real emperor.
emperor.
But this is of no use. When there is a dispute over the throne in Constantinople, no one in the local area will take any action except those who are directly involved. The plan is to win and help whom.
But at the beginning, Russell didn't expect to make the Greeks go crazy with that puppet, it was just a matter of form.
Then his army began to cross the sea using the captured ships, and the imperial capital did not even block the mighty river crossing. The entire river crossing went very smoothly, and the rebels easily reached the core of the Eastern Empire.
The most affluent area is certainly one.
Monomakh also saw Constantinople, a place he said he had heard of but had never seen.
It was early in the morning when they arrived, and Constantinople appeared in front of him with a grandeur far beyond his imagination. Monomach had never seen such a grand city. The scale of this city far exceeded his imagination. It is said that
With a population of 400, 500,000 or more, Constantinople is indeed the Queen of Cities.
As he saw the Queen of Cities, saw the grandeur and power far beyond his imagination, and saw the huge city walls, Monomach suddenly had an idea.
"With just us people, the city can't be conquered."
After this idea came about, combined with Russell's unconfidence and the indifference of the Greek dignitaries, it was inevitable that Monomach felt that he should prepare early. As long as the defenders were a little stronger, it was difficult for him to imagine that their army could