Eagle Flag of Epirus

In front of the city of Athens, north of the Peloponnese, the tug of war between the Latins and the Greeks continued. Although the first round of attacking both sides put in their full effort, but it is obvious that the strength of the two is comparable, and they can't give the opponent a destructive blow for a time.

"It looks like our enemy is very tricky, everyone." The man in armor in the military tent murmured as he looked at the generals beside him. I have to say that Theodor Ducas still underestimated his old enemy-Otto de la Roche, Duke of Athens. In the past year, he has been sending his generals to fight against each other, and the other party has clearly sensed his intention to preserve his strength well. In the previous battle, they fought in the Marathon Plain, and the Principality of Athens actually invested thousands of hired Turkic cavalry at a time and almost broke the defense line originally organized by Theodor. Had it not been for the cautious Theodore who had already prepared the reserve team, perhaps the victory would have belonged to the opponent.

At this time, a Turkic man on the side said coldly:

"Isn't this a clear thing? It seems that no matter how many times the battle is on the spot, you can't try the depth of the other party. Only a war that fights with fate can go all out. Of course, we are fighting against each other, but the Latins are also the same. We were pushed to a desperate situation where we had to do our best."

It was Murad, the mercenary leader of the Turkic cavalry under Prince Theodore who was speaking. He also participated in this offensive. It was this man who acted as a reserve team to repel the opposing Turkic cavalry in time to make the battle turn to peace. Therefore, even if the man spoke badly, the generals under Theodore didn't have much to say for a while.

As for Prince Theodore, he was obviously not irritated by Murad's attitude. Although he was loyal to the direction, his relationship with these Turkic people was more like a cooperation. Although unpleasant things have happened many times, Theodor never put them on the bright side, especially at this critical time.

"So what do you think?" Looking at his subordinates, Theodor asked their opinions. These people, including Murad, have followed him for at least ten years. By no means mediocrity. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to stand up against his brother in Agrinon under his brother's nose.

However, for a while, several other generals were embarrassed. The strength of the Principality of Athens really surprised them. The army of more than 20,000 people made it very difficult for them to swallow them in one bite. Although many of these mercenaries joined for money and the local Latin militias were not very effective, it was obviously not that easy to annihilate them in one fell swoop.

"With all due respect, Your Royal Highness, I think it's better for us to evacuate now. At least for now, we still have the initiative on the battlefield." At this time, a legionary general couldn't help but said hesitantly. Still observing the look on Prince Theodor's face for fear of saying something wrong. But what this man said at this time was exactly the same idea in the hearts of all the people present.

In fact, many of them did not approve of this proactive attack, at least they were indifferent. After all, the enemies of Thessaloniki were on their backs. At this time, it was really not suitable to fall into other wars.

Immediately, the other generals also joined, at least now they still occupy the Acropolis, control the advance and retreat of Piraeus Port, and they can withdraw from the sea and return to Thessaly. But this must ensure that they can still guarantee the initiative in the war, and Thessaly is still under their control, so they must hurry up. Whether it is the insufficient supply of the army or the capture of Thessaly by the Latins in Thessaloniki, it will be a fatal blow to them. Therefore, even several high-ranking generals who had been in the saddle of Prince Theodor also persuaded him not to continue the siege. After all, they came from the sea, and not bringing enough siege equipment to attack will only cause unnecessary casualties.

"His Royal Highness, we have already suffered a lot of casualties, and the consumption of weapons, food and grass is even more alarming. Let's give up this operation and retreat!"

"Yes, it has been a tug of war for half a month. If we don't defeat the Latin army outside the city, we can't force the enemy of Athens to surrender.

"If this continues, our situation will get worse and worse. Those guys in the southern Morias can't count on it. Justinian, the ungrateful kid, hasn't moved at all in Argos for so long. Please also Think twice!"

One person said his opinion, and everyone also spoke up, expressing their concerns about the prospects of the war. They were not afraid to fight~www.ltnovel.com~ but in the Attica peninsula, once they had a bad situation, they might be able to fight. The risk of defeat is terrible.

And for a while, looking at the attitude of his subordinates, although Theodor Dukas didn't say anything, his eyes also showed hesitation. He did make a mistake in his decision. When he learned that Justinian had taken Nafplio and was eager to succeed, he was sure that there was no threat to the sea before sending troops to take a detour and forcibly land from Piraeus. However, the Principality of Athens had realized the danger this time. Early preparations made him plunge into the quagmire of war. More importantly, the fact that Justinian in Moria hasn't been doing anything for half a month can't help but annoy him.

Do you really want to give up halfway? Looking at the city of Athens on the map, Prince Theodor was really unwilling, but he also knew that Thessaloniki in the north was ready to move. If Thessaly really fell, his situation would deteriorate drastically. .

At the moment of a dilemma, anxious and hasty footsteps came from outside the military account. I saw a messenger rushing in from outside in disregard of the progress of the military meeting in a panic!

"Presumptuous, how can you come in casually in this kind of place, where are the guards?!" The other generals who saw this scene couldn't help but scold the rudeness of this soldier.

However, Prince Theodor, who had also frowned slightly before, noticed something wrong in the anxious expression of the messenger. He raised his hand to signal everyone to shut up and calm down. He looked at the incoming messenger and asked, "What's the matter so flustered. ?"

But the panting messenger slowly came over and said hurriedly: "His Royal Highness, we...our navy in Piraeus was attacked by the Venetians and the entire army was wiped out. ...The Venetian has landed from behind us!"