Eagle Flag of Epirus

"The Eagle Flag of Epirus (

The city of Larissa in Thessaly, which was originally the territory of the Gavris family, colluded with Mikhail Dukas in an attempt to launch a rebellion and merged with the rebels of Agrinion, and was finally caught in time by Chas. Tenny combined with Tan Bei, Bunonius, etc., finally defeated by the nobles of Prince Theodor. The head of the slain Gavris hung on the head of Trikala, and the family that had passed on for a hundred years was wiped out. The Merinoson family of Thessarian is now guarded here.

Compared with the fragmented Macedonia, there is a rare peace in Thessaly between the Pindus Mountains and the Pinos River. In addition to guarding against possible pirates along the coast, the people are basically living and working in peace and contentment.

In the early morning, the shepherd boy in the nearby village still drove the landlord’s sheep to the grassland on the hillside according to the old habits. Although he knew that the country was at war, those things were too far away for him, and life was as usual as usual. Like water.

He has been thinking this way until today, but when one of the lagging sheep in the flock ran to the edge of the steep cliff, the shepherd boy hurriedly chased him, but was shocked by the distant scene under the cliff, because he A flag is fluttering in the wind outside the pass of the Pindus Mountains. On the red-bottomed battle flag, a golden double-headed eagle and a black fox can be vaguely seen. Is there anything more shocking than this, the goat just in his arms The shepherd boy who was also horrified subconsciously missed his hand and threw it under the cliff...

"Hey--"

Shepherd boy turned to the village behind him without saying a word, and reported to the village master. Although he didn't know who the army was, one thing was certain.

The war is coming!

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In Larissa, when we learned that a large number of people had appeared at the pass of the Pindus Mountains and were about to reach Larissa, the nobles and civilians in the city had become a mess, and rumors were also flooding. It is said that it was Chashi. Dinny led his troops to inquire about the crime, and it was also said that Emperor Mikhail of Rusnina made a comeback, and even others were terrified that the Latins would invade again. All kinds of speculations aggravated people's panic, and the only thing that the whole city of Larissa could rely on was Count Merinoson who was guarding here.

At this moment, he was discussing the next countermeasures with his vassals in the hall of nobility. Unlike the opinions of the outsiders, when he learned the news, Earl Merinoson had already known who the soldiers were coming to the city.

"If all the men over the age of sixteen in the city are gathered at the head of the city, how long will we be able to hold Justinian’s attack and support?" Because of the suppression of the Agrinion rebellion, the nobles from all over Thessaly accompanied them. On the expedition, only Merinoson stayed behind Larissa. However, he currently has only three to five hundred cavalrymen. Most of the infantry under his command is in his original fief. Now he can't make it back. He can only conscript the residents of towns. abacus.

The defender shook his head and preached pessimistically: "Even if we add all of them, we can get fewer than a thousand soldiers, and they are all inexperienced little guys, Lord Earl, how can we expect a group of sheep to defeat the lion? What?"

"But it's just a fox outside the city!" Not only did the opponent not give any advice, but instead said such demoralizing words, Merinosen was furious.

"Even a fox is a beast after all, enough to scare the courage of those who have never seen flesh and blood. Your Excellency, perhaps sending someone out to negotiate is a more sensible choice." The defender is fifty years old this year and is on the battlefield. He understood that the soldiers who went on the battlefield for the first time were of no use. When he took office as the earl, he was loyal to the Merinoson family. He really did not want to watch the family go to ruin, so he was the first to stand up and beg his own. Fengjun don't act impulsively.

But no matter how the old garrison persuaded, the stubborn Earl Merinoson could not listen, "I will never submit to the rule of a pariah from the Peloponnese!" At this time, the Earl of Thessalian insisted so much, not so much. Pride is rather helpless. After getting the report from the front, he learned that Justinian led an army of more than 10,000 large and small this time, indicating that the other party did not have much loss in regaining Agrinon, and Merinosen had already regretted it. But he had no choice. The messenger who was released by Justinian told him the harsh requirements of the other party, not only to be loyal to Justinian, but also to accept the punishment of 100 pounds of gold and seize part of the fief. This makes Merinoson completely unacceptable.

"The big deal is here!"

As soon as this statement came out, Merinosen thought he would get the support of the people below, but the vassals under his hand were silent. After all, the elite soldiers outside the city will not be repelled by the empty vernacular, and they are not willing to be repelled in vain. To die in this kind of thing is just a personal contradiction between the Earl Merinoson and the His Royal Highness Justinian.

Seeing this scene, Earl Merinoson was heartbroken. He thought that at this juncture, the subordinates in front of him could share their worries, but now that no one dared to fight in front of him, it really annoyed him, but now he hates it even more. It is the two earls of Taranite and Bunnonius far away in Agrinon. They gave Merinoson the wrong information, which made him think he could challenge Justinian's authority to gain autonomy, but they didn't want to give the other party a pretext for crusade.

With a boom--

When the indoor cold field was silent, there was a thunderous roar from outside, and even the hall shook. Everyone panicked and wanted to run out, thinking that such a big movement was because the city was captured.

Merinoson, whose face changed, immediately sent someone out to check what was going on. Soon after the trembling guards went out, they walked in with a pale face and said that a huge stone came in from outside the city and knocked a place outside the hall of nobility. The stone statue collapsed directly!

Merinoson and the nobles under his hand learned the news and gasped at the same time. Everyone knew that this was the damage caused by the trebuchet. However, it was far away from the city wall. How did the other party do it? of. An uneasy atmosphere lingered in the hall, and everyone realized that Justinian seemed to be moving, and now it was just the beginning of a warning.

The nobles who looked at each other silently turned their gazes to the Earl of Merinoson, when someone came in to report.

"Lord Earl, there is an envoy outside the city asking to see you!"

The soldiers ran in and reported an incredible thing to the terrified Earl Merinoson and a kind of nobleman, while they were still considering negotiating with Justinian for peace~www.ltnovel.com~ The opposite unexpectedly sent someone over. Contact, there is no doubt that this is a good sign.

The hopeful vassals looked at Merinosen one after another, and the earl's previous attitude was also loosened at this time, showing a hesitant look.

"Your Excellency, don't miss this opportunity!" the old defense chief persuaded me, finally letting Merinoson make up his mind.

"Let the messengers in, at least let me hear how they still want to humiliate me!" He laughed bitterly, he was born in a famous family, but he didn't want to end up in such a field. Seeing that Earl Merinoson actually agreed, a big rock in the hearts of the people in the hall suddenly dropped.

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Surrounded by the Thessaly soldiers, the man who was the messenger of Justinian wore a white robe and a hood on his head. No one could see the face underneath. However, looking at his small physique, in the hall, Merinoson and the other little nobles relaxed a little, and they also wanted to know the purpose of the messenger Justinian sent.

"There is no need to play mystery. As a negotiator, don't you want to show your true face?" Merinoson said displeasedly. Although he was afraid of Justinian's forces and had to succumb temporarily, this was also true. It doesn't mean that he can tolerate a mere messenger being rude to him. After speaking, under the expression of Count Merinoson's eyes, the guards on the left and right were ready to step forward and lift the hood of the messenger.

But when they gathered around, a loud voice came from under the hood.

"It's been a long time, have you been well, Uncle Merinoson. I think you must have not forgotten the vows you made to me when I was here that day!"

Under the gaze of everyone, Irina Dukas, who came to the enemy camp alone, showed her true face and walked into the eyes of the dumbfounded nobles.