Eagle Byzantium

As a result, Mikhail just rushed down the earthen embankment, and saw a fierce cavalryman running through the deserters in the field like lightning. The horses' hooves rolled up large pieces of broken snow, and the white mist from the horses' noses and mouths was like clouds. The general in front had a turban on his head, a strong horn bow on his back, and an iron flail hanging on his saddle. He passed by him and chased the cavalrymen who had just escaped.

The general on horseback was Diogenes.

The thoughts in his mind at this moment were completely different from Mikhail's. He was thinking about revenge for the dead emperor.

Even though Alexius never used him before his death, but only gave him a small position as a military commander of the border area, he still had to shoulder this responsibility and vowed to kill the traitor Taitsius with his own hands.

I came from Tbilisi to Sinop and then crossed the sea to Media for only this purpose.

I think Gawain also realized this, so he let me take charge of the task force.

And he knew that Titishius was as cunning as a fox. If there was anyone who broke out of the camp, it must be him. The guard officer's brainpower was not as good as Titishius's, but this was also his advantage. "No matter what, the greatest truth is to bite you tightly and not let go."

Wasn't he regarded as "the vicious dog of Komnenos" by Bohemond back then?

Now Titishius and John really felt the horror of being bitten all the way: when they rode to the outside of Adrianople, they found that the brigade of Tarsus had arrived there, and the fort was clearly ready to surrender. At this time, the guard officer followed from behind with cavalry, and they could only rush along the Evros River towards Philippou.

When they arrived at Philip Castle, this place was also seized by a group of Paulicians who were lurking inside. They pretended to be the envoys of the new emperor and ordered the guards to surrender. The soldiers who had never seen the world really believed such intimidation and opened the city gate and handed over the key. After the backbone of an empire was broken, the rest of the trunk and organs lost their functions so quickly.

The guards led the cavalry to chase them all the way.

At this time, there were only 20 or 30 riders left with Taitsius, John, and Axepochus.

And from the captured prisoners, Diogenes had learned that the person he was chasing was really the one he had always wanted to avenge, so he became even more furious like the three-headed vicious dog of hell, spitting out a flaming tongue and revealing sharp and terrifying fangs. He changed three mounts in a row and continued to chase and bite to death, as if he was a sharp arrow following John all the time!

John, who was somewhat desperate, seemed to understand the secret of his father's escape from the battlefield of Philomelon to Nicaea. Now he could only choose to continue to escape, and his goal was Thessalonica. He hoped that the garrison general Ceces there would remain loyal to the country and accept him.

However, he also understood that the entire Thrace was already lost.

Then what would be left for him in the future might not even exist half of the country, perhaps just the "remnant of mountains and waters" of a tiny place.

In that case, it would be more humiliating to live than to die.

But Taitsius and Axepchos were still encouraging him from behind, saying that we should run south with all our strength, run along the direction of the Odomanti Mountains, and as long as we could reach Philippi, we would see the "Agnandia Road" that ran across there, and then quickly move west along the road, and we would be temporarily safe when we reached Thessalonica.

But the vicious dog Diogenes was still chasing them tightly behind them.

No matter how they got rid of it - sending people to lure them along the side roads, sending people to ambush them on the way, or choosing a small road to escape: Diogenes always proved that they were completely futile after they did these things. He was not disturbed at all. He would soon appear on the hill half a mile away from them or even farther with his men and horses holding bows and arrows, overlooking and controlling their next route, and continue to approach.

Finally, after nightfall, at the edge of Philippi, the hub of the Egnandian Avenue, John heard the roaring and heaving of the waves of the Holy Sea in the south.

He could no longer bear it, jumped off his horse, exhausted, and fell to the ground crying towards the direction of the ocean.

Philippi is a castle that foreshadows something ominous. Back then, the legion of Rome, the last legion to defend the republic in ancient times, fought a bloody battle with the legion that was determined to establish a dictatorship here, but in the end the former turned into a dream tragedy - hence, Philippi is more associated with the word "failure" rather than "triumph".

But John was still inferior to Brutus at that time. At least the other side still had the capital for a decisive battle, while his power could be described as completely gone except for these pitiful confidants around him. Facing the equally empty roads, castles and oceans, John was at a loss.

The nomadic howl sounded from the hills beside the street - Diogenes appeared again, his cloak had been scratched with holes everywhere by branches and thorns, but he still chased him relentlessly, followed by about fifty Oghuz light cavalrymen, all holding scimitars and carrying quivers, silently and cruelly looking at the prey on the street.

John's horse, from the moment he got off, fell to the ground and twitched, and was close to a half-dead state.

As a result, Taitius gave one of his subordinates' horses to John and told him to run away quickly, because "we are no match for the group of people on the opposite side, we are outnumbered."

And "Axepochus will continue to help you in the future. No matter what, you have to go to Thessaloniki with him, but you can't have too much hope for Ceces or even Isaac Komnenos. It's best to secretly get a ship and sail directly to Crete to seek the protection of the Venetians. There are also a large number of Pronia prisons in the Royal Estate, which are enough for your majesty to protect himself."

After saying this, Taitius took the bow and arrow from the horse's back, turned around and faced Diogenes who was running down the hillside towards his side. The opponent's turban was whistling in the night wind.

"Tatisius!" John, who was pushed onto the horse, shouted to General Nobi.

A correct version at 16-9 Book Bar!

And Titius turned his ugly and flawed face, looked at John who was going away, and said two Turkish proverbs that the other party could not understand or hear:

"Please pass this saying to the wise,

When the foal grows up, the old horse is idle.

At this time, the old horse no longer needs to be driven or ridden by people."

Then he looked at the cold sunset between the peaks north of Philippi in the evening, with spots of snow on it, and the sunset glow spread like a residual fire in an ice cellar, and the angry horse rushed over there. Diogenes was unstoppable.

"The morning glow is as bright as a woman giving birth to a unicorn, and the sunset glow is as tragic as an enemy entering a felt."

Then his horse head pendant swayed, the horse's hooves flew, and he rushed towards Diogenes like a flying bird, and his tongue in his mouth moved rapidly, simulating the sound of an arrow shaking in a bag.

When Diogenes saw Titius take off his mask, his eyes immediately filled with blood. He spurred his horse forward and shouted, "Traitor who killed the king, I will punish you with my bow and sword now!"