…
On the tenth day of September, Dioshures was furious when he learned that 40,000 crusaders led by Ortom had passed through Serbia and entered the territory of Beiser from land, burning, killing and looting everywhere.
"How can the civilization established by the Romans be completely destroyed by this group of heretics? Our people are bleeding, our houses are burned, and the creatures on this land are crying,
And we, as the Roman royal family, after the great Emperor Justinian, just watch our country decline day by day? ! "
Theosures roared incessantly in the palace council. This sturdy man, who was only thirty-five years old, admired and loved his country so much that he could not just let the Crusaders do whatever they wanted in the country.
But the palace councilors were indifferent to Theodores' anger, and no one dared to stand up to support his remarks.
It's not like they didn't make efforts. They relied on various connections to invite the top military governor to stop this barbaric Crusade.
However, in response to Constantinople's order, the consuls of various military districts wrote letters expressing their strong condemnation of the Crusaders' brutal behavior in Besai and their willingness to provide all help except help.
Then they all pretended to be deaf and mute, turning a blind eye to the activities of the Crusaders.
The cowardly behavior of the Beiser Empire and the maddening administrative efficiency further fueled the Crusaders' arrogance. They also saw through the reality of this ancient and wealthy empire and directly began to burn down the Catholic churches in Beiser.
Suddenly, wars broke out all over the territory west of Besais, but the military commanders of the five armies with a total of 120,000 troops ordered to hold on to the city and allowed the Crusaders to advance unimpeded and helplessly towards Constantinople.
The corruption of the military district system has completely reduced the Romans, who used to rely on war to support war, into the embarrassing situation of the frontier army in the late Ming Dynasty, and they will never regain their former glory.
Seeing that the Crusaders were getting closer and closer to Constantinople, Theodores knew that he could not just sit back and wait for death. He immediately called on the soldiers and civilians in the towns around Constantinople to gather under the city, formed an army, and planned to take the initiative, and promised that as long as Those who are willing to go out with the army will be rewarded with thirty silver dinars each.
Soon, 50,000 Roman soldiers and civilians with their own weapons gathered outside the walls of Constantinople, and they got their due rewards as they wished.
The military expenses were obtained by Theosures in exchange for the meeting gifts given by Wei Ji from the nobles, leaving only a glass cup, twenty-five packets of sugar, ten packets of tea and two pieces of purple silk.
These supplies were exchanged for a total of 560 pounds of gold. These goods from the East were very popular and sold out quickly.
In the Baisei Empire, a silver dinar weighed about two grams, and one pound of gold could be exchanged for 1,700 silver dinars.
Five hundred and sixty pounds of gold was enough to support the cost of this army's expedition.
Now, Dioshures must obtain the approval of the parliament before he can lead the army.
But obviously, the officials in the parliament were not optimistic about this expedition. After all, these soldiers were recruited temporarily. How could they be opponents of the Crusaders in terms of combat quality?
Most people's idea is to consolidate the defense line of Constantinople, especially the walls of Theosido, and then use the unique geographical advantages to repel the Crusaders.
However, Dioshures really couldn't bear to see the land to the west being ruined by the Crusaders, and he planned to drive away these bandits personally no matter what.
"I want to ask, are you still Romans? Our country is bleeding and weeping. Shouldn't we stop this tragedy?"
The deafening questioning voice of Theosures continued, making the entire council members feel ashamed.
Finally, Theosures turned to look at Serdina and Alexios VI: "Queen Mother, Your Majesty, please give the order. I will put on my armor and wipe out these heretics for the Roman Empire!"
After saying that, he knelt down on one knee and waited silently for Serdina to speak.
Seeing her brother's increasingly haggard figure, Serdina couldn't bear it. Although she knew that going to Adioshures might be a disaster, how could she refuse his desire to serve the country with fists?
"Your Majesty, you are the king of the Roman Empire. It is up to you to decide whether to take the initiative or stay put!"
Finally, Sedina posed the problem to her young son.
Alexius VI thought for a long time, then stood up and asked: "Your Highness, are you really sure to repel the invasion of the heretical legions and protect our Roman Empire?"
Theosures raised his head and replied loudly: "Your Majesty, please allow me to go out on your behalf. I will definitely be able to repel the invasion of the Crusaders!"
Alexios VI nodded: "Okay, Your Highness, as the fifty-second Emperor of Beiser, I grant you the position of marshal. I hope you can protect the peace of my Roman Empire like the Roman kings of all generations. God bless you!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
…
On September 12, Dioshures personally led a total of 60,000 troops, including the standing army, to the western battlefield to resist the Crusaders' invasion.
On that day, millions of people in Constantinople spontaneously stood on both sides of the streets and watched Theoshures and his army slowly drive out of Constantinople.
Countless women and elderly people couldn't help covering their faces and crying after seeing their men and children in the procession. Priests held crosses and silently prayed for them. Flowers covered the streets where the army passed.
"Can uncle come back?"
"I will definitely do it, child, the future of this empire depends on you..."
Seeing Diosures disappear from her eyes, Serdina hugged her child tightly, her eyes also full of worry.
On the other side, after Zhuge Zhi and Wei Ji watched the Theosures army set off, Zhuge Zhi said to Wei Ji: "Your Majesty, the situation here is too chaotic. If there is nothing else, we should leave. It has been two years, Your Majesty must We are also eagerly awaiting news from us.”
Wei Ji thought for a while and said: "Zhuge Shangshu, if we leave like this, wouldn't it be too casual? There are still many civilizations and cultures in this country that we haven't fully understood yet. Why don't we stay longer?"
Zhuge Zhi: "To understand such a great country that has existed for thousands of years, I alone will not be able to understand it thoroughly in a lifetime. The ancient books donated by the Royal Academy are enough for us to study for a long time. If there is a chance, it is not a bad idea to come again next time." .”
Wei Ji didn't want to think about it but asked instead: "Zhuge Shangshu, what if the Beisei Empire is destroyed like this? Then aren't the friendship contracts signed before a piece of waste paper?"
Zhuge Zhi: "What does it mean according to the prince's wishes?"
Wei Ji sighed and said, "It would be too unkind to leave like this. Let's just stay in this city for a while. Not to mention the Queen Mother's warm hospitality. We can't leave at the most critical moment like this, right?"
Zhuge Zhi thought about it and didn't object to Wei Ji's opinion. Besides, there was indeed a lot of knowledge that he urgently needed to know.
I was really reluctant to leave at this time. If the Baisai Empire really perished, I could preserve the documents of this empire as much as possible, so that the Han Dynasty and the public could understand that a dynasty no less powerful than that of the Central Plains once existed in the world. It was so open. vision.
Finally, he compromised: "Then according to the wishes of the prince, let's stay for a while to see the situation. If necessary, maybe we can take away the relevant documents here and return to Chang'an for preservation."
Wei Ji took a long breath and looked towards the end of the street with his round belly.
