Several Venetian merchant ships, unobtrusively, docked at the port of Trabzon. Trabzon was one of the most important ports on the Black Sea after the blockade of Constantinople.

"Ahh My dear Sir Sancho Alfonsois Valente! ”

In the harbor, a Venetian merchant who seemed to have been waiting for a long time immediately stepped forward to give the captain a warm hug, and the two exchanged pleasantries inconspicuously.

"Is my favorite rosé?"

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Sir Sancho said slightly apologetically, and then sent a list to the Venetian merchants.

"Mr. Pedro, this is the full Phoenix Legion. The deputy commander, General Vasika, was also on board...... The princess personally ordered that after completing the deployment, you must immediately return to Constantinople and not participate in any form of frontal conflict. Your place in Venice and the Ottomans was worth a fortune to the Empire. ”

"I understand, I understand. Sir Sancho, please come with me and enjoy this wine! ”

……

The Palt Palace in Trabzon is as calm as ever. The Ottomans were fighting against the Crusaders and the Eastern Empire in the Balkans, and John Komnenos was enjoying this leisure. The entire Trabzon region was far away from the fighting, and with the support of Genoa, as long as he was alive, he could still live a quiet life.

It's a beautiful idea.

Until late that night.

Pedro, a small merchant in Venice, went to the port of Trabzon to pick up the rosé wine he had ordered. The guards guarding the harbor held the heavy money bag in their hands, tacitly turned their backs, and then sneaked into the inconspicuous shore warehouse.

In the past few months, rumors have spread everywhere among the people of Trabzon that John Komnenos is not the biological son of Alexios IV, coupled with the methods of exile and murder he took against his brother, John Komnenos, who was already unable to govern, was full of resentment for a while.

Of course, for him, this may just be a group of people who don't know the general situation. As long as his army is still in his hands, his throne can sit securely.

It wasn't until the sound of horses' hooves and metal staggering from the ship that the harbor guards realized that what was going to happen tonight was probably not a simple rebellion, and that the smell of blood had already spread in the air.

The night in Trabzon is so enchanting.

The moment the garrison camp was opened by the defenders who had already surrendered, the garrison burst into flames, and the powder kegs that were secretly placed made countless defenders return to the arms of God in their sleep.

And then, the wide streets in Trabzon City are enough for the Phoenix Legion to truly exert its full strength.

The defenders in the city were slightly estimated to number nearly 10,000 people, but because they were unable to build a defensive line at all, coupled with the sky-high fires that were raised everywhere in the city, this group of defenders had no idea who dared to attack the city at night.

Until the moment they picked up the weapons at hand and walked out of the tent, they would be killed by the soldiers of the Phoenix Legion who had been waiting for a long time. Such killings take place in every corner of the city.

"Mr. Pedro, I'll finish the finishing touches." Sancho smiled and put Pedro on a small boat, "You are very responsible for the Empire's ability to annex Trabzon. In three months, you have completed such a complex series of tasks without the slightest exposure. ”

"You're welcome, I'm just in the service of money." Pedro shook the rosé wine in his hand and glanced back with a little emotion at the crumbling flag of the Komneenos family on the city walls.

"My dear princess, where will you take the empire?"

……

The Phoenix Legion had advanced to the front of the main gate of Palt Palace at this time. Although the main entrance was closed at this time, this decorative gate could easily be broken open at any time if the soldiers of the Legion were willing.

"General Vasica, Mr. Pedro has been sent aboard."

"Very well, I don't really want to be skinned and cramped by Her Royal Highness the Princess."

Vasika mounted his beloved war horse and brandished his sword and pointed straight at the palace gate: "Knights! Charge! ”

John Komnenos had long since woken up from his sleep.

He was awake when the first loud bang in Trabzon appeared. But it's too late.

He knew that without the protection of the city walls, the garrisons who were attacked by surprise would be vulnerable to the Imperial Legions. Especially if the other party is prepared.

The scene in front of me is very similar to the day when I was put on the throne by the Genoese. For a moment, he thought about gathering all the soldiers at the moment to make a final resistance in the palace. But when he mustered up the courage to push open the door of the main hall, a familiar figure was already in front of him.

Behind him, there is the intact Phoenix Legion.

"My dear brother, long time no see."

"Nikephoros Komnen......"

……

Constantine almost forgot how long it had been since the last time his empire could stretch from Armenia to Pontus.

What he never expected was that his niece, with some gold coins and an army of several thousand people, would open the throat for the empire in the Black Sea and Armenia. In order to continue the blockade of Constantinople, the Ottomans had to weaken the Aegean fleet and resume cruising the Black Sea.

Rao is the Ottoman fleet is huge, and it is also slightly overwhelmed at this time. If the fleet disperses again, it is very likely to be broken one by one by the Imperial Navy pouring out of the Golden Horn.

"Beautiful!"

With no one around, Constantine was finally able to put down the imperial shelf and express this affirmation. Although he was puzzled and even a little suspicious of his son and niece's behavior in the Slou Gardens all day, at this moment, he had to admit that these two children were the saviors of the Empire.

Nikephoros Komnenos, who succeeded in the coup d'état, came to Hagia Sophia the next day to be baptized as patriarchs and to pay allegiance to Constantine XI. And in the presence of the Patriarch, His Majesty the Emperor will certainly not be stingy. Although the title of the Trabzon Empire disappeared with the submission of Nikephoros, the Patriarch personally put the king's golden crown on Nikephoros's head.

At this moment, the kingdom of Trabzon was officially established, and at the same time, it also meant that the empire had re-established the title of kingdom in the Pontus region. According to feudal jurisprudence, the conflict between the Ottomans and the empire would escalate further. At the same time, of course, there will be rifts in the relationship between the empire and Genoa.

"Brother, what if Genoese gets angry?"

"Then make the Venetians angry, and the Genoese happy."