Bursa, in the dead of night.

Emperor Alexios stood at the head of the city, overlooking the outside, the enemy camp was lit with bonfires, and he did not sleep.

It's just that the camp of the Roma army, as always, is silent.

The fighting ceased for several days, but the Seljuks did not retreat.

This is not Arslan's style!

The Imperial Supreme was very strange, and sent the main force of the Imperial Army to attack and harass from the north, dividing troops and plundering the land, killing very much.

To the south, the Armenians reunited and attacked Konya.

In such a critical situation, will the Sultan be indifferent?

Alexios looked at the enemy camp, dotted with stars, this time, the fire has not yet been extinguished.

A possibility flashed through his mind, and the emperor slapped down the city wall.

"That old fox!"

"He ran away!"

Nils, the chief of the guard, was stunned when he heard this.

The Imperial Supreme patrols the city at night, and the military discipline is strict, although it is a good thing, he also wants to exhort the emperor to rest.

But Alexios stopped in the city and was stunned, and after a long time, he suddenly cursed.

The emperor's chief of guard was confused, he couldn't understand the military plane, and he couldn't see through the fog of war.

……

"Arslan must have run away!"

"Outside the city is an empty camp!"

The officers of the Imperial Army were all summoned, and as soon as they met, the emperor made everyone stunned at the first time.

The offensive of the Roma army just stopped five days ago, and now it has withdrawn?

Moreover, the perception of the Seljuk camp by the Imperial Army was that the enemy army was still strong.

So, is this possible?

Alexios swept the Imperial officers' eyes slightly disappointed.

For their sluggishness, and for Arslan's cunning!

"Assemble the hussars!"

"Get out of camp now!"

"We'll soon figure out that the main force of the Roma Army is still there!"

The tone of the Imperial Supreme is tough, categorical, and unquestionable.

Alexios doesn't blame them, it's caused by information asymmetry.

Before the battle, the emperor met with the Sultan of Rûm and quietly leaked the covenant with Armenia.

In addition to dissuading Arslan, there are also intentions to use Armenia, which is not enough for outsiders.

This kind of thing is naturally kept secret, the emperor will not reveal it easily, and no one will believe the sultan when he says it.

The most important thing now is to find out the reality of the enemy camp, and the results of the battle speak for themselves.

"Imperial Hussars!"

"Are you ready to kill?"

"The Imperial Hussars are invincible!"

The hussars, as always, shouted in unison.

"Out of town!"

The iron flowed, Emperor Alexios rode his horse at a gallop, and on the plain, the Roma army camp was clearly visible in the distance.

The Imperial Sword is about to drink the blood of its enemies again!

The cavalry led by the emperor soon approached the gate of the Seljuk camp.

The guards here were so lax that they didn't even see the soldiers guarding the gate, and the Imperial cavalry was all suspicious.

There was an ambush for the Seljuks?

"Andrew!"

"Open the camp gates!"

The emperor's confidant, the best of the cavalry officers, the new star of the empire, Andrew, quickly led the team to kill.

The trench was shallow and could be crossed at once, and Andrew led the Imperial soldiers to the camp gate.

With a sword down, he cut the rope of the drawbridge, and with a clang, the drawbridge fell.

The Imperial Hussars had a smooth road ahead of them.

"Kill it!"

"Kill not a single infidel left!"

The Imperial cavalry men broke into the Seljuk camp in four groups.

The whole camp was empty, and Alexios' hunch grew more and more real.

There are only two possibilities in this scenario, the Imperial army has fallen into a trap, or the main Roma army has indeed left.

The camp gate was firmly guarded by the Imperial cavalry, and the emperor had confidence in his warriors.

Even if it is a trap, the Imperial Hussars can retreat with their whole body.

The Ghulam Guards of the Seljuks could not retain the Imperial Army.

The camp was still silent until this time, and the cavalry led by the emperor had swept back and forth.

Except for a few screams at the beginning, the Roma camp was silent.

It's really an empty camp!

"Your Majesty!"

Andrew led the team back, just shaking his head at Alexios.

A look of certainty, unmistakably telling the Imperial Supreme that they were late.

"Whew!"

The war ended in an unexpected end for the emperor.

By daybreak, the Imperial army had captured all the remaining Roma soldiers.

The harvest was not much, and the Imperial army, except for a few prisoners, only found the burning enemy baggage in the camp left behind by the Seljuks.

Before Arslan left, he told the Roma soldiers who stayed behind to plant flags in the camp during the day and light a bonfire at night.

The Roma soldiers are clearly doing a good job!

The magnificence of the Seljuk camp did confuse a large number of imperial generals, including the emperor.

The results are amazing!

The Imperial Army missed a good opportunity, and with the power of hussars, they had a chance to crush the main force of the retreating Roma army.

Pity!

……

"Sword of Damocles, John of the Anatolian Division?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The head of the Anatolian region fell to his knees, ashamed.

In this battle, the Imperial army was deaf and blind, and the result of blindly confronting the Seljuks was that they basically did not achieve decent results.

Emperor Alexios' face was as calm as water.

The history of the Byzantine Empire dates back to the time of Justinian to stealing silk from the ancient Han Empire in the East.

And the Seljuks have a long history of entanglement with Rome, and it is impossible to be defenseless as the old enemies of the empire for a hundred years.

If the spies of the Imperial Army were really powerful, they would not have been defeated by Manchikot first, and then defeated by Mileo Sepharon, and achieved the prestige of the Seljuks in vain.

Make the heretics famous!

But the sword of Damocles of the empire will definitely be invested heavily, and the emperor does not despise every enemy.

Since there is a war, it is necessary to understand the enemy, and intelligence is indispensable.

"Your dereliction of duty, the ravages of the empire's territory, the demotion of appointment."

"But still head of the Anatolian Division!"

John was pleasantly surprised, but he didn't know that the emperor was really unavailable.

……

Four days later, the news came that the Armenian army had been defeated at Konya.

Looking at the thick stack of information related to the battle in his hand, the emperor felt slightly regretful.

Archduke Ruben and Prince Leon marched into Konya, and the early stage was smooth, unstoppable, and the offensive was gratifying.

However, when they arrived in Konya, the siege was thwarted, and Arslan's Ghulam's guards were defeated from the city.

The Armenian army was in disarray, followed by a massive surprise attack by the Roma army in the rear, and after a hard battle, they were defeated and retreated.

As a last resort, after His Royal Highness Prince Leon, the Armenian army avoided the end of the entire army and was saved.

But in this battle, the Armenians suffered heavy losses, 2,000 heavy cavalry died on the battlefield, and the national strength was shaken!

Archduke Ruben now had to hide in the mountains in order to avoid Roma's troops.

Putting down the battle report in his hand, Emperor Alexios smiled bitterly, it was good to provoke Roma to fight with Armenia.

It's just that the Armenians were defeated too quickly, but the emperor was not pleased.

This ally pinned down the Seljuks and must not fall like this.

"We can't afford to die to our allies!"

"But the empire has just been badly damaged, send a message to Betak, send 10,000 gold to Armenia."

"Can't chill our allies!"

Emperor Alexios spoke earnestly and compassionately.

The Armenians shed their blood so that the empire can recuperate, and fight for a few more years!

At the end of 1181 AD, the First Anatolian War ended.

The two heroes duel, and the imperial lion cub barely defended his territory.

After pounced to no avail, the Roma lion went south and broke through Cilician Armenia, which was considered a full stomach.