The circular altar is topped by a patio with natural light, surrounded by a golden dome and frescoes, and is connected to a movable iron fence between it and the Basilica Gallery, which must be twisted open to enter. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

On the smooth marble floor, Gawain asked Agnes to place the model of the city on the long table in front of the altar.

Above them, there was a fresco of the patron saint of the city, Dimitri, who was with St. Mikhail, who was nearly middle-aged, with a black beard and riding a black war horse, armed with a sharp spear, and assassinated a Dacia dragon under the horse's hooves; St. Michael, on the other hand, was a young man, beardless on a white horse, with a sword in hand, and was slaying down an ancient Roman gladiator who had cowered under him, the murderer of many Christians.

In the ornate hall, Gawain continued to greet Cezes warmly. The gray-haired Agnes lowered her eyebrows and respectfully straightened the miniature model of the city.

Gawain pointed to "Thessaloniki" and said generously, "From here here, it's all your Pronia." It was immediately recorded in the archives of the imperial capital, stamped with a seal, and never changed. ”

Cezes thought to himself that Gawain had indeed lived up to his promise, and the tip of his nose flashed with beads of sweat in excitement, and his greedy eyes fixed on the model.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"No thanks, such a year of 40,000 tasso silver coins is enough to show your glory!" Gawain replied with his waist crossed, his robe draped diagonally, lined with ring armor, and so on.

"Hey......" Zezes was sweating down his forehead.

How can it be! 40,000 tasso silver coins, 40,000 tasso silver coins, how can it be so ordered? What I'm asking for is one-fifth, Gawain is so shameless!

So Cezes suppressed his temperament, unfolded the edict that had previously been stamped with the seal of Gao Wen's "Red Hand Seven Ridges", and kindly reminded the new emperor who was still dancing, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty...... Are you mistaken, Your Majesty, Your Majesty......"

Agnes, who had retreated to the long table, couldn't help but wonder.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

"Huh?" Gawain then turned his neck, pulled back the scepter that had been spinning around the city model just now, and noticed the whispered complaint in Cezes' voice, "Your Wise Majesty, have you made a mistake?" The taxes on the citizens, the commercial port, and the port of Thessaloniki last year should have been 1,140,000 if converted into a full setasso; This does not include the special tax of 230,000 at the time of the 'Agora of St. Dimitri', and the agricultural tax of the whole of Thessalonica, which is nearly 500,000 taso. ”

Gao Wen frowned suddenly, thoughtfully, and said to his own general, "There are so many?" ”

Zezes hurriedly whispered, "Yes, Your Majesty, so my one-fifth of my fortune should be." After saying that, he gave Gawain a number.

"So many?" Gawain repeated the phrase again.

Cezes nodded solemnly.

"Are there so many in Thessaloniki? My dear lady. Gawain also hurriedly asked Agnes on the side.

Agnes's voice was clear and clear, "Your Majesty, the one-fifth tax fee for General Zezes's Thessaloniki district is that's that. After speaking, she stood up with a slender body, took the scepter handed by Gawain, and pointed to the seaside in the center of the city model, "The city of Thessaloniki is divided into seven districts, and the Prona enjoyed by the general is here, the richest of them all, one of them. ”

This answer made Zezes roar above his head, as if he had fired a flaming cannon—it turned out that Gawain had played tricks in the edict document, and that he had been given the title of "Thessaloniki" rather than the city of Thessaloniki, and not the entire Thessalonian Peninsula......

"I see, I think General Zezes should understand." Here, Gao Wen looked at the city mode, and then looked at the little sunfish, with a sudden realization on his face.

Several guards walked into the altar and carried General Zezes, who was a little weak in his legs, away.

"Forty thousand tasso, this one of his is only equivalent to thirteen pounds of gold in the past." Looking at Cezes's back, Agnes sneered, "It's just the young man of the nobles in the palace, and he still wants to marry Ducasse." ”

Gawain looked at the little sunfish, his mouth was silent, but he was obviously quite touched by Agnes's unintentional words - the Ducasse family's estate in Thrace was extremely large, and he was also a representative of the local aristocracy, just the union was not suppressed, Gawain always had some stalk in his heart - he somewhat understood the obsession of his dead father-in-law Alexios.

However, it is now the most urgent priority to address the entrenched rebellion of the Holy Mountain of Athos.

No sooner had the city of Thessaloniki fallen into the hands of Gawain, and the situation in Serbia, Dalmatia, and even Bulgaria changed dramatically - at the call of Masdas, Constantine. Berdin was crowned by both the Tuscan Pope and the Holy Mountain of Athos, and he ascended the throne with his son in the new court of Ohrid, while the Bulgarian Orthodox Patriarch of Pliska announced his response to Constantine. Burding's move.

Since then, Constantine. Berdin declared himself a "Serbian . Rasnia. The Great Native King of Bulgaria", the "Protector of the Sword of the Orthodox Faith", many Serbian, Macedonian and Bulgarian Slavic "zupan" (local lords) submitted to his authority, and countless exiled Eastern Roman nobles went to him, even Isaac of Tirasium. Komnenos also recognized Berdin's authority, and the Venetians, through Zara, provided him with weapons, money, and food.

Berdin had already developed an ambitious dream to follow in the footsteps of the ancient Bulgarian Emperor Simeon and establish a vast new empire in Serbia, Bulgaria and Macedonia, suppressing or even destroying Gawain's new empire.

On the other side, Isaac. With 4,000 soldiers, Comunens had already arrived quickly in the city of Larissa and prepared to advance on Thessalonica.

Fortunately, Gawain accepted the advice of the little sunfish, deceived Cezes, and got Thessalonica, otherwise he would have to be preempted by Isaac, the "lifelong enemy".

Isaac, who learned that the city of Thessaloniki had surrendered, hurriedly withdrew his troops to the city of Larissa and held on, blocking Gawain's further westward access to the Moria Peninsula.

On the other hand, Berdin organized 6,000 troops and horses to fill the fort of Margolon and seal Thessalonica from the northwest.

The Bulgarian rebels also swarmed out, using Fort Sophia as the center and entering and exiting the mountain passes, seriously threatening Fort Philip, the fortress of the upper Evros River.

Many Paulicians who had fled from the north told Gawain that his two brigades were threatened in three directions.

Gawain also reacted quickly, "Regardless of how many directions the enemy comes from, I will give priority to solving the Holy Mountain of Athos and eradicating the spiritual pillar of this group of rebels." He then left three detachments of the Guardian Brigade to defend Thessaloniki, and then retreated east with the rest of his troops, and began to build a blockade fortress on the coast opposite Athos, and ordered the Imperial Capital and the Skua Clipper Colony to provide a naval blockade.