On the road from the Golden Horn to the palace came a troop of horses, and at the front was Barhan, and after the Marine Cavalry Division had taken control of most of Constantinople, he led the rest of the cavalry in the direction of the palace. The Grand Palace of Constantinople was also known as the Palace of Porphylogenitis a few hundred years later, in honor of King Constantine VII, but this era was called the Grand Palace of Constantinople.

The Grand Palace of Constantinople is different from the later Tokabi Palace, although the Tokabi Palace is also in Constantinople, but it is not the current Grand Palace of Constantinople, which was the official residence and main residence of the Ottoman Sultan from 1465 to 1853. Tokabi Palace, once a venue for state ceremonies and royal entertainment, is now a major tourist attraction in the region. Tokabi Palace translates to "Gate of Cannons", and it is named after the cannons that were placed in the bunkers in the past. Sultan Mehmed II, who conquered Constantinople in the Byzantine Empire, ordered the construction of the Tokapi Palace to begin in 1459.

The Grand Palace of Constantinople, also known as the Sacred Palace, was the main residence of the Byzantine emperors from 330 to 1081 AD and served as the administrative center of the empire for more than 800 years. It is located at the southeastern tip of the peninsula, between the Hippodrome of Constantinople and the Hagia Sophia. The total area is more than 200,000 square feet (19,000 square meters). The entrance to the Royal Palace is the Chalc Gate in the Place Augustus, which is south of the Hagia Sophia, where the city's main road, Avenue Messer, begins. To the east of the square are the Magnaura Palace, and to the west of the square are the Milian and the ancient Baths of Zeuxipas. Behind the gate of Chalc is the barracks of the palace guards. After the barracks is the reception hall. Then there was the Palazzo Daphne, the residence of the Byzantine emperors, including the emperor's bedrooms. At the Daphne Palace there is a passage leading to the Imperial Throne in the Hippodrome.

"See the general!" After Balhan and his brigade arrived in front of the Chalk Gate in Augustus Square in front of the palace gate, the commander of the 4th Regiment and several battalion commanders under his command all rushed over to salute him.

Barhan nodded. "What's the situation here?" he asked. ”

The commander of the 4th Regiment replied: "General, we have just besieged the palace and are about to storm it, but the patriarch of the nearby Hagia Sophia and his priests have come to stop us, and we are not allowed to raid the homes of the officials and enter the palace.

Balhan frowned. He raised his horsewhip and pointed in the direction of the palace and said, "Shout, including the emperor and empress, that they come out and surrender within half an hour." Otherwise, when we attack it, we won't be left behind! Also, for the time being, lock up the religious people, the Lord Regent does not allow us to kill the religious people, but these people like to make trouble and chatter. It's annoying. Lock it up first".

"Yes, General!"

After the order was given, the loud voice was sent to shout, and after a while, a loud voice was heard at the gate of the Chark gate: "Listen to the people in the palace, tell Emperor Leo, that we, General Balhan, have ordered him to come out and surrender within half an hour with his sword, seal, and edict of surrender, as well as the queen, all the palace guards, chamberlains, and palace maids, otherwise as soon as half an hour has passed, our general will order the army to attack the palace." I'm afraid that even the emperor will not be spared when the time comes! ”

After this shout reached the palace, it immediately caused panic among the palace guards, chamberlains and palace maids. Although none of the people inside had really seen the brutality of the Huns, everyone was scared half to death under the false rumors.

Leo I soon heard this ultimatum relayed by the palace guards, and originally thought that it was impossible for the Huns to kill Constantinople, and even if they did, they would be blocked by several walls west of Constantinople, but he did not expect the Huns to kill from behind.

"Why? Can anyone tell me why the Huns came into the city? Have you not repeatedly assured me that Constantinople is the strongest fortress in the world, and that no army can break through it? What now? What else can you say now? Leo I was furious in the palace of Daphne as he watched the generals in front of him, and there were many officials and chamberlains standing next to him.

Antemius was the commander of the Praetorian Guard, and all his Praetorian Guards were blocked in the barracks by the third regiment of the Hun Marine Cavalry Division, and none of them could escape, only a hundred-man team on duty with the palace guards was spared, and now Emperor Leo asked, he couldn't help but speak.

He bowed ashamedly and said: "Respected Augustus, the minister is guilty, the minister never thought that the Huns would suddenly appear in the city, according to the analysis of the news obtained by the minister from everywhere, the Hun cavalry that entered the city was at least 10,000 horsemen, and such a large scale of cavalry entered Constantinople from the Golden City Gate, we could not be aware of it, and it was impossible for them to mix such a number of cavalry into the city little by little, it would take a long time, the only explanation is that they came from the sea, and they came ashore from the Black Sea Straits, You know that our sea wall is not high, and it is a single wall, and there are many places where there is no city wall at all, if the Huns really came ashore from the sea, then this qiē can be explained, the coastal defense is full of loopholes, and well, this time period, the naval patrol ships will also return to the port to rest, the Huns' fleet can drive directly to the strait and then go ashore, for this matter, the minister is guilty, and the minister asks the respected Augustus to punish, but at this time, His Majesty still thinks about how to deal with the aftermath, otherwise it is not a pity for the minister to die, Both His Majesty and the Empress will be in danger! ”

The new Empress Venina was very frightened at this time, and she was even more frightened when she heard Antemius mention that she was in a dangerous situation, she hurriedly said: "Yes, Your Majesty, now is not the time to be held responsible, let's find a way to escape quickly, didn't you listen to the guards, they only gave us half an hour, and in half an hour they will attack the palace, and then we will be miserable, I don't want to be ravaged to death by those barbaric Huns......."

When Leo I heard Venina's words, his old face suddenly fell, and he turned his head and asked Antemius: "Can we only flee, and have no way to drive the Huns out of the city?" ”

Antemius thought for a moment and asked a young man behind him, "Anastasias, can your hundred-man team still send warriors to report to the Twenty-fourth Legion and the Twenty-ninth Legion outside the city for help?" ”

This Anastasiasius was the captain of the Janissary Hundred, who was later Emperor Byzantine Emperor Anastasia I in history, and he was born in 430, when he was only twenty-seven years old, just in the prime of his youth.

Anastasiaus shook his head and said: "General, the soldiers who fled into the palace from the outside reported that the road from the city wall of Theodosius to the palace was all guarded by Hun soldiers, and the city wall of Theodosius was also occupied by the Hun soldiers on all fronts, and the city gate and city wall were full of Hun soldiers, and there was no chance to go out at all, even if my warriors forcibly broke through the checkpoint set by the Huns to report the news, I am afraid it would be too late in time, and the time given to us by the Huns was only half an hour, and we could not wait for reinforcements in this half an hour, You may be poisoned by the Huns! ”

Anastasias's words were heard clearly by Emperor Leo, Empress Venina, and the generals, officials, and chamberlains present, and the current shape could not be clearer, only half an hour, even if the 24th and 29th Legions of the Field Legion outside the city received the news of the crisis in the city, they did not have the ability to kill the palace here to rescue the emperor in half an hour.

Venina doesn't care about the question of face or shame, she just became the queen, she just wants to live, as long as she lives, she still has a chance, but if she doesn't even have her life, what's the use of having face? Therefore, she kept urging Leo I: "Your Majesty, it's too late, even if the Holy Angel comes, it will be impossible to drive away the Huns in such a short time, and as long as the Huns come in, I'm afraid you and I will not be able to escape death!" What are you afraid of when you run away? As long as we can escape, can the Huns stay here for a long time? They just want to rob a little property, and when they have robbed enough, they will naturally withdraw, and then we will withdraw again! ”

Leo I was furious when he heard this: "What do you know as a woman? I am an Augustus, the master of the entire Eastern Empire, if I am frightened by these ten thousand cavalry and flee, I will not be laughed to death by my subjects in the future? Besides, do you think the Huns were so easily satisfied? The year before last, the barbarian Vandals sacked the city of Rome, do you know what the city of Rome was like? ”

None of the people present dared to speak up after saying this, but Antemius said: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that the queen's words are not unreasonable, if Your Majesty is worried about the reputation, we can announce afterwards that Your Majesty is not in Constantinople tonight, and we have been to Ankara to inspect the public situation in the past few days, and Your Majesty was furious after learning that the Huns had sacked Constantinople, and declared a full-scale war with the Huns!" If you are worried that the Huns will sack Constantinople, there is actually no need, because it is inevitable, if they don't loot, they will not be the Huns, and your Majesty can hide this hatred in our hearts, and we still have time and opportunity to seek revenge from the Huns."

Leo I weighed the decision to flee the palace for his own safety, and after the decision was made, Leo and the Empress and some other officials had to change into civilian clothes, and there was a secret passage from Daphne Palace that led to the arena, and Antemius and Anastasias were accompanied by a hundred Praetorian Guard soldiers to protect them.

After arriving at the arena, Leo and the others were very smooth, because it was late at night, there was no one in the arena, after the Hun cavalry entered the city, the soldiers guarding here were all scared away, leaving only some death row gladiators and beasts to be locked in underground cells, from the arena there was a sewer leading to a pier on the shore of the Marama Sea, there were boats on the pier, they came out of the sewer and arrived at the dock, the boats left them unwillingly, and they got on the boat very smoothly, The Praetorian Guard soldiers and chamberlains then sailed to protect Leo and the Empress from Constantinople to Bursa in Asia Minor, and from Bursa to Ankara. (To be continued......)