The city of Laris in Thesali was originally the territory of the Gavris family. After colluding with Mikhail Ducas to launch a rebellion and merge with the rebels of Agrignon, they were finally defeated by Justinian and Tanbey, Bunonius and other nobles in time. The killed Gavris was hanging on the head of Trikara, and the family that had been passed down for a hundred years was destroyed. Now the guardian is the Merinosen family of Thessalian.

Compared with the fragmented Macedonia, which has a rare peace between the Pindus Mountains and the Pinios River, the people are basically living and working in peace, in addition to being wary of possible invasions by pirates along the coast.

In the early morning, the shepherd boy in the nearby village still rushed the flock of the landlord's family to the grassland on the hillside according to his past habits. Although he knew that the country was fighting, those things were too far away for him, and life was still as dull as ever.

Until today, he has always thought so, but when a sheep fell behind in the flock ran to the edge of the steep cliff, the shepherd boy hurriedly chased after him, but was stunned by the scene far below the cliff, because outside the pass of the Pindus Mountains, a flag fluttered in the wind, and a golden double-headed eagle and a black fox could be vaguely seen on the red-bottomed battle flag. Is there anything more shocking than this? The goat that just held in his arms was also subconsciously thrown into the cliff by the horrified shepherd boy...

"Ah—"

The shepherd boy turned his direction without saying a word and ran towards the village behind him, reporting to the local lord in the village. Although he didn't know who those troops were, one thing was certain.

The war is coming!

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In the city of Larissa, when we learned that a large number of people appeared at the entrance of the Pindus Mountains and were about to arrive at the city of Larissa, the nobles and civilians in the city were in chaos, and rumors also came one after another. Some said that Justinian led his troops to inflict the crime, and some said that Emperor Mikhail of Rusnez made a comeback, and some even more terrified that the Latins invaded again. All kinds of speculations aggravated people's panic, and the only thing that could be relied on in the city of Larissa was Earl Merinosen, who guarded this place.

At this moment, he was discussing the next countermeasures with his vassals in the noble hall. Unlike many different opinions outside, when he learned the news, Earl Merinosen had already reached the city who was the one who was at the gate.

"If all the men over sixteen years old in the city are concentrated on the top of the city, how long can we defend Justinian's attack support?" Due to the suppression of the Agrignon rebellion, the nobles from all over the Sessare went on an expedition, but Merinosen stayed in Larissa. However, at present, there are only three or five hundred cavalry under his command, and most of the infantrymen are unable to come back in their original fiefdoms. He can only make up the abacus of summoning the town residents.

The garrison officer shook his head and said pessimisticly: "Even if we add them all, we can get less than a thousand soldiers, and they are all inexperienced little guys. Lord Earl, how can we expect a group of sheep to defeat the lions?"

"But outside the city is just a fox!" The opponent's subordinate not only did not make any suggestions, but instead said such despicable words that would hurt morale. Merinoth was furious.

"Even a fox is a wild beast after all, it is enough to scare the courage of a man who has never seen the flesh and blood. The Earl, perhaps sending people out for negotiation is a wiser choice." The garrison officer is fifty years old this year. On the battlefield, he knew that the soldiers who had been on the battlefield for the first time had no use. When he became the Earl, he was loyal to the Merinosen family. He really did not want to watch the family destruction, so he was the first to stand up and beg his lord not to act impulsively.

But no matter how the old garrison officer persuaded him, the stubborn Earl Merinosen could not listen. "I will never succumb to the rule of a pariah from the Peloponnese!" At this time, the Earl of Thesalian was so persistent, not so proud, but rather helpless. After receiving the report from the front, he learned that Justinian had more than 10,000 troops led by his large and small troops this time, which showed that the other party had no great loss to Agrignon, and Merinosen had already begun to regret it. But he had no choice. The messenger who was released by Justinian told him that the other party's extremely harsh demands were not only loyal to Justinian, but also had to accept the punishment of 100 pounds of gold and deprivation of part of his fief. This made Merinosen completely unacceptable.

"At worst, I'll be here to kill you!"

As soon as this statement was made, Merinosen thought he would get the support of the people below, but the vassals under his command remained silent. After all, the elite soldiers and generals outside the city would not be repelled by the bearer, and they were unwilling to die in such a thing in vain. It was just a personal conflict between the Earl Merinosen and His Highness Justinian.

Looking at this scene, Earl Merinosen was heartbroken. He thought that at this moment, his subordinates could share their worries for him, but now no one dared to fight in front of him, which really annoyed him. But now what he hated even more were the two Earls Taranit and Bononius far away in Agrignon. They gave Merinosen a wrong message, which made him think that he could challenge Justinian's authority to gain autonomy, but he did not expect to give the other party an excuse to attack.

A bang-

While the indoor cold was silent, a roar came from outside, and the hall shook for a while. Everyone panicked and wanted to run out, thinking that such a big disturbance was the city being captured.

Merinoson, whose face changed, immediately sent someone out to check what was going on. The trembling guards walked in shortly after they went out and said, "A huge stone hit from outside the city, smashing a stone statue outside the noble hall directly!"

Merinoson and the nobles under his command learned the news and gasped. Everyone knew that this was a damage caused by a catapult. However, it was a long distance from the city wall, so how did the other party do it. An atmosphere of panic lingered in the hall, and everyone realized that Justinian seemed to be serious, and now it was just a warning at the beginning.

The nobles who looked at each other silently turned their eyes to Earl Merinoson, and then someone came in outside the door to report.

"Sir Earl, there is an envoy outside the city to ask for his visit!"

The soldiers ran in and reported an incredible thing to the terrified Earl Merinoson and a nobleman. Just as they were still considering negotiating peace with Justinian, the opposite side actually sent people to contact him. This was undoubtedly a good signal.

The vassals, full of expectations, looked at Merinosen, and the count's previous attitude was also relaxed at this time, showing a hesitant look.

"Your Excellency, you must not miss the opportunity!" The old garrison on the side advised, finally making Merinosen make up his mind.

"Let the messengers come in, at least let me hear how they want to humiliate me!" A self-deprecating smile, he was born in a famous family, but he did not want to end up in such a field. Seeing that Earl Merinosen actually agreed, a big stone in his heart was put down for a moment.

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Surrounded by the soldiers of Thessali, the messenger of Justinian, was wearing a white robe and a hood on his head, and no one could see his appearance below. However, looking at his short physique, Merinosen and other little nobles relaxed in the hall, and they also wanted to know what the messenger sent by Justinian had.

"It is unnecessary to be mysterious. As a negotiator, don't you want to reveal your true face?" Merinoson said unhappily. Although he was afraid of Justinian's military force and had to surrender temporarily, this did not mean that he could tolerate a mere messenger being rude to him. After that, under the gesture of Earl Merinoson, the guards on both sides were about to go forward and lift the messenger's hood.

But when they surrounded them, a loud sound came from under the hood.

"I haven't seen you for a long time, how about you, Uncle Merinosen. I think you must have not forgotten the oath you made to me here that day!"
Chapter completed!