"That's!"

"Sir Justinian!"

When the black fox battle flag standing on the distant mountain plains fluttered in the wind, the defenders who were almost desperate on the city of Thessalonica burst into joy and cheered. They knew that the adult had indeed not abandoned them. He was leading the returning army to support the city, and the enemy in front of him would usher in the end of their destruction.

"He is really back." Looking at the invincible battle flag in Moria, Princess Odosiya could not hide her excitement at this time. Justinian, who had no news for several months, finally appeared. Whether it was his return to his safety or the crisis in Thessalonika was resolved, her eyes turned red and she almost cried with joy. Antonia, who was beside her, hurriedly stepped forward to support the princess who could not stand because of her excitement. The heavy burden in the past few days was about to crush this sick woman, and all the support of Odosiya was fully supported by her. Antonia was vivid in her memory.

Now everything is ready, and next is your one-man show. Antonia quietly stared at the three armies gathered in the city in front of her, and was holding a secret letter tightly in her hand.

Igor and the others should be almost ready now!

...

On the Macedonian plains, Epirus and Bulgaria's coalition responded immediately, with the Bulgarian cavalry as the vanguard. After dispersing the refugees, they immediately arranged an oblique formation to defend the flanks of the infantry phalanx to win time. These elite soldiers under the Assen royal family made great achievements in the Bulgarian War of Independence, and even gave Latin Emperor Baldwin a fatal blow in the previous Battle of Fort Adria. In addition to their terrifying attack ability, their compound bows also had good long-range damage, so they clearly understood this point. Justinian's army did not launch an attack immediately.

"Hmph, is it really here? It seems that Agrenion must have messed up." Mikhail Ducas, with a cold expression, looked at the Moria army gathered in the distance. He was not surprised by Justinian's arrival. The emperor, who had already prepared, sneered: "Since you come to die, I will fulfill you."

Seeing Epirus and the Bulgarian coalition, who were fully prepared, set off on the Plain of Thessalonika, Justinian was not in a hurry to let his army launch an attack. Although he had an unexpected advantage, the Moria army came from afar, and with more than half of the recruits, he needed to stand firm.

Standing on the only commanding height on the plain, looking at the army where the enemy could not see the end, Justinian's expression became solemn as never before. This was a gamble that determined the fate of Rome. He had to defeat the Ducas and the Bulgarians in front of him, otherwise he would have no choice but to retreat. Turning around Justinian looked at his subordinates behind him, still maintaining his usual calmness, and said to them lightly: "Prepare! Give orders to let everyone march."

"Yes, Your Highness!" Although Justinian did not say a word of encouragement to them from beginning to end, Zelius and the others did not hesitate, because they believed that the young autocratic man in front of them would lead them to victory after victory until the revival of the great Rome.

...

Seeing that Molia's army was not moving for a long time, the impatient Bulgarian army took the lead in launching a tentative attack. Of course, the Asen Iron Cavalry, who was responsible for the formation, did not dispatch, but sent the felt hats to hire cavalrymen. These nomads from the northern wastelands were excellent mobile forces on the battlefield.

They broke out of the army and quickly scattered in every corner of the plain, harassing the Moria army from time to time. The bows and arrows fell towards the new army like raindrops. Although the sight of the horse was much worse, it still posed a significant threat to the new recruits on Molia's side. Focas directed them to react immediately.

"Shield array!"

With a command, the Misteris infantry holding short spears and round shields immediately reacted and formed a ring-shaped closed front to block friendly forces. They came from the wealthy class and were obviously much more well-equipped, and the bows and arrows fell on their shields and mails and did not hurt anyone.

At the same time, the new Molia troops were also ready to fight back.

"Shoot the arrow!"

As soon as he finished speaking, "Swish Swish Swish Swish Swish", Mo Dong archers, who were covered by the shield formation, shot arrows at the Bulgarian light cavalry continuously. These archers who guarded the southern border of the empire were good at shooting invading enemies on the bumpy sea. Even on land now, their arrows were more deadly than those of herders riding and shooting.

The Kurman cavalry was already loose and the front line was quickly "teared". Obviously, the price of strong mobility was the simplicity of equipment. When facing the rain of Mo Dong's shooter, the light cavalry in Bulgaria was quickly shot overturned by a group of people, and then chose to escape.

Seeing this result, Emperor Mikhail was not surprised. He had long guessed that the reckless Bulgarians would have an adverse effect. But such small setbacks had nothing to do with the overall situation, because at this time the generals under his command were ready, and then Mikhail Dukas ordered the horn of the attack to blow.

Amid the grand sound of blowing, Epirus' army began to attack. In the eyes of Emperor Ducas, the optimal solution was to quickly fight and defeat Justinian with absolute advantage, and make the game on the battlefield change instantly turn into a pure power contest, so that the little fox of Moria would have nowhere to hide.

This is exactly the result that Justinian is most reluctant to see. As Himion, who was captured by him, said before, Mikhail was prepared, but he still underestimated Epirus's background in recent years.

"Order the change of formation immediately." Justinian signaled the flag-holding officer beside him to send signals to the surrounding infantry phalanx.

After receiving the order, the Moria army also responded immediately. On the premise of maintaining the battle at any time, the infantry formation began to shrink from the original horizontal formation, and the Misteris heavy infantry were still at the front. They lined up in eight rows to cover the Modong archers in the rear according to the Jiao Dian left by Morris I. This way of deepening one's own depth can effectively deter the enemy's cavalry from daring to rush forward without authorization, but at the same time it also increases the difficulty of dispatching and requires the commander's high command ability.

This is exactly what Justinian lacks the most. After experiencing the baptism of fire and sword, he can already do the new Moria army in his hand as much as his arm.

The infantry formation of the Moria army changed its formation methodically, while the cavalry of Tanbe and the Revival Cavalry under Salius were mixed with the infantry of the two wings to protect the entire army according to one-to-two distribution. They were Justinian's trump card related to the success or failure of the battlefield, so they must be able to react as soon as possible.
Chapter completed!