Of course Grand Duke Anastasius would not agree to the so-called ultimatum of the Venetians. He clearly understood that if Justinian died, the entire southern Peloponnese would inevitably fall under the Achaean throne again.

This was the purpose of the Venetians. Just a castle of Viscari was dispensable to them, and it was nothing compared to helping the Achaean princes regain their lost territory.

And if the Morian nobles really handed over Justinian to the Venetians, then the comeback of the Achaean princes would never let go of the remaining refuge of the Byzantine nobles in Fort Viscari, and they would be offended by that time.

The Morian nobles of Nicaea and Epirus would no longer have a foothold.

It can be seen that the Venetians had sinister intentions. It was precisely because of this that Archduke Anastasius was able to reject the Venetian ultimatum directly against all opinions, thus invisibly resolving a fatal disaster for Justinian.

"The key?" Justinian looked at the attitude of Archduke Anastasius. Although he was relieved, he frowned slightly after hearing what the other party just said.

The old man in front of him nodded and said: "Yes, that's the key. Although I have suppressed the hostility among the nobles towards you, it does not mean that you have truly turned the corner. As long as the blockade of Fort Wiscari is not

If you are lifted, you may be assassinated or even betrayed at any time."

"Is this your attitude towards those who fought bloody battles for the empire? Haha, I'm really impressed." Seeing Grand Duke Anastasius speaking such cold words so calmly, Justinian couldn't help but

Sneering, this is such an ironic thing, those so-called honorable nobles showed such ugly faces when they were really tested.

He finally understood why the thousand-year-old empire had fallen to its present state. It was really because the Byzantine Empire had been riddled with many such cancers.

Anastasius also saw the anger in Justinian's heart and understood his mood at this time, but he still replied in a calm tone as much as possible: "This is the limit of what I can do for you.

"Although it is foolish to drink poison to quench thirst, you can't stop a person who is dying of thirst from making such a choice. Because of this, the key to whether this crisis can be resolved depends entirely on you."

"Then what do you want me to do?" Justinian took a deep breath and calmed down his mood. Although he felt chilled, what Anastasius said was indeed very rational. As a matter of fact, he could only accept it.

Looking at Justinian's reaction, Grand Duke Anastasius was very satisfied. For a young and energetic young man, this kind of forbearance can be said to be rare. But for a person who wants to step onto the ladder of power,

It was indispensable. He understood better why His Majesty Muzphius chose Justinian.

"It's very simple. The key to everything now is to break the Venetian blockade, and as long as you can do this, everything will be solved."

The old man's faint words resounded throughout the hall, and Justinian also somewhat understood what the old man in front of him meant, and said, "Are you talking about using my army in Tripolis?" Since Fort Wiscari

If their troops cannot break through the enemy's blockade, they can only rely on external support, which is undoubtedly their last hope.

But Justinian was caught in a dilemma. If he dispatched the army of Tripolis, first of all, Zeodore Cephalon and the others would be ready to move. Secondly and most importantly, if the city of Tripolis was empty, there would be great danger.

It may be counterattacked by the Achaean princes. Once it is lost and loses the gateway to the southern Peloponnese, the consequences will be disastrous.

But now, as Grand Duke Anastasius said, if he cannot resolve this crisis as soon as possible, he will not even be able to protect himself.

…

…

…

At this time, several camps were raised on the mountain pass north of the foothills of Fort Viscari. After a fierce debate among the Venetians, Ranieri finally convinced all his men to blockade Fort Viscari.

And all this is thanks to George Borderer.

At the combat meeting, this man told the Venetians all the weaknesses and flaws of Fort Viscari, which gave them absolute confidence. As soon as they landed, they pulled out the Momo with lightning speed.

The secret outposts planted by the Leah nobles captured the mountain pass stronghold and blocked the only overland exit from Wiscari Castle to the outside world.

"In this case, those people in Fort Viscari will not be able to escape even if they have wings. I believe that this time, you will be able to succeed immediately." Looking at the built fortifications, George Borderer said in Ranieri Dando

Luo's side complimented him, saying that the Venetians had inherited the civil engineering technology of ancient Rome, and their use of such fortification equipment was no worse than that of the Byzantines.

However, Ranieri turned a deaf ear to this. On the one hand, he ordered his men to closely observe every move of Fort Viscari to prevent the Byzantines from attacking their camp. On the other hand, he ordered the fleet at sea to strengthen their cruises to prevent the Byzantines from having any supplies at sea.

opportunity.

"How long can the food in their city last?" Ranieri asked.

"Without the supplies from the farmland at the foot of the mountain and the Genoese merchants at sea, they can survive for at most ten days. Although they wisely rejected your ultimatum, when the last grain of food was exhausted in the city, the fear of hunger permeated the heads of every noble and common people.

At that moment, can they still maintain their sanity? Believe me, it is only a matter of time before they surrender or hand over the Governor of Moria." Although Fort Wiscari is not large, there are many refugees from other places in it.

, after several months of investigation, George Borderer knew this very well. In comparison, the Venetians could rely on plundering the food and grass they carried around to support themselves for a long time. They only had to wait for the food in the city to be exhausted, then the other party would not be able to support it.

It's only a matter of time before it goes down.

Seeing George Borderer say these words as if nothing had happened, Ranieri also shuddered, but he had no interest in the internal fighting of the Byzantines. All he had to do now was to end it as much as possible in order to obtain the title of Marquis of Achaia.

In order to maintain the friendship between the two countries, he was able to petition the Holy See to lift the excommunication order against his father.

After a moment of silence, Ranieri also told George the Border Counter in front of him a piece of information in exchange, "According to reliable information, Henry of Flanders was preparing to mobilize his army to cross the sea to attack Nicaea again, and this time they

An agreement was reached with Sultan Rom, and even the Komnenos family of Trebizond agreed to cooperate with them against you."
Chapter completed!