The extended Pentus Mountains lie between Epirus and Thessaly. Although the altitude is not exaggerated, the hilly areas with thousands of ravines are a nightmare for all travelers, and the army is even more unwilling to march here. It is precisely because of this that the Sali and Peloponnese in the south do not need to worry about the threat from the north, but only need to pay attention to the vast sea.

It is precisely because of this that the army of the co-governor Emperor who marched from Rusny was not obstructed at all along the way. The one who commanded them was Nicholas, the illegitimate son of Mikhail Dukas. The co-governor Emperor was quite romantic when he was young. Some people joked that his illegitimate son could form an army for him. Nicholas was undoubtedly the one who valued the most by Emperor Mikhail. In addition to being handsome, he also practiced martial arts and was able to command the commander.

An army. Mikhail had considered recognizing his identity and giving Ducas the name. Nicholas also believed so. However, at the martial arts competition a year ago, he lost all his face in the duel with Justinian, so the matter was left unresolved. So this time, Nicholas volunteered, in addition to hoping to regain his father's favor, his more important purpose was to retaliate against Justinian, the culprit for all this.

Nearly 10,000 troops marched in the southern expedition, and there were thousands of cavalry in the team formed. Many of them were Latin riders who fled from Achaia, which were of great strength. Although Emperor Mikhail and the Venetians agreed to send a side division, he was still generous with his illegitimate son and gave it to Nicholas a strong brigade. Therefore, in Nicholas's view, he was sure to win. Along the way, he ordered his troops to cross mountains and ridges and march southward. As long as he crossed another mountain, he could reach the third pass of Pindus, and then there was the plain Agrenion Plain.

"Mr. Nicholas, is our march too fast? There are troops behind it, and even if the people in front can bear it, the war horses are too tired. Can we take a break for a while? Anyway, there are still a few days left before the date agreed with the Venetians?" General Valus, the deputy next to Nicholas, suggested angrily. He was an experienced veteran, but he had been away from the army for many years, so the fat all over his body made him feel uncomfortable in the bumps of the road. He hoped that Nicholas could order the marching slowdown, but he was disappointed.

"Soldiers are very fast! We can take the Sasali and Agrenion earlier by stepping forward. Do you want to disappoint His Majesty the Emperor?" Nicholas refuted without giving the older veteran general the slightest face.

"But if the army continues like this, it will be exhausted before it reaches its destination. What strength does it have to fight?" Valus couldn't help but say, complaining in his heart that the emperor sent him to do a chore.

"Don't you know the news brought by the scout? Thesali's small forward has already arrived at the city of Agrenion, and the main force has already set off from Larissa. We will be a little more difficult to fight later. We must take advantage of the rebels' convergence to attack them in order to achieve full success. Now is not the time to complain!" Nicholas, who was full of thoughts on military achievements, did not listen to Valus' reasonable opinions at all. He issued an order without any room for negotiation.

"Tonight to march at night, we must arrive at the northern wall of Agrenion tomorrow. Anyone who dares to disobey the orders will be killed to serve as a warning!" Nicholas said coldly, and when he said this ancient punishment from his mouth, everyone's hearts trembled, and the terrified soldiers lowered their heads in fear. No one expected that Nicholas would be frustrated to take out the torture of the Republican era. Now this thing has disappeared, but no one would suspect that the tyrannical emperor's illegitimate son would not do this. Even the deputy general Valus, who had originally opposed, looked suffocated, and finally closed his mouth and chose to swallow his anger.

A tired army embarked on a journey under the tyrannical whip of Nicholas, and another army outside the distant mountains also treks hard in the valley.

...

...

...

"The valley you mentioned is here?" Justinian confirmed again as he looked at Sergius who brought him over.

After leaving the army's base dozens of miles away, led by Sergius, Justinian finally arrived in front of the valley in the mouth of the crazy monk, and looked suspiciously at the bare rock wall. He could not see any difference here.

Sergius saw Justinian's doubts and replied calmly: "It's right here, it's exactly the same as when I came back then. Could it be that the little foxes who crossed the Peloponnese were still worried about a small valley?"

"I'm worried that it's not this valley, but you." Justinian looked at monk Sergius and said calmly, "Why do you want to help me?" He had never met each other forever. When he met the monk, he helped him openly or secretly. There must be some reason. He didn't like this feeling of being kept in the dark.

Faced with Justinian's doubts, the crazy monk laughed, "My dear master, is there anything strange about this? It's just a matter of doing it casually. I like His Highness Irina very much, this child, who doesn't want her to die like this. That's all, as for the reason I come here, is that your destination and I are the same place."

"What's the meaning?"

"I will also go to the northern side wall, where there is an army stationed there. The nobles and men did not care about the lives of these soldiers at all, and seemed to have been forgotten by them. And I was entrusted by someone to send a letter, and their son was there." The crazy monk showed a lonely expression on his face. Although he had only been together for a short time in Agrignon and Dmitry, they were one of his few true friends in his life. He was entrusted by someone to be loyal to others, and he must bring the letter to his family safely.

Just as Sergius spoke, "Fencuse." Justinian's warning was low and rapid.

Sergius came to his senses, and then he realized that at some point the figure had surrounded them from all directions. Justinian held the sword in his hand vigilantly, and the obvious threat was already shrouded in the valley. But the mad monk grabbed his hand: "Don't act rashly, Lord Justinian."

Standing up, Sergius looked at the figure coming up. It was already evening. He spoke loudly: "We have no intention of offending the Albanians, we are just passing by here for your help."

The sound echoed in the valley, and all the movements of the figures in the valley stopped.

I heard the other party reply, "This mountain is ours, a stranger." A low, determined but unfriendly voice. "You should not break in without permission, this kind of action must be paid."

"If that's the case, then I apologize." Sergius replied politely.
Chapter completed!