Even at one point, Constantine IV wanted to blurt out a promise . XsHuotXT

Even if the summons were full of demonstrations and hostility, and the Eastern Romans took the initiative to provoke the Great Min this time, to be honest, the ghosts of this era are willing to fight to the death with the Great Min.

The 6,700,000 troops that came violently were only half of the troops in the Great Min Kingdom, even if Li Jie lost all the cards in his hand, the 40 or 50 million people of Tianzhu and Persia could quickly make up for the losses, but what about Eastern Rome?

At the height of Justinian the Great's glory, the population of the Eastern Roman Empire had exceeded 35 million, but since then the Eastern Roman Empire has almost been declining, the Spanish Peninsula has been lost, the Italian Peninsula is now almost lost, the Eastern provinces have almost all been robbed by the Arabs, and the population of the empire has plummeted due to wars for more than 100 years.

The 200,000 troops in his hand seem to be magnificent, but in fact they are also the last family of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Even if West Mesopotamia was given to the Great Min, even if a tribute of thousands of catties of gold a year was exchanged for twenty years of respite, it would be beneficial and harmless to Rome, and Constantine IV, who had always been unstable on the throne, dreamed of appeasing his restless sister.

But is Li Jie's promise credible?

There is a fairly widespread adage in the history of the Roman Empire, never believe in the alliance of the strong, and even the Roman Empire itself is a big empire that has crossed Europe, Asia and Africa by encroaching on the territory of the alliance countries, and after the first impulse, Constantine IV did not believe in Li Jie's promise.

Besides, don't believe it, okay?

I wanted to refuse, but when the words came to my mouth, Constantine IV had to swallow again, because from more than a dozen high-ranking senators to the generals of various military districts, and even his most trusted deacon, Marmanius, and the * official Morbius looked at him with a blank eye.

The position of the Roman emperor is heavy and light, even Justinian the Great was almost not overthrown by the rioting citizens of Constantinople, Constantine IV doubted that if he wanted to refuse, would these guys in front of him turn their faces in the next second and kill themselves like they stabbed Caesar to death in front of the Senate.

Now Constantine IV realized how disgusting and embarrassed Li Jie was when he ordered his envoys to go to Ctesiphon to discuss the payment of tribute a year ago.

The words of refusal turned twice in the mouth of Constantine IV, and after Wang Xianjie entered the tent, the arrogant Roman emperor bowed his head humbly for the first time.

"This matter is of great importance, and I ask your envoy to allow Augustus to consult with the generals and ministers!" Hopefully"

"Good!"

Wang Xianjie didn't force it, but nodded politely with the reserved and high-minded politeness of an ambassador of the Celestial Empire.

"In order to express sincerity, before the subordinates came, the King of Min instructed the subordinates that the Great Min Heavenly Army could stop first."

"However, Your Majesty the Roman Emperor, our dynasty will never allow the Arabs to set foot in Mesopotamia again, and the patience of the King of Damin is limited."

Taking a step forward slightly, Wang Xianjie's face, which had always remained unchanged, finally revealed a little gloom.

"Two days later, the subordinates will come to visit and wait for your majesty's good news!"

This is a big country, where he speaks hard, and after saying goodbye with such a polite and polite manner, Wang Xianjie turned around and left, and watched him out of the tent, Constantine IV's much-aged face was still smiling, and the emperor's purple robe wrapped in armor was twitching like a Shar Pei.

"Augustus, the covenant of the Min people?"

As soon as Wang Xianjie left, the patriarch Scipio, a large Balkan landowner with gray hair and a clean beard on his face, couldn't wait to ask Constantine IV.

Who knew that the smile on Constantine IV's face suddenly turned cold, and he actually snorted coldly, and walked out of the tent with a flick of his sleeves.

…………

In order to express sincerity, the Min army really stopped.

About two days' journey from Edessa, along the Tigris River, the Min army set up a huge camp, running through the north and south banks of the river, the company camp was more than 40 miles wide, the long wooden wall was nailed on the spot outside the wall, and the sound of the Fujian army's wheel hammer could be heard several miles away.

Hundreds of thousands of war horses, camels and elephants gathered by the river to drink, and the wide Tigris River was a little shallower for this, but although it stopped, the preparations of the Fujian army were still busy.

The soldiers and horses did not move, the grain and grass went first, and the food supply was like a mountain, and Li Jie seemed to express his determination to fight a protracted war.

The Min army expressed this gesture, and in order not to provoke Li Jie, Constantine IV finally ordered the Byzantine army to stop and set up camp about a day's distance from the city of Edessa.

Under the continuous march, even the descendants of Alexander's army that conquered the world, the Macedonian army was exhausted, the shallow fence was pierced, and the Greek spears three or four meters long were messily stuck on the top of the muzzle, and the Roman infantry of each army and battalion were exhausted into the tent without even neatly planning the tent.

Before it was completely dark, there was already snoring in the Roman barracks.

But Constantine IV couldn't sleep at all, in the tent belonging to the Roman emperor, a lone lamp kept swaying with the air current, and the face of Constantine IV who was shining was also cloudy, not like a saint, but like a devil.

In the shadows under the lamp, a man wrapped in a black cloak knelt on the ground, the wide cloak completely obscured his face, and he could not even tell whether it was a man or a woman, and if he did not pay attention, it was as if he had really become one with the darkness.

Obscure and hoarse voices kept coming out of his mouth.

"Augustus, the news from the inside of the Fujian military camp that Her Majesty Anna is indeed under house arrest, and no one is allowed to visit, and after camping, Anna's carriage is enclosed in the janissary circle."

"The Min army did stop, the footsteps, even the most elite Guanning iron cavalry of the Fujian people stopped in the camp, the saddle was all untied, and the Fujian people did not take a step forward."

Listening to this slow information, the wrinkles on Constantine IV's face became even more diffuse, and his forehead was wrinkled out by him, and he pondered for a long time.

"So, King Min's peace proposal is true?"

"I don't think it's necessarily true."

Bringing back a series of favorable news, the black shadow categorically rejected Constantine IV's expectations at this critical juncture, and the Roman emperor, who was only in his thirties but was already showing his old age, raised his eyebrows in disappointment, but the black shadow continued to narrate as if he was unaware.

"If I Rome and the Arabs are united, 400,000 troops can be attacked and defended, even if they are as strong as the Min people, they have to weigh one or two, the King of Min is now desperate to break the union of the two families, and even Her Majesty Anna has been sacrificed, but once the Arabs have been dealt with, the bows and arrows of the Min army will still be towards my Rome, and the permanent contract of the Min people is not credible!"

"What do you mean, Augustus rejected the peace offer of the Min people?"

The brow furrowed deeper, and Constantine IV's tone became more gloomy, and he said hoarsely worriedly, but the shadow seemed to shake his head again in veto.

"In any case, the Min people hate the Arabs more than my Rome, the King of Min's swords and guns will still be the first to cut at the Arabs, Hussein is not a mediocre hand, Mecca and Medina can finally squeeze out 300,000 cavalry for him to drive, even if the Great Min breaks through Syria, and then turns back to attack my Rome, it is estimated that it will be a few years later."

"Why did I, Rome, come up with this for the Arabs? During this time, after excluding the influence and interference of Her Majesty Anna and integrating the elders of the country, Rome could completely build a second Constantinople in Antioch and keep the Fujian people who were fighting with the Arabs out of Asia Minor. ”

As if he had finally made up his mind, Constantine IV stood up with a gloomy face, stretched out his hand and bent down to pick up the black cloak under the lamp, but under the black cloak, there was no one.

I don't know when it started, Constantine IV no longer believed in anyone but in himself! Picking up a quill pen and dipped in ink, the Roman emperor hurriedly wrote down a line of disgraceful orders with his beautiful calligraphy.

…………

In addition to Rome and Damin, an army also hurried to Mesopotamia, and on the trail of Mount Sheikh, the sound of Arab camel bells and the clatter of war horses on the hard stone road mingled into a strange symphony.

Although they don't know the Chinese allusion of the cold lips and teeth, the Arabs at this time seem to know clearly that Mesopotamia, which kept Rome, kept Syria for the Arabs, so although it was fighting for the Romans, this Arab cavalry still hurried to Edessa with high morale.

At this time, the concept was still simple, and the simple Arabs did not expect that the situation near Edessa had undergone many subtle changes at this time......

Entering Mesopotamia from the Syrian border, and passing through a corner of the northwestern part of the Nefud Desert, the Arab cavalry that had managed to break out of Mount Sheikh rushed into the desert as if they had returned to their homeland, and their pace seemed to be brisker.

In the sand, not far from the road where the Arab army was marching, there was a crack in the towering sand dunes, but there was a crack like a ghost, and a pair of black eyes stared at these uninvited guests......