Fence-sitters

"Suna."

"Hmm?" Lady Mati turned to look at Constantine XI.

"Your Majesty, what is it?"

"Hit me." Constantine XI glanced at the blood-red double-headed eagle flag flying over the walls of Thessalonica, his expression blank.

"I feel like I might be dreaming."

Shu Yichao had successively captured Adrianople and Thessalonica.

Almost half of the fertile lands of the Balkans had been reclaimed.

Constantine XI couldn't imagine how all of this had happened.

He could only suspect that he was dreaming.

"Is it that Constantinople has already been captured by the infidels?"

He said.

"All of this before me, is it just a fantasy as I lay dying in the city?"

"Smack—" Lady Mati flexed her arm and slapped Constantine's face with a resounding smack.

"Hey, hey, hey, did you all hear that? The Emperor asked me to hit him himself."

After delivering the slap, Lady Mati shouted loudly at the courtiers nearby.

"I've never heard of such a request in my entire life."

After taking a spin, Constantine XI, with stars in his eyes from the hit, regained his composure.

Looking at the blood-red double-headed eagle flag still standing on the city wall, and the Crusaders roaring in the distance, he chuckled foolishly.

"Hehe, that hurts, it's not an illusion."

"Alright, Your Majesty." Lady Mati chuckled along.

"Let's enter the city."

Constantine XI nodded, mounted his horse, and headed towards the city gate, pretending to complain about the burdens of happiness as he went.

"Our Caesar is indeed a pure war fanatic."

"It's basically not about how many enemies there are, but where they are."

"Every time he captures a city, he doesn't bother to leave troops to guard it, just loots it and throws it to us."

"It's gotten to the point where I, as the Augustus, am always following behind him, specially responsible for selling off the spoils of war, arranging prisoners, and organizing the city's logistics."

"Well, it's quite fitting, isn't it?" Lady Mati said with a smile.

"The Caesar is a commander who knows no defeat in battle, while the Augustus is a skilled governor."

"Hahaha!!" Constantine XI was amused by Lady Mati's contemporary analogy.

Just as Norman's troops marched onto the main street of the city, they suddenly heard cursing, clattering, and the clash of weapons.

"What's happening up ahead?" Constantine XI asked curiously as he spurred his horse forward.

Then they heard cries of "May the true god forever protect us" and "The true god is above" resounding through the air.

Before Constantine XI's eyes was an improvised fortress built in the street from miscellaneous items, furniture, and mud.

Inside the fortress, people were fervently praying, with spears at the ready, appearing as though they were ready to fight to the death against Constantine XI.

But the problem was, they were not the stubborn Esmans Constantine XI had imagined.

They were...

"What are these converts from Norman doing?" Lady Mati, seeing the situation before them, was also at a loss for words.

"The legitimate Esmans either fled or surrendered. With the Esmans' royal family extinct, who are they fighting for now?"

Indeed, appearing before the Emperor of Norman was a group of converts from Norman.

These people's ancestors had been loyal subjects of the Norman Empire for generations, but after being conquered by the Esmans, they gradually converted to the Esmans' religion in order to gain political status within the Esmans' empire.

And now, they were shouting and fighting against their emperor.

"Could there be some hidden truth?" Constantine XI pondered, deciding to send an envoy to inquire.

After all, in his view, although the Caesar did not kill them, given the behavior of those Norman cavalry under Shu Yichao, it was inevitable that they would be looted.

Perhaps these compatriots wanted to protest against their emperor in this way, seeking help.

Before long, the envoy sent out by Constantine XI returned, battered and bruised, with disheveled clothes, bringing back the news.

And the conditions they proposed almost made Constantine XI's nose crooked with anger.

"They want me to lead my troops out of this city?"

"And they want me to respect their beliefs, allowing Thessalonica to become an autonomous city-state?"

"And the most ridiculous part is, they want me to handle the reconstruction of the city, the supply of goods, and the repair of houses?"

Constantine XI was furious. "What do these traitors think of their emperor?"

"Free labor?"

"Even when I was forced to bow to the Esmans, they weren't so arrogant!"

"Hmph." Lady Mati chuckled with a twist of her lips.

"It seems, Your Majesty, that you still have too little experience."

"When I led my troops along the coast of the Ink Sea, fighting guerrilla warfare against the Esmans, I saw plenty of these kinds of people."

"In the minds of these traitors, everyone owes them, and the whole world should revolve around them."

"Of course," Lady Mati sneered, "only when facing their own compatriots."

"When facing the Esmans, they become frightened chickens, not daring to make a peep..."

"Your Majesty," Lady Mati drew the sword from her waist, "let me handle this."

"Since Caesar went to war, it seems I haven't fought a single battle."

"Let me send these traitors straight to hell."

"It's not that simple," Constantine XI shook his head. "Don't you find it strange?"

"Why are these people clamoring here, yet there's not a single person coming to stop them?"

"Our Caesar?" Lady Mati said in surprise. "I suppose he thinks they're Norman, not enemies."

"No," Constantine XI shook his head. "I meant the local nobles here..."

Lady Mati's face changed color immediately upon a moment's reflection.

"Ha, just as Your Majesty said."

"They truly are a bunch of parasites!"

Lady Mati knew what was going on.

Could the Esmans rule this land solely with their own people?

Of course not.

These semi-barbarians needed to cooperate with the local nobility to establish effective rule.

After all, empires often fell, but noble families with good lineage could often stand for hundreds of years.

These nobles were skilled at sailing with the wind, changing sides like a weather vane.

When the Esmans ravaged the empire, they naturally allowed some people to convert in order to gain political advantage within the empire, then they would bully the common people together.

And when the King of Norman returned, they would of course come to swear allegiance—

But allegiance must be paid with respect.

The current situation undoubtedly was a show of force from the nobles in the city against Constantine XI.

Constantine XI knew that his best option now was to quickly find the local noble families for negotiation—

Acknowledging their special status and promising to maintain all their interests in the area.

Then, these noble families would happily proclaim their loyalty to the empire, saying they were all subjects basking in the glory of their lord, and from now on, they would do their utmost to serve the empire.

After that, local nobles would appear to disperse the converts or even revert them to their original faith...

The Norman Emperor would have the city, the nobles would secure their privileges, and everyone would be happy.

If not done, they would face all kinds of covert opposition and sabotage in the future.

But—

Should he really do this?

Constantine XI's hand trembled slightly.