In the Middle Ages, people drew cards to be promoted to nobility.

Thank you for taking your fancy, but I'm still a little confused, why do you want to help me?

Lothar frowned.

Although he has no intention of getting involved in the struggle for imperial power, he actually doesn't mind having a mutually beneficial cooperation with the Eastern Empire royal family represented by Anna.

Like becoming a mercenary this time.

With only a few hundred people lost, you can get the title of a military region general, which means at least an income of tens of thousands of gold coins per year. In exchange for digging sand on the Sinai Peninsula, when can you get this amount?

The Limassol Military District alone, in terms of revenue, would be better than all the remaining territories of Rauf that Lothar wanted to capture.

Isn't it natural that capable people should be favored by others?

In the empire, there are too many idiots sitting in key positions. I just hope that they can free up one or two positions under their butts so that people who are truly worthy of this position can sit up.

Anna said lightly.

But Lothar knew that it must be more than that. Isaac alone could not represent the entire Komnenos family.

But it also proves that the Komnenos family is dissatisfied with Lagaia occupying the throne.

The two parties may still be able to get along peacefully on the surface, but the fight in private is definitely already fierce.

In addition, there is one more crucial thing.

Although the empire was temporarily under the control of the Ducas family, Lagaia and the eldest daughter of the late emperor Alexios Komnenos were the legitimate heirs of the empire.

According to common sense, when the princess reaches adulthood, the queen regent should return her power.

But are she and the Dukas family behind her really willing to return power to the Comnenos family?

Lothar had a lot of thoughts in her heart, but she only said: I have no wrong thoughts about Her Majesty the Queen. If you need me to do anything, just do it in equal exchange like this time.

Arriving at Theodosius Square, the crowd in front became more and more crowded.

A gorgeous carriage with gauze curtains, and a carriage decorated with gold and silver trim.

With swarms of slaves and personal guards, they hit him head on.

Each of them sent one person to urge the other to give way with a dissatisfied look, but the end result was that they were blocked.

The nobleman on the carriage looked at the carriage opposite with a cold expression. He had no intention of lowering himself to get involved in the arguments of his subordinates, and he had no intention of giving way.

At this time, he heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed from behind. Looking back, he saw a guard holding a square shield facing his own guard.

Yellow double-headed eagle on black background…

It's a coat of arms I've never seen before.

Could it be that they still dare to attack my guards?

The noble snorted coldly and was about to look away when he suddenly saw a noble lady in purple surrounded by these soldiers.

An...Your Highness Anna?

With a start, he jumped off the saddle, and his red boots happened to step into a pile of mud, but he didn't care at all.

Everyone, get out of the way and make way for Her Royal Highness the Princess!

Anna's name as Princess in Purple Clothes played a huge role at this time. She was riding a horse at the front, and even some dignitaries would silently step aside and salute respectfully.

How is it? Isn't it very impressive?

In full view of everyone, Anna came over with some pride.

The little girl Fringilla was so excited that she wanted to be as majestic as Anna.

It's really impressive.

Lothar said with a wry smile, although he criticized the Eastern Empire for being transformed by the Pronian system into a feudal country like all other European countries.

But a skinny camel is bigger than a horse.

The imperial power of the Eastern Empire was still far higher than that of Jerusalem, Gaul, Germania Magna and other countries.

At the very least, if it were Lothar who met a royal lady in Jerusalem, if she didn't want to, she wouldn't even say a word to her. It would be regarded as rude at most.

Wait a mininute.

Anna's expression became much more solemn.

She seemed to be talking to someone, her lips opening and closing silently for a while.

After a moment, she frowned and said: A group of believers of the evil god have recently arrived in the city. People from the association just discovered their stronghold. I have to go and deal with it.

Need my help?

No, this is Constantinople. On a territory that has been run by a wizard for many years, I will not be in danger.

Lothar's expression was a little solemn: Are there more and more of these ghosts and evil spirits recently?

There's always been a lot of them, but they weren't as active as they are now.

Anna sighed lightly and said in a somewhat depressed tone: Speaking of which, this all started when your Germanic king started building the Wizard Tower. In just a few years, the world seemed to have changed.

Did it start with Emperor Henry?

Lothar silently kept this information in mind.

You guys wait here for a moment. I will send someone to take you to see Baselisa. Please pay attention to your tone and be a little more respectful. After all, my sister represents the apex of worldly power.

I will.

Anna was about to leave when she suddenly turned around and said confidently: I know you may still be a little disdainful now, but when you see my sister, you will definitely be amazed by her. She is really beautiful, no less beautiful. To the girls around you.

With a smile on her face, her figure gradually faded and disappeared.

cut.

Fringilla puffed out her chest with little disdain.

Why should an old woman who has given birth to a child compare with us?

Jeanne whistled: What does a little girl know? A woman of this age is like a ripe peach, most tender, juicy, sweet and delicious.

What kind of tiger-wolf talk is this?

Lothar was dumbfounded: Where did you hear these words?

This is what I said

Jeanne's expression was a bit nostalgic: I don't remember, maybe it was some comrade who died before? You know, those old ladies like to talk about these things the most, especially the pretty widow, who is easy to get started with and can get some benefits.

…

The remaining veteran brigade was left in a manor on the Corniche on the east side of Constantinople.

This is Anna's private property, and she personally conducted the training of the Thracian Guards here.

An old eunuch with a wrinkled face claimed to be the royal treasurer, and led Lothar and a group of five people towards Brachna Palace.

Getting closer to Brachna Palace.

The guards here are getting tighter.

Most of the Varangian Guards are in their own military camps outside the city. The rest are the emperor's personal guards and are responsible for guarding the palace.

Lothar looked at these genuine Varangian Guards, which were different from the stereotypical Varangian Guards under his command who were armed with two-handed axes.

The equipment of these genuine goods is often spears, Danish swords, and kite-shaped shields. They wear round ridged helmets and are gorgeously dressed. Many of them even wear crimson silk robes.

This is silk!

Can even a big-headed soldier wear this kind of clothing?

Seeing Lothar's eyes lingering on the robes of the Varangian guards, the eunuch said with a smile on his face: Your Majesty never treats his own people badly.

Pass through the palace gates and royal gardens.

He entered the hall, which was paved with smooth stone slabs that seemed to reflect his face.

It was incredibly spacious, several times more spacious than the palace hall in Jerusalem. The surrounding decorations were something Lothar had never seen before, and the air was filled with the smell of incense.

The old eunuch stepped forward respectfully and said, Your Majesty, the man has been brought here.

Lothar subconsciously raised her head and looked at the throne. This woman was undoubtedly the most noble woman in the secular world - if she said who the most noble man was, it was still open to question.

She wore a purple tunic with exquisite icons painted on it, and on her head was a triple crown representing the emperor.

Under the crown, there is a beautiful face with plump red lips, skin like cream, and eyes like peach blossoms. A pair of phoenix eyes are slightly narrow and long, which adds to the majesty.

The eunuch on the side immediately reprimanded sternly: How dare you, without my emperor's permission, dare to look directly at the greatest Baselisa, the noble Queen Regent?

No problem.

The Queen raised her hand.

Phoenix eyes are not angry, but they are powerful.

Anna admires you very much. You have also made commendable feats in the battle against heretics and rebellion. She often told me in private that you will become my Belisarius.

Her voice is very clear, her tone is gentle but full of majesty, which makes people feel close to her without losing their sense of proportion.

Your Highness, Princess, has given you too much praise.

I think so too, but whether it's overly praised or not, you don't have to say it, and what I say now doesn't count either. In the future, I will see it with my own eyes.

Looking at Her Majesty the Queen's eyes with hidden consideration, his expression was very calm, without any fear or worry about gain or loss after witnessing such splendor and wealth.

The Queen frowned slightly at Lothar's neither humble nor overbearing response, and beckoned: Come forward, General Lothar.

I heard that your subordinates are able to skillfully use ancient tactics that even the empire has lost, instead of just charging like wild boars like Frank barbarians or Norman pirates? I'm looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. I saw them in the military parade.

This is something that Anna has been angry with for a long time, and Lothar will naturally not refuse.

I'm honored to be a part of such an event.

Very good, but I must remind you that tomorrow's military parade will be very grand. Foreign envoys and guests will gather in the arena. You may need to go to war at the right time to show off the imperial military power.

Your Majesty, do you want me to participate in the team competition?

In knight competitions, group battles are actually more common than knights wielding lances. Relative charge battles are more common. To put it bluntly, knights from both sides lead their attendants in a life-or-death weapon fight.

It is very similar to the style of gladiators who fought in two teams in the Colosseum during the ancient empire. However, most of the gladiators in that era were slaves. In this era, they have become aristocrats.

That's right, but it's just possible that you need to take action. If you win this battle, you and your soldiers will each receive a purple silk ribbon as an honor, and the manor's land as a reward.

Queen Lagaia looked solemn, and there was no extraneous emotion on her face. It was as if she had become a special creature like the Emperor, and even the joy, anger, sorrow and joy disappeared together.

Lothar soon understood the meaning of Lagaia's words.

There is a high probability that this team competition is a competition with foreigners. He and the remaining veterans under his command will be the finale, or the bottom line - if the Queen's own people can win, there will definitely be no need for them to take action.

I see.

Now, you can swear allegiance to me.

She stretched out her white palm with a huge ruby ​​on it.

Lothar hesitated, stepped forward, knelt on one knee, held the front of the Queen's fingers, and kissed her.

I swear allegiance to Your Majesty. I will fulfill my obligations as a minister and protect the Limassol Military District for you from foreign enemies, so that the common people can live and work in peace and contentment, pay the prescribed tribute taxes on time, and provide services when you need it. When called upon to fight.

Lothar's oath was obviously carefully considered.

He emphasized that he would only fulfill the basic obligations, and the subsequent call to participate in the war was only a passing mention.

The Queen didn't seem to mind Lothar's reservation and said sternly:

According to tradition, you need to swear an oath to Heavenly Father and the Holy Mother in the monastery and observe the vows for a week, but I know that you are a devout Catholic, so I will not make it difficult for you to accept such rules.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

At this time, the expression on Queen Lagaia's face finally softened: All you Miss Spellcasters, you can come to the Brachna Palace as a guest. I will sweep the couch to welcome you, and Sister Anna will be happy to entertain you.

Fringilla rolled her eyes. She had long disliked this old woman who had given birth to children. Even if the Brachna Palace, which had been renovated many times, was gorgeous enough, she had no idea of ​​coming to live here.

Cellinina stood indifferently in the shadow behind Lothar. In addition to the additional tasks, she always kept in mind the position of personal assassin that Lothar originally gave her.

Jeanne smiled and performed a knight's salute.

Okay, that's it for today. Tomorrow, I'm looking forward to seeing your heroic appearance, General Lothar, in the Colosseum.

Watch Lothar leave.

Lagaia breathed a sigh of relief and lay down on the velvet-cushioned throne.

The palace eunuch came forward and muttered for a while.

oh?

Conrad is gone? Are you talking about divorcing that little guy from the Komnenos family?

There was a hint of schadenfreude on her face.

Perhaps in the eyes of others, this empire was jointly ruled by two royal giants, Comnenos and Ducasse, but she had never had a good impression of the Comnenus family.

Even after she succeeded to the throne as Queen Regent and saw the terrible situation in the empire.

She also developed a bad feeling towards the Ducasse family from which she came.

The local nobles headed by these two families are like parasitic vines attached to a towering tree. Their tentacles are absorbing nutrients from this giant tree all the time.

She often thinks about it.

If these two parasites were uprooted.

She looked slightly startled. If this were the case, the empire would probably fall apart.

What's wrong with Branas?

He has contacted many people in Constantinople, but many people have not given a definite answer. They want to take a look again and wait for the price - but there are also a few who decided to follow Bra Nas rebelled together.”

General Branas's plot could even be received by Conrad of Monferrato, so naturally it could not be hidden from La Gaea's eyes and ears.

She was even happy to see this come to fruition, and wanted to take this opportunity to take back a large area of ​​the Komnenos family's real estate and bring it under the direct jurisdiction of the royal family.

Even if remote areas, such as the Trebizond Military District, were not moved to avoid incurring large-scale opposition from noble officials, it would still be better for Thrace, the hinterland of the capital, to be under the direct jurisdiction of the royal family.

Unfortunately, the Varangian Guards cannot be used. Only Anna's Thracian Guards are a secret force and can be mobilized to cooperate.

There was a trace of sadness on Lagaia's face.

If the Thracian Guards, an army that had taken magic potion and easily crushed the Bulgarian rebellion, had not been dispatched by her, why would they have had to worry about a small athletic competition.