Then he related to her all that had happened to the Turks and how in their desire for victory they had met with misfortune, and fancying themselves to be the masters had on the contrary been mastered and got the opposite to what they had expected. Having thus relieved her deep anxiety he left again for Nicaea; there he heard of a fresh inroad of the Turks, so went on to Lopadium. Here he stayed a little and on learning that a large Turkish army was on its way to Nima he collected his forces, turned off to Cius and, as he was informed that the Turks were marching on towards NicEea all through that night, he moved his camp again and passed through Nicaea to Miscura.
Sultan at present
Here he learnt for certain that the whole Turkish army had not yet arrived but that some few men had been sent by Monolycus and were lingering around Dolylum. and Nicaea in order to watch for the Emperor’s arrival and to send Monolycus information about him continually. Consequently he sent Leo Nicerites with the troops under his command to Lopadium and bade him keep a sharp look-out the whole time, to watch the roads round about, and to let him know by letter whatever he found out about the Turks. The rest of the army he settled in suitable places and then decided that it would be better not to advance against the Sultan at present, for he guessed that the barbarians who had escaped would spread the news of the Romans’ attack upon them amongst all the Turks in Asia, and would tell how they had met and attacked the Romans at various….., how they resisted valiantly, and how they had been worsted and some of them captured and others killed and only a few wounded had escaped.
From this tale the barbarians would realize, he thought, that he was approaching, and consequently retreat even beyond Iconium, and thus all his trouble would be in vain. For these reasons, he turned round and marched to Nicomedia through Bithynia, with the idea that the barbarians would in consequence no longer expect his attack and each return to the place where he had formerly dwelt. Afterwards when they had regained courage and again dispersed for skirmishing, as was the Turks’ way, and the Sultan himself recommenced his old tricks, and his own soldiers had had a brief rest and the horses and beasts of burden had fattened, he would shortly carry on the war against him more vigorously and attack him fiercely in battle.
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