Water Margin people

"We have to give these people a chance, right? Besides, all of these will belong to our Qi State. If they are destroyed, it will be our own loss."

Xu Guanzhong said with a smile that in his eyes Constantinople already belonged to Qi State. Since it was the wealth of his own country, there was naturally no reason to destroy it.

"Haha, I understand!"

Li Jun burst into laughter.

The whole of Constantinople was in chaos, civilians fled in all directions, and the army had no intention of fighting.

Alexius III was like an ant on hot pot sitting on the throne.

Below the throne, a group of ministers and nobles were also in a panic.

"What should we do now?"

Alexios III raised his voice and shouted at the ministers and officials. He originally wanted to receive the Qi army well, but after the naval defeat, he knew that he was no match for Qi.

But the officials and nobles under him were unwilling to do so, as they felt that this would bring shame to the Byzantine Empire.

So when they knew that the enemy only had a dozen warships, the ministers and nobles decided to give Qi a warning, but now the results tell them that the strength of the two sides is a world of difference.

"Your Majesty, the general is back!"

A guard ran into the hall and shouted.

"General?"

Alexius III was stunned. He didn't know who it was. Could it be the general who had just left?

"Lord Theodore!"

The guard spoke.

"Theodore!"

Alexios III and a group of ministers and nobles all stared with their eyes wide open. They were a little slow to react. They all thought that Theodore was dead. After all, the naval fleet had been sunk by the State of Qi.

"His Majesty!"

Theodore walked into the hall and saluted Alexios III.

"Your Majesty, quickly have people open the city gates to welcome the Qi army! Have all the soldiers lay down their weapons and have everyone kneel on both sides of the street to welcome them!"

Theodore didn't wait for the emperor and the ministers to speak, he spoke directly.

"What did you say?"

Alexius III thought he had misheard. Maybe Theodore was crazy. It was fine to welcome Qi, but what about the whole city kneeling to welcome him? Did the Byzantine Empire still have the face to save?

"I'm not kidding! We can't contend with the might of Qi!"

Theodore spoke up.

"What benefit did you get from Qi? The whole city kneels to welcome you? It's impossible even if the Pope comes!"

A minister said angrily.

"Qi only has a dozen ships. I don't believe they dare to enter Constantinople!"

The nobles clamored that this was their Byzantine capital and they didn't believe that such a small number of Qi people could capture the city.

"madness!"

Theodore shouted angrily.

"How dare you, you traitor! You surrendered to Qi, didn't you?"

A group of ministers angrily scolded Theodore.

"I have surrendered to Qi, so I can come back alive. I came to you so that you can all survive."

"As for the Pope? The West has already been defeated, and the Crusaders have suffered heavy casualties. It's not certain whether the Pope can survive!"

Theodore looked at everyone and said.

"The Crusaders were defeated?"

Everyone's face changed drastically, they didn't receive any news at all.

"Two hundred thousand of the 250,000 Crusaders died in one battle. Now the Pope doesn't even dare to return to the Holy See. He can only take his people to hide at the foot of the Alps! Conrad III and Louis VII also died in the battle..." Theodore spoke directly

"what?"

Alexios III and everyone else were shocked, their heads felt dizzy, and they were stunned by the news.

"Now you understand why I asked you to open the city gates and kneel down to welcome us, right? We have no choice but to surrender."

Theodore looked at everyone and said that when he heard the news, he was just like them and couldn't believe it, but the facts told him that the State of Qi was so powerful.

"Quick, order the city to be opened, and all the troops on the city walls to withdraw. The civilians should kneel on both sides of the street to welcome the people. Everyone, follow me to welcome the people."

Alexius III gave orders to everyone.

The bell of surrender rang, and the chaotic city gradually quieted down. Surrender meant there would be no war and no large-scale deaths.

Alexios III straightened his clothes and led all the ministers and nobles out of the palace and headed out of the city.

On the sea.

“These people really surrendered.”

Li Jun laughed when he heard the bell.

"They have no choice! The ships should dock!"

Xu Guanzhong laughed.

"Military Advisor, why don't you stay at sea and I will lead the people ashore!"

Li Jun looked at Xu Guanzhong and said, after all, this is the capital of a foreign country, and it is too dangerous to enter the city rashly.

"Don't worry, no one dares to harm us!"

Xu Guanzhong smiled and shook his head, saying that their strong strength is their confidence.

On the shore, Alexios III and others looked at the approaching ironclad ships with horror on their faces. It was the first time they had seen such steel behemoths, and the shock of seeing them at such close range made them feel breathless.

The ship docked and Xu Guanzhong led the people ashore.

"Byzantine Emperor Alexius III and Byzantine officials and nobles welcome the Heavenly Official!"

Alexios III and his men saluted Xu Guanzhong with a respectful tone and humble attitude, keeping themselves very low.

"Humph!"

Xu Guanzhong just glanced at Alexios III and those officials, then snorted with disdain and looked around Constantinople.

Teams of soldiers got off the boat. They were wearing Qi's latest armor, helmets on their heads, holding rifles, with pistols, grenades and swords hanging from their waists. Their mighty aura made those guys who had just felt dissatisfied lower their heads again.

"What kind of armor are these? Why do they look like thick cotton coats?"

"That helmet looks very sturdy!"

"What kind of weapon is that? An iron pipe?"

……

The Byzantine nobles and ministers were thinking quickly. The Qi army before them was one they had never seen before, and its equipment and weapons were unfamiliar, but its awe-inspiring majesty and fierce murderous aura showed that it was an invincible army.

"Shangguan, please come into the city!"

Alexius III spoke quickly. He did not dare to let this distinguished guest wait at the port for long.

Xu Guanzhong nodded slightly, and Alexios III quickly asked people to lead the way. Some nobles and ministers went into the city first to arrange a welcoming ceremony and banquet.

Entering the city, civilians were kneeling on both sides of the wide streets, and the soldiers had taken off their armor and laid down their weapons to maintain order.

Xu Guanzhong led his army slowly forward and observed the civilians in the city.

"They were dressed in plain linen clothes, and their faces were pale and thin. The shops on both sides of the street were also ordinary, small in scale, and had a simple range of goods... It seemed that the Byzantine capital was no different from other places."

Xu Guanzhong had a rough understanding of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire.

The kneeling civilians looked at the mighty army in horror. This was the first time they saw the army from the distant East.

The civilians knelt on the ground one by one, and their emperor could only lead the way. This was enough to show the terror of the Eastern army. If they were dissatisfied, a massacre might happen. (End of this chapter)