But when he was checking their assaults, he no longer waited for their incursions, but advancing on the forts held by the enemy, he set ambushes and sent out some men to plunder near the forts; for when the enemy came out and pursued the foragers, he himself, emerging from the ambush, would seize the roads leading to the forts and block the pursuers from entering them; so it happened that nearly all of them were taken alive, since the roads leading to the forts had been occupied beforehand. As these things happened frequently, he drove the barbarian into a state of helplessness; for the one, having a force fit for battle, wished the matter to be decided by a single fight, while the general, lacking forces, was eager to outmaneuver the barbarian, and whenever the former gathered his army, the latter would pretend to remain quiet, and after a few days had passed, he would go out secretly and, not going far from him, would set up bands of men and lay ambushes for the most part, and took captive those who were transporting provisions to the army. But when these things were reported to the barbarian, soldiers were sent from there to help, but falling into the bands and the ambushes, almost all of them were captured utterly; for it was not considered holy by the general for them to be slain, as they were Christians. 2.21 These things, happening often, greatly grieved the barbarian; for of the cities that had previously paid him tribute more out of fear than goodwill, when they began to despair of his situation, not a single one provided him anything, and because of this, being short of funds, he conceived a plan that was deep, but not however prudent, as the end proved. For just as Toutach had come down from Persia with a great multitude of Turks to plunder Roman territory, he decided he must go over to him and take him as an ally against the general. So he first sent envoys, and later he himself arrived at the camp of the Turks, and after meeting with Toutach and receiving pledges, he departed for his fort, promising to return the following year. But the general, learning of Ourselios's arrival to Toutach, also sent envoys and magnificent gifts to Toutach, and reminded him of the friendship of the Roman empire with the ruler of the Persians, and indeed he requested that ambassadors most trusted by him be sent in return, as he had something to reveal secretly which would bring him no small advantage. And he, pleased by the gifts and having learned who the sender was, immediately sent him his most trusted man. And when he arrived in Amaseia, the general received him in a friendly manner and so won him over by giving gifts and speaking with him often—for he was, if ever there was one, charming in his words—that he gained the barbarian's greatest goodwill for himself. When this was accomplished, therefore, he began to speak to him with words such as these: "My good man," he said, "the emperor of the Romans and the sultan are friends, but Ourselios is an enemy to both; for he harms the interests of the Romans, and he also attacks the Turks; and now, seeing your emir approach, as if fearing he might be destroyed by both of them, he has put on a mask of friendship and come to him, buying time; once this moment passes, he will be an enemy of the Turks again, just as he was before; but if he will take my advice, when he [Ourselios] comes again, let him hand him over to me for a large sum of money; for from this he will gain three very great advantages: a great amount of money; friendship with the emperor of the Romans from which he will receive great benefits; and third, the pleasure of the sultan at having rid the Turks of their enemy". 2.22 The ambassador is persuaded by the general's words and promises to persuade the emir to accomplish what the general had proposed. He is therefore sent back again with gifts and reports everything to Toutach, and he presented the general's proposal and his gentleness in speech and his generosity with money, and indeed the barbarian is captivated by what was reported and becomes entirely obedient to the general's words and proposal. Therefore, when Ourselios arrived, he pretends in a friendly manner

Ἐπεὶ δὲ τὰς τούτων ὁρμὰς συνέστελλεν, οὐκέτι τὰς ἐπελεύσεις ἐκείνων ἐτήρει, ἀλλ' ἐπιὼν πρὸς τὰ φρούρια τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ κατεχόμενα ἐνέδρας ἐνίστα καί τινας πρὸς διαρπαγὴν πλησίον τῶν φρουρίων ἐξέπεμπε· τῶν γοῦν πολεμίων ἐξιόντων καὶ διωκόντων τοὺς προνομεύοντας, αὐτὸς ἐξιὼν τῆς ἐνέδρας τὰς εἰς τὰ φρούρια φερούσας ὁδοὺς κατελάμβανε καὶ τοὺς διώκοντας ἀπεῖργε τῆς πρὸς ταῦτα εἰσόδου· ξυνέβαινε γοῦν μικροῦ δεῖν πάντας ζωγρεῖσθαι, ἅτε τῶν πρὸς τὰ φρούρια φερουσῶν ὁδῶν προκατειλημμένων. Τούτων γοῦν συχνάκις γινομένων εἰς ἀμηχανίαν εἰσῆγε τὸν βάρβαρον· ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἀξιόμαχον ἔχων δύναμιν ἐβούλετο μάχῃ μιᾷ κριθῆναι τὰ κατ' αὐτόν, ὁ δὲ στρατοπεδάρχης δυνάμεως ἀπορῶν καταστρατηγεῖν τὸν βάρβαρον ἔσπευδε, καὶ ὁπηνίκα ἐκεῖνος τὸ ἑαυτοῦ συνήθροιζε στράτευμα, οὗτος ἠρεμεῖν προσεποιεῖτο καὶ διασχὼν ἡμέρας τινὰς ἐξῄει λάθρᾳ καὶ οὐ πόρρω τούτου γενόμενος λόχους ἐνίστα καὶ τὰ πλεῖστα ἐνήδρευε καὶ τοὺς τὰ ἀναγκαῖα ἐπὶ τὸ στράτευμα διακομίζοντας ἐζώγρει. Ἀγγελλομένων δὲ τούτων τῷ βαρβάρῳ, στρατιῶται ἐκεῖθεν ἐπέμποντο βοηθήσοντες, ἀλλὰ τοῖς λόχοις καὶ ταῖς ἐνέδραις ἐμπίπτοντες μικροῦ δεῖν ἄρδην ἡλίσκοντο ἅπαντες· ἀναιρεῖσθαι γὰρ τούτους οὐχ ὅσιον ἐνομίζετο τῷ στρατοπεδάρχῃ χριστιανοὺς ὄντας. 2.21 Ταῦτα πολλάκις γινόμενα μεγάλως ἐλύπουν τὸν βάρβαρον· τῶν γὰρ πόλεων ὅσαι προσεῖχον αὐτῷ πρότερον φόβῳ μᾶλλον ἢ εὐνοίᾳ τούτῳ δασμοφοροῦσαι, ἐπειδὴ ἀπογινώσκειν τῶν κατ' αὐτὸν ἤρξαντο, οὐδὲν οὐδεμία παρεῖχεν αὐτῷ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο χρημάτων σπανίζων βουλὴν ἐβουλεύσατο βαθεῖαν μέν, οὐ συνετὴν δὲ ὅμως, ὡς τὸ τέλος ἀπέδειξεν. Ἄρτι γὰρ τοῦ Τουτὰχ ἐκ Περσίδος κατελθόντος ἐπὶ τῷ τὰ Ῥωμαίων ληΐζεσθαι ξὺν πλήθει Τούρκων πολλῶν, δεῖν ἔγνω προσχωρῆσαι τούτῳ κἀκεῖνον ξύμμαχον λαβεῖν κατὰ τοῦ στρατοπεδάρχου. Πέμψας τοίνυν πρότερον πρέσβεις, ὕστερον καὶ αὐτὸς παρεγένετο εἰς τὸ τῶν Τούρκων στρατόπεδον καὶ τῷ Τουτὰχ συγγενόμενος καὶ πίστεις λαβὼν ἀπῄει ἐπὶ τὸ φρούριον ὑποσχόμενος ἥξειν εἰς νέωτα. Ὁ δὲ στρατοπεδάρχης πυθόμενος τὴν τοῦ Οὐρσελίου πρὸς τὸν Τουτὰχ ἄφιξιν ἐξέπεμψε καὶ αὐτὸς πρέσβεις καὶ δῶρα πολυτελῆ τῷ Τουτὰχ καὶ φιλίας αὐτῷ ἀνεμίμνῃσκε τῆς βασιλείας Ῥωμαίων πρὸς τὸν κρατοῦντα Περσῶν καὶ δὴ καὶ πρέσβεις ἀντιπεμφθῆναι ἠξίου τοὺς μάλα πιστοτάτους αὐτῷ, ὡς ἔχων τι μηνύειν μυστικῶς οὐ μικρὰν αὐτῷ τὴν ὄνησιν φέρον. Ὁ δὲ τοῖς δώροις ἡσθεὶς καὶ ὅστις εἴη μαθὼν εὐθὺς αὐτῷ τὸν πιστότατον πέπομφε· ἐπεὶ δ' εἰς Ἀμάσειαν ἧκε, φιλοφρόνως αὐτὸν ὁ στρατοπεδάρχης ὑπεδέξατο καὶ οὕτως αὐτὸν ᾠκειώσατο δῶρα διδοὺς καὶ θαμὰ ὁμιλῶνἦν γὰρ εἴπερ τις ἄλλος ἐν λόγοις ἡδύςὡς μεγίστην εὔνοιαν πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν βάρβαρον κτήσασθαι. Τούτου οὖν γενομένου, τοιῶνδε πρὸς αὐτὸν ἤρξατο λόγων· "Φίλοι μέν, λέγων, ὦ τάν, ὅ τε βασιλεὺς Ῥωμαίων καὶ ὁ σουλτάνος, ὁ δὲ Οὐρσέλιος ἀμφοῖν ὑπάρχει ἐχθρός· σίνεται μὲν γὰ τὰ Ῥωμαίων, ἐπιτίθεται δὲ καὶ τοῖς Τούρκοις· καὶ νῦν ἰδὼν τὸν σὸν ἀμυρὰν προσελθόντα, ὥσπερ δείσας μὴ ὑπ' ἀμφοτέρων ἀναλωθείη, προσωπεῖον ὑποδὺς ἀγάπης ἀφίκετο πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν καιρὸν ἐξαγοραζόμενος· ἐπειδὰν οὗτος παρέλθῃ, ἐχθρὸς ἐσεῖται πάλιν τῶν Τούρκων ὁποῖος καὶ πρότερον ἦν· ἀλλ' εἴ τι ἐμοὶ πείθεται, ἀφικόμενον αὖθις αὐτὸν ἀποδότω μοι χρημάτων πολλῶν· τρία γὰρ ἐκ τούτου κερδανεῖ τὰ μέγιστα, χρημάτων πλῆθος, οἰκειότητα πρὸς βασιλέα Ῥωμαίων ἀφ' ἧς μεγάλας ἕξει εὐεργεσίας, καὶ τρίτον τὸ τὸν σουλτάνον ἡσθῆναι τῶν Τούρκων ἀποσκευασάμενον τὸν ἐχθρόν". 2.22 Πείθεται τοῖς τοῦ στρατοπεδάρχου λόγοις ὁ πρέσβυς καὶ ὑπισχνεῖται πείθειν τὸν ἀμυρὰν ἐπιτελέσαι τὰ τῷ στρατοπεδάρχῃ δόξαντα. Πέμπεται οὖν μετὰ δώρων αὖθις καὶ ἀπαγγέλλει πάντα τῷ Τουτάχ, τήν τε γνώμην παρίστησι τοῦ στρατοπεδάρχου καὶ τὸ ἐν λόγοις μειλίχιον καὶ τὸ ἐν χρήμασιν ἐλευθέριον, καὶ δὴ δουλοῦται τοῖς ἀπαγγελθεῖσιν ὁ βάρβαρος καὶ ὅλος γίνεται τοῖς τοῦ στρατοπεδάρχου λόγοις καὶ γνώμῃ πειθήνιος. Ἐλθόντα τοιγαροῦν τὸν Οὐρσέλιον προσποιεῖται φιλοφρόνως