Bryennius, seeing that the time of the siege was being wasted in vain, so that the army might not suffer further hardship, wanted to lift the siege, but was nevertheless ashamed and feared that some schism might occur during the return. He therefore sought to invent some pretext so as both to lift the siege and that nothing harmful would result from it. While he was thinking thus, it was reported that a multitude of Scythians had crossed the Haemus and were overrunning and plundering the regions around the Chersonese. Finding this, therefore, an opportunity, the general lifts the siege; marching out against the Scythians and encountering them as they were returning, he routed them completely and wrought a very great slaughter, and taking very many alive, he sent them back to his brother. The captives therefore became for him an opportunity for peace and treaty with the Scythians; for, giving hostages from their nobles, they received their own captives back and became his allies. 3.15 While these things were happening, Nicephorus Botaneiates, being one of the noblest from the East, having long ago been appointed general of the Anatolics by the emperor, brought out into the open the rebellion he had been travailing with. For, learning that affairs in the west were in turmoil, as all the cities had come under Bryennius, he himself also gathered the soldiers in the east and took on Chrysoskoullos, who was then present in the western parts—for he had long since defected to the Romans, when Romanos Diogenes held the reins of the empire, as the account has already shown—and marching on, he was subduing the cities under himself. But with everyone having defected to him, Nicephorus Melissenus, tracing his lineage to the Bourtzes and Melissenoi, keeping faith with the one then ruling the Romans, showed himself an enemy to Botaneiates. George Palaiologos also joined him, being a noble man and most excellent in deeds of war, and having just come from Mesopotamia—for he was there with his own father who administered the rule of Mesopotamia—wishing to keep unshaken faith with the ruler. 3.16 Botaneiates, therefore, with all the others having defected to him, departed from Phrygia and hastened towards Bithynia, and he also sent secretly to those in the city, promising the greatest honors and gifts to the leading men, if he might have them as helpers in becoming master of the Roman empire. Since, then, many of both the senate and of the court were ill-disposed towards both the ruler and the logothete, and especially of all the patriarch of Antioch, Aemilianus, of whom the account has previously made mention, they were seeking an opportunity to do what was advantageous for themselves. But the emperor and the logothete, unaware of the war within, were preparing for the one without and were sending an embassy to the ruler of the Turks—at that time their ruler was Solyman, the son of Kutlumush—arming him against Botaneiates. And he, having made a truce with them, undertook the war against that man and from then on was guarding the roads and holding the narrow passes and watching for the force and crossing of Botaneiates. But he, having occupied Kotyaion and learned of the situation regarding Solyman, since he was short of an army and of sufficient force against so great a multitude of enemies, devised a prudent plan. For leaving the direct roads on which he was expected, he set out from there by night and, eluding the guards, came to a certain fort situated very near the Sangarius river, which is called Atzoula, distant from Nicaea about two hundred miles; and from there again setting out he hastened towards Nicaea before the Turks could perceive his approach, but the Turks, learning of his secret crossing from there and his force, some advanced in formation, but having sent out a few of their horsemen to occupy him and to make his journey slower, they did not at all achieve their purpose. Therefore those sent ahead reached him not far from Nicaea and, shouting their war-cry

Βρυεννίου τηνάλλως ὁρῶν τριβόμενον τὸν τῆς πολιορκίας καιρόν, ἵνα μὴ πλέον κακοπαθῇ οἱ τὸ στράτευμα, ἐβούλετο μὲν τὴν πολιορκίαν λῦσαι, ᾐσχύνετο δ' ὅμως καὶ ἐδεδίει μή ποτέ τι ξυμβαίη σχίσμα περὶ τὴν παλινόστησιν. Ἐζήτει οὖν τινα πρόφασιν ἐφευρεῖν ὥστε καὶ τὴν πολιορκίαν λῦσαι καὶ μηδέν τι ἐκ τούτου περιέσεσθαι βλαβερόν. Οὕτω δ' αὐτοῦ διανοουμένου, ἀπαγγέλλεταί τι πλῆθος Σκυθῶν διαβὰν τὸν Αἷμον καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὴν Χερρόνησον κατατρέχον χωρία καὶ ληϊζόμενον. Τοῦτο τοίνυν ἀφορμὴν εὑρὼν ὁ στρατάρχης λύει τὴν πολιορκίαν· κατὰ τῶν Σκυθῶν ἐξορμήσας καὶ ἐντυχὼν αὐτοῖς ἐπανιοῦσιν ἐτρέψατο κατὰ κράτος καὶ φόνον ὅτι πλεῖστον εἰργάσατο, παμπόλλους δὲ ζωγρήσας πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἐπανῆκε. Γίνονται οὖν οἱ ἑαλωκότες ἐκείνῳ ἀφορμὴ πρὸς τοὺς Σκύθας εἰρήνης τε καὶ ξυμβάσεως· ὁμήρους γὰρ τῶν ἐπιφανῶν δόντες τούς τε οἰκείους αἰχμαλώτους εἰλήφασι καὶ σύμμαχοι τούτῳ κατέστησαν. 3.15 Ἐν ὅσῳ δὲ ταῦτα ἐπράττετο, ὁ Βοτανειάτης Νικηφόρος, εἷς ὢν τῶν ἐκ τῆς ἑῴας εὐγενεστάτων, στρατηγὸς τῶν Ἀνατολικῶν πρὸς πολλοῦ καταστὰς παρὰ βασιλέως, ἣν ὤδινεν ἐπανάστασιν εἰς τοὐμ φανὲς ἐξήγαγε. Μαθὼν γὰρ ἐν ταραχαῖς εἶναι τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἑσπέραν, ὡς τῶν πόλεων ἁπασῶν ὑπὸ τὸν Βρυέννιον γενομένων, τοὺς κατὰ τὴν ἀνατολὴν καὶ αὐτὸς συναθροίσας στρατιώτας καὶ τὸν Χρυσόσκουλον ἐπιδημοῦντα τηνικαῦτα τοῖς τῆς ἑσπέρας μέρεσι προσλαβόμενος πάλαι γὰρ ἔφθη προσχωρήσας Ῥωμαίοις, ὁπηνίκα τὰς ἡνίας ἦγε τῆς βασιλείας ὁ Ῥωμανὸς ∆ιογένης, ὡς ὁ λόγος φθάσας ἐδήλωσεν ἐπιὼν τὰς πόλεις ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν ἐποιεῖτο. Πάντων δ' αὐτῷ προσκεχωρηκότων, ὁ Μελισσηνὸς Νικηφόρος, ἐς Βουρτζίους τε καὶ Μελισσηνοὺς ἀνέλκων τὸ γένος, τῷ κρατοῦντι τηνικαῦτα Ῥωμαίων πίστιν τηρῶν, πολέμιον ἑαυτῷ τὸν Βοτανειάτην ἀπέδειξε. Προσεχώρησε δὲ τούτῳ καὶ ὁ Παλαιολόγος Γεώργιος, ἀνὴρ ὢν γενναῖος κἀν τοῖς πολεμικοῖς ἔργοις ἄριστος, ἄρτι δ' ἐκ Μεσοποταμίας ἐλθώνξυνῆν γὰρ ἐκεῖσε τῷ ἰδίῳ πατρὶ διέποντι τὴν τῆς Μεσοποταμίας ἀρχήνβουλόμενος εἰς τὸν κρατοῦντα πίστιν τηρῆσαι ἀκράδαντον. 3.16 Ὁ γοῦν Βοτανειάτης, τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων αὐτῷ προσκεχωρηκότων, ἀπάρας ἐκ τῆς Φρυγίας πρὸς τὴν Βιθυνίαν ἠπείγετο, διεπέμπετο δὲ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει λάθρᾳ, τιμὰς μεγίστας καὶ δωρεὰς τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ἐπαγγελλόμενος, εἰ συνεργοὺς αὐτοὺς σχοίη πρὸς τὸ τῆς βασιλείας Ῥωμαίων ἐγκρατῆ γενέσθαι. Ἐπεὶ γοῦν πολλοὶ καὶ τῶν τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς καὶ τῶν τοῦ βήματος δυσμενῶς εἶχον πρός τε τὸν κρατοῦντα καὶ πρὸς τὸν λογοθέτην, μάλιστα δὲ πάντων ὁ πατριάρχης Ἀντιοχείας Αἰμυλιανός, οὗ πρόσθεν ὁ λόγος ἐμνήσθη, καιρὸν ἐζήτουν ὥστε σφίσι συμφέροντα δρᾶσαι. Ὁ βασιλεὺς δὲ καὶ ὁ λογοθέτης τὸν ἐντὸς ἀγνοήσαντες πόλεμον πρὸς τὸν ἔξωθεν ἐξηρτύοντο καὶ πρὸς τὸν τῶν Τούρκων διεπρεσβεύοντο ἄρχονταἦν δὲ τηνικαῦτα τούτων κατάρχων Σολυμάν, ὁ τοῦ Κουτλουμοῦς υἱός ἐξοπλίζοντες τοῦτον κατὰ τοῦ Βοτανειάτου. Ὁ δὲ σπεισάμενος τούτοις τὸν κατὰ ἐκείνου πόλεμον ἀνεδέξατο καὶ ἔκτοτε τὰς ὁδούς τε ἐτήρει καὶ τοὺς στενωποὺς κατεῖχε καὶ τὴν τοῦ Βοτανειάτου ἐπετήρει δύναμιν καὶ διάβασιν. Ὁ δὲ τὸ Κοτυάειον καταλαβὼν καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὸν Σολυμὰν πυθόμενος, ἐπειδὴ σπανίζων ἦν στρατεύματος καὶ δυνάμεως ἀποχρώσης πρὸς τὸ πλῆθος τὸ τοσοῦτον τῶν ἐναντίων, βουλὴν βουλεύεται συνετήν. Τὰς γὰρ εὐθείας καταλιπὼν ὁδοὺς ἐν αἷς προσδοκήσιμος ἦν, νυκτὸς ἀπάρας ἐκεῖθεν καὶ λαθὼν τοὺς φυλάσσοντας γέγονε περί τι φρούριον ἔγγιστα τοῦ Σαγγαρίου ποταμοῦ διακείμενον, ὅπερ Ἀτζούλα καλεῖται, ἀπέχον Νικαίας περί που τὰ διακόσια μίλια· ἐκεῖθεν δ' αὖθις ἀπάρας ἤπειγε πρὸς τὴν Νίκαιαν πρὸ τοῦ τοὺς Τούρκους αἰσθέσθαι τῆς ἐκείνου ἐφόδου, ἀλλ' οἱ Τοῦρκοι πυθόμενοι τὴν ἐκεῖθεν λαθραίαν διάβασίν τε καὶ δύναμιν οἱ μὲν ἐπῄεσαν τεταγμένοι, ὀλίγους δὲ τῶν ἱππέων ἐξαποστείλαντες ἐπὶ τὸ ἀσχολῆσαι τοῦτον καὶ βραδυτέραν αὐτοῦ τὴν πορείαν ποιήσασθαι, οὐ πάνυ τοῦ σκέμματος ἔτυχον. Φθάνουσιν οὖν τοῦτον οἱ προπεμφθέντες οὐ πόρρω Νικαίας καὶ ἀλαλάξαντες