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Zichna in two days. 53. While matters were in this state, Philommates came from Thessalonica to the emperor, sent by those there who were acting on behalf of the young emperor, reporting both that other things were going well, and that if he were to arrive now, he would take the city with no effort. When the emperor learned this, he selected and left behind at Zichna the pack animals, the baggage, and as many soldiers as did not have strong horses and were good in warfare, along with Tzamplakon the grand papias and a few others; but he himself, along with the grand domestic and the other commanders, taking the selected army, decided to go to Drama as if to besiege it. But when night came, turning back from the road he was traveling, he marched upon Thessalonica by way of the Strymon. And having crossed the river, at the place called Little Marmarion he ordered the army to get some rest, dismounting from their horses. Having rested, they took to the same road again, and having traveled the next day and the night after it, at dawn on the third day they were at Chortaites. But on the day before, a rumor had spread through Thessalonica that the young emperor had taken Zichna, which had submitted, and coming to Pherae, had shut up the army from the west, along with the Triba 1.268 llian allies, inside the walls, as they were not even able to look him in the eye; and that, having set out again for Zichna, he had sent the parakoimomenos Apokaukos and Alexios Palaiologos there, on the pretext of negotiating with the governor of Thessalonica, the grand stratopedarch Choumnos, and the metropolitan; but in truth, to speak secretly with those acting on their behalf and at the same time to spy out whether it was possible to win over Thessalonica. Such things, then, were being rumored; but though Choumnos investigated extensively in order to find the one who reported such things, he was unable. Nevertheless, it seemed profitable to him and to the metropolitan for the metropolitan to go to Chortaites the next day and, if indeed the things rumored about them were true, to order Alexios Palaiologos and the parakoimomenos Apokaukos to return to the emperor, on the grounds that their entry into Thessalonica would not be permitted. But if they were to disobey and force their arrival, to announce to them beforehand that they would be imprisoned for plotting against them and wishing to make Thessalonica revolt from the emperor. Such things they resolved to do concerning what they had heard. At dawn on the next day, the metropolitan, according to the agreement, went to Chortaites; and Choumnos, going out with those around him from the so-called Gate of the Asomatoi, stood watching whatever might happen, and the whole city was in suspense because of the rumors. However, those who seemed to be acting for the young emperor 1.269 had been told beforehand neither to use arms nor horses, but either to stay at home, or to go about on foot and without weapons. And at that time they too, since the emperor's affairs were being rumored everywhere, went up unarmed onto the walls of the same gate and awaited the outcome of events. The metropolitan, however, when he came near Chortaites, unexpectedly encountered the young emperor and was astonished, and he blamed the untimeliness of his arrival. But when the emperor greeted him, he, alarmed by the sudden danger, did not even greet him in return, but rode as fast as he could toward the city, to report the emperor's assault. The emperor also followed him, proceeding more rapidly. And those acting on his behalf, standing on the walls, when they recognized from the standards that the emperor was approaching, took courage and attacked those outside the gates, throwing stones from the walls. But the others, with the enemy attacking from outside and those within openly making war, not knowing what to do, went inside the walls and shut the gates. But being unable to withstand those throwing from the wall, they were turned to flight and, going there, they occupied the acropolis in order to defend themselves from there. And he ruled

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Ζίχνα ἐν ἡμέραις δυσίν. νγʹ. Ἐν τούτοις δὲ τῶν πραγμάτων ὄντων, ἧκεν ἐκ Θεσσαλονίκης ὡς βασιλέα ὁ Φιλομμάτης ὑπὸ τῶν ἐκεῖ τὰ βασιλέως τοῦ νέου πραττόντων πεμφθεὶς, τά τε ἄλλα ἀπαγγέλλων ὡς ἔχει καλῶς, καὶ ὡς, εἰ νῦν ἀφίκοιτο, σὺν οὐδενὶ παραληψόμενος πόνῳ τὴν πόλιν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐπύθετο ὁ βασιλεὺς, τά τε ἀχθοφόρα τῶν ζώων καὶ τὰς ἀποσκευὰς καὶ στρατιωτῶν ὅσοι μὴ εὐπόρουν ἵππων εὐρώστων καὶ τὰ πολέμια ἀγαθῶν καταλέλοιπεν ἀπολεξάμενος ἐν Ζίχνα ἅμα Τζαμπλάκωνι τῷ μεγάλῳ παπίᾳ καί τισιν ἑτέροις ὀλίγοις· αὐτὸς δ' ἅμα δομεστίκῳ τῷ μεγάλῳ καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἡγεμόσι τὴν ἀπολεχθεῖσαν στρατιὰν παραλαβὼν, ἔδοξεν ἐπὶ ∆ράμαν ὡς πολιορκήσων ἀπιέναι. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐπεγένετο ἡ νὺξ, ἀναστρέψας ἀφ' ἧς ἐπορεύετο ὁδοῦ, ἤλαυνεν ἐπὶ Θεσσαλονίκην διὰ Στρυμόνος. καὶ διαβὰς τὸν ποταμὸν, κατὰ τὸ Μαρμάριον προσαγορευόμενον Μικρὸν ἐκέλευσε τὴν στρατιὰν τυχεῖν ἀναπαύλης καταβάντας ἀπὸ τῶν ἵππων. ἀναπαυσάμενοι δὲ εἴχοντο πάλιν τῆς αὐτῆς ὁδοῦ, καὶ τήν τε ἐπιοῦσαν καὶ τὴν νύκτα τὴν μετ' αὐτὴν ὁδεύσαντες, ἅμα ἕῳ κατὰ τὴν τρίτην ἦσαν ἐν Χορταίτου. τῇ προτεραίᾳ δὲ αὐτῆς φήμη τις διὰ Θεσσαλονίκης διῄει, ὡς βασιλεὺς ὁ νέος τό,τε Ζίχνα εἷλε προσχωρῆσαν, καὶ εἰς Φερὰς ἐλθὼν, τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἑσπέρας στρατιὰν ἅμα Τριβα 1.268 λοῖς τοῖς συμμάχοις ἐγκατέκλεισεν ἐντὸς τειχῶν, μηδὲ ἀντοφθαλμῆσαι δυνηθέντας· ἀναζεύξας δὲ πάλιν εἰς Ζίχνα, τόν τε παρακοιμώμενον Ἀπόκαυχον καὶ Ἀλέξιον τὸν Παλαιολόγον πέπομφεν ἐνταῦθα, πρόφασιν μὲν, ὡς πρὸς τὸν ἐπιτροπεύοντα Θεσσαλονίκης μέγαν στρατοπεδάρχην τὸν Χοῦμνον καὶ τὸν μητροπολίτην διαπρεσβευσομένους· τῇ δ' ἀληθείᾳ, τοῖς τὰ αὐτῶν πράττουσι κρύφα διαλεξομένους καὶ ἅμα κατασκοπεύσοντας, εἰ Θεσσαλονίκην ὑπαγαγέσθαι δυνατόν. παρὰ μὲν οὖν τῆς φήμης τοιαῦτα διεθρυλλεῖτο· πολλὰ δὲ ἀνερευνήσας ὁ Χοῦμνος ὥστε τὸν ἀπαγγείλαντα τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐξευρεῖν, οὐκ ἠδυνήθη. ὅμως δὲ ἐδόκει λυσιτελεῖν αὐτῷ τε καὶ μητροπολίτῃ, εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν εἰς Χορταίτου τὸν μητροπολίτην ἐλθόντα, τόν τε Παλαιολόγον Ἀλέξιον καὶ τὸν παρακοιμώμενον τὸν Ἀπόκαυχον, εἴγε ἀληθῆ τὰ περὶ αὐτῶν διαθρυλληθέντα εἴη, ὡς βασιλέα ἀναστρέφειν κελεύειν, ὡς οὐ συγχωρηθησομένης αὐτοῖς τῆς εἰς Θεσσαλονίκην εἰσόδου. εἰ δ' ἀπειθοῖεν καὶ βιάζοιντο τὴν ἄφιξιν, προαναφωνεῖν αὐτοῖς, ὡς εἱρχθήσονται ἐπιβουλεύοντες αὐτοῖς καὶ βουλόμενοι Θεσσαλονίκην ἀποστῆσαι βασιλέως. τοιαῦτα οἱ μὲν περὶ τῶν ἀκουσθέντων ἐβουλεύσαντο πράττειν. ἅμα δὲ ἕῳ εἰς τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν ὁ μητροπολίτης μὲν κατὰ τὸ σύνθημα τὴν εἰς Χορταίτου ᾔει· ὁ δέ γε Χοῦμνος ἅμα τοῖς ἀμφ' αὐτὸν τῆς προσαγορευομένης τῶν Ἀσωμάτων πύλης ἐξελθὼν, ὅ,τι ἂν ἀποβαίη ἵστατο ἀποσκοπῶν, καὶ ἡ πόλις πᾶσα μετέωρος πρὸς τὰς φήμας ἦν. τοῖς μέντοι δοκοῦσι τὰ βασιλέως τοῦ νέου 1.269 πράττειν προείρητο μήτε ὅπλοις μήτε ἵπποις χρῆσθαι, ἀλλ' ἢ οἴκοι διατρίβειν, ἢ πεζῇ καὶ ὅπλων προϊέναι χωρίς. τότε δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ, ἐπεὶ πανταχόθεν τὰ βασιλέως διεθρυλλεῖτο, ἐπὶ τῶν τειχῶν τῆς αὐτῆς πύλης ἀνελθόντες ἄνοπλοι τὴν ἔκβασιν περιέμενον τῶν πραγμάτων. ὁ μέντοι μητροπολίτης ἐπεὶ ἐγγὺς ἐγένετο Χορταίτου, ἀπροσδοκήτως ἐντυχὼν τῷ νέῳ βασιλεῖ, ἐξεπέπληκτό τε καὶ τῆς ἀφίξεως κατεμέμφετο τὴν ἀκαιρίαν. προσαγορεύοντος δὲ αὐτὸν βασιλέως, αὐτὸς πρὸς τὸν ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου κίνδυνον θορυβηθεὶς, μηδὲ ἀντιπροσειπὼν, ἤλαυνεν ὡς εἶχε τάχους πρὸς τὴν πόλιν, τὴν ἔφοδον μηνύσων βασιλέως. εἵπετο δ' αὐτῷ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς συντονώτερον βαδίζων. οἱ δὲ τὰ αὐτοῦ πράττοντες τοῖς τείχεσιν ἐφεστῶτες, ἐπεὶ ἀπὸ τῶν σημαιῶν ἔγνωσαν βασιλέα προσελαύνειν, ἀναθαρσήσαντες ἐπιτίθενται τοῖς ἔξω τῶν πυλῶν, λίθοις βάλλοντες ἀπὸ τῶν τειχῶν· οἱ δὲ, τῶν τε πολεμίων ἔξωθεν ἐπιόντων, τῶν τε ἔνδοθεν φανερῶς ἐκπολεμωθέντων, οὐκ ἔχοντες ὅ,τι χρήσωνται, ἔνδον μὲν εἰσῆλθον τῶν τειχῶν καὶ ἀπέκλεισαν τὰς πύλας· μὴ δυνάμενοι δὲ ἀντέχειν πρὸς τοὺς βάλλοντας ἀπὸ τοῦ τείχους, ἐτράπησαν εἰς φυγὴν καὶ τὴν ἀκρόπολιν κατέσχον ἐλθόντες ὡς ἀμυνούμενοι ἐκεῖθεν. ἦρχε δὲ