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Tzaous had also given pledges to the emperor to this effect, that he would not turn back after receiving the divine illumination. 6.9.5 And since it had been commanded to him by a written sultanic order, that if the emperor should be eager to complete the marriage alliance with him, he should drive out from there all the satraps who held the coastal cities, showing them the sultanic letter dealing with these matters, the emperor suggested that Tzaous use this letter, and when he had driven them from there by showing the sultanic letters, he should return again to the imperial city. He, very eagerly, first seized Sinope, and after showing the sultanic letters to Kharatikes, drove him out from there, not having kept back even one obol of the imperial monies. And something of this sort happened. As he was leaving Sinope, having desecrated the sanctuary in the name of our most blameless lady, the Theotokos, he was handed over by divine providence to a demon as if to some avenging spirit, and lay foaming; and so he went forth from there possessed by a demon. 6.9.6 Tzaous, however, entrusted the lady of Sinope to Constantine Dalassenos, who had been sent by the emperor for this purpose, and so going around the other cities and showing the sultanic letters to the satraps, he drove them out from there, handing them over to the emperor's satraps. Having accomplished these things, Tzaous therefore returned to him, and having from there received holy baptism and enjoyed many gifts, he was appointed doux of Anchialus.

6.10.1 When the news of the slaughter of Emir Suleiman had run through all of Asia, as many of the satraps as happened to be guarding cities and towns, each seized and made his own whatever fortress he happened to be guarding. For when he handed over Nicaea to Apelchasem to guard as he was departing for Antioch, he entrusted to various satraps the regions along the coast, and Cappadocia, and all of Asia, as has been said, so that each would guard his own allotted portion, awaiting his return from there. And Apelchasem, being at that time chief satrap of Nicaea, seized it, in which was also the sultanate, and having ceded the affairs of Cappadocia to his own brother Poulchases, was for the time being without care, supposing that he would gird himself with the dignity of the sultanate and thinking he already held it in his hands. For being a formidable and venturesome man, he was not willing to be content with what he had, but sending out foragers, he plundered all of Bithynia and as far as the Propontis itself. 6.10.2 Using his previous method, therefore, the emperor checked the foragers and compelled Apelchasem to peaceful treaties. But discerning that he was always plotting deeply against him and putting off the treaties, he considered it necessary to send a formidable army against him. And he sent Tatikios, about whom the account has made mention in many places, with a sufficient force against Nicaea, instructing him to stand against the enemy with prudence, if for the time being they should encounter any on the outside. When Tatikios had departed and drawn up a battle formation near the walls, because none of the Turks were present at that time, the Turks, opening the gates, about two hundred in number, rode out suddenly against him. But the Celts (for there were a good number of them), seeing these men, with a violent rush, couching long spears, charged against them head-on, and having wounded a considerable number, they drove the rest inside the fortress. 6.10.3 And Tatikios stood again in the same battle formation until sunset. And since none of the Turks was seen outside the gates, he turned back and pitched his camp near Basileia, which was twelve stades distant from Nicaea. But at night, a certain peasant approached him and reported that Porsuk was on his way with fifty thousand

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τοῦτο ὁ Σιαοὺς καὶ πίστεις ἐδεδώκει τῷ αὐτοκράτορι ὥστε μὴ παλινοστῆσαι τοῦ θείου φωτίσματος τυχών. 6.9.5 Καὶ ἐπεὶ ἐντεταλμένον ἦν αὐτῷ δι' ἐγγράφου προστάξεως σουλτανικῆς, ἵν' εἴπερ ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς τὸ τελέσαι τὸ μετ' αὐτοῦ κῆδος προθυμηθείη, ἅπαντας τοὺς τὰς παραλίας πόλεις κατασχόντας σατράπας ἀπελάσῃ ἐκεῖθεν τὸ περὶ τούτων διαλαμβάνον σουλτανικὸν γράμμα ὑποδεικνὺς αὐτοῖς, ταύτῃ τῇ γραφῇ συγχρήσασθαι ὁ βασι λεὺς τῷ Σιαοὺς ὑπέθετο, καὶ ἐπὰν τούτους ἐκεῖθεν ἀπελά σειε τὰς σουλτανικὰς ὑποδεικνύων γραφάς, αὖθις πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν ἐπαναστρέψαι. Ὁ δὲ μάλα προθύμως τὴν Σινώπην πρότερον καταλαβὼν καὶ τὰς σουλτανικὰς ἐπιστολὰς ὑποδείξας τῷ Χαρατικῇ ἐκεῖθεν αὐτὸν ἀπή λασε μηδ' ἄχρις ἑνὸς ὀβολοῦ τῶν βασιλικῶν ὑποκρατή σαντα χρημάτων. Γίνεται δέ τι τοιοῦτον. Ἐν τῷ τῆς Σινώπης ἐξέρχεσθαι αὐτὸν κατεάξας τὸ ἐπ' ὀνόματι τῆς ὑπεραμώμου δεσποίνης ἡμῶν θεοτόκου τέμενος δαίμονι καθάπερ τινὶ ἀλάστορι ἐκ θείας προνοίας παραδοθεὶς ἔκειτο ἀφρίζων· καὶ οὕτως ἐκεῖθεν δαιμονιῶν ἐξεληλύθει. 6.9.6 Τὴν μέντοι κυρίαν τῆς Σινώπης ὁ Σιαοὺς Κωνσταν τίνῳ τῷ ∆αλασσηνῷ ἀνέθετο ἐπ' αὐτῷ παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀποσταλέντι κᾆθ' οὕτως τὰς ἄλλας πόλεις περιιὼν καὶ τὰς σουλτανικὰς τοῖς σατράπαις ὑποδεικνύων γραφὰς ἐκεῖθεν ἐξήλαυνε παραδιδοὺς πρὸς τοὺς τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος σατράπας. Ταῦτα οὖν ὁ Σιαοὺς διαπραξάμενος ὑποστρέφει πρὸς αὐτὸν κἀντεῦθεν τοῦ θείου βαπτίσματος τετυχηκὼς καὶ πολλῶν δωρεῶν ἐπαπολαύσας δοὺξ Ἀγχιάλου προχειρίζεται.

6.10.1 Τῆς σφαγῆς δὲ τοῦ Ἀμὴρ Σολυμᾶ κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν ἅπασαν διαδραμούσης, ὁπόσοι τῶν σατραπῶν πόλεις καὶ πολίχνια ἔτυχον φυλάσσοντες, ἕκαστος ὅπερ ἔτυχε φυλάσ σων κάστρον κατέσχε καὶ ἰδιοποιήσατο. Καὶ γὰρ ὁπηνίκα πρὸς τὸν Ἀπελχασὴμ τὴν Νίκαιαν παρεδίδου φρουρεῖν ἐν τῷ πρὸς Ἀντιόχειαν αὐτὸν ἀπιέναι, διαφόροις σατράπαις τά τε κατὰ τὴν παραλίαν καὶ τὴν Καππαδοκίαν καὶ τὴν ἅπασαν Ἀσίαν, ὡς εἴρηται, ἀνέθετο ὥστε ἕκαστον τὸ ἴδιον λάχος φρουρεῖν τὴν αὐτοῦ ἐκεῖθεν ἐπανέλευσιν ἀπεκ δεχόμενον. Ὁ δὲ Ἀπελχασὴμ ἀρχισατράπης τῷ τότε τῆς Νικαίας ὢν ταύτην κατασχών, ἐν ᾖ καὶ τὸ σουλτανίκιον ἦν, καὶ τῷ ἰδίῳ ἀδελφῷ Πουλχάσῃ τῶν κατὰ τὴν Καππα δοκίαν παραχωρήσας ἐν ἀμεριμνίᾳ τέως ἦν τὴν τοῦ σουλτανικίου ἀξίαν περιζώσασθαι οἰόμενος καὶ ἤδη ἐν χερσὶ νομίζων κατέχειν. ∆εινὸς γὰρ ὢν ὁ ἀνὴρ καὶ φιλο κίνδυνος ἀρκεῖσθαι τοῖς ἐνοῦσιν οὐκ ἤθελεν, ἀλλὰ προνο μεῖς ἀποστέλλων τὴν Βιθυνῶν ἐλῄζετο ἅπασαν καὶ μέχρις αὐτῆς Προποντίδος. 6.10.2 Τῇ γοῦν προτέρᾳ μεθόδῳ χρησά μενος ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ τοὺς μὲν προνομεῖς ἀνέστελλε, τὸν δὲ Ἀπελχασὴμ πρὸς εἰρηνικὰς σπονδὰς συνήλαυνε. Βυσσο δομεύοντα δὲ τοῦτον διαγινώσκων ἀεὶ κατ' αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰς σπονδὰς ἀναβαλλόμενον δεῖν ἐλογίσατο κατ' αὐτοῦ ἀξιό μαχον ἐκπέμψαι στράτευμα. Τὸν Τατίκιον δέ, περὶ οὗ ἐν πολλοῖς ὁ λόγος ἐμέμνητο, μετὰ δυνάμεως ἀποχρώσης πέπομφε κατὰ τῆς Νικαίας ἐντειλάμενος αὐτῷ μετὰ νουνε χείας τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἀντικαταστῆναι, εἴ γε τέως ἔξωθέν τισιν ἐντύχοιεν. Ἀπελθόντος δὲ τοῦ Τατικίου καὶ ἀγχοῦ τῶν τειχῶν σχῆμα παρατάξεως διατυπώσαντος διὰ τὸ μηδένα τῶν Τούρκων τηνικαῦτα παρεῖναι, ἀναπετάσαντες οἱ Τοῦρκοι εἰς διακοσίους ποσούμενοι ἀθρόως κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐξιππάσαντο. Οἱ δὲ Κελτοί (ἦσαν γὰρ ἱκανοί) τούτους θεασάμενοι κατὰ πρόσωπον σφοδρᾷ τῇ ῥύμῃ δόρατα μακρὰ ἐναγκαλισάμενοι κατ' αὐτῶν ἵενται καὶ ἱκανοὺς τρώσαντες εἴσω τοῦ κάστρου τοὺς λοιποὺς συνήλασαν. 6.10.3 Ὁ δέ γε Τατίκιος ἵστατο αὖθις ἐπὶ ταὐτοῦ σχήματος τῆς παρα τάξεως μέχρις ἡλίου δυσμῶν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ μηδεὶς ἔξω πυλῶν τῶν Τούρκων ἑωρᾶτο, ἀναποδίσας κατὰ τὴν Βασίλειαν τὸν χάρακα ἐπήξατο δύο πρὸς τοῖς δέκα σταδίους τῆς Νικαίας ἀπέχουσαν. Νυκτὸς δέ τις προσεληλυθὼς αὐτῷ ἀγρότης τὸν Προσοὺχ διενίστατο μετὰ πεντήκοντα χιλιάδων