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Therefore, having taken much booty from there, the men under Tatikios returned to their own camp. 6.10.8 When the emperor learned these things, being such a one as he was, skilled at catching a man's soul and softening a stony nature, he then sent a letter to Apelchasem advising him to refrain from such empty undertakings and not to strike at the air, but rather to come to him and to relieve himself of many labors and to enjoy lavish gifts and honor. And Apelchasem, since he learned that Porsuch was besieging the castles held by certain satraps and was already approaching Nicaea in order to besiege it, making a virtue of necessity, as they say, and at the same time, having guessed the emperor's intention and being confident, he embraced peace with him. And when the peace treaty between them was concluded, the emperor, having planned something else advantageous, since what he intended could not otherwise be accomplished, summoned him to the capital so that he might receive money and enjoy luxury to his heart's content, and so return home. 6.10.9 Apelchasem was persuaded, and having entered the capital he was deemed worthy of every kind of courtesy. And since the ruling Turks of Nicaea held Nicomedia (this city is the metropolis of Bithynia), the emperor, wishing to drive them out from there, judged it necessary to build another small town by the sea, while the terms of friendship were established. Therefore, having loaded all the materials needed for building along with the builders themselves onto transport ships, he sent them off, entrusting its construction to Eustathios, the Drungarius of the Fleet, and revealing the secret plan, instructing him, if any of the Turks passed by, to treat them courteously in every way and to give them their fill of provisions, putting forward that this was being built with the knowledge of Apelchasem, and then to keep every ship away from the coastal parts of Bithynia, so that what was happening would not become clear to him. 6.10.10 And he did not cease giving money to Apelchasem daily, urging him to baths and horse-riding and hunts, and also to inspect the columns standing along the main roads; but he also ordered the charioteers to hold a horse race for him in the theater built long ago by the great Constantine, and urged him to be present there each day and watch the horse trials, so that with time being wasted in this way, a truce might be given to the builders. And when the small town was already finished and the plan had reached its conclusion, having rewarded him with more gifts and having honored him with the dignity of sebastos, and having further strengthened the treaties, he sent him with honor across the sea. 6.10.11 And when the building of the fort was announced to him, even though his soul was wounded by its construction, nevertheless, feigning ignorance, he kept completely silent. Something of this sort is also told of Alcibiades. For in this way he too had deceived the Lacedaemonians, who were not allowing Athens, destroyed by the Persians, to be rebuilt. For having ordered the Athenians to rebuild, he went away as an ambassador to Lacedaemon. Then, while he wasted time on the embassy and gave opportunity to the builders, after the whole deception the Lacedaemonians heard of the rebuilding of Athens. And the Paeanian also makes mention of this fine deception somewhere in his speeches. Such then was the device of my father, or rather, even more strategic than that of Alcibiades. For by fawning on this barbarian with horse races and other luxuries and putting him off from day to day, he managed to complete the fort, and then, when the entire work was finished, he dismissed the man from the queen of cities.

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Λείαν οὖν πολλὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἀναλαβόμενοι οἱ ὑπὸ τὸν Τατίκιον πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν παλινοστοῦσι παρεμβολήν. 6.10.8 Ταῦτα μεμα θηκὼς ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ, ὁποῖος ἐκεῖνος δεινὸς θηρᾶσαι ψυχὴν ἀνθρώπου καὶ λιθίνην μαλάξαι φύσιν, γραφὴν τηνικαῦτα ἐκτίθεται πρὸς τὸν Ἀπελχασὴμ συμβουλεύων ἀποσχέσθαι μὲν τῶν τοιούτων κενῶν ἐπιχειρημάτων καὶ μὴ εἰς ἀέρα παίειν, ἀλλὰ προσεληλυθέναι τε αὐτῷ καὶ πολλῶν καμάτων ἑαυτὸν ἀπαλλάξαι δωρημάτων τε δαψιλῶν ἐπαπολαῦσαι καὶ τιμῆς. Ὁ δὲ Ἀπελχασήμ, ἐπεὶ τὸν Προσοὺχ ἐμάνθανε πολιορκοῦντα τὰ κατεχόμενα παρά τινων σατραπῶν κάστρα, ἤδη δὲ καὶ τῇ Νικαίᾳ προσπε λάζειν ἐφ' ᾧ πολιορκῆσαι ταύτην, τὴν ἀνάγκην φιλοτιμίαν, ὅ φασι, ποιησάμενος, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως γνώμης καταστοχασάμενος καὶ τεθαρρηκὼς τὴν μετ' αὐτοῦ εἰρήνην ἀσπάζεται. Τῶν δὲ ἀναμεταξὺ εἰρηνικῶν σπονδῶν τελεσ θεισῶν μελετήσας καὶ ἕτερόν τι συνοῖσον ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἐνῆν ἄλλως ἀνυσθῆναι τὸ σκοπούμενον, μετα καλεῖται τοῦτον εἰς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ χρήματα λαβεῖν καὶ τρυφῆς ἅλις ἐπαπολαῦσαι καὶ οὕτως οἴκαδε ἐπαναστρέψαι. 6.10.9 Πείθεται ὁ Ἀπελχασήμ, καὶ εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν παντοίας ἀξιοῦται φιλοφροσύνης. Ὡς δὲ τὴν Νικομήδους (πόλις δὲ αὕτη μητρόπολις Βιθυ νίας) κατεῖχον οἱ τῆς Νικαίας ἐξάρχοντες Τοῦρκοι, ἐκεῖθεν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐξελάσαι τούτους βουλόμενος ἕτερον παρὰ θάλατταν οἰκοδομῆσαι πολίχνιον δεῖν ἔκρινεν, ἐν ὅσῳ τὰ τῆς ἀγάπης ἥδραστο. Τοιγαροῦν ἐν φορταγωγοῖς ναυσὶν ἅπαντα τὰ πρὸς κτίσιν χρειώδη σὺν αὐτοῖς οἰκο δόμοις ἐμβαλὼν ἐξαπέστειλε τὴν τούτου οἰκοδομὴν Εὐστα θίῳ τῷ τοῦ στόλου δρουγγαρίῳ ἀναθέμενος καὶ τὸ ἀπόρρητον ἐκκαλύψας, ἐπισκήψας, εἴ τινες τῶν Τούρκων διέρχοιντο, παντοίως φιλοφρονεῖσθαι καὶ ἐς κόρον διδόντος ἐπαπο λαύειν τῶν χρειωδῶν προτιθέναι τὸ μετ' εἰδήσεως τοῦ Ἀπελχασὴμ τοῦτο οἰκοδομεῖν, εἶτα ἅπαν πλοῖον ἀπεῖρξαι τῶν τῆς Βιθυνίας παραλίων μερῶν, ὡς μὴ δῆλον αὐτῷ γενέσθαι τὸ γινόμενον. 6.10.10 Τῷ δὲ Ἀπελχασὴμ καθ' ἑκάστην χρήματα διδοὺς οὐκ ἐνεδίδου εἰς βαλανεῖά τε προτρεπόμενος καὶ ἱππηλασίας καὶ κυνηγέσια, πρὸς δὲ καὶ τὰς κατὰ τὰς λεωφόρους ἱσταμένας στήλας ἀνα θεωρεῖν· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἱππικὸν ἀγῶνα δι' αὐτὸν ἐνστήσασθαι τοῖς διφρηλάταις ἐκέλευσε κατὰ τὸ πάλαι τῷ μεγάλῳ Κωνσταντίνῳ οἰκοδομηθὲν θέατρον καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἐν τούτῳ παραγίνεσθαι καὶ τὰς τῶν ἵππων δοκιμασίας ὁρᾶν ἠρέθιζεν, ἵν' ἐντεῦθεν τριβομένου τοῦ καιροῦ ἐκεχειρία τοῖς οἰκοδόμοις δίδωται. Ὡς δὲ τὸ πολίχνιον ἤδη τετέ λεσται καὶ πέρας τὸ σκοπούμενον ἔσχηκε, πλείοσι δωρεαῖς τοῦτον ἀμειψάμενος τῷ σεβαστοῦ τε ἀξιώματι τιμήσας καὶ ἐπὶ πλέον τὰς συνθήκας ἐμπεδώσας διὰ τιμῆς αὐτὸν ἐξέπεμψε διαπόντιον. 6.10.11 Ἀγγελθείσης δὲ αὐτῷ τῆς τοῦ κάστρου οἰκοδομῆς, κἂν καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ τούτου ἀνεγέρσει κατετέτρωτο τὴν ψυχήν, ἀλλ' οὖν τὸν ἀγνοοῦντα ὑποκρι θεὶς τὸ παράπαν ἐσίγησε. Τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ περὶ Ἀλκιβιά δους ἱστόρηται. Οὕτω γὰρ κἀκεῖνος Λακεδαιμονίους ἐξη πατήκει μὴ συγχωροῦντας ἀνοικοδομηθῆναι Ἀθήνας καθαιρεθείσας ὑπὸ Περσῶν. Παραγγείλας γὰρ ἀνοικοδομεῖν Ἀθηναίους ἐκεῖνος ἀπῴχετο πρεσβεύσων εἰς Λακεδαίμονα. Εἶτα τῆς πρεσβείας τὸν χρόνον τρίβοντος καὶ διδόντος τὸ ἐνδόσιμον τοῖς οἰκοδομοῦσι μετὰ τὴν ἐξαπάτην ὅλην ἤκουσαν Λακεδαιμόνιοι τὴν οἰκοδομὴν Ἀθηνῶν. Καὶ μέμνηται τῆς καλῆς ἀπάτης ταυτησὶ καὶ ὁ Παιανιεὺς ἐνιαχοῦ τῶν λόγων αὐτοῦ. Τοιοῦτον ἄρα καὶ τοὐμοῦ πατρὸς τὸ ἐπινόημα ἦν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ Ἀλκιβιάδους στρα τηγικώτερον. Ἱπποδρομίαις γὰρ καὶ τρυφαῖς ἄλλαις τὸν βάρβαρον τοῦτον ὑποσαίνων καὶ εἰς ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας παραπεμπόμενος ἔφθασεν ἀπαρτίσας τὸ φρούριον καὶ τηνικαῦτα τοῦ σύμπαντος τελεσθέντος ἔργου τὸν ἄνδρα τῆς βασιλίδος ἀπέλυσε πόλεως.