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Andronikos and Thomas arrived at Pherae, and taking with them Syrges, who was leading the army from Macedonia, and the eparch Monomachos campaigning with his own men, bypassing his camp, they came to Thessalonica. But the emperor, having encamped there for the night, so that he might not seem to be departing out of fear of them, set out on the next day and came to Gallikos, a certain river near Thessalonica, where the protostrator and the fugitives from Thessalonica, being about a thousand, met him, dismounting from their horses, as is fitting for those approaching emperors to do. And first the protostrator, approaching on foot, kissed the emperor’s foot, then in order the rest also approached similarly. And the emperor himself, leaning down from his horse, returned the protostrator's greeting; and the others he addressed as he passed, showing a gracious manner to all and a benevolent expression. And having made camp, they passed the 2.237 night there. But the emperor, having the protostrator and the most notable of the fugitives around him, asked what should be done; for they especially knew the situation there and held the position of guides for them, having just arrived from a foreign land. The protostrator and the fugitives said, 'You yourself are not ignorant of what has happened here; it remains for you, having considered, to do whatever seems advantageous.' 39. But on the next day the emperor, having gathered an assembly of everyone, put forth to all the question of what was to be done, and he ordered each one to say what occurred to him without holding back, so that from the many things said, the choice of what was advantageous might become easy for them. But they all hesitated in turn, and no one dared to say openly what occurred to him. For the fugitives from Byzantium who had arrived with the emperor were exceedingly vexed at the failure at Thessalonica and were at a loss as to what they ought to choose; and the rest of the army was in despair, seeing that matters were not going smoothly for the emperor; and the protostrator along with the fugitives from Thessalonica, as they saw the city being held by the generals from Byzantium and that it was now impossible to win it over, were all the more angry, considering what their own people would suffer. And they all looked to the emperor's judgment, thinking he would find for them some solution to the evils that beset them. But when the emperor saw 2.238 that no one was willing to introduce any opinion, he said, 'That matters have turned out for us contrary to what we thought, you all surely see. For both the protostrator and those of the Thessalonians who chose our side, whom we should have found holding the city and from whom we should have received the greatest help, having met with harsh fortune, have been driven out; and both the populace and those who remained behind, whom we hoped either to win over by persuasion or to compel by arms, having been made hostile to us on account of the plundering and being confident in the army from Byzantium, will not come over to our side. For if they were going to, they would not be keeping quiet while we are encamped almost at their gate, but would either be sending an embassy jointly, or some of them, conferring secretly on their own, would have come. The fact that no one has come out is proof both that the majority have decided to fight us, and that, if there are any who have chosen our side, they are conforming to the others out of fear of suffering harm. Whence I do not think it is necessary to remain here for the sake of fruitless hopes. However, it is not right to grow soft toward the remaining parts of the war because we have failed at the city. For indeed we will not always be fortunate in everything. But it is the mark of prudent men who use noble reasoning, neither to appear to fall from moderation in good fortune, nor to collapse in misfortune, despairing of setting things right again 2.239. But it is necessary, having managed matters here as is fitting, to proceed onwards, with hopes appearing better and as safe as possible for us. Therefore I think it is necessary, having added a greater force to the garrison left at Rentina, so that they may be able to make raids on Thessalonica, for the army from Byzantium will withdraw not long after,

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Ἀνδρονίκῳ καὶ Θωμᾷ ἀφιγμένοι εἰς Φερὰς, παραλαβόντες καὶ Συργὴν ἄγοντα τὴν ἐκ Μακεδονίας στρατιὰν, καὶ ἔπαρχον τὸν Μονομάχον συστρατευόμενον ἅμα τοῖς οἰκείοις, τὸ ἐκείνου παραμείψαντες στρατόπεδον, ἧκον εἰς Θεσσαλονίκην. βασιλεὺς δὲ ἐκεῖ τὴν νύκτα αὐλισάμενος, ὡς μὴ δοκοίη δέει τῷ ἐκείνων ἀπανίστασθαι, εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν ἄρας, ἦλθεν εἰς Γαλικὸν, ποταμόν τινα ἐγγὺς Θεσσαλονίκης, ἔνθα ὁ πρωτοστράτωρ καὶ οἱ ἐκ Θεσσαλονίκης φυγάδες περὶ χιλίους ὄντες συνεγένοντο, τῶν ἵππων ἀποβάντες, ὡς προσήκει βασιλεῦσι προσιόντας πράττειν. πρῶτός τε ὁ πρωτοστράτωρ προσελθὼν πεζῇ, ἠσπάζετο τὸν βασιλέως πόδα, εἶτ' ἐφεξῆς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ προσίεσαν ὁμοίως. βασιλεύς τε καὶ αὐτὸς πρωτοστράτορα μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἵππου κύψας ἀντησπάζετο· τοὺς δ' ἄλλους προσηγόρευε παριὼν, πᾶσιν ἦθος χρηστὸν ἐμφαίνων καὶ βλέπων εὐμενές. ηὐλίσαντό τε στρατοπεδευσάμενοι ἐκεῖ τὴν 2.237 νύκτα. βασιλεὺς δὲ πρωτοστράτορα καὶ τοὺς ἐν λόγῳ μάλιστα τῶν φυγάδων ἔχων περὶ ἑαυτὸν, ἠρώτα ὅ,τι δέοι ποιεῖν· αὐτοὺς γὰρ μάλιστα εἰδέναι τὰ ἐνταῦθα πράγματα καὶ ἀγωγῶν τόπον ἐπέχειν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἄρτι ἀφιγμένους ἐξ ἀλλοδαπῆς. πρωτοστράτωρ δὲ καὶ οἱ φυγάδες, τὰ μὲν γεγενημένα, ἔφησαν, ἐνταῦθα οὐδ' αὐτὸς ἀγνοεῖς· λείπεται δὲ αὐτὸν σκεψάμενον, ὅ,τι ἂν δοκῇ συμφέρειν πράττειν. λθʹ. Βασιλεὺς δὲ ἐς τὴν ὑστεραίαν ἐκκλησίαν ἐκ πάντων συναθροίσας, γνώμην πᾶσι περὶ τῶν πρακτέων προὐτίθει, καὶ ἐκέλευε τὸ παριστάμενον ἕκαστον μηδὲν ἀναδυόμενον εἰπεῖν, ὡς ἐκ πολλῶν τῶν λεγομένων ῥᾳδία ἡ τοῦ συνοίσοντος αἵρεσις γένοιτο αὐτοῖς. οἱ δ' ἀνεβάλλοντο πάντες ἐφεξῆς, καὶ οὐδεὶς τὸ παριστάμενον ἐτόλμα λέγειν φανερῶς. οἵ τε γὰρ ἐκ Βυζαντίου φυγάδες μετὰ βασιλέως ἀφιγμένοι ἄγαν ἤχθοντο πρὸς τὴν ἀποτυχίαν τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης καὶ ἐν ἀπόρῳ εἴχοντο τοῦ τί χρὴ ἑλέσθαι· καὶ ἡ ἄλλη στρατιὰ ἐν ἀθυμίᾳ ἦσαν, οὐ κατὰ ῥοῦν χωροῦντα τὰ πράγματα ὁρῶντες βασιλεῖ· καὶ ὁ πρωτοστράτωρ ἅμα Θεσσαλονικέων τοῖς φυγάσιν, ὡς ἑώρων τοῖς ἐκ Βυζαντίου στρατηγοῖς τὴν πόλιν κατεχομένην καὶ ἄπορα ἤδη ἦν προσάγεσθαι, μᾶλλον ἐχαλέπαινον, τοὺς οἰκείους ἐννοοῦντες οἷα πείσονται. καὶ πρὸς τὴν βασιλέως γνώμην πάντες ἀφεώρων, οἰόμενοί τινα σφίσι τῶν περισχόντων κακῶν λύσιν ἐξευρήσειν. βασιλεὺς δὲ ὡς εἶδε 2.238 μηδεμίαν γνώμην μηδένα βουλόμενον εἰσάγειν, «τὰ μὲν πράγματα» εἶπεν «ὡς ἐναντίως ἢ ᾠόμεθα ἀπήντηκεν ἡμῖν, πάντες ὁρᾶτε δήπου. πρωτοστράτωρ τε γὰρ καὶ Θεσσαλονικέων οἱ τὰ ἡμέτερα ᾑρημένοι, οὓς ἔδει τὴν πόλιν ἔχοντας εὑρεῖν καὶ τὰ μέγιστα ὠφελεῖσθαι ὑπ' αὐτῶν, δυσκόλῳ τύχῃ χρησάμενοι, ἐξελήλανται· ὅ,τε δῆμος καὶ οἱ ἐναπολειφθέντες, οὓς ἠλπίζομεν ἢ πειθοῖ προσάξεσθαι ἢ βιάσεσθαι τοῖς ὅπλοις, διά τε τὰς ἁρπαγὰς ἡμῖν ἐκπεπολεμωμένοι καὶ θαῤῥοῦντες τῇ ἐκ Βυζαντίου στρατιᾷ, οὐ προσχωρήσουσιν ἡμῖν. εἰ γὰρ ἔμελλον, οὐκ ἂν ἐπὶ τῆς πύλης αὐτῶν σχεδὸν ἐστρατοπεδευμένου ἡσύχαζον αὐτοὶ, ἀλλ' ἢ πρεσβείαν ποιούμενοι κοινῇ, ἢ ἰδίᾳ κρύφα τινὲς αὐτῶν διαλεγόμενοι, παρῆσαν ἄν. τὸ δὲ μηδένα ἐξελθεῖν τεκμήριον τοῦ τε τοὺς πολλοὺς ἐγνωκέναι πολεμεῖν ἡμῖν, καὶ τοῦ, εἴ τινες καὶ εἶεν ᾑρημένοι τὰ ἡμέτερα, δέει τοῦ μὴ κακῶς παθεῖν συμφέρεσθαι τοῖς ἄλλοις. ὅθεν οὐδὲ ἐλπίδων ἀνονήτων ἕνεκα ἐνταῦθα οἴομαι παραμένειν δεῖν. οὐ μὴν διὰ τὸ τῆς πόλεως ἀποτετυχηκέναι, καὶ πρὸς τὰ λείποντα δίκαιον τοῦ πολέμου μαλακίζεσθαι. οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ πρὸς πάντα εὐτυχήσομεν ἀεί. σωφρόνων δέ ἐστιν ἀνθρώπων καὶ γενναίοις χρωμένων λογισμοῖς, μήτε ἐν ταῖς εὐτυχίαις τοῦ μετρίου φαίνεσθαι ἐκπίπτοντας, μήτ' ἐν ταῖς δυσπραγίαις καταπίπτειν, ἀπαγορεύοντας τὸ ἀνορθοῦσθαι αὖ 2.239 θις. ἀλλὰ δέον τὰ ἐνταῦθα ὡς προσῆκον διοικησαμένους, χωρεῖν ἐπὶ τὰ πρόσω, χρηστοτέρας ἡμῖν καὶ ὡς μάλιστα ἀσφαλεῖς ὑποφαίνοντα ἐλπίδας. δέον οὖν ἐγὼ νομίζω, τῇ εἰς τὴν Ῥεντίναν καταλελειμμένῃ φρουρᾷ δύναμιν προσθέντας μείζονα, ὡς κατατρέχειν Θεσσαλονίκης δύναιντο, ἡ γὰρ ἐκ Βυζαντίου στρατιὰ οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον ἀποχωρήσει,