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having joined the remaining forces, and having engaged the barbarians who were ten thousand times more numerous, he routed them brilliantly and scattered them in a single battle, and he established in safety the cities that were under Roman rule. But for the nation of the Rus who had subdued Bulgaria in the manner we have described, and who held captive by the spear the two sons of Peter, Boris and Roman, the return home was no longer desirable, but having admired the natural advantages of the place, and having bid a long farewell to the treaties made with the emperor Nikephoros, they considered it advantageous for them to remain in the country and rule the land. And Kalokyros urged them on to this even more, saying that if he were proclaimed emperor of the Romans by them, he himself would withdraw from Bulgaria and make lasting treaties, and would provide them with the agreed-upon gifts many 2.384 times over, and he would have them as allies and friends for life. Made arrogant by these words, the Rus laid claim to Bulgaria as a possession won by the spear, and they did not receive the emperor who sent an embassy and promised to fulfill everything that had been promised to Nikephoros, giving replies filled with barbaric arrogance, so that he was forced to decide the matter by battle. Therefore, having quickly transferred the eastern forces to the west by letter, and having appointed over them a commander whom he named stratelates, Bardas Skleros the magistros, whose sister Maria the emperor had taken as his lawful wife while a private citizen, he himself was intending to set out at the beginning of spring. But the Rus and their leader, Sviatoslav, when they learned of the crossing of the Roman army, having made common cause with the already enslaved Bulgarians, and having also taken as allies the Pechenegs and the Turks settled in Pannonia to the west, and through all these having gathered a fighting army numbering thirty myriads topped by eight thousand, and having crossed the Haemus, they were burning all of Thrace and plundering, having pitched their camp somewhere near the walls of Arcadiopolis, and there they awaited the engagement of the war. But when the magistros Bardas Skleros perceived that he was greatly inferior in numbers (for his whole army amounted to 12 thousand), he decided to outwit the enemy with strategic deceptions 2.385 and by skill and stratagem to overcome such great multitudes. And this is indeed what happened. For having shut himself up with his army inside the walls, he did not obey the many challenges of the enemy to come out and fight for everything, but held firm as if he were afraid, watching the opponents carrying off and leading away whatever came to hand. But this plan instilled great contempt in the barbarians; for thinking that Skleros was truly held by cowardice and had shut the Roman phalanxes inside the walls, not daring to come out, they both scattered fearlessly and encamped carelessly and neglected the proper guard, spending the nights in drinking and drunkenness and flutes and cymbals and barbaric dances and taking care of none of the necessary things. Therefore Bardas, seizing a favorable opportunity, and having very carefully considered how he might attack the enemy, and having set the day and the hour, having set up ambushes and traps by night in some most opportune places, sends out the patrician John Alakaseus with a certain small force, having ordered him to ride ahead and reconnoiter the enemy and to frequently report to him and inform him where they were, and having instructed him also to engage them as they approached and, at the same time as the engagement, to turn his back and to give the appearance of fleeing, not, however, to flee uncontrollably, giving full rein to the horses, but gently and in order, and where it might be possible, also to turn back and clash 2.386 with the enemy, and to do this until they should have enclosed them in these ambushes and traps, and then to flee in disorder and

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ταῖς λοιπαῖς προσμίξας δυνάμεσι, καὶ συμπλακεὶς τοῖς βαρβάροις μυριοπλα σίοις οὖσιν, ἐτρέψατο λαμπρῶς καὶ ἐσκέδασεν ἑνὶ πολέμῳ, καὶ τὰς ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίους οὔσας πόλεις ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ κατεστήσατο. Τῷ ἔθνει δὲ τῶν Ῥὼς ὃν εἴπομεν τρόπον τὴν Βουλγαρίαν χειρωσαμένῳ, δοριαλώτους δὲ κατασχόντι καὶ τοὺς δύο υἱοὺς τοῦ Πέτρου Βορίσην καὶ Ῥωμανόν, οὐκέτι ἦν βουλητὸν ἡ ἐπ' οἴκου ὑποστροφή, ἀλλὰ τὴν τοῦ τόπου θαυμάσαντες εὐφυΐαν, μακρὰ χαίρειν εἰπόντες ταῖς πρὸς Νικηφόρον τὸν βασιλέα γενομέναις συν θήκαις, συμφέρον ἐνόμισαν αὐτοῖς μεῖναι κατὰ χώραν καὶ τῆς γῆς κυριεύειν. ἐνῆγε δὲ πρὸς τοῦτο πλέον αὐτοὺς καὶ ὁ Καλο κυρός, λέγων, εἰ παρ' αὐτῶν ἀναγορευθῇ βασιλεὺς Ῥωμαίων, αὐτὸς τῆς τε Βουλγαρίας ἐκστήσεται καὶ σπονδὰς ποιήσει διηνε κεῖς, καὶ τὰς συμφωνηθείσας δοθῆναι δόσεις αὐτοῖς παρέξει πολ 2.384 λαπλασίως, καὶ συμμάχους ἕξει καὶ φίλους αὐτοὺς διὰ βίου. οἷς τισὶ ῥήμασι χαυνωθέντες οἱ Ῥὼς τῆς τε Βουλγαρίας ὡς δορικτήτου ἀντεποιοῦντο κτήματος, καὶ διαπρεσβευσάμενον τὸν βασιλέα καὶ ὑποσχόμενον ἐπιτελέσειν ἅπαντα τὰ τῷ Νικηφόρῳ ἐπηγγελμένα οὐ προσεδέξαντο, ἀποκρίσεις δόντες βαρβαρικῆς πεπληρωμένας ἀλα ζονείας, ὡς ἀναγκασθῆναι τοῦτον διὰ μάχης κρῖναι τὰ πράγματα. γράμμασιν οὖν ἐν ὀλίγῳ τὰς ἑῴας δυνάμεις πρὸς τὴν ἑσπέραν δια βιβάσας, ἄρχοντά τε αὐταῖς ἐπιστήσας ὃν ὠνόμασε στρατηλάτην Βάρδαν μάγιστρον τὸν Σκληρόν, οὗ τὴν ἀδελφὴν Μαρίαν νόμιμον ἠγάγετο γαμετὴν ἰδιωτεύων ὁ βασιλεύς, ἔμελλεν ἔαρος ἐφισταμέ νου καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξορμῆσαι. οἱ Ῥὼς δὲ καὶ ὁ τούτων ἀρχηγὸς ὁ Σφενδοσθλάβος, τὴν τοῦ Ῥωμαϊκοῦ στρατεύματος ὡς ἐπύθοντο περαίωσιν, κοινοπραγήσαντες δεδουλωμένοις ἤδη τοῖς Βουλγάροις, προσειληφότες δὲ καὶ συμμάχους τούς τε Πατζινάκας καὶ τοὺς πρὸς δύσιν ἐν Παννονίᾳ κατῳκισμένους Τούρκους, καὶ διὰ πάν των στρατὸν πολεμιστὴν ἠθροικότες ἐς ὀκτακισχιλίους ἐπὶ τριά κοντα μυριάσι κορυφουμένον, καὶ τὸν Αἶμον διαβάντες, πᾶσαν ἐπυρπόλουν τὴν Θρᾴκην καὶ ἐληΐζοντο, πηξάμενοι παρεμβολὴν ἀγχοῦ που τῶν τειχῶν Ἀρκαδιουπόλεως, κἀκεῖσε τὴν συμπλοκὴν ἐκδεχόμενοι τοῦ πολέμου. ὁ δὲ μάγιστρος Βάρδας ὁ Σκληρὸς ὡς ᾔσθετο κατὰ πολὺ τῷ πλήθει λειπόμενος (περιίστατο γὰρ αὐτῷ πᾶσα ἡ στρατιὰ εἰς ιβʹ χιλιάδας), στρατηγικαῖς ἔγνω ἀπάταις 2.385 τοὺς ἐναντίους περιελθεῖν καὶ τέχνῃ καὶ μηχανῇ τὰ τοσαῦτα κατ εργάσασθαι πλήθη. ὃ δὴ καὶ γέγονε. συγκλείσας γὰρ ἑαυτὸν σὺν τῇ στρατιᾷ εἴσω τειχῶν, πολλὰ προκαλουμένων τῶν πολε μίων ἐξελθεῖν καὶ περὶ τῶν ὅλων διαγωνίσασθαι οὐχ ὑπήκουσεν, ἀλλ' ἐκαρτέρει ὡς τάχα δειλιάσας, βλέπων τοὺς ἀντιπάλους τὰ παρατυχόντα φέροντάς τε καὶ ἄγοντας. τοῦτο δὲ τὸ βούλευμα μεγάλην καταφρόνησιν ἐνεποίησε τοῖς βαρβάροις· οἰηθέντες γὰρ ὡς ταῖς ἀληθείαις δειλίᾳ συνεχόμενος ὁ Σκληρὸς συγκεκλεικὼς ἔχει τείχους ἔνδον τὰς Ῥωμαϊκὰς φάλαγγας, ἐπεξελθεῖν μὴ τολ μῶν, ἀδεῶς τε ἐσκεδάννυντο καὶ ἀμελῶς ἐστρατοπεδεύοντο καὶ τῆς πρεπούσης ἠμέλουν φυλακῆς, πότοις καὶ μέθαις καὶ αὐλοῖς καὶ κυμβάλοις καὶ ὀρχήσεσι βαρβαρικαῖς διανυκτερεύοντες καὶ μη δενὸς τῶν δεόντων ἐπιμελόμενοι. καιροῦ τοίνυν ἐπιτηδείου λαβό μενος ὁ Βάρδας, καὶ ὅπως ἐπίθηται τοῖς ἐχθροῖς εὖ μάλα διασκο πήσας, καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν καὶ τὴν ὥραν ὁρίσας, λόχους καὶ ἐνέδρας νυκτὸς ἐπί τινων εὐκαιροτάτων χωρίων στησάμενος Ἰωάννην πα τρίκιον τὸν Ἀλακασέα μετά τινος ὀλίγης δυνάμεως ἐκπέμπει, προ τρέχειν κελεύσας καὶ διασκοπεῖν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς καὶ θαμὰ πρὸς αὐ τὸν μηνύειν καὶ ὅπῃ πάρεισιν ἀναδιδάσκειν, ἐπισκήψας δὲ καὶ συμμῖξαι τούτοις ἐγγίσασι καὶ ἅμα τῇ συμπλοκῇ δοῦναι τὰ νῶτα καὶ δόκησιν φευγόντων παρεσχηκέναι, μὴ ἀκρατῶς μέντοι γε φεύ γειν, ὅλῳ ῥυτῆρι ἐνδόντας τοῖς ἵπποις τοὺς χαλινούς, ἀλλ' ἠρέμα καὶ μετὰ τάξεως, ὅπῃ δὲ παρείκοι, καὶ ὑποστρέφοντας συρρή 2.386 γνυσθαι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, καὶ οὕτω ποιεῖν μέχρις ἂν εἰς τοὺς λόχους τούτους καὶ εἰς τὰς ἐνέδρας ἐναποκλείσωσι, τότε δὲ ἀκόσμως φεύ γειν καὶ