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Michael Gabras and Theodosios Mesanyktes and many other commanders of the tagmata had their eyes gouged out by him, while Constantine, having covered the patrikios Gregory Taronites, who was said to be the leader and prime mover of the conspiracy, with the raw hide of an ox over his entire body, and leaving an opening only for breathing and sight, sent him to the orphanotrophos. In the month of September, in the 9th indiction of the year #226049, Alousianos, patrikios and strategos of Theodosioupolis, the second son of Aaron, suddenly fled the city and went over to Deleanos for the following reason. For while serving as strategos in Theodosioupolis, he was accused of wrongdoing and, before the allegations against him could be investigated, was required by John to pay 50 pounds of gold, and a very fine estate belonging to his wife, which he had in Charsianon, was also confiscated. Having pleaded many times with the emperor about this and not receiving redress, despairing of everything, he took on Armenian dress and, pretending to be a servant of Basil Theodorokanos going to the emperor in Thessalonike, he escaped without anyone noticing and made his way safely to Ostrovo, where Deleanos happened to be encamped with his entire army. Deleanos received him with great joy (for he feared that the Bulgarians might rather attach themselves to him, as one who traced his lineage to royal blood) and having taken him on, as it seemed, as a partner in the kingship, he gave him an army of forty thousand, ordering him to go and besiege 2.532 Thessalonike; at that time the emperor's nephew, the patrikios Constantine, was governing the city of Thessalonike. Who, having departed and surrounded it with a trench, diligently applied himself to the siege. After testing the city for six days with siege engines and machines, and being repulsed on all sides and having lost all hope, he decided to accomplish his goal through blockade. But one day, the inhabitants went to the tomb of the great martyr Demetrios, and having performed an all-night supplication and anointed themselves with the myrrh that flows from the holy tomb, as if from a single impulse, they threw open the gates and went out against the Bulgarians. The tagma of the megathymoi was with the Thessalonians. And coming out and striking them with surprise, they put to flight the Bulgarians, who were unwilling to stand at all for defense or battle, with the martyr going before the Roman army and smoothing the way, as the captured Bulgarians affirmed under oath, saying that they saw a youth on horseback leading the Roman phalanx, from whom fire leaped out and consumed the enemy. Therefore, more than 15 thousand fell, and no fewer than that were taken captive by the spear. The rest, in great shame, escaped with Alousianos to Deleanos. In this year, in the 9th indiction, on the 10th of June, about the 22nd hour of the day, an earthquake occurred. After the rout, Deleanos and Alousianos, being united, became suspicious of each other, the one being ashamed on account of the defeat, 2.533 the other suspecting treachery, and they plotted against each other, watching for an opportunity. Alousianos, therefore, having prepared with some of his own men, and having made a breakfast and invited Deleanos to a feast, seized him while he was suffering from a hangover and drunk, and blinded him, so that not even a hint of what had happened was given to the Bulgarians at all; and fleeing, he comes to the emperor in Mosynopolis. The emperor sent this man to Byzantium to the orphanotrophos, having raised him to the rank of magistros, while he himself, setting out from Mosynopolis, went to Thessalonike. And crossing from there he entered Bulgaria, and having seized Deleanos, he sent him to Thessalonike, while he himself advanced into the interior—for Manuel Ibatze, having constructed a wooden barricade near Prilep, thought to prevent the imperial army from advancing further and to hold the interior; but the emperor, arriving there, quicker than a word both broke through the wooden wall and the band of

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αὐτῷ Μιχαὴλ μὲν ὁ Γαβρᾶς καὶ Θεοδόσιος ὁ Μεσανύκτης καὶ ἄλλοι πολλοὶ τῶν ταγματικῶν ἀρχόν των ἐκπηροῦνται τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς, Γρηγόριον δὲ πατρίκιον τὸν Ταρωνίτην ἔξαρχον, ὡς ἐλέγετο, καὶ πρωτουργὸν τῆς συστάσεως ὄντα ὠμῇ βύρσῃ βοὸς διὰ παντὸς τοῦ σώματος καλύψας ὁ Κων σταντῖνος, καὶ μόνης τῆς ἀναπνοῆς ἔξοδον ἀφεὶς καὶ τῆς ὄψεως, πρὸς τὸν ὀρφανοτρόφον ἀπέστειλε. Σεπτεμβρίῳ δὲ μηνί, ἰνδικτιῶνος θʹ τοῦ #22φμθʹ ἔτους, Ἀλουσιάνος πατρίκιος καὶ στρατηγὸς Θεοδοσιουπόλεως, ὁ τοῦ Ἀαρὼν δεύτερος υἱός, ἄφνω τῆς πόλεως ἀποδρὰς τῷ ∆ελεάνῳ προσέρχεται ἐξ αἰτίας τοιαύτης. ἐν Θεοδοσιουπόλει καὶ γὰρ στρα τηγῶν οὗτος καὶ ὡς ἄδικος κατηγορηθείς, πρὶν ἢ ἐξετάσει δοθῆ ναι τὰ κατ' αὐτοῦ λεγόμενα, ἀπῃτήθη παρὰ τοῦ Ἰωάννου χρυ σίου λίτρας νʹ, προσαφῃρέθη δὲ καὶ γυναικεῖον χωρίον, ὅπερ εἶχεν ἐν τῷ Χαρσιανῷ κάλλιστον. δεηθεὶς δὲ περὶ τούτου τοῦ βασιλέως πολλὰ καὶ μὴ τυχὼν ἐπιστροφῆς, πάντοθεν ἀπογνούς, στολὴν λαβὼν Ἀρμενίων καὶ ὡς τάχα θεράπων τοῦ Θεοδωροκάνου Βασι λείου ἐς τὸν βασιλέα ἐς Θεσσαλονίκην ἀπιών, λαθὼν ἅπαντας ἔφυγε καὶ ἐν Ὀστροβῷ διασώζεται, ἐκεῖσε πανσυδὶ τοῦ ∆ελεάνου ἐστρατοπεδευμένου τυγχάνοντος. τοῦτον περιχαρῶς δεξάμενος ὁ ∆ελεάνος (ἐδεδοίκει γὰρ μή πως προστεθῶσιν αὐτῷ μᾶλλον οἱ Βούλγαροι ὡς εἰς βασιλικὸν αἷμα τὴν ἀναφορὰν ἔχοντι) καὶ κοι νωνὸν ὡς ἐδόκει τῆς βασιλείας παρειληφώς, στρατιὰν αὐτῷ δίδωσι χιλιάδας τεσσαράκοντα, ἀπελθεῖν κελεύσας καὶ ἐκπολιορκῆσαι 2.532 Θεσσαλονίκην· ἦρχε δὲ τότε τῆς πόλεως Θεσσαλονίκης ὁ τοῦ βα σιλέως ἀνεψιὸς Κωνσταντῖνος πατρίκιος. ὃς ἀπελθὼν καὶ τάφρον περιβαλόμενος ἐπιμελῶς εἴχετο τῆς πολιορκίας. ἐπὶ ἓξ δὲ ἡμέρας ἀποπειρασάμενος τῆς πόλεως ἑλεπόλεσι καὶ μηχαναῖς καὶ πάντοθεν ἀποκρουσθεὶς καὶ τοῖς πᾶσιν ἀπειρηκὼς διὰ προσεδρείας ἐδόκει ἀνύσαι τὸ σπουδαζόμενον. μιᾷ δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν τῷ τάφῳ τοῦ με γάλου μάρτυρος ∆ημητρίου προσελθόντες οἱ ἐπιχώριοι, καὶ πάν νυχον ἐπιτελέσαντες δέησιν καὶ τῷ μύρῳ τῷ ἐκ τοῦ θείου τάφου βλύζοντι χρησάμενοι, ὡς ἐκ μιᾶς ὁρμῆς ἀναπετάσαντες τὰς πύλας ἐξέρχονται κατὰ τῶν Βουλγάρων. συνῆν δὲ τοῖς Θεσσαλονικεῦσι τὸ τάγμα τῶν μεγαθύμων. ἐξελθόντες δὲ καὶ τῷ ἀπροσδοκήτῳ καταπληξάμενοι τρέπουσι τοὺς Βουλγάρους μηδ' ὅλως πρὸς ἄμυ ναν ἢ ἀλκὴν στῆναι βουληθέντας, τοῦ μάρτυρος προηγησαμένου τῆς Ῥωμαϊκῆς στρατιᾶς καὶ τὴν πορείαν προομαλίζοντος, καθὼς ἐνωμότως διεβεβαίουν οἱ αἰχμαλωτισθέντες Βούλγαροι, λέγοντες νεανίαν ἔφιππον ὁρᾶν προηγούμενον τῆς Ῥωμαϊκῆς φάλαγγος, ἐξ οὗ πῦρ ἐξαλλόμενον ἐπυρπόλει τοὺς ἐναντίους. ἔπεσον οὖν πλείω τῶν ιεʹ χιλιάδων, δοριάλωτοι δὲ ἐλήφθησαν οὐκ ἐλάττους τούτων. οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ αἰσχίστως σὺν τῷ Ἀλουσιάνῳ εἰς τὸν ∆ελεάνον δια σώζονται. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει, ἐπινεμήσει θʹ, Ἰουνίου ιʹ, περὶ ὥραν τῆς ἡμέρας κβʹ γέγονε σεισμός. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν τροπὴν ἑνωθέντες ὅ τε ∆ελεάνος καὶ ὁ Ἀλου σιάνος ὑπενοοῦντο ἀλλήλους, ὁ μὲν διὰ τὴν ἧτταν αἰσχυνόμενος, 2.533 ὁ δὲ προδοσίαν ὑποπτεύων, καὶ ἐπεβούλευον ἀλλήλοις καιροφυλα κοῦντες. σκευασάμενος οὖν ὁ Ἀλουσιάνος μετά τινων οἰκείων αὐτοῦ καὶ ἄριστον ποιήσας καὶ εἰς εὐωχίαν καλέσας τὸν ∆ελεάνον, κραιπαλοῦντα καὶ μεθύοντα κατασχὼν ἀπετύφλωσεν, ὡς μηδ' αἴσθησιν ὅλως τοῖς Βουλγάροις δοθῆναι τοῦ γεγονότος· καὶ φυγὼν ἔρχεται ἐν Μοσυνοπόλει πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα. καὶ τοῦτον μὲν ὁ βα σιλεὺς εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον πρὸς τὸν ὀρφανοτρόφον ἐκπέμπει, ἐς τὸ τῶν μαγίστρων ὕψος ἀναβιβάσας, αὐτὸς δὲ ἄρας ἐκ Μοσυνοπό λεως ἄπεισιν ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ. ἐκεῖθεν δὲ διαβὰς εἴσεισιν ἐν Βουλ γαρίᾳ, καὶ τὸν ∆ελεάνον κατασχὼν ἔπεμψεν ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ, αὐ τὸς δὲ πρὸς τὰ ἐνδότερα γενόμενος-ἔτι γὰρ Μανουὴλ ὁ Ἰβά τζης δέμα ξύλινον κατασκευάσας κατὰ τὸν Πρίλαπον ᾤετο ἀπεῖρ ξαι προσωτέρω χωρεῖν τὴν βασιλικὴν στρατιὰν καὶ τὰ ἔνδον κατέ χειν· ἀλλ' ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκεῖσε γενόμενος λόγου θᾶττον τό τε ξύλινον τεῖχος διέρρηξε καὶ τὸ σύστημα τῶν