In April, while Georgios was still building his army, his uncle, Bartholomaios, came to him, with his 120 armed guards. When Bartholomaios reached the camp of the King, only he was permitted to enter, the 120 guards were held outside.
He was then escorted to the King. When Georgios saw his uncle, he smiled and embraced him, and said, "Uncle! How are you?"
Bartholomaios frowned, "Not so good, my King. I am getting old. And to make things worse, our cousin--my overlord, Prince Andreas of Butrinto, has revoked my position as Count of Epieros so that he may give the lands to his eldest son. I demand reparations!"
Georgios, too, frowned, "I'm sorry uncle, but I cannot risk losing Andreas' loyalty, I need his men. But I'll tell you what I can do..."
Bartholomaios said, "I'm listening..."
"Come with us on Crusade to Georgia, and I will give you lands there, and make you a Prince. What say you to this?"
The King's uncle smiled, "That is acceptable."
Georgios embraced his uncle again, "I look forward to our campaign!"
Bartholomaios returned the embrace, and silently wondered to himself how he could ever had disloyal feelings in the past?
_______________
By early July, Konstantinos and Panagiotes had returned, and Georgios' army now numbered 13,000. Georgios told his brother, Konstantinos, to remain in the Morea, both as regent and as tutor for young Prince Stephanos. Konstantinos objected, pointing out that as Supreme Commander it was his duty to protect the King. But Georgios insisted, and so Konstantinos remained behind. But Bartholomaios, Panagiotes, and Patriarch Pantoleon went with him.
In August, they landed on the shores of Imeretia, unopposed. Scouts reported that there was no Volgan army anywhere between the coast, and the main fortress in Imeretia, nor were there any for miles after. Apparently, the Roman Army was already running amok within most of the Volgan lands, and the Voglan Army was spread thin.
They soon besieged the castle, and in early September, the garrison realised they weren't going to be reinforced, and so they surrendered. Georgios left 4,000 men in Imeretia, under the command of Panagiotes Angelos. He took the other 9,000 to the next province, Kakheti. The fortress in Kakheti was strong, heavily fortified, with a numerous garrison and seemingly endless supplies. In December, Tajaddin, the Emir of Kakheti, arrived to lift the siege with 3,000 men. When he saw the size of the Morean Army, he hesitated, realising he was outnumbered 3 to 1.
This hesitation was just the opportunity Georgios needed. On December 8th, he left just enough men to cover the castle, and took the rest of his army to face Tajaddin.
The resulting battle was a bloodbath. Georgios fought with more zeal than had ever been seen in his generation. Within an hour, the slaughter was over. The final count of the dead was 700 for the Moreans, and 2,600 for the Volgans. Tajaddin, however, managed to escape.
(this was taken over four years after the battle, so that's why it says he's 36. He was only 32 when he gained the "zealous" trait.)
The siege would drag on for another two months, ending on the 1st of February, 1148.
In March, Georgios began his march to Guria. However, scouts soon reported that Emir Tajaddin was on his way back, with 3,000 more soldiers, the best the Volgan Army could spare from their war with Rome. They were headed straight for Kakheti.
Georgios knew that if he returned to Kakheti in full force, Tajaddin would get word of it, and reinforce Guria. The fortress of Guria was even stronger than Kakheti's, and if Tajaddin were allowed to reinforce it, Georgios would have no hope. But if he left Kakheti undefended, Tajaddin would take it with ease, and cut the Morean Army off from its supplies.
So, he decided that a small army had to be sent back to Kakheti. He could only spare a thousand, and knew that the men he sent were probably being sent to their deaths. He had Panagiotes find for him a young officer, who was pious, yet ambitious.
The answer came in the form of a man by the name of Hektor, a Captain of a Hundred from the island of Kythera.
Georgios wanted to speak with Hektor in private, before the thousand departed.
When they were alone, Georgios said, "Captain Hektor, are you aware of the task you have been chosen for?"
Hektor nodded, "I am, sire."
"Are you ready to face this task?"
"I am. For God, and my country... and for you, sire."
The King paused for a minute, then said, "Hektor... it is a very uncommon name these days among Hellenes."
"Yes, sire. But my parents wanted to name me after a very strong man, and there were already two boys in my village named Achilles."
"So they named you Hektor?"
"Yes. And I paid for it, too. Both boys named Achilles would beat on me almost every day. But it made me strong."
The King smiled, "I like your attitude, Hektor."
"Thankyou, sire."
"Hektor, your rank does not suit your task. I hereby promote you. You shall now be, 'Lord Hektor, King's Magistrate of Kakheti'. You are my voice in Kakheti, now and always. I give you a thousand soldiers to defend the province. Can I trust you not to fail me, Lord Hektor?"
Hektor smiled and bowed, "You can trust me, sire. I will not fail you."
"Then take your Thousand, and get to Kakheti at once!"
Hektor saluted and left. Georgios stared after him...
there goes a brave man, likely to his death, he thought.
