In 558 AD a strong force of Kotrigur barbarians (Bulgarian-Turkic race) under the leadership of Xavergan crossed the Danube and entered Byzantine territory. The Kotrigurs and their relatives the Uighurs were known to the Byzantines from their conflicts with the Lombards in Italy, when 12,000 barbarians joined the Lombards.
The Kotrigours, invading the Balkans, divided their forces into three divisions. One of them reached Thermopylae. The other as far as Gallipoli in the Dardanelles and the third approached the walls of Constantinople.
Under the threat of the barbarians, the emperor Justinian recalled to active action the retired veteran general of Belisarius who had given him so many victories in the past and was now out of favor.
The last battle of the legendary general
In 559 AD the Koutrigouri had camped in Melantiada, a village about 30 km west of Constantinople. Justinian asked Belisarius to deal with the threat. The experienced general accepted and after taking with him 300 also experienced veteran buccaneer soldiers – probably his former comrades in arms – moved against the enemies.
Xavergan became aware of the presence of Belisarius's small force and moved with 2,000 cavalry with the intention of surprising it. To achieve the surprise Xavergan moved through a forest.
But the experienced Belisarius realized his opponent's mistake and implemented a clever strategy. According to the account of Agathias Scholastikos, he ordered peasants from the village to grow into the forest at intervals and make noise and raise dust by beating the trees and the ground.
In this way the Kotrigouri leader was convinced that he was, after all, up against a stronger Byzantine force. In the forest, terrain hardly suitable for cavalry action, the Kotrigouri were attacked by 300 of Belisarius and panicked.
But the trees did not allow them to easily unhook and escape. So many were killed in the panic that prevailed, being attacked by the Byzantines. After this defeat Xavergan together with his Slavic allies withdrew.
The victor Belisarius enjoyed his victory a little. In 562 AD he was tried on charges of corruption and imprisoned. Eventually Justinian pardoned him and Belisarius died in AD 565.