They had only heard that Ravenna had fallen, and that the King was imprisoned.
Vague rumours of treachery accompanied this report, and the friends of the King, in their pain and anger, were persuaded that the fall of the strong fortress and of the brave King had not been effected by honest means.
Instead of discouraging them, this misfortune only increased the strength of their resistance.
They weakened their besiegers by repeated and successful sallies.
And the enemy felt almost constrained to raise the siege, for already signs of an important change of circumstance crowded upon them from all sides.
This change was, in fact, a rapidly progressing reversion of feeling in the Italian population, at least of the middle classes: the merchants and artisans of the towns; the peasants and farmers of the country.
The Italians had everywhere greeted the Byzantines as liberators.
But after a short period their exultation died away.
Whole troops of officials followed Belisarius from Byzantium, sent by Justinian to reap without delay the fruits of the war, and to fill the ever-empty treasury of the East with the riches of Italy.
In the midst of all the suffering caused by the war, these zealous officials began their work.