 To show his gratitude, Justinian gave the Bulgarians an enormous quantity of gold, silver, and silk, as well as the "Zagore" area, located between Stara Zagora, Sliven, and the Black Sea.Three years later, Justinian II considered himself strong enough to invade Bulgaria and restore his rule over these lands.The Byzantines reached the Anchialus fortress and set their camp there, unaware of the fact that the Bulgarian army was in the vicinity.