The outer city of Gombrigne is no longer an endless wasteland. With the Chapel of God's Wish as the central axis, numerous new buildings are lined up on the east and west sides of the outer city. The crowded Silantarn Bazaar is busy delivering the freshest produce from the mountain farms of Epirus every day.

Although the tax cut order has been lifted more than half a month ago, the enthusiasm of the people of Combrigne has never diminished. After the Empire wrested full trade sovereignty over the port of Avelle from the Venetians and made it fully civil and commercial, Epirus grew commerce and fishing at an astonishing rate. The statute of limitations for Constantine XI's promise to pay the Legion of the Phoenix had expired, but it did not impose much additional burden on John.

Not only was there a rich variety of Oriental goods from Alexandria, but Jeffrey also occasionally heard some lace news about Castilian royalty from the mouth of the Iberian merchants returning to Constantinople from the Strait of Gibraltar. Of most interest to him was the discovery of a new continent by Leif Eriksson, who had been told by word of mouth from the Nordic Guards, and now that the battle with Granada was coming to an end, it seems that the Iberians were also interested in opening up new routes.

……

"Your Majesty!"

When John led Sophia into the main hall of Fort Combrigna, the ministers who had been summoned earlier had been waiting for a long time. The siblings rarely attended such meetings in formal attire, and the atmosphere in the main hall became a little tense.

"I already told someone about it yesterday, so you should all know about it. Actually, I don't need to say it, I'm afraid that when Sextus mobilizes the Phoenix Legion, you should know what the nature of this matter is. John leaned back on his throne with a blank face.

The Jewish doctor, who had come in the midst of the starry night, had repeatedly confirmed Sophia's physical condition at John's urging that there would be no accidents, and John let him leave Combrigne.

"Your Majesty...... Frederick III was no more than a mere duke, and his family was a declining clan that had been lifted out of the dilapidated stone Eagle Castle. Even daring to assassinate the royal family of the Roman Empire when he had not yet been crowned a puppet emperor is simply outrageous! Jeffrey said rather exaggeratedly.

Hearing this strange tone, John raised his eyebrows: "Your Excellency Jeffrey, Miss Carlujie should have greeted you a long time ago, right?" ”

The outbreak of this conflict itself meant that the Reich and Austria were torn apart. Jeffrey touched his forehead in embarrassment, and he just hoped that John would make a choice in a calmer mind.

After all, when Carlette danced to describe John's angry face in the second cabinet last night, she had exhausted her imagination of demons and monsters. Even if the empire is no longer so weak and at the mercy of others, it is necessary to use all the limited capital to the best of its ability.

"Your Majesty, I know that the actions of the Habsburg authorities have violated the bottom line of the Empire. We can certainly vent our anger in any form...... But now that the siege of Trabzon is not over, and Laszló V's rebels have not yet been found, we have every time to plan a more perfect plan. Jeffrey wiped the cold sweat from his head while sneering at Frederick's stupidity in his heart.

An assassination attempt against the imperial family was so crudely arranged, and guards were arranged in advance, lest others not know that it was a conspiracy.

As a radical at heart, even if he was still confused about how John was trying to pull the Habsburgs off the cliff, as long as he could maintain the momentum of the empire's expansion, Jeffrey would support him openly and covertly.

"I'm certainly not stupid enough to send troops directly to Austria to fill my so-called anger. The Empire cannot sustain any offensive campaign of any magnitude right now. ”

"Then what are you going to ......do?"

"Remember how Sigismund, the red fox, plundered Bohemia in the name of justice? Since Laszlo and her son now crave power, we put them on the throne of their dreams. But then...... It was time to invite László V to Constantinople. John smiled wryly, "Since I've been imprisoned for so many years, it shouldn't be a problem to come back for a few more years." Anyway, he Laszlo is probably used to it a long time ago. ”

I'm afraid that even Kalujie herself can't avoid the pathos in her heart when she talks about that story. Sigismund, who held King Wenceslas hostage, committed countless evil deeds in Bohemia, and many people lost their loved ones to this protracted invasion. Kalujie herself is just a victim of countless plunders.

"His Majesty ...... John"

"Once Laszló V is elected duke, we will take control of the entire Hofburg Palace as soon as possible. The support of an army alone will not appease the anger of the Empire, nor will it compensate for our sacrifices. ”

"Are we really capable of fighting the entire German Empire?"

"Then it deserves to be called an empire?" John sneered, "It's just a fragile alliance of a group of petty nobles who are constantly intriguing for their own interests. This so-called empire has created countless opportunities for us...... Whether it is diplomacy or conspiracy, many princes are the objects of our interference, and the so-called electors are just seven relatively large chess pieces. We take a big bite of Austria, and if we can share a bite of the soup, guess what the outcome will be? What's more, to stabilize the affairs in the west and recapture Anatolia, the empire at that time, did it still need to care about one Austria? ”

These words even sounded a little arrogant, and even Jeffrey couldn't help but gasp.

There is no doubt that war must be the worst way to solve the problem, and John's series of measures are even more risky than Frederick's assassination plan.

This is equivalent to the kidnapping of the crown prince of the German Empire in disguise. Even if the Pope has not yet re-crowned the Habsburgs, as long as the city of Rome is decreed, the Eastern Empire is likely to become the enemy of the entire European continent. Since there is a plan for the worst, there should be a corresponding solution.

This required the empire to have a new system of covenants outside of Hungary and Albania, which could support the empire's fair "claim" at critical moments.

John's assumption was not much different from Jeffrey's guess.

Even in his eyes, taking Laszlo V away and catalyzing and stimulating the contradictions between Bohemia and Austria was enough to make the rebellion break out more than a hundred years later.