The ambiguous attitude towards Albania remained undecided after a whole night of quarrels. But in order to appease Djerj and lay the foundation for a possible alliance in the future, the elder Agrippa nevertheless wrote him a reply to Constantine XI.

The general meaning is that the empire does not know much about the specific situation of Albania, and does not have any information about Derj himself, and the matter of the alliance can be discussed again in the future, and as for the recognition of the title of the kingdom by the patriarch, the church itself will decide. Although the letter is ultimately empty words, it also releases a message of goodwill.

"Mr. Agrippa."

"Oh? You are ......"

Agrippa the Elder had just walked out of the palace of Constantine when he was stopped by a man in his thirties dressed as a merchant.

"My lord, princess, let me bring you a word." The person who came did not report his home, and seemed willing to reveal more information. His head was always down, and old Agrippa could not see his face in the dark.

"Princess Sophia?"

"The princess hopes that you will become a loyal supporter of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and follow His Royal Highness loyally." His voice was deliberately muffled and distorted, and it didn't seem to have any kindness, but Agrippa wasn't so irritable, and listened patiently to what the other party had to say.

"I am loyal to the Empire, and of course absolutely loyal to His Highness John."

Of course, I'm only responsible for delivering that. It doesn't matter what you respond or what you do. ”

……

The defense of Constantinople has always been mainly undertaken by the garrison. As the core of the Imperial army, the garrison has always had a strong defensive ability. While the entire legion is almost entirely infantry, the infantry is the most powerful combat unit above the towering walls of the Empire.

Only now, due to the expansion of the empire, the pressure on the garrison of Constantinople has increased dramatically.

Before the occupation of Thrace and Greater Greece, the garrison was only large enough to defend the walls of Theodosius in Constantinople, and even the sea wall of the Golden Horn could only be defended by mercenaries and peasants. In the siege of Burgasburg, due to the shortage of troops, Giovanni had to call in the garrison, which caused some casualties, and now, he had to assign defenders to Burgasburg.

Not only that, the Greater Greek region suffered heavy losses in the entire Pan-Balkan Offensive, and Thomas, Prince of More, and Latius, Duke of Athens, also mentioned more than once that more temporary troops were needed to relieve the pressure on the city defense.

"The current situation is not only a question of the source of troops, but also a problem of generals, and it also needs to be reconsidered." Giovanni was still playing with the short cane that Sofia had given him.

John also didn't know where Sophia came from, and after the Balkan Offensive ended, the elaborate staff carved with ancient Greek gods was given to Giovanni. Whether it is the feel or texture, it is also the top craftsmanship now. The most ingenious thing is that there is also a short sword hidden in the cane, which even has a role in self-defense at critical moments.

"General Giovanni...... Since then, you know the quality of the generals. This has been hundreds of years, and it has been supported by outstanding talents among mercenaries, and it has been able to persist until now, and warriors like you have contributed a lot. John said helplessly, "It's not that there are no better talents, but most of them have become sacrifices for internal factions to compete for power." ”

"Your Highness...... I would have liked to have recruited talented people from the lower armies, or from some declining aristocratic families, to lead an army that would take over the defense of Constantinople. ”

"Yes, that makes sense...... Wait! John suddenly reacted, "You mean, you don't want to be the general of this garrison anymore?" ”

"Your Highness, if I were to be honest, I don't want to spend my life in Constantinople doing defense." Giovanni Giustiniani said with the utmost seriousness, "I was taught not to fend off the enemy with bows and arrows and hot oil on the walls, but to destroy and kill under the walls of the pagans. I know the Empire lacks generals at the moment, but I don't want me and my knights to travel thousands of miles to the Empire to sacrifice their lives, just to cower behind the walls. ”

"General Giovanni, with your talents, of course you will not be just a commander in charge of the garrison. The daily command of the garrison is handed over to you, which is somewhat overkill. Sophia put down the scroll in her hand and yawned a little lazily, "This is a last resort." Before taking control of Greater Greece and Burgasburg, the pressure on Constantinople's defense was too severe. before you gave up your position as commander of the Phoenix Legion. But for now...... The situation is different. ”

"Sophia?"

"Brother, if General Giovanni is imprisoned in the garrison, it will be a misfortune for the Empire." Sophia spread out a pen and paper on the table, "What Constantine is facing now is not a shortage of generals, but a shortage of soldiers. The commander of the garrison can be re-screened from the small nobles and even the lower ranks. General Giovanni, should not have stayed in the garrison. ”

"Are you going to mention this to your father? Of course, I knew what General Giovanni was capable of, but the post of commander of the garrison, was appointed by my father. ”

"Brother, don't forget, at the beginning, Your Majesty promised you to let General Giovanni command the Phoenix Legion!" Sophia suddenly turned her gaze to Giovanni on the side, "General Giovanni, I believe in the candidate for the commander of the garrison legion, you have another recommendation." ”

Sophia's eyes were full of threat, as if Giovanni would be eaten alive if he didn't say a name.

"Among the garrisons...... Of course, there are many excellent people. Giovanni wiped the sweat that suddenly oozed from his forehead, "For example...... Like what...... There was one named Publius, and his talent was outstanding! ”

In fact, it was not long before Giovanni took command of the garrison, and he could not remember the names of the junior officers, and under the threat of Sofia, he could only give the name of a relatively familiar and capable person.

"That's the man, I ...... to Your Majesty No, brother, you write it, let Your Majesty change people! ”

"General Giovanni...... Are you sure? If my father agrees, the Empire's garrison will be given full authority to that ......"

Giovanni was about to speak, but the words that came to his lips were glared back at by Sofia.

"The person recommended by General Giovanni must be an excellent talent!"

"This is the garrison ...... of the Empire"

"Brother, don't you understand! What the Empire needs right now is not a pointless defense, we have no way to retreat! There must be a counterattack, there must be an attack! It doesn't matter who the garrison commander is! It doesn't even matter if there is a garrison or not! ”