The storm that John set off in Constantine's Square finally dissipated with the departure of this winter. The final handover between the Holy See and the Order of the Phoenix was completed, and in the future, the number of permanent troops in Constantinople fell by almost half, at the expense of which the defense lines in Thrace and Greece were consolidated.

Under the suppression of the thunderous methods of Constantine XI, the corrupt forces that had been fixed in the once garrison were dismantled with the dissolution of the legion. Among them, according to the different rank and degree of corruption of each person, the trial court gave different culpability.

Taking this as an opportunity, General Publius, who was temporarily in charge of the Holy See Guard, began to gather power and carried out a major reshuffle in the army. Officers were almost all replaced, guaranteeing the purity of the blood of the Holy See.

If there was anyone who hated John the most in this shuffle, it was that he had been placed in a dungeon by Constantine. The Inquisition, under the enormous pressure of imperial power, could hardly have gone against the will of Constantine XI. Constantine also took this opportunity to eradicate the cancer of the empire and the people who might threaten the crown prince in the future.

At least until John became truly familiar with politics and intrigue, Constantine would give as much asylum as he could.

"Going to the palace again?"

Sophia was still focused on deciphering the eldest princess's manuscript, which was carried out rather slowly due to the lack of translated texts and the need for a high degree of concentration.

"En......"

In addition to the almost uninterrupted lessons of Giovanni, John, who had once again been struck by Constantine XI, had a new plan. Before Constantine XI ascended the throne, John's education in the Morea was shared between Constantine and Prince Thomas. As a child, John can be said to be very solid.

It's just that after coming to Constantinople, His Majesty the Emperor, who was busy with government affairs day and night, has been negligent in this point. In addition, John usually offered to offer if there was a need, and Constantine never helped John find a real teacher.

Although the Royal Library is completely open to John, he has come from another world after all, and he has only inherited the memories of a child, and a good teacher is still what he needs.

In view of John's special situation, Constantine finally agreed to let John sit in on all the day-to-day proceedings of the Imperial Council, after being harassed by John day and night. But John could not make any evaluations and decisions without permission.

This also gave John an opportunity to get in touch with the front-line internal affairs. And experience is the best mentor.

The presence of the Crown Prince and the Emperor at the same time at the daily political meeting was somewhat eerie, but all the ministers involved in the meeting tacitly ignored John's presence, and as long as he did not speak, the course of the meeting would not be affected.

"Did you learn anything?"

"If I had to say it, it just gave me a lot of knowledge, as far as learning ...... There are so many things I don't understand at all. ”

In the past, John participated in the Imperial Council, and in most cases, he was the center of the meeting, and in the past few days, he has really seen what kind of ability the minister who can become a member of the Royal Council has. The complex trade formula and the scheduling of the trade network, the change and adjustment of diplomatic strategies, the change of the army's logistics equipment and tactical training, the orderly operation of the empire does not depend on the decision of a single person.

"Don't you feel like you're not that smart anymore?" Sophia chuckled.

She could clearly feel the drastic changes that had taken place in her brother years ago, but even so, as the crown prince of the empire, he still had a lot to touch.

John didn't shy away from admitting, "I didn't think I was smart. Maybe it's because of the previous misjudgments that made me lose myself. ”

That's just the way it is.

From Athens to Thebes to the entire Eastern Balkan offensive, John's key decisions have not deviated in any major way. This typical traverser mentality makes it easy for people to fall into boundless self-affirmation.

Fortunately, the knife in Constantine's Square made John stop this boundless expansion, if the future is decided on some life-and-death decisions, then the empire will usher in not nirvana, but the end of the world.

"This realization is a good thing for the future of the empire. However, as a future Basilius, self-confidence is also important. Sophia put away the paper spread out on the table and smoothed her unkempt hair to the side, "Come on, brother, there's still a long way to go." ”

……

Spring, a symbol of recovery, is also a symbol of destruction.

The tacit truce between the Ottomans and the Crusaders came to an end as the old snow slowly melted on the Rhodope Mountains. The fort was once again fortified, the army began to drill along the border, and an armistice was signed with the Empire, which meant that the Ottomans could spare enough troops.

In addition to the Sultan's guards, who defended against the royal rebellion in Edir, Mehmed II regrouped his forces against Trabzon, Constantinople, Greece, and Epirus.

This meant that the crusaders would face the full power of the Ottomans alone.

"Władysław, you must fight for your breath......"

John hung a map of the Balkans in the middle of the room. And sent a large number of light cavalry to the front line to facilitate the first time to convey the emergency.

In fact, John can be said to be very optimistic about the victory of the Crusaders. After all, so far, the Crusaders have won much more victories on the Western Front than in history, and now it is the Ottomans who are anxious for a decisive battle. They will need to crush the main force of the Crusaders in one fell swoop to stabilize the widening disadvantage.

Moreover, for some reason, the signs of a noble rebellion within the Ottomans became more and more obvious, and Muhammad had to place the Sultan's personal guards, who had played a prominent role in the Battle of Varna, in the inner city of Edir.

Finally, it was the experienced Murad II who commanded the Battle of Varna. Now that Murad is in a different place, no matter how talented Muhammad is, he is only thirteen or fourteen years old now, if the white knights can't even defeat such an Ottoman, they should apologize for their own crimes.

"When the time comes, the empire will take advantage of the victory, storm Edirne, recover the Balkans, and march into Asia ......"

"Brother, what are you talking about, saliva is coming out!"

……

"Your Majesty, how have you thought about it?"

The day after the restart, Constantine XI received the first report of war, not from the Crusaders, but from Gerti Scamped.

Through the harassment and terrain advantage, Gyerj repelled the siege of 8,000 Ottoman men with a mere force of 100 men.

This weighs a huge weight on the Empire's covenant scales.

"Well, God is forgiving...... If Jerdi is willing to convert to the Church, I will personally crown him. It is the will of the Lord that has touched the evil of the world. Ecumenical Patriarch Gregory III lifted the Orthodox Cross and brought it to Constantine, "Your Majesty, the Empire will go on like this. ”

"God so loved the world." Constantine suddenly laughed.

"God so loved the world." Gregory III also responded with a "pious" smile.