The end of the Battle of Gombrigne marked the recapture of true control of Epirus by the Empire. The four-β banner of the Valleolo family was re-erected on the dome of the old Doge's Palace in Combrigne.

War refugees and former residents of Combrigne gradually began to return after the war, but the shadow of the war did not heal so quickly. In response to the loyalty of the commoners to the Empire, Jeffrey immediately enacted a number of laws to promote the restoration of productivity, imposing short-term tax cuts on handicraft and agriculture, and exchanging the Empire's income for a more productive population.

Unfortunately, the number of valuable captives captured in this battle was far less than John expected, and the minor nobles or knights who might have been able to exchange ransom or extract valuable clues had already died in the war, and the remnant of the former dynasty of the Ducas-Komnens was not actually a direct contact of the Ottomans in Epirus. Perhaps Mehmed II also imagined that the Empire would one day recover Epirus by force, and that all actions in Epirus would be Ripper's own decision, except for giving Ripper Ducasse-Komnenos some necessary economic and military assistance.

However, due to the rebellion and fighting within the Ottomans, civilians living in the Ottoman areas of the Balkans began to gradually move to the surrounding areas, and Epirus and Greece were two of the more popular options.

At the same time, Mehmed II, including Murad before him, did not make any claims on the taxes that Epirus provided to the Ottoman court. Epirus was in the Balkans and actually always existed as a Dominion. It hasn't been properly managed. In the past, the governors appointed by the Ottomans were only symbolic propaganda, alms of the crescent, and candidates for the training of imams.

In other words, the chaos in Epirus has a long history and has practically nothing to do with the Ottomans. Murad paid so little attention to Epirus, and it is no wonder that Prince Thomas could easily seize control of Epirus in the first place, and Mehmed II was able to use Epirus as a bargaining chip without blinking an eye in peace talks.

"Your Majesty, although we have occupied the entire territory of Epirus, it is impossible to restore tax revenue without a year or two." Jeffrey pulled out the report assigned to the tax collectors in the villages and towns, "The long period of high autonomy has made them still somewhat resistant to the new policies and the government." With the exception of the village of Bies, which received a lot of bounty from the Empire, it took time and experience to establish a new order. ”

"Jeffrey, the treasury can only help us, and the losses incurred by the Phoenix Legion in the battle of Gombryne will need a lot of economy to make up for it...... Think of it, we urgently need new sources of economy. ”

John clenched his hands into fists and dragged his forehead: "Although I have defeated the Ottomans and local warlords, don't tell me that when the time comes, my reign as a co-emperor in Epirus will end because of bankruptcy......"

Jeffrey pondered for a moment and proposed, "If that doesn't work, we can apply for a loan from the Venetian to get through this difficult time." However, according to the usual temperament of businessmen, this should be the last resort, and the interest they propose will never be a small number. We just help each other for the common good, and this kind of covenant has no meaning in the face of money. ”

"Mr. Jeffrey, I'm afraid we won't need to borrow money from the Venetian for the time being."

Sophia hurriedly pushed open the door to the Doge's Palace, and there were still some traces of rain on her purple shoulder garment.

"Sophia? Where have you been? Didn't see you all day. ”

"Brother, come with me, we may not have to worry about money for the time being......

There was still a drizzle in the sky. John was fortunate enough to get into Sophia's shoulders. Looking at the little girl's face flushed with excitement, John was even more angry that she had found something valuable.

"Isn't this the city wall that Giovanni has clenched down?"

"That's right. But this heavy rain, which has not been seen in Epirus for a century, caused the once calm Gilli River to flood again. At the same time, something terrible washed down for us from upstream. ”

Shoulders stopped on the bank of the Gillian River, and Yustina lit a kerosene lamp and crouched down on the bank. The strainer woven by the vines that swayed with the water in her hand made John suddenly think of something.

The gold rush era, which made everyone crazy, began with such a river......

As John expected, there were a few rays of bright golden light in the thousands of mud that had settled down in the strainer.

"If this weren't pyrite fool's gold...... What lies beneath this rubble will drive the world crazy. Mehmed II, I'm afraid he will also go crazy because he gave up a gold mine, right? ”

"Do you want to send someone upstream to have a look?" Sophia asked.

"Of course! By the way, let Vasika bring some people and use the excuse of repairing the city wall to keep the nearby civilians from approaching the riverbank. If there really is a gold mine, we must hold the vein in our hands! Allowing civilians to trade and mint gold will only increase meaningless inflation. Although John did not have a particularly obvious understanding of the value of a gold mine, his hand holding the bamboo fence was shaking.

……

Although there are no professional geologists to find for the time being, it is not difficult to swim up to find a vein.

The Gillijest River may not look wide, but its channel is very narrow, and after a week of traveling back and forth between Epirus and the mountains of Albania, a team of exploration soldiers led by Giovanni finally made a new discovery.

"I hope Your Majesty won't let me be any more exploration captains in the future."

After coming upstream, the water potential of the Jilijie River has become quite turbulent, and coupled with the previous successive heavy rains, the upper reaches of the river bank are even at risk of bursting. In front of Giovanni's eyes, there was a half-man-tall cave that could not be reached out of his fingers, and the Gillian River roared out of this cave.

At the entrance of the cave and at the corner of the river, you can still vaguely see the precipitation of broken gold.

"General, shall we go in?" The soldier on the side hesitated, "We don't have any professional tools, this cave looks narrow and dark, and if you rush in, you may get lost in the undercurrent and the intricate network of caves." ”

"I didn't have that in the first place. The gold mines will be washed downstream by the Jilijie River, indicating that there are exposed gold deposits that have come into contact with the Jilijie River, and the water level has risen in the past few days before bringing out the crushed gold. In this way, most of the veins are in the underground part of the Jilijie River, and I am afraid that it will not be so easy to find with just a few of us. ”

"What then? The clue is broken here. ”