At the Golden Horn, John bid farewell to Urban almost tearfully.

At the same time, the empire also received a new message with tears in its eyes.

The main force of the Ottomans, freed. There was no marathon negotiation as expected, and the Karamans seemed to have been greatly devastated by the Ottomans in both troops and spirits, and after being forced to cede large territories, the Ottomans played a triumphant song with pride.

Of course, this is not what the Empire fears the most.

The most terrifying thing is that the main Ottoman fleet in the Gulf of Cyprus is about to return to the Aegean Sea!

The Empire, in turn, relied on paying a large lease fee to Venice, Genoa and other countries in order to use their fleets to transport supplies. And, a big part of it, is the grain from the Moreah.

Constantinople's food supply was already very scarce, and the small farms and pastures in the city could only feed a few thousand people, and if the supply lines from the Morea and other external food supplies were broken, the city would soon be ruined with the current stock of Constantinople.

It's a pity that the naval power of the Eastern Empire is too weak now. The ratio of naval numbers to that of the main Ottoman fleet was almost one-to-six. Moreover, most of the ships of the Imperial fleet were early Clarke-type galleons. This sailing ship is bulky, more ample in terms of impact, transport and firepower. However, the Clark sailboat was extremely bulky and its speed depended heavily on the direction of the wind. If you encounter a large-scale galley warship, it is easy to be surrounded and dismembered.

"The empire now has a problem that needs to be solved urgently."

Once again, Constantine XI convened the Imperial Council in the Purple Palace.

"I've been thinking about this question for a long time, but I don't have an answer...... Constantine's gaze swept over everyone present, "I guess you already know that Karaman can't hold it anymore. How long the crusaders will hold out, I don't know. But, I know! Next, the butcher's knife of the Ottomans, which will be pointed at Constantinople, will be on your neck! ”

"Now the Imperial Navy, let those people laugh! What do they say? Bathtub fleet? Lucas! You tell me! What does that mean? ”

"Your Majesty......"

The Admiral of the First Fleet of the Empire, Lucas Natalasia, trembled his lips, but could not utter a word.

Only he knows. Emperor Constantine XI attached great importance to the navy, and until this year, the empire's meager taxes were also prioritized for the maintenance of the navy.

However, this money did not fall entirely on the construction of the First Fleet.

A large part of it went into his own pocket.

This incident should not have been exposed. Until one day last week, Princess Sophia suddenly "took" several years' financial reports from the treasurer's hand.

Immediately afterward, the treasurer came under tremendous pressure from the Slou Gardens. Finally, the treasurer broke down this morning. He fully confessed the fact that he had colluded with Lucas to embezzle the navy's military funds.

Lucas sweated and swept around, only to find that the treasurer, who was supposed to be in the Imperial Council, was gone. Giovanni on the side was looking at him with a playful smile,

It must have been this thick-eyed Genoese who betrayed himself!

"No need to look for it, Lucas."

In Constantine's tone, a strong murderous intent suddenly erupted.

"I'm here to tell you who you're looking for, I've dealt with it!"

"Your Majesty!"

Lucas suddenly fell to his knees.

He wanted to beg for forgiveness, but the end of the treasurer was already in front of him.

"Your Majesty......"

"You are still alive, you should be glad! There is no one in the Imperial Navy who is capable enough to replace you, so I, give you a life! ”

Lucas looked up suddenly, tears in his eyes.

"I ...... Get rid of your barony and be exempted from three years' salary! But continued to serve as Admiral of the First Fleet. Since then, the military budget of the First Fleet of the Reich has remained unchanged. I don't care what you do with this money, but if I don't see the Empire's navy making a difference......"

……

"Look, Sophia, we've done another great thing!"

John poured the wine into a bowl filled with crushed ice. Although this shaved ice is not as good as syrup, it is already a great summer dessert.

"What does it have to do with you! I've been counting up and down for so long, and you won't even look at it if you ask you to help! Sophia grabbed a bowl of crushed ice and stuffed it into a big mouthful. I felt the feeling of cooling from my temples to the tips of my toes.

"You don't understand, I really don't know how to get these things......"

"But...... Brother, how did you find out about the Navy's embezzlement? They're so hidden, and the ledger is almost seamless......"

"Oh, intuition, no...... It is God's guidance. ”

Constantine's open-faced attitude towards the chief financial officer also gave a head start to all the nobles who tried to make a fortune.

Soon, officials who had recently been involved in internal corruption were also "taken care of" by the emperor to a greater or lesser extent. The empire's high level of corruption slowly declined in such an inexplicable event.

"Your Highness, it is indeed as you expected. His Majesty only symbolically disposed of Lucas, the official post of Admiral of the fleet, which was still held in his hands. ”

"The Empire is really short of naval talents...... Sophia shook her head, "If I were Baselisa, he would never live to the day after I learned the news." ”

"It's just one reason." John laughed, "Lucas is the most experienced admiral in the Empire. This is an indisputable reality, at least on more than one occasion he saved the Imperial Navy from the encirclement of the Ottoman fleet. But more importantly, only he knows the conditions of the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara, and even the entire Mediterranean. ”

"What do you mean......"

"Yes, Your Majesty still hopes to have the capital to compete with the Ottomans at sea."

"Capital?" Sophia looked at John like a fool.

"We need to expand the number of naval fleets and optimize the structure of the fleet. For this we should massively build galleys, and then ......"

John was about to speak when he was interrupted by Sophia.

"Don't you want money? You also looked at the situation of the treasury a few days ago, and the research funding for next month has not yet been secured for Urban......"

"Ah...... Urban! Yes, we have one more thing to remind my father......"

John seemed to suddenly think of something very important, and his face tightened.

"What's wrong?"

"If the empire can't pay for it...... I mean, if ...... At all costs, dispose of Urban. ”