The weather in Constantinople was always milder than in Asia Minor and the rest of the Balkans, but when Sophia opened the curtains early in the morning, the Slou Gardens were covered in fresh snow. Evelet, dressed in a beautiful white fur cape, braved the snow and wind through the front yard and ran into the garden with a stack of cut vellum paper and a brand new letter.

"Ah...... Your Royal Highness, are you up? Earlier you're still preparing, and you're resting for a while. ”

Perhaps Evelei's voice was a little louder, Sophia smiled and made a silent gesture, then quietly held a stack of snowflake-covered papers, "Let John sleep a little longer." He was tired last night. ”

Eveleith nodded, and was about to withdraw, when Sophia seemed to remember something again, and added softly, "Don't forget to feed the cloves and gooseberries more live meat." These two little guys are eating more and more, and they are still soaking outside all day. ”

"Yes, Your Highness."

In fact, John had already woken up when Evelet opened the door, but it was getting colder and colder, and he didn't like to get up early to sit on the sketchpad.

Judging from the wax stamp of the envelope, the letter was still sent in a hurry, and the payment was still in Giovanni's name, counting the time, I am afraid that it should be camped outside Nišburg at this time. Originally, I thought it was a battle report with little nutrition, but when Sophia opened the letter and saw the strings of battle damage figures, she suddenly realized that the situation was not as simple as he imagined.

She was quite aware of the risks of marching in Serbia, and the fact that the Empire had been able to defuse the ambushes of the Serbian legions every time before did not mean that the Reich's legions could continue to advance this time.

John was lying on the bed, half-squinting at Sophia's proud and beautiful face, but was attracted by her gradually closing eyebrows: "Whose letter?" What happened? ”

Sofia still held on to Giovanni's latest battle report, and she knew quite well what the forced withdrawal of the Romanian-Hungarian army meant this time. If the rebels are given more time to consolidate their rear and spread their armies, it will only become more and more difficult to attack, and if the cycle continues, the empire's weak national strength will sooner or later be exhausted by this rebellion, and then the newly recovered Balkans will usher in a new nightmare.

"Sophia?"

After freeing herself from some unrealistic fantasies at the moment, Sophia suddenly appeared, and two lines of tears had already slipped down unconsciously. Immediately after, John didn't know where the strength came from, so he just stood up and snatched the letter from Sophia's hand.

The Empire's current foreign policy is not to wrestle among the great powers, but to reach out with tentacles while maintaining the precious alliances of the moment. The prerequisite for ensuring the survival of the Triple Alliance is victory in a bloc war. An alliance that has been defeated again and again has no existential value. Moreover, the defeat would also damage Hunyadi's prestige in Hungary. With the current Habsburg wrestling, if Hunyadi's rule were to be shaken, the Empire's efforts for several years would be in vain.

This ambush has indeed brought unimaginable trouble to the Empire.

"It's a big deal. Did you copy it from your father's side? John pretended to be calm and put the war report into his book, his mind spinning rapidly. It's not that he hasn't thought about such a situation. In fact, by the time he learned of the Austrians' involvement in the rebellion, he had already figured that it would not be a problem that could be solved in a year. It's just that the empire's current financial situation is stretched, and I'm afraid it won't allow it to be so with the rebels.

"Giovanni should have been prepared from the beginning. This winter, we will have to re-recruit troops, and we will have to increase the amount of grain and grass that has been collected. The Aegean coast is generally not enough for grain and grass. In order to make the Athenian refugees more comfortable, the Morea granary had to put some winter food...... In this way, even if it is the beginning of spring next year, it is still a big question whether the two legions can send troops as soon as possible......" Sophia's expression was still a little lonely, "Maybe the Imperial Council can find a better way, but these numbers are real losses." ”

"Just looking at this battle report, our losses are indeed a bit miserable, but things must always be on the bright side." John propped up half of his body and let Sophia sit on the edge of the bed, "Before the partition of Serbia, we disarmed Serbia. In other words, the vast majority of the combat strength of Serbia itself is composed of the remnants of the city defense army, as well as a large number of militias that have no actual combat effectiveness. The source of their real combat effectiveness must be mercenaries and reinforcements from Austria and Bolivia. There may be other countries that provide them with financial assistance. These are all unstable. If the Habsburgs don't smell the benefits from Serbia, they should soon let it go......"

"Is it possible...... We are now ready to help László V escape from the Austrian court and seize the throne of Bohemia. Frederick III will probably only be more concerned with how to bring us down. ”

"You're wrong Sophia...... If Laszló V could really take the throne, it would not threaten Frederick III's position. I'm afraid, he still has to thank the empire well. ”

……

Early the next morning, before John and Sophia had finished washing, Eustina hurriedly sent a handwritten document from Constantine XI. This "victory" was indeed a heavy loss for the Empire. In particular, there is a huge shortage of manpower, and if we want to ensure that the combat effectiveness of the two corps is not greatly affected, the three-month conscription work will not be able to fully meet the loss of troops.

In fact, when this imperial council was held, everyone was a little absent-minded. Most people have even begun to admire the mosaic frescoes on the walls and window panes around the hall.

It's not that they don't want to find a way, but the current situation is put on the current empire, even the most knowledgeable and wise people are indeed a little helpless. The only ones that are still in good shape today are the few infantry corps in Albania, but the Albanian infantry can provide a little little bit of assistance when it comes to conquering the fortress.

The Hungarian legions were much more combative. However, such a powerful fighting force was also built on the condition that Hunyati overdrew its national strength and forcibly gathered. The Battle of Varna was not insignificant in its infliction of damage to Hungary. The corps that participated in the counterinsurgency this time is probably the only main corps in Hungary that can handle it at present.

"Or ...... Let's put it together......" John looked at the portrait of St. Simon on the dome for a long time, and finally broke the silence for hours.

Lewen