Zhou Heng never imagined that a simple investiture ceremony could waste his energy all day.

Every new soldier to the Phoenix Legion is required to swear an oath to God and to himself in the presence of Patriarch Hagia Sophia, and then receive the blessings of the clergy.

Constantine XI also spent a full day in the basilica. His hopes for the Phoenix Legion were even better than Zhou Heng's. The ration of this army is the absolute elite of the current empire. And he finally chose to hand over such a legion to his teenage son and daughter, as well as two foreign generals.

Constantine, the ...... of the "Divine Empire," also closed his eyes and prayed in this solemn atmosphere.

Finally, Vasica and Giovanni stood in front of the crown prince. They knelt down on one knee and swore allegiance to Sophia and Zhou Heng, and offered their swords and knives.

"God bless Rome, God bless the Phoenix Legion."

Under the instruction of Constantine, after Zhou Heng and Sophia, who were dressed in purple robes, presented gifts separately, the entire lengthy ceremony was finally completed. Whatever the outcome, this legion will be etched in the history of the Empire.

No one cheered, no one communicated, and when the old patriarch dragged his robes through the crowd and ascended to the Holy See again, everyone clearly saw a phoenix rising from the land of Asia Minor on the other side of the strait.

Whether it was the Imperial, the Genoese, the Wallachians, or even the Ottoman prisoners of war who were forced to watch the ceremony and had their hands and feet tied, they were also shocked by the atmosphere.

A thousand-year-old empire, the remnants are still there. What a stupid decision to rush into the San Romanus Gate in the first place!

……

Late at night, when Zhou Heng returned to the Slou Garden, lay down on the bed, and completely emptied himself, he knew what the exhaustion and fatigue that had accumulated since the night before meant to this body that was only a teenager.

He suddenly understood why Constantine was reluctant to leave the palace. Once this spirit and enthusiasm are comfortably dissipated, the empire will inevitably be destroyed.

Sophia almost fell asleep, but Zhou Heng was still half-asleep and half-awake thinking, for Athens and Greece, how to recover more territory from the heavy siege of the Ottomans, so as to save the empire's overburdened economy.

Murad II was still in Armenia, and the military affairs of the Balkans were carried out by a few mediocre local governors and generals under the Sultan, and the empire had little time, at least it was too late to fully absorb the Ottoman soldiers who had just been captured. Even if it was to cut the defenses of Constantinople, it was necessary to find a way to take the Duchy of Athens.

Thinking of this, Zhou Heng was already sleepy, even if his body was operating at a high load for two consecutive days, even if he didn't get a minute of rest.

He is no longer a modern man who eats and waits for death, and now, he is the successor of this empire!

The lamp and candle on the table were rekindled, and Zhou Heng spread out the map and took down a new piece of blank paper from the bookshelf next to him.

The first problem was that the operation could not prematurely arouse the Ottomans. But at this time, the Ottoman fleets in the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean Sea patrolled day and night, and the unwounded Edirne defenders on land had recently become more heavily garrisoned, and they had to be met in order to pass through the Ottoman encirclement with dignity.

Suddenly, Zhou Heng thought of something......

If the timeline had not changed, Constantine would have stayed in Morea and planned his expedition north with his brother Thomas Valleo......

Peloponnese! At this time, Thomas still ruled the Peloponnese!

Late that night, both letters were sent from Constantinople at the same time.

These two letters were the most critical layout of the empire's plan for Athens.

One letter from Constantine XI exhorted Władysław III to stick to the crusading faith and deal a fatal blow to the Ottomans on the Austro-Hungarian border, who had already suffered heavy losses, in order to regain the territory that belonged to Hungary.

It is likely that the young and devout Władysław III would have accepted Constantine's offer and persuaded Hunyadi to launch several successive attacks. In this way, the entire Ottoman army in the Balkans would be drawn up by the border front, and even if there were still defenders in Edirne, they would never dare to go out of the city to intercept the Imperial legions head-on.

The second letter was written by Zhou Heng himself, and after a note with Constantine, he sent it to his uncle, Thomas, Duke of Morea.

The letter, in the highest form of secrecy, was carried out by Constantine's personal bodyguards, disguised as Genoese merchants, and traveled to the Peloponnese on a transport ship brought by Giovanni.

The content of the letter is the complete plan of the Empire's occupation of Athens, and in order to gain time and space for the Imperial Legions, Thomas also needs to lead his army north to Greece at the same time, and finally join the Imperial Legions.

In terms of timing, there could not be a slight mistake in this dispatch, first waiting for Hungary and the Crusaders to make a move, then the army in the castle immediately marched, and finally, cooperating with the Morean army to storm Athens.

This is the battle of the national fortunes of the empire, and it is only possible to win and not lose.

The expeditionary force in Constantinople was to be led by Constantine himself, with Latius as commander. The entire corps consisted of reserve troops, about 5000 people.

This means that the defense of the entire Constantinople will completely fall on Zhou Heng, Sophia and the nascent Phoenix Legion. At this time, the defenders of Constantinople were less than 4,000, and even if the Ottomans probably did not turn around and besiege the city, even if there was a slight accident, the whole of Constantinople would be in a situation from which it would never recover. What's more, at this time, there were still many Ottoman captives in the city who were unwilling to surrender.

"I will personally conquer Athens, and I must defend Constantinople for me."

This was the last sentence that Constantine said before Zhou Heng left the palace.

He could see the flames of revenge burning in Constantine's eyes, and he could also see Constantine's trust in him. Even if this battle is not allowed for any accidents.

Zhou Heng believed that the abilities of Constantine and Latius would definitely be able to capture Athens, but he was also worried that even with Giovanni and Vasica, the empty garrison of Constantinople would be able to survive this hurdle.

"Your Highness, don't doubt your abilities. The oracle has signaled that the empire is about to be restored. ”

Walking beside Zhou Heng was the secular knight Morey. He was originally a person from the side of the Patriarch of Antioch, and after this ceremony, the Patriarch personally made this powerful knight Zhou Heng's personal bodyguard. In the entire empire, there is probably no second person who can defeat him.

He will return to Zhou Heng's military training duties, and will also be loyal to protect the future emperor of the empire for the rest of the year.

"I know, Morey...... I understand...... But...... But ......"

Obviously, the gate of Slou Garden was close in front of him, but Zhou Heng was dark in front of him at this time and fell to the ground.

"Your Highness!"

"Your Highness!"