While Giovanni had eaten to his heart's content and set out on his way back to the village of Biyes with a few of the logistics chefs that Jerdi had gifted, the Patriarch of Constantinople, Gregory III, sent John a gift.

It seems that His Majesty the Patriarch was still very concerned about the religious construction of Epirus, and in addition to sending a dozen well-trained missionaries from Hagia Sophia, there were also missionary funds from the church's private treasury.

John did not want to investigate how His Majesty the Pope had raised so much money in the midst of the decline of the Orthodox Church. It seems that the mission is also an investment, which only requires a little upfront effort, and after converting the local faith, the believers will send a steady stream of wealth to the Patriarch.

"Do you want to find a way to buy and sell the indulgence book and try it......"

"Brother, what are you talking about?"

"Ah...... It's okay! ”

John sat up from his seat solemnly, looking like he was seriously thinking about what to do.

"There's news from the Dark Sentinel. Six thousand Ottomans from Edirne did not return. They were now stationed at Fort Combrigne. ”

"Where?!"

"Fort Combrigné."

……

The castle of Gombrigne was in Epirus what Athens was to Greece. It was the heart of Epirus, with excellent transportation and dense surrounding villages and towns, and it was the place where John originally intended to go directly, until he learned that Fort Gombrigne was occupied by a certain great warlord, and John and his party turned to the village of Bies.

With full control of Fort Gombrigne, you have full control of Epirus, which is not a joke.

The actions of the Ottomans are even more evidence of the connection between them and the local warlords.

"We are still in a truce with the Ottomans, and they have entered the territory of Epirus so openly and are still stationed in our fortresses?"

Sofia glared at John, gritted her teeth, and said, "Didn't you say that Giovanni would go as a mercenary to support Derj and take full control of Albania?" Mehmed II had previously announced that he would hire an army to the surrounding local powers in need. ”

"Are there any other 'local powers' in the Balkans besides the warlords of Epirus?"

Therefore, Mehmed II would never have surrendered the interests of Epirus and Albania. Now the total number of soldiers stationed at Fort Gombrine has exceeded 7,000, and it is no longer something that the Phoenix Legion can compete with. And if we besiege Fort Combrigne, it cannot be ruled out that the Ottomans will intervene in our war on the grounds of protecting their own army. ”

John touched his chin and pondered for a moment.

The intervention of an Ottoman legion in Epirus would bring an already good form to a dead end. One Fort Gombrigne was enough to restrain all their energy and lock the Phoenix Legion in Epirus. Once the Phoenix Legion is removed, the warlords and Ottomans will flood out of Fort Combrigne to regain the benefits they had lost in Epirus. However, the uneven terrain of Epirus and the strong fortifications of Fort Combrignes were also not conducive to the performance of the Phoenix Legion.

"I have to say that Mohammed's decision will cause us a lot of trouble."

"So, what should we do?" Sophia sat down beside John, holding her forehead.

The recent news of Anna Lenina's manuscript and Pedro has made the little girl sleepless. Muhammad's frequent movements in Edirne, the purge of several of his brothers had surfaced, and the fact that Orhan had been delivered to Edirne in its entirety for 300,000 ducats, further exacerbated the internal turmoil among the Ottomans.

The Empire must take advantage of this opportunity to do something.

"Your Majesty, there are still vacancies in the number of magistrates in the newly occupied territories, and if Constantinople is unable to send more men, we need to select some local people to become the new nobles. Let them take their own non-hereditary baronies to help us rule temporarily......"

"Ah...... Jeffrey, you can do these things......"

"Your Majesty, do you have something on your mind?"

"An army of the Ottomans was stationed at Fort Combrigne. I had planned to wait for Giovanni to return and join forces with Albania to gnaw this last bone, but I didn't expect Mohammed to take the lead...... Thus our actions in Epirus have fallen into absolute passivity. The Empire and the Ottomans, there will be a battle at Fort Gombrigne! ”

Jeffrey pondered for a moment and said, "Jerdi has promised to help us jointly take full control of Epirus, and the war itself is not very difficult. What we need to guard against is a steady stream of Ottoman reinforcements. This is where the right time comes in to attack them. ”

"For example?"

"For example, when Muhammad was in a hurry to quell the civil strife with the troops at hand."

……

"Your Majesty, everything is as you wish. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's Phoenix Legion and the Albanian soldiers of Gyrdi won the final victory. At present, Albania has been temporarily stabilized. "Old Agrippa presented a report from afar," and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has given us a suggestion. ”

In the Purple Palace, as usual, except that Constantine XI did not seem to be as energetic as usual.

"Well...... What did John say again? ”

"He suggested that we retake Galata. The lifeblood of Constantinople is hard to reassure the Genoese people. Now that tension has reached the point, I still support the opinion of His Highness John. At least the Venetians enjoyed it, and it was a big deal that the Venetians would take control of the Mediterranean trade first. The coastal defense of the Aegean Sea also needs to count on them. ”

Constantine XI did not immediately agree, and he asked the old Agrippa: "Agrippa...... We maintain such a close relationship with the Venetians that in the future, we will inevitably be in contention for the interests of the Aegean Sea. The islands of Crete and Malta, which are directly or indirectly under the control of the Venetians, will become the center of contention in the future......"

"Your Majesty, don't worry." Agrippa smiled slyly, "Allies are always changeable, controlling the Balkans and the shores of Asia Minor, and Venice is no longer worthy of being our ally when we are really ready to turn our attention to the Aegean islands and prepare to re-establish the regime around the Aegean Sea." When the time comes, France, Austria, and even us and the Pope can be unbreakable historical friends...... The pattern of the world is always changing. ”

"yes...... That's political ......"

"Don't forget, Your Majesty. The head of the Doge of Venice was an eternal issue for the rulers of the Empire. ”