The first problem Sophia needs to face is how to ensure the basic safety of herself and her brother in Epirus.

Epirus was not Constantinople, and without the protection of Theodosius' walls, his security was greatly reduced.

Sophia's underground network did not touch Epirus, and there were only a few months left before they left Constantinople to prepare for the full battle, and then she and Pedro needed to establish a presence in Epirus as soon as possible, and the spy network that had been mastered before also needed time to change the direction of the transmission of information.

This is an extremely complex process. For example, it was much more difficult for information from Edirne from Lycaon to reach Constantinople directly than to Epirus with great difficulty.

Secondly, in a short period of time, John and her will inevitably leave the central power network of the court. In this way, she has a very uneasy person who is put on the table. That's Barcelissa Evie.

In fact, Sophia is still wondering if Epirus's behavior this time is Evie's covert work. After all, even if it's a workout, then transferring my brother should be the most reasonable choice, why get yourself out of Slou Garden? After all, apart from his brother, there is no more Valleo in the blood of the royal family's close relatives!

Even though John had let his guard down, Sophia was still wondering if the sister Jerj had sent was safe.

Finally, the region of Epirus was occupied by the Ottomans before the then Prince Thomas set out for Athens, and the local garrison was overstretched. Even if an entire Phoenix Legion could be mobilized, the security of such a large area would still not be guaranteed, and when the time came, they would inevitably be involved in forming a common defensive line with Albania.

The Ottoman defeat in Albania can be described as a thief's heart, and the current fanatical attitude of the Albanian people towards Orthodoxy will definitely become a key area of war in the southwestern Balkans in the future.

"Wear it all day, won't the crown sink?"

"I feel very comfortable."

When Gregory III crowned himself at Hagia Sophia, the lines of his smile are still etched in John's mind.

After all, John agreed to the Patriarch's request that religious affairs and the implementation of the same law of religion be one of the main priorities in Epirus.

So the crown, which His Majesty the Pope personally supervised, was full of weight.

One of the priorities of governance, isn't there another two, three, four, five, six......

However, John was not idle all day, and in order to cope with the special situation of Epirus, the Phoenix Army underwent a large-scale reorganization. At this time, the official number of the Phoenix Legion had reached 5,200, more than twice the number at the beginning of the legion's establishment.

In order to ensure the safety of Constantinople, Constantine XI used the huge amount of money saved by recruiting Crusader knights to increase the number of the Holy Guard, and hired some mercenaries. As long as the Ottomans did not attack the city with the whole country, there should be no possibility of Constantinople falling for the time being.

"Your Majesty promised to continue to pay for you the military expenses of the Phoenix Legion?"

"It was only paid for two years, after which it dropped to 50 percent. But it's enough. Holding the knife, John expertly follows the texture to separate the pieces of meat.

The food of Constantinople and the low-key and extravagant Slowe Gardens are also things he misses. The attachment to home has always been deeply planted in John's heart, this was the case in his previous life, and it is still the same in this life.

"It shouldn't be long before I'm excited, and Epirus certainly doesn't have such good conditions. There will be a big mess of things waiting to be resolved. ”

"Although we are reluctant to Constantinople, at least in Epirus we can gain absolute freedom."

"If you could get rid of the tedious daily grinding...... Oh yes, brother, I forgot to tell you, the nobles of Epirus are very difficult to get along with. ”

John knew this in his heart, whether it was the descendants of the remaining Ducasse-Komnens or the small nobles entrenched in the area, they were like the warlords of the early secession. Although Prince Thomas ostensibly recovered Epirus from Murad, in reality there was no way for the land to provide the empire with normal tax revenues. Because of the threat from the sea and the presence of Edirne, the Empire can only be whipped.

Perhaps Constantine XI gave John the rule of Epirus, which was also partly in mind. Every inch of the territory currently controlled by the Empire needs to be fully utilized.

"Time is running out, and it's time to plan the initial work. Whether it is to straighten out the religion first, as promised to His Patriarch the Crown. Or deal with the problems of the aristocracy. ”

"Although I don't think the plan can be compared to the change, there is no doubt that everything we will do when we get there will be taxes as the first criterion. Aristocrat...... If you are willing to pay taxes, you are a good nobleman, if you are not willing, then it is another matter. ”

"I'm really afraid that you will rush over with the Phoenix Legion again and clean up the others with a knife." Sophia cupped her forehead, and she could tell that John was half-joking, but she never felt that her brother was the one who could completely calm down and solve the problem, "As the future crown prince, at least you have to consider the consequences of every step when making a choice, right?" ”

"If I have to say it, it's actually easy for the little nobles to deal with. Even the Supreme Court and the Senate are now in the hands of my father, and these little nobles really dare to commit rebellion, then I really admire them, all of them are real Roman heroes! As for those who support their own troops...... Do you think that if those private soldiers in the hands of the nobles could set off a storm and clean up the Phoenix Legion, would Epirus have fallen in the first place? ”

"So brother, do you still plan to use violent means to solve the problem?"

"Analyze the specific problems in detail...... Okay, okay, I promise there won't be another scene in Constantine's Square. ”

……

"Your Highness Princess, if you go to Epirus, it will be very bad for the spy network we have set up before...... And to redeploy personnel in Epirus will require a lot of money and time. Pedro pondered and said slowly, "The situation in Epirus is more complicated than we thought, and there are also forces that are not part of the empire in various regions, not only Albanians and Ottomans, but also many countries to watch out for. ”

"Don't worry about funding...... If the Phoenix Legion and Morey are here to protect my brother's safety on the surface, then the people who can threaten my brother in the shadows don't need to notify me......"

"What if the other party's identity is not ordinary?"

"Did you see what my brother did in Constantine's Square? You only operate in the shadows, and as long as you are not discovered, everyone is equal. ”

"Your Royal Highness, didn't you mean ......"

"It's an order."

“…… Yes, Your Highness. ”