In the matter of Hunyadi and foreign affairs, Constantine XI took the highest secret measures. The premise for the parliament and the Hungarian people to support the White Knight as regent was Hunyadi's absolute loyalty to the country. In other words, they would never have wanted Hunyadi's crown to be obtained through diplomatic intrigue with the Roman Empire.

It is very difficult for the Hungarian parliament to penetrate, but it is very simple to build public opinion. Constantinople was a worldwide trading area, and its geographical location made it the fastest port for the dissemination of information. Through word of mouth among merchants and control of speech with Imperial spies, it was believed that the legitimacy of the throne of Hunyadi would soon spread across the continent.

If Pope Eugene IV refuses to crown Hunyadi in a hot head, then the Ecumenical Patriarch should be able to laugh in his dreams.

A dinner party is dissolved from a dead atmosphere by a paper crown of Sophia and John. Constantine immediately prepared ships and some of his own soldiers to escort Zpiśko and Hunyadi back home.

……

"It is God's choice, my dear majesty."

After Mass in Hagia Sophia, Constantine XI proposed to the Patriarch the same law of religion. Although this was Sophia's suggestion after being poured a few more glasses by John at yesterday's dinner, Constantine believed that strengthening religious unity was still valuable for the current empire.

The weakness of the Patriarchate gave the Ottomans the opportunity to preach Crescentism, and in order to prevent religious rebellions, the Ottomans preached religious equality in the country, ostensibly making sufficient efforts to accommodate heresy and heresy, but in fact, the rise of large mosques also suppressed the normal development of the Orthodox Church.

Until now, there are still many mosques in the areas controlled by the Great Greek Empire, but in fact, the Crescent religion still has very weak control over the faith within the empire, and this is the best time to promote religious unity.

But of course, Constantine XI naturally did not let the power of the Orthodox Church and the Patriarchate override the imperial power, as was the case in the West. In addition to the Religious Unity Act proclaiming the sole legitimacy of the Orthodox Church, the core purpose of the Act was to strengthen centralization and autocracy through religion.

The unification of religion is good for the stability of the country and the combat effectiveness of the army, and it can also further enhance the secular status of the universal patriarch. For Patriarch Gregory III, it was a win-win option. The Orthodox Patriarchate itself has only been left with a symbolic role, and if the traditions of the Patriarchate can be gradually restored, even if it becomes a tool for the Palaiologos to control the empire, I believe that every devout believer will make a wise choice.

"It is the grace of God that the crown is blessed, and the Orthodox Church will carry it forward." Constantine left the church satisfied.

Of course, Constantine's purpose was not limited to the painstaking design and implementation of a bill with great resistance.

After the introduction of the Identity Act, what the Empire really needed was the religious influence and missionary power that he brought with him.

In the Balkans and Asia Minor, there were still a large number of Orthodox believers in the old territory of the empire, and the growing influence of the Orthodox Church would put great pressure on the Ottomans, who were pretending to promote religious tolerance. There will even be population loss and religious rebellions.

Moreover, after the Hungarian succession, Constantine also realized that the power of religion was even greater than he imagined, and that the future empire could even control the surrounding countries directly through religion, as long as the ecumenical patriarch sat high in the Hagia Sophia forever, the pilgrims from all directions would bring endless benefits to the empire.

The treasure trove of the Holy See is very covetous.

Constantine had just returned to the palace when he bumped into Giovanni, who was hurrying back. The balance of the treasury was still enough to support the maintenance of some of the Crusader knights, and after the Imperial Council consulted, it was not intended to send these powerful knights back to the Holy See, but to stay in Constantinople.

Until the eleventh century, the cavalry of the Roman Empire was still a presence that swept across Asia and Europe. It wasn't until after the Battle of Manzikert that the Ironclad Paladards were almost completely wiped out, and the Empire's economy was already stretched thin at that time, and the high maintenance costs of the heavy cavalry made the Empire never regain the glory of the Ironclad Paladins.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Jinqi's statistics are out."

"How?"

"Considering the necessary funds for the future development of the empire, this group of knights, the empire can only leave a maximum of five hundred people. Unless most of them were willing to voluntarily give up the high salaries of the hired cavalry in the market and become ordinary Imperial soldiers, their total integration would crush the Empire's economy. Giovanni said with some regret, "The Crusader knights are different from the cavalry of the Phoenix Guard, whether it is the Genoese knights I brought, the heavy armored knights I recruited later, or the Wallachian light cavalry, they all came to fight for the empire out of their own volition. ”

"I also guessed that most of these European knights still have the status of minor nobles, and it is indeed worth the loss to hire them. But the cavalry units remained critical in future battles...... Giovanni, if I want to cultivate a heavy cavalry force that truly belongs to the Empire, is it possible? ”

"It's hard...... Every good knight needs to be nurtured from an early age. Not only is it necessary to be proficient in a variety of weapons, but talent is also important. The equipment and horses of each heavily armored knight are astronomical, and having a force like the Phoenix Legion is enough to be called a very luxurious luxury for the current empire. ”

This is indeed true. After the Komnenos dynasty, the heavy cavalry even became the honor guard of the court, and the real main battle cavalry became the Turkic mercenary cavalry.

……

"I really just had a hot brain at the time, and who knew His Majesty would agree?"

John was still skeptical, "Sophia, you would never make a wrong judgment on such an occasion. I've probably been thinking about it for days, right? You've only had two glasses of wine and you're uncontrollable drunk? ”

"Brother, you have no evidence...... I don't really drink much. And I've been deciphering these manuscripts of the eldest princess for the past few days, so I don't have so much time to think about other things. Sophia snatched the gold-threaded purple silk shoulder garment that John had given her from Constantine, and the gold trim on the shoulder garment was even richer and more beautiful than John's.

"I almost forgot about it...... How's it going? ”

"I can only say that it solves more than half of it." Sophia shook her head a little depressedly, "If the secret language for the royal family can be deciphered so easily, it is too unsafe. ”