The problem of displaced people in the village of Biyes intensified, and it was only briefly relieved when the Phoenix Legion arrived and began to set up checkpoints at various intersections leading to the center of the village.

At John's behest, with the exception of the foreigners who already had imperial citizenship and the natives of the village of Bies, the others were temporarily resettled in the nearby abandoned villages.

"Your Highness, they have come at least out of loyalty to the Empire, and they must have paid the price for fleeing from those who oppressed them in the first place, so they refused to contain them......"

The estate that originally belonged to Daliani was now the temporary "governor's palace" of the village of Bies, and some of the newly signed local decrees spread to all corners of the village from Biyes to the port of Yaweer through the heralds of the Phoenix Legion.

"General Giovanni, I wish they had come with loyalty to the Empire...... But what they did the other day had already taught me a profound truth - they were more interested in the vacant and exquisite houses in the village of Bijes and the various necessities of life that had been distributed at very low prices these days. John banged on the table with his knuckles, and although the resources that Daliani had hoarded were abundant, they could never withstand such consumption, "Even if the village of Biyes were to be built into a strong castle in the future, it would never be possible to accommodate such a large number of permanent residents." Moreover, their influx will make it easier for the warlords to notice us, and the bloodshed may break out sooner. ”

"Although the greedy people make up a large part, it is undeniable that keeping them out in this way will discourage the people of the rest of Epirus from standing on the same side as us!"

"General Giovanni, we didn't drive them away...... Jeffrey pushed open the door with his cane, "you can ask the refugees who are housed in the surrounding villages, would they prefer to live quietly in the corners of the Empire's controlled areas, or would they prefer to go back and endure the oppression of the warlords." The answer is obvious, and your legion gives us the confidence to stand up to the pressure of the warlords. If you hadn't arrived in time, someone would have already arrived at the gates of the Governor's Palace. ”

"Mr. Jeffrey, it's just in time!" John waved for Eustina to prepare a seat for Jeffrey.

Through the past few days of contact, John has become more and more aware that Jeffrey, a seemingly radical old man, has a lot in common with himself in terms of various policies. He was more comfortable handing over the vast majority of decision-making to Jeffrey.

"Until now, we have maintained the normal development of the village of Bijes, relying on the legacy of Daliani, and we have hardly received any tax revenue. After the funds dry up, I am afraid that it will be difficult for us to ensure the stability of the population structure and the current development rate, how should this problem be solved? ”

Jeffrey sat down with some difficulty, pondered for a moment, and then said indifferently, "Tax...... Starting next month, it is possible to increase the tax in the village of Bijes, which is not in a hurry. At that time, the villages where the displaced people have been resettled will also need to have tax collectors...... This group of people should be strictly selected. We should be mentally prepared that for at least two months, it will be absolutely impossible for taxes to fully meet the needs of our development. The area around the current village of Bijes can be described as a wasteland, and we are only doing preliminary reconstruction work now. If funds are tight, we can apply to Your Majesty for assistance, which is a matter of great profit, and the Imperial Council will definitely agree...... Besides, by virtue of His Highness's influence at the meeting......"

"Ahem...... This is not to be discussed. Go ahead and say what you think. "Playing with factions is certainly not good, although John did not deliberately manage it, but for some reason, the Imperial Council often supported his proposals.

Sophia, who was on the side, left the room in silence.

"Most of the products that can be produced by the productivity of the village of Bijes alone are actually sufficient for self-sufficiency. There is no high-quality silk raw material like Thebes and Thessaloniki, no geographical conditions of Constantinople, and no rich mineral resources of Thrace...... The only thing we can rely on is the port of Aweil. ”

John asked, "Fishing is definitely not enough, right?" The output of goods in the village of Biyes is also not advantageous enough in terms of trade. ”

"Of course...... This is the time for His Highness to make a choice. The most impressive way to increase income in front of us is actually just that way. ”

"Let's talk about it first, I'll think about it."

"Conquest."

"Conquest?"

"Take the lead in attacking the warlords who are still scattered before they form an alliance. With the strength of the Phoenix Legion, it shouldn't be too much of a problem to occupy the neighboring towns and fortresses in a short period of time. Prioritizing the goal of where there is potential for economic development, to feed the war, and the tax revenue will be balanced in such conquests. ”

Jeffrey pointed out some maps on the map that had no fort protection, or where forts were weak, as targets. And Vasika, after an initial analysis, also thinks it's a good choice.

The Phoenix Legion is not an infantry phalanx, what they are best at is attacking and trapping.

"This is the way the empire took when it reigned over all of Europe......," John did not immediately agree, "to change the situation at hand by conquest, and if the conquest ceases, then destruction will follow." After all, the Phoenix Legion has a limited number of people, and it is impossible to attack these warlords who are still isolated from each other on all fronts. If we are depleted by falling into a tug-of-war, our losses will be unimaginable. ”

Giovanni, who had reminisced about it, also echoed: "That's right, the Phoenix Legion has always been an elite field legion, and it is not suitable for defending borders or fortresses. In Epirus we do not have a steady supply of infantry to defend, and the advantages built up by rapid expansion are likely to disappear quickly as the warlords counterattack. ”

Jeffrey sighed, then stood in the center of the room with his crutches and said in a loud voice: "The village of Biyes is not protected by a city wall, and if we don't take the initiative to attack, Biyes will also be the meat of the mouths of those warlords!" We need to destroy some of their forces and weaken them as much as possible before we have a chance of victory! When the time comes, we can also ask for help from the Morea, to Greece, and even to our ally Albania! If we take full control of Epirus, then it will also be good for a joint defense against the Ottoman offensive in the Southwestern Balkans, I don't think they have any reason to refuse! ”

"We don't have that much capital...... Jeffrey, the Phoenix Legion must not afford to make any mistakes. John also sighed, "In the end, it's just poor." The Roman Empire, you see, is now just called an empire. ”