"Brother, brother!"

"Sophia?"

When Zhou Heng woke up, it was still late at night.

"It's not dawn yet?"

"It's not lit yet. However, it's been a week! Sophia burst into tears of laughter, and lay in Zhou Heng's arms a little tiredly, "You have been lazy for a week in the Slou Garden." ”

From the last time he was overly tired and fell into a coma with some wind cold, Zhou Heng really didn't feel anything in the dark. But think about it at this time, during the week that I was in a coma, according to Sophia's character, I was probably taking care of myself inch by inch.

Also, a dignified imperial crown prince can be terminally ill with a little cold wind. If the cold worsens a little, whether it can save this life is still two words.

"Thank you, Sophia."

"It's okay...... His Majesty the Emperor has handed over the entire empire to you, and I don't dare to relax. After seeing Zhou Heng wake up, Sophia was obviously a lot more relaxed, and returned to her most normal, lively and playful state.

"What's going on these days?"

"Hmm...... The Ottomans and the Crusaders fought on the border, but the Crusaders did not achieve any decisive advantage. It seems that Murad has a hand left in the Balkans. After Sophia wiped away her tears, she took down the map on the table and put it on Zhou Heng's quilt, "In addition, these battles have indeed pinned down many Ottoman troops in the Balkan Peninsula, and my father has already led troops to attack Athens a few days ago...... Oh yes, faith! It was just delivered in the afternoon, and I haven't had time to see it yet! ”

The letter didn't seem to have time to do anything superfluous, like an emergency military situation or something.

However, according to Zhou Heng's estimate, it is not surprising that the Ottomans in the Eastern Balkans may not dare to launch a confrontation with the empire for the time being, and it is really impossible for a small Florentine duke to block the empire's offensive.

After opening the envelope and taking a cursory look, it did confirm Zhou Heng's conjecture.

The Athenians could not afford to make any waves, and the empire was about to take full control of the city of Athens.

But that's only a small part of the letter.

After Zhou Heng continued to look at it, like Constantine, he felt a little incredible.

This uncle, who has forgotten his appearance, actually gathered an army of nearly 10,000 people! Although the whole Peloponnese experienced a long period of peace, it never expected that the richness of the Moreah would even exceed that of Constantinople at present.

"Brother, the peasant soldiers and the regular army cannot be compared."

Sophia looked at Zhou Heng's eyes and knew what her brother was thinking.

"I know I know ......"

Constantine XI mentioned in his letter about the invasion of Thebes, and Zhou Heng once again set his sights on that map. But now, he is in the same confusion as Constantine.

"Sophia, if it's you...... How will you choose. ”

"An army of 14,000 men, not to mention Thebes, Salonika also has a chance to take the empire into its pocket." Sophia replied without hesitation, "These two cities, which were once the commercial centers of the empire in the Balkans, if they can be fully recovered, can not only control the whole of Greater Greece, but also cooperate with the ports of the Peloponnese and Athens, which can greatly ease the empire's finances." But...... I probably know what my brother and His Majesty are worried about. ”

The current situation of the empire depended entirely on the premise that Murad was still dealing with Karaman, and that the Crusaders were attracting a lot of attention from the Ottomans. The most dangerous thing now is Zhou Heng and Constantine, neither of whom knows the extent of the Ottoman main force.

The legendary Sultan Guard, I'm afraid it's not a joke. When Murad II returned to the Balkans with a large army, whether Greece could withstand the offensive frenzy was the final key to the battle.

"Brother...... We should take advantage of the victory and pursue and take all of Greater Greece! ”

The eyes of the two collided, and Zhou Heng asked with interest, "Why?" Can we hold on to Greater Greece? ”

"Maybe not, but you have to try!" Sophia's eyes were particularly determined, "We must seize this opportunity." ”

"It doesn't sound so rational, the empire doesn't have any capital to try and fail now, and every move must be sure of victory."

"Sure of victory? When the armies on both sides are drawn up and the troops are scheming, who can be sure of victory? Sophia smiled, "The empire does not have the capital to fail, so we should try the easiest way to succeed." We may be able to try to form alliances with other countries to get support...... Even without support, we must gain control of Greater Greece to restore the economy, otherwise, with the current size of the Empire's army, the treasury may not hold out for long! ”

The temptation to control the trade routes from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Aegean Sea and to reap a lot of economic benefits was too great for the empire at the moment. As big as Zhou Heng, he also had to give up his view of risk.

"Write back. When necessary, we will find ways to cooperate with my father's actions. ”

"That's not necessary." Sophia wrote the beautiful font on the new white paper, "Only the Phoenix Legion is left in Constantinople, and if you transfer it out, is it really stupid to be an Ottoman?" The movements of His Majesty's legions may be seen clearly by the defenders of Edirne. Even if the house is empty and undefended Constantinople, won't the people open the city gates? ”

"Help in every sense, Sophia."

Zhou Heng put away the map and put it next to the bed, and then ordered his subordinates to prepare some light food. At this time, the hunger pang has come as promised with the exhaustion disappearing.

"Count it up...... Father should be celebrating in Athens now...... Sophia, I'm going to walk around the garden, do you want to go? ”

"Good. Wait until I'm done writing this. ”

……

Things went much more smoothly than Constantine XI had imagined.

After sending off the Florentine duke, Thomas, who had intended to support Constantine first, led his army into the city of Athens.

The two brothers have been separated for many years, and they originally planned to get drunk and rest, but now that the military situation is urgent, they can only reluctantly drink some.

"To tell you the truth, when I boarded the Venetian ship and went to Constantinople, I didn't think about seeing you again......"

Speaking of which, Thomas seems to have a more aristocratic temperament than Constantine. The Peloponnese region was indeed rejuvenated with great vigor and vitality under his rule. But at the same time, Thomas was also a typical Greek nobleman, loyal and wise. He was an absolute supporter of Constantine XI's reign from beginning to end, and he looked forward to a true revival of the empire. This makes the relationship between the two very deep.

Right now, the opportunity to regain Athens is imminent, and they are willing to give it a try, no matter how risky it is.

"Your Majesty, have a good rest tonight......"