The empire finally ushered in a brief peace. In accordance with the final decision of Constantine XI, Latius temporarily removed him from the post of commander of the garrison and transferred him to the position of Duke of Athens. If it weren't for the fact that the empire really lacked a great nobleman with names and surnames, Constantine was really unwilling to make this decision.

The defense of Constantinople fell on Giovanni.

Perhaps by coincidence, if Constantine had been half a day late, he would have received a letter from Sophia. According to his character, when he heard this news, he was afraid that he would definitely go back and try to attack Thessaloniki. It's a pity that this opportunity was missed in the end.

Of course, the fact that Muhammad led his army to attack the city did surprise Constantine, and he certainly trusted Giovanni, who was able to defend Constantinople without suffering too many losses.

The 5,000 expeditionary force led by Constantine lost more than 1,000 people in this battle, although some of the soldiers were only wounded and could recover slowly, but for the Roman Empire, which lacked immediate defensive strength, it was necessary to obtain more troops.

In the Slou Garden, Zhou Heng and Sophia were also discussing this issue. Athens and Thebes could indeed have another round of conscription, but the young soldiers could not become instant combatants. If mercenaries are recruited again, it will be even worse for the empire's finances, which have just taken a breath.

"It's hard...... The city of Constantinople was still lifeless. The more places occupied, the more dispersed the forces became, and the weaker the defense. It took a lot of effort to absorb the Ottoman captives......"

"Okay brother, I've been talking all day."

"Isn't this in a hurry! Wait any longer, the main Ottoman fleet will come back to block the Sea of Marmara, won't it still wait to be beaten? John tugged at his hair, his mind full of mush. He can still point out the country's problems in terms of grand strategy, people's livelihood and internal affairs, which is no different from killing him.

"Since we can't think of a way, let's just not worry about it." Sophia looked up from the stack of books. Sure enough, this girl's genius is really not innate.

In the entire imperial royal library, she can actually gnaw on seven, seven, eight, eight.

"I can't sit still, Karaman can't stand it anymore, and the Crusaders are putting on a show now, no different from before. Otherwise Muhammad would not have taken the time to come to disgust Constantinople! ”

"The Ottomans are actually quite tenacious, the crusaders have suffered a few dark losses, and they are not stupid to get to this point today." Sophia pulls out a manuscript. Put it in front of Zhou Heng.

Since John's first manuscript was written, Sophia has developed this habit as well. A clean manuscript looks much more comfortable than a report with a lot of rhetoric. Although it cannot be used for formal occasions for the time being, it will be much more efficient to deal with internal problems.

This manuscript is supposed to have been written by Sophia not long ago, and the ink is very fresh. And the above content also made John's eyes shine.

A simple plan. It was so simple that John thought it was an exaggeration.

Because in the whole manuscript, there are only a few words - slavery or conversion.

The meaning is simple and easy to understand. It was aimed at the captives of the Ottoman army and the inhabitants of the city of Thebes who still adhere to the religion.

Slavery has long been abolished in the thousands of years of imperial history. But in special times, perhaps the empire has to restart the system to deal with the crisis.

Of course, this is a choice that the empire needs to make when it comes to life and death.

"It's very convenient...... But it's too extreme to be used right now. Once slavery was restored, it could be devastating for the future of the empire. John finally shook his head.

"There's no better way to get a reliable source of troops for the time being." Sophia shifted her gaze to the book again, "The relationship with the Shang Communist Party is so tense now, and the brothers of the same clan can't count on it...... This problem is indeed an endless loop. ”

"The solution is always what people think, but it really doesn't work...... I betrayed the hue ......"

Sophia looked up again, took a closer look at John, and then lowered her head as if she wasn't interested.

"What do you mean?" John seemed to feel insulted.

"The method of royal marriage is too unreliable." Sophia shook her head and said, "Let's not talk about whether the Catholic countries that have reported to the group for warmth will take care of you, a small country that has difficulty in protecting itself, even if an alliance is concluded, it is impossible to stop the invasion of the Ottomans at such a cost." The alliance can only be icing on the cake, and there are few that can be helped. Sophia thought about it again, and suddenly picked up the pen and added a few words to the manuscript.

"Your Highness."

John turned his head, it was Giovanni, who had just returned from Constantine.

"Oh, General Giovanni...... Now that you're the head of the Imperial Garrison, you don't have to come to Slou Gardens every day, there are things I can teach myself or ask Morey ......"

"Your Highness, with all due respect, the house that Your Majesty has prepared for me temporarily is really not ......as comfortable as the Slou Garden," Giovanni smiled slightly, ready to continue to explain some of John's skills in commanding on the spot.

"Hahahahaha! After that, it will be troublesome to the general. ”

Giovanni was about to speak, but Sophia suddenly interjected.

"By the way, General Giovanni, is it possible for the Empire to control Trabzon by means of war in a short period of time?"

"Trabzon?" Giovanni only glanced at the map and gave a firm reply, "Your Royal Highness the Princess, there is no possibility. Whether by land through the Bosphorus or by boat from the Black Sea, Constantinople was not likely to be captured by the current forces of Constantinople. Trabzon is also a city with a population of nearly 100,000. ”

"Then you have to ...... It's a different way. ”

John took a closer look at Sophia's newly revised manuscript and realized that there was a name written on it—John Komnenos.

Ruler of Trabzon, son of Alexios IV. By killing his father, banishing his brother, etc., with the help of Genoa, this scum of the Komnenos took control of Trabzon.

It seems that Sophia, a very "righteous" little princess, really has no intention of letting go of her brother of the same clan.

John pondered for a moment, if the empire could gain control of Trabzon, it would mean that the empire had a stable springboard in Armenia. In addition, Trabzon can provide the empire with thousands of high-quality troops, and at the same time, it can also contain the Ottomans from attacking the Empire's forces in the Balkans.

But John couldn't imagine what Sophia could do to take a city of 100,000 people, especially when the two places were still far apart.

"In the way of others, they should be treated as they are." Sophia said with a blank face, "I hope this John Komnenos don't forget how he got to this throne!" ”