"Sophia, if you were Muhammad, what would you do in the face of the current empire at this time?"

In the summer, it can be a little hot in the Slou Gardens. The dry hot winds brought by the Mediterranean climate make the crushed ice feel powerless.

Perhaps sensing that Sophia beside him was not asleep either, John simply led to a topic.

The Ottomans were still a major problem for the Empire, and although they had lived fairly peacefully these days, the watchtowers on the walls of Theodosius did not dare to relax their vigilance for a moment.

"I am Muhammad?" Sophia thought briefly for a while, and then gave an answer, "Make unconditional peace with the Western world, even if it is to temporarily cede some interests." Then, concentrate the forces of the whole country and fight to the death against the Empire. ”

“…… Muhammad was not stupid, so I am sure he would have made such a choice. It depends on whether the crusaders, who claim to guard the faith, have the backbone to drive the Ottomans out of the Balkans completely. John lamented, "The fate of my own country, the feeling of relying on the breath of others, is really uncomfortable." ”

The tug-of-war between the Ottomans and Hungary on the border has been going on for two weeks, and this senseless attrition is an invisible blow to the combat enthusiasm of the soldiers on both sides. But the number of Ottoman soldiers defending the border fortress has been gradually decreasing, and they may also realize that this crusade should not pose a mortal threat to themselves.

This was good news for Muhammad.

"Whether it's the Phoenix Legion or the Garrison Legion, the training and replenishment effects are not bad. But for the main forces of the Ottomans, Constantinople, is still as weak as a grasshopper...... "Sophia calmly stated a fact.

Karaman was several times more powerful than the Roman Empire today. However, Murad II led some of the main forces, which made Karaman difficult to parry. If Muhammad wanted to take Constantinople, he would do it with all his might and would have won it.

"It's not the worst yet. The crusade has not yet failed, and we still have many opportunities......" John didn't know if he was comforting himself, and fell silent.

Such insignificant feats will not overwhelm them. They still have to do whatever it takes to grab more land and income. At the very least, to face the Ottoman army, you have to have the strength to fight.

……

A week later, the regrouped Phoenix Legion was finally sent to John.

The current composition of this legion is very different from that of other legions. As the main force of the battle sequence, there were Genoese volunteers, Wallachian light infantry, and a dozen Castillan knights who had come all the way from the Iberian Peninsula a few days earlier.

In addition, at John's strong request, the Phoenix Legion completed a complete transformation into a field legion. Perhaps this will have a certain impact on the empire, which still needs a large number of defensive troops at present, but in future encounters, the Ottomans will have a fear of the Phoenix Legion.

After completing the restructuring of the Phoenix Legion, the Venetian fleet sailed into the Golden Horn as promised. The venerable Doge of Venice, who was furious, seemed to be persuaded by his ministers, and patiently completed a win-win deal with the Empire.

They did not agree to give the Empire more medium or heavy artillery, but were interested in the idea of the Empire forming a musket corps. To this end, the Venetians sent several experienced army generals, as if they did not care about the past, and offered to help the Empire train a new legion, as long as the Empire gave enough food, the musket legion would be formed as quickly as possible.

At the same time, the Venetians rejected the offer to provide a large amount of ammunition on the grounds of the shortage of weapons in the country, and instead sent several merchants with a lot of spare money to set up a new ammunition factory in Constantinople.

In a letter from the Doge of Venice, although it was stated that the ownership of the factory belonged to the Eastern Roman Empire, they demanded that 10 percent of the ammunition produced by the ammunition factory be supplied to the Venetian navy free of charge every year. At the same time, Venice will also receive 20% of the revenue generated by the factory.

It sounds like a sure-fire deal, but in reality, it's a nail in the heart of Constantinople.

As long as Venice does not provide the core technology for ammunition production, in the future, the empire, which is increasingly dependent on the Musket Corps, will continue to be manipulated by Venice. Venice could threaten to inflict significant losses on the empire through ammunition. It's just that the Doge of Venice probably didn't expect that the empire would be prepared second-hand.

After consulting with the Imperial Council, Constantine sent a reply to the Doge of Venice. They feigned excitement and pretended to be poor and begged Venice for relaxation. The Venetians thought that the plan had succeeded, but of course they reluctantly agreed, and an ammunition factory was officially opened in Constantinople.

"Aren't the Venetians afraid that they will lose their money after the fall of Constantinople?" Sophia looked at John with a wicked smile on his face strangely, and wondered.

"Then I don't know, maybe he is more confident than ourselves, I believe that Constantinople will not fall easily."

No sooner had Venice left the Golden Horn than the Empire's second hand arrived in Constantinople as promised.

John's intimacy with the bearded Hungarian in front of him almost made Constantine XI and Sophia doubt his orientation for a moment, but after John's introduction, Constantine XI showed the same respect.

Urban.

This man has the keenest vision and the greatest potential in the artillery manufacturing industry. Even, John bluntly said, in a few years Urban will become the world's greatest firearmer. At this moment, Urban, who was still depressed at home, was of course moved when he received John's letter of invitation and saw that the empire would promise him a great future.

Immediately, Constantine XI invited Urban to the palace to discuss the matter. In the presence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Empire offered Urban the highest amount of money it could bear. And bluntly said that the tax revenue of the empire will give the highest priority to the research and production of artillery in Urban.

But since the Venetians had already opened an eye-catching ammunition factory in Constantinople, this research, the empire would secretly begin in Athens.

Escorted by the Praetorian Guards, Urban traveled to Athens in absolute secrecy, where he secretly supervised the construction of heavy artillery. In order not to attract the attention of the Venetians, who were also active in Athens, the empire would also use the surplus funds from the treasury to create a clear merchant identity for Urban and open a textile factory in Athens. In this way, it is also possible to increase the theoretical taxation of Athens and Thebes by a small margin.

Flattered by the favorable treatment offered by the Empire, Urban almost knelt down on the spot to thank Constantine for his kindness.