The entire purple palace fell silent.

Constantine XI did not speak and did not indicate his attitude.

This was John's conclusion after much deliberation, and the crowd awaited his explanation.

"Considering only in the case that the Crusaders can achieve the final victory, it seems that it is more beneficial for the empire to let them continue to fight. We all share a common confidence in the Crusaders – how could a group of heavily armed soldiers be defeated by a mixed Ottoman army? ”

"Your Highness, if the Ottomans engage in a decisive battle with Wladyslaw's forces, whether they win or not, the Ottomans will pay an absolutely heavy price, and it will take a long time to recover." Giovanni made a relatively pertinent assessment, "Hunyaldi and Władysław have proven the strength of the Crusaders countless times, not to mention that they have received more aid this winter. ”

"yes, I understand." John moved his gaze to the map, the Ottoman frontier territory, which had shrunk a lot in the past two years, because of the powerful offensive of the Crusaders, "We all know that Hunyadi was a sensible and prudent general; Władysław III, on the other hand, was a young and fanatical new king...... Both men have a bitter hatred for the infidels, but why, on such a crucial decision, do they suddenly ask for our advice and that of the Pope? ”

"No matter what you say about this crusad, it was also formed to save the empire, and the crusaders, as the spear of God, are not wrong to ask the Pope. But ......," said old Agrippa, "there is another possibility...... We don't really want to accept the possibility. ”

John nodded, "That's right." But the possibility is that there was an internal split in the Crusaders. ”

It's no secret that Władysław and Hunyadi are at odds, but if the conflict is large enough to interfere with the Crusaders' day-to-day decision-making, then the Crusaders' combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced.

"Also, Muhammad's curtling of the knee for peace this time is itself worth scrutinizing." John continues, "It is true that the Ottomans suffered a major defeat in Greece. But the losses of the Ottomans' army were not so great, and the formation of the main army was not affected at all, not to mention that Karaman had already been beaten to the collapse of the country, and in Asia Minor the Ottomans had almost no worries and could safely invest their troops...... The gap between the two sides is not so huge. It should not be Muhammad's style. Don't forget, he dared to bring only 10,000 men to besiege Constantinople! ”

Constantine agreed: "Although Murad II has been decapitated, the vast majority of the ministers who had served the Ottomans remained loyal to their young new sultan. Even if there is a risk of internal rebellion, one should not risk a serious blow to the morale of the army to sue for peace. ”

"We are not fully sure that this peace is not a ploy of the Ottomans, and we have absolutely no guarantee that the crusaders will actually win...... Well, father, in our reply, we acknowledge the merits of the crusaders, but do not make a statement. ”

"Oh?"

"If we remain neutral, it will be a pressure on both Władysław and Hunyati. Hopefully, they will be able to make a relatively rational decision. "But we should be on the border with the Ottomans...... Regions such as Serbia and Wallachia have set up more eyeliner to get the latest information as soon as possible and adapt to the situation. We all know that in some cases, contracts are equal to waste paper. ”

After a brief discussion at the Imperial Council, there was support for neutrality, and in the end, Constantine himself drafted a reply to Władysław III.

……

Władysław first received a reply from the Eastern Roman Empire, whose ambiguity made Władysław's face look extremely bad.

But Hunyadi at least breathed a sigh of relief, and before the crusaders were completely carried away by the morbid fanaticism, he had to find a way to hold the entire legion.

Hunyadi knew of course what a terrifying fighting power that faith and religious hatred could bring, but he knew even more that if a knightly charge could be triumphant, the Crescent Followers would have been driven down the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf in search of the New World.

"Your Majesty, the situation in the Eastern Roman Empire is still precarious, and when they are in urgent need of rescue, they have not asked us to launch a general offensive quickly, which is enough to explain the problem!"

Władysław snorted coldly and left the tent with his hands behind his back.

Soon, though, he came back in high spirits.

His Majesty's reply was two days late, but Eugene IV's message was clear - the infidels were now weakened and weakened, and the Crusaders should follow God's will and drive the infidels out of Europe!

At the end of the letter, Eugene IV even uttered the provocative slogan of Urban II when he mobilized the crusaders.

God wills it!

God's will!

"His Majesty's attitude has also been made clear, my esteemed General Hunyadi. As the commander of the Crusaders, it is now up to you to give Muhammad a return to us and lead the Crusaders forward! ”

At this time, with the support of the Pope, Władysław III's prestige among the Crusaders had faintly surpassed that of the white knight Hunyadi, especially the members who had just joined the Crusaders, who were eager to harvest the heads of the infidels on the battlefield.

However, all these changes in the situation are inseparable from John.

After the news of Murad's death by the crown prince of the Eastern Roman Empire spread in the Western world, John became the object of worship of almost all young swallow-tailed knights.

Some of the declining minor nobles, or the descendants of families with little hope of inheriting the title, were enthusiastic about becoming knights.

Some of them joined the Crusaders, and of course there were also people who traveled thousands of miles to make a pilgrimage to the empress of ten thousand cities to help the empire's nirvana.

It was in this environment that Hunyadi could barely control the crusaders' thirst for war. All knights are waiting for the moment of success.

The Crusaders had a clear advantage, and now the Ottoman Sultan Muhammad was helpless, and everyone had a chance to become the second John Palaiologo.

Finally, Hunyati, who had been stationed in Serbia for more than a month, was forced to publicly declare Muhammad's request for an armistice null and void under intense pressure from within the Crusaders, and the Crusader conquest of 1444 officially began.

"Your Majesty, I only hope that with this impulsive offensive, the Crusaders will achieve final victory...... If there is any difference in the pool......"

"The crusaders cannot fail!"

“…… Well, but your Majesty, you must be careful not to risk your life, for if anything goes wrong, it will be a catastrophe for the Crusaders and for the whole of Hungary! ”