Prussa's food reserves were not enough, so Tetisius had no choice but to send an urgent lead seal to the imperial capital again, asking Emperor John to think of supplies. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

The other side of the Strait was a fierce battle around the chokepoint, and on this side of the Marimara Sea, there was no concession: John was by no means a responsible master of the Empire, and even if the number of troops was now stretched thin, even if the empire was only half of the empire, and even if it would cost a lot to win foreign aid, he would have to do his best to manage what was left of the mountain.

He had previously instructed Axepocus to take charge of the Imperial Property, and to pull out almost half of the peasant slaves on it, and to overhaul the fortifications in the area from the city of Gallipoli to the coast; He then asked his wife from Hungary for help from his mother's family, and the Hungarian King Koroman sent 5,000 reinforcements on his way.

Diplomatically, John even sent an envoy to the city of Rome in an attempt to contact Pope Eugene, and also threw out a proposal for the reunification of the Church, hoping that the Pope could mediate and arbitrate the war between him and Gawain, "The two sides can choose a place in Nicomedia or Nicaea to negotiate and stop the war, each respecting its own sphere of influence, and fighting for ten years." ”

After the news came, it is said that the Patriarch of Rome in the West was also very happy, but then John went to talk to Patriarch Masdas about this matter, and he was kind of to inquire about the meaning of the Patriarch, who thought that Masdas immediately replied, "If Your Majesty wants to betray the orthodox faith of the empire in exchange for the invasion of the serpent-like and vicious Latin bishops, then I, as the Patriarch, can only be proud to resist you." And you know, the herdsmen who have traditionally done this will become a hero in the hearts of the people and the country. ”

John could only be silent.

Inside, John also seriously considered the proposal sent by Tetisius earlier, and began to use the money to build a large granary on the edge of the Colosseum in the bay of the imperial capital, and set up officials of his clan to be in charge, and the reserves in it were specially supplied to the new army. But Axepocus advised the emperor that it was better not to do this, "If it can be done with any ship and any warehouse to reward the new army, why build one in the imperial capital to attract attention." Moreover, now that the military and political affairs are difficult, there are only two places left in the empire that are still relatively rich, namely the traditional Thrace, which has to support many nobles and armies, and the newly cultivated Thessaly, which is just forming and unstable like a newborn fledgling. Once this large granary is built, the bureaucrats and the people in the imperial capital will have difficulties in supplying rations, what will Your Majesty do at that time? Is it to close the position and continue to supply Prussa, or to open the warehouse to give priority to satisfying the officials and people of the imperial capital? The words of the former will inevitably offend the latter, and vice versa. ”

John thinks about the idea of a henchman and thinks it makes sense, but he really wants to do something to prove himself, which is common to any new emperor.

After all, there is a big granary, anyone can see it, and seeing it is like seeing a monument to the emperor's exploits, and the soldiers will be grateful to themselves. As for the government and the people, who can fully care about their thoughts in the current situation?

Somewhat undecided, John went to his wife, Pyroska, to consult, after all, the emperor and empress must advance and retreat together in this regard.

However, little Piloska, though she was not very old, her heart had long been soaked like a block of ice with the teachings of pious Christianity, and she respected her husband, but it was only respect, and even a little afraid and evasive—her reserve and numbness on the bed had made John tired and frustrated, and in daily life she was almost the female embodiment of the saints, claustrophobic.

"After giving birth to three children for you, I must enter the Imperial Capital Monastery as a nun and dedicate the rest of my life to the Lord." In many cases, Piloska expressed his greatest "ideal of life" to her husband or to the rest of the court, much to John's great embarrassment, as if his marriage was merely a preparation for the addition of more places in the convent.

But John came to her anyway, and the answer he received was, "Whether you build a granary or not, you must pray to the Lord every day in exchange for its approval." ”

John could only go to his adoptive mother for counseling, much to Marlena's ecstasy......

In the soft brocade drapery, John, who was immersed in the flesh of his adoptive mother, realized what he really needed for the good of the woman. As for Marlena, after exerting all her skills, she used her sheep's fat-like arms to care for her beloved adopted son tightly in her bosom, and with compliments and sycophants that were enough to make any man's heart flutter, John became more and more aware that "building a big granary" was an imminent good thing for the benefit of the country and the people, and it must be done as soon as possible.

However, in fact, Marlena just always thinks that what her adopted son did is always right.

It came from the heart, and now she was more afraid than ever of losing John's love.

But when he came out of his adoptive mother's bedchamber, John felt compelled to seek his mother's opinion, and even if she disagreed, he would be satisfied in other ways.

John carefully selected a precious ivory artifact, a triptych-folded prayer board that could be opened on both sides like a small door, a delicate carving of an apostle or Christian emperor on the back, and a crucifix in the center, which he carefully hoped would delight his mother.

Erin, who has become the queen mother, sat in her seat, not only accepted her son's gift, but also accepted his son's proposal very kindly, and even said to John, "How, is there a shortage of money to build such a big granary?" ”

John hurriedly stepped forward respectfully and made a gesture of wishing to kiss his mother's finger.

Erin was slightly stunned, but also smiled lightly and stretched out her finger with the ring, her son was very happy to be flattered, and kissed his mother's finger a few times, "Yes, it is indeed difficult. The current expenses of the Imperial Maternity Department are on the verge of the bottom line. ”

"Well, I'll go and talk to my brother about donating one-third of the Ducasses' fortune to support you. In addition, you will be provided with 2,000 slaves to build granaries. Mother Irene's generosity made John almost cry of gratitude, but then Erin sighed again, and said in a sad tone, "Of course, I would like you to make peace with Anna and Gawain to restore Rome from the ruins of the empire where your father died." ”

"Yes, yes Mother. However, Gawain's siege of the city of Prussa was still fierce. What John means is that I am not the one who refuses peace talks.

But when he came out of his mother's courtyard, John was very happy, and he avoided the bright and warm summer sun, and walked through the shaded promenade in the direction of his official mansion.