And so, after the introduction of this bill called the "Law on the Reform of the Holy See". The Emperor's [***] team suppressed several rebellions initiated by bishops in various places. Backed by a strong army. Eradicate all the monasteries and bishoprics all over the continent. Cut off all financial resources for the Catholic Church. Their fortresses were torn down, their armies were disbanded, and the Holy See was cut off from other bishops. It completely dismantled the unstoppable Catholic power that was rampant in Europe.

The imperial political axe is steaming, and the work of cultural governance is unprecedented. And Wu Xun is also worth showing off.

On the outskirts of Budapest, the Norman Emperor swept through the Hungarian and Balkan forces. After that, he sent light cavalry to fiercely pursue the opponent's rout. Of the 60,000 allied troops, less than 3,000 eventually returned to Budapest. How could the city be defended with 3,000 remnants alone? The soldiers and civilians of Budapest surrendered the city. Take the initiative to welcome the Norman Emperor into the city. The rest of Hungary is even more determined. It took less than a week. Hungary, a large country in Europe, was pacified by the Normans.

Although the victory was extremely easy. But after checking the situation in Hungary. Egil was still very frustrated. The land of the Hungarian Noda. The people together are less than half a million. Even Austria, a dukedom, has a larger population.

Not to mention the sparse population, Hungary's infrastructure is terrible. Because of the continuous wars and the fact that some Hungarians still insist on a nomadic life. So Hungary's economy is also on the verge of collapse. The land is largely barren. Mines, quarries and lumber yards built in the wilderness were also destroyed by the fighting. There is a severe shortage of all necessities...... It all takes a lot of time and experience to adjust.

However, this was not too difficult for the Norman Emperor. Empires are good at destruction. But empires are equally good at building. The Hungarians are not a people who like to work hard. Although the land is a little barren, the produce is not very rich. It is unlikely that this place will be rich. But let the Hungarians have no worries about food and clothing. The Norman Empire was able to do this.

In addition to this, Hungary is, after all, traditionally a cavalry power. The Huns and Magyars, who were brave and good at fighting, were also very good soldiers. Perhaps after this, the Empire would recruit some Hungarians to augment the Norman hussars. Although the emperor already controlled all of Eastern Europe. With millions of Tatars, Cumans, Rus, Slavs and Poles to be drafted. But which emperor would dislike having too many elite soldiers under his command?

In this way, after a little time to recover all of Hungary, the Norman Emperor left a whole army of hussars to guard here. to suppress the situation on the ground and sweep away the remnants of Hungary that are still trying to resist. But despite this, the emperor's army did not decrease, but increased - those who were crushed, and after that captured the Hungarians and the Yugoslavs of the Balkans. It took a little time for the Emperor to surrender them.

He promised the captives a better life and promised to respect their faith, both Catholic and Orthodox. At the same time, he also expressed his willingness to help them develop the economy and reduce taxes......

Under such conditions, coupled with the deterrence of the great military might of the Norman Empire, and the strong charisma of the Norman Emperor (Egil felt that way). The vast majority of the captives, after a little thought, agreed to join the emperor's army. This gave the emperor access to a Hungarian cavalry force of nearly five thousand men, as well as nearly twenty thousand Yugoslav mountain infantry. This swelled the Normans, who went south and continued their assault on the Balkans, to 160,000.

Of course, it would be a little wrong to say that it was an offensive - because of the tactics of concentrating forces in Hunyati. So at this moment the Balkans are completely unguarded. Plus a large number of Yugoslav Belt and Road parties who surrendered. As you can imagine, the Balkans are definitely a scene of rumors.

Well, here Egil seems to have forgotten one thing - that is, the thirty thousand Celtic troops he sent before, as well as nearly ten thousand hussars and horse cavalry. The 40,000-strong army, under the leadership of Empress Artoria, marched from the Black Coast to the Balkans by sea.

The Emperor had intended this army to stop the Greeks who might come north to support. But the emperor did not expect that his army had become so strong. Without much effort, the Walk-Bands coalition forces were crushed. To a certain extent, this made the previous act of sending Artoria useless. Even the emperor thought that perhaps by the time he reached the Balkans, the Greek army had not yet set out.

Soon, however, the Emperor received unexpected news that Norman spies who had been marching with Altoria had sent a message to the Emperor. Artoria didn't act as Egil had imagined.

True, at one of the previous stages - the landing, the attack on Sofia. These two steps are exactly what Egil said. But after that. Artoria, however, was not "ready to fight the Greeks." Instead, she led her army southward, towards the Greek peninsula! The empress seemed to want to lead her army directly and attack the territory of the Greeks!

"Well, that's really ......" After receiving the information from the Norman spies, Egir felt a little crying and laughing. But think again. Now that the Balkans are at your fingertips. Then let the Celtic army, as the vanguard, be the first to enter the territory of the Greeks. Nor is it something unacceptable. With this in mind, Egil acquiesced to the outcome of Artoria's own assertions. And an order was added that officially gave Altoria permission to attack the Greeks. At the same time, the Black Sea Fleet was asked to cooperate.

After hearing about such an order of the emperor. Many people feel speechless. This is why Her Royal Highness the Queen can have such treatment. If a different person dares to assert himself like this, if nothing else, Egil will definitely be angry and scolded. After that, the person is deprived of all honor and office. It's not impossible to even cut him. But for the Queen. Egil only smiled slightly, and then said, "I can't help her...... and the matter is settled......

However, the matter of removing Artoria's own assertion is not to be said. The Empire's strategy for the Balkans was still very successful. Under the leadership of the Yugoslav Belt and Road Party. The march of Egil's army went very well. Belgrade, Bucharest and other important towns surrendered without a fight. The capital Sofia was occupied by the Normans long ago. In such a situation, the rest of the region is as Egil imagined, depending on the situation. The entire Romanian Empire was easily conquered by the Normans.

The situation is going very well. The Norman Empire was like a bamboo, like no one. In a very short period of time, it occupied two kingdoms and hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of land. Norman armies, Celtic armies, and Hungarian and Yugoslav surrenders...... Combined, these armies have reached the size of 200,000. Egil was convinced that in Asia Minor and the Balkans, and in the Western world as a whole. There is absolutely no one who can pose a threat to this army of their own.

This army, within the limits of the West, is invincible!

Of course, this invincible army is not without flaws. The difficulty of logistical supply is the biggest shortcoming of this army. A dilapidated Hungary could not be counted on at all. The newly conquered Balkan region is also mostly mountainous and lacks natural resources. Even in order to stabilize people's hearts, the emperor had to allocate some military supplies for the Balkan mountain people.

At the same time, the distance from Krakow to Sofia is a little far. Hungary is a plain terrain, but it's good to say a little. But the Balkans are mostly mountainous. It is more difficult for the army to march with logistical supplies. And this army of the Normans is also too large......

Fortunately, in addition to land transportation, the Norman Empire also had effective sea transportation. The supply fleet from the port of Kherson. Both in terms of speed and volume, it is much stronger than land transport in Krakow. If this were not the case, I am afraid that this war would have been unsustainable. It ended with the 200,000 Norman army eating itself up.

It's just that it's going to be maintained for the time being. But the burden of war is still a little too great. Honora, in Krakow, had repeatedly urged Egil to end the war quickly. Otherwise, the Imperial finances will be overwhelmed.

Originally, the Black Death had just passed, and the empire's finances, which had seen a little improvement, were now tight again. Military campaigns were too drastic, and the economic development of the empire had already been affected. It even took up a part of the funds that should have been used to develop the economy. And the empire's food reserves are also rapidly depleted under the eating and chewing of 200,000 soldiers. If there is another natural disaster, [***]. I'm afraid there will be a famine......

Of course, this was completely ignored by the emperor.

"You are the Chief Royal Counsellor, the Prime Minister of the Empire. These things are yours to handle. With a word, Egil dismissed the constant complaints of Aurora. However, despite the apparent lack of care. But the emperor also began to feel a little anxious in his heart.

"Despite this...... However, the next opponent is the Eastern Romans. Whether it's the Greek peninsula, or Asia Minor. They are quite affluent areas. Not to mention Constantinople...... If I can capture this city, then the loss caused by this war will be more or less compensated...... At least partially. ”

(To be continued)