Eagle Byzantium

Although Raymond's letter was very arrogant, the emperor did not care much. "As long as Paphlagonia and Amasya can be recovered, it will be considered as some benefit to Raymond and draw this brave one-eyed marquis to It’s not a bad idea to keep it under my own account. I have the right to raise another lion.”

"Your Majesty, what should we do with the Duke of Aquitaine who is about to arrive?" Meles, the royal inkman next to him, reminded him - after all, Guillaume and Raymond had previously made a fuss over the issue of territorial inheritance. If the emperor let Raymond leads the army, and Guillaume will inevitably rebel.

But the emperor, who was proficient in maneuvering and instigation, was very confident. "Just balance this and let both parties accept it. I will send a handwritten letter to the city of Rome and ask the Western Patriarch to announce that Toulouse will return to Guillaume, and Provence will return to Guillaume." Raymond, the two parties will reconcile this matter - and in addition, for fear of Raymond being dissatisfied, I will The whole of Laodicea (near today's Denizli, Turkey) was given to him as a fief. Didn't the barbarians in Gaul like this the most? I transferred all the wealth of Laodicea to Raymond and appointed him as ' Grand Count of Laodicea', 'Grand Duke of Anatolia' and Chief Privy Councilor of the Imperial Senate."

"Yes, my servant will write a golden edict immediately."

Just when the imperial ink official was about to leave, the emperor stopped him and asked, "How do you evaluate His Highness the Prince's recent achievements?"

Although the emperor controls the entire empire and his ministers, there are not many people who can really confide in him: the chief minister of the empire represents a group of bureaucratic parliamentarians who are at a distance from him; the exterminated old Caesar Party and Queen Party are the traditional aristocrats of the empire. Group representatives; so the emperor must be cautious when dealing with factional issues. After all, the power of the Komnenos royal family is not strong enough to dominate everything. But the internal divisions among the emperors can be felt to some extent: Anna cruelly abandoned him and now occupies Tarsus to oppose the empire; the couple Dido and Brenus have a deep relationship with the first two groups; Prince John His attitude has always been ambiguous. What he thinks of his sisters, and how he will choose between his adoptive mother Marlena and his biological mother Queen Irene in the future are all questions that have yet to be answered.

Therefore, if you want to ask for the answer to this matter, the Imperial Ink Officer and the Grand Steward Xiaoniao are undoubtedly the most worthy candidates. However, Xiaoniao is currently hunting and eliminating the remaining Paulist forces in northern Thrace and southern Bulgaria, and is fighting against them. The Rela Duck people discussed the contracting of the alum mine and the leasing of the fleet, so only Melais, who came from a humble background, was worth discussing with them.

Melais's father was just a cantor at the Imperial Opera House. Later, he became rich by contracting projects, so he sent his son to the best school to study hard copying and law. Later, Melais entered the imperial government and was recognized for his outstanding talents. He Zhongjin's character quickly gained the emperor's favor, and he served as a personal imperial ink officer. Although his position was not high, his right to speak in the privy secrets should not be underestimated.

"The prince has handled the farming in the Thessaly Plain very well. He has now gathered a lot of prestige and has the support of Sebastocrat. In the future, he will definitely support the empire to become prosperous and powerful." Meles had no doubts. replied hesitantly.

The emperor nodded, feeling much more relaxed, "How do you think Breanus compares to John?"

"His Excellency, the Third Glorious One, is loyal, kind, and prestigious. But his ability should be to collect labor taxes for the empire's governance of the region, and his prestige comes from being a famous minister, not from being in charge of the Brachna Palace." Mai. Rice's answer was equally straightforward.

The emperor sighed, "In my family, those who are capable are too ambitious, such as the promiscuous Apate, including the restless little daughter Dido; while those who are not ambitious lack the ability to control, such as my younger brother. and my son-in-law - all this Who created it (your majesty, you really don’t know?)! But no matter how I listen to your plan, Melais, my heart is much clearer. Thank you. Now, considering the balance between ability and ambition, John is the best. I will not hesitate to choose you.”

Suddenly, Alexios asked again, "How is John's personal affairs? Every time he enters the Brachna Palace, he is said to stay for a longer time. Is he having an affair with the noble lady or the maid? He has also arrived. At such an age, I don’t want any inappropriate scandal to leak out of the palace.”

The Imperial Ink Officer's lips trembled slightly, and then he lowered his head and said quickly, "There is no need to ask or investigate this kind of matter, but as far as I know, the reason why Prince John is like this is because he respectfully speaks at the same time every time. It's his courtesy to say hello to the two mothers. If your Majesty cares about the prince's life, you can consider finding a suitable princess for him, and at the same time, you can increase the empire's allies."

The emperor pondered, "You have to observe the surrounding situation before making a decision on this matter - whether John will marry an Alanian or Georgian princess in the east, or a Hungarian woman, please pay attention to this matter Meles."

After discussing with the Royal Ink Officer, the emperor summoned Conrad, the Grand Marshal of the German Palace, in the palace's spacious and gorgeous River Hall, and told him directly:

"I will give you and your people many gifts, including weapons, horses, silk and coins, and send you across the strait to Civitas and Nicomedia as soon as possible. As for the choice of the president, I have also thought carefully. His Excellency Raymond, the Marquis of Provence, has participated in the Eastern Expedition before, and his military exploits are outstanding and prestigious. He is now a guest in Attalia and is seeking reinforcements from me to recover the Holy Land (the emperor cleverly concealed the incident in the Levant). Now he has been appointed as the Grand Earl and Grand Duke by me. It is really the most appropriate for him to serve as the commander-in-chief of the entire pilgrim group. In this way, I will naturally support and help you more wholeheartedly after you cross the strait."

In short, the emperor's words were both soft and hard, and under his throne, eunuchs holding various precious gifts lined up.

Conrad did not hesitate for too long and wisely expressed his acceptance of the emperor's "appointment", but he declined the emperor's enticement and said that he did not need too many gifts, as long as the emperor sent them to Asia Minor as soon as possible.

After much persuasion, the emperor finally gave Marshal Conrad a purple robe representing the imperial status.

On the plains of Sarabria, the German camp was full of smoke from forging tools. Conrad swaggered past in the purple robe given by the emperor, but he took it off carefully when he walked back to the tent, and then summoned Archbishop Biser of Milan and his nephew Bruno, "We have to take the team to the other side of the strait as soon as possible. The emperor has already had the idea of ​​​​enticing us, but this actually means that he has envied us and believes that we are harmful to his country. Previously, the French king's brother died in Asia Minor inexplicably."

"From now on, we firmly refuse the emperor's gift. It is said that the clothes sent by the Greek emperor are stained with poison." The archbishop seconded. (To be continued ~^~)