On an afternoon in mid-February, in an inconspicuous part of the Imperial Garden on the outskirts of the Blachernae Palace in Constantinople, Constantine, the current Moria Despotate, sat with his old acquaintance and former subordinate, Serenus, beside a very simple stone table.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the two began to discuss the matter they had come to explore—Manuel Komnenos Gavras, the Bosporus Caesar.
"So, Your Highness, what I mean is that Manuel should truly be able to help us," Serenus emphasized after briefly explaining, or rather, praising the monarch he now openly served. "I personally experienced his time dealing with the Ottoman, and I can now confirm what kind of man Manuel is: although he is younger than all of us, his military and political talents, as well as his personal wisdom and courage, are not inferior to any monarch in Eastern Europe today."
"And his personal charisma too," Serenus immediately added in his mind.
Under the persuasion of his old acquaintance and former subordinate, Constantine likely made up his mind.
Although the Palaiologos had not anticipated their Brother-in-law growing so much in such a short time when they first married Barbara to him, since he was now clashing with the Ottoman, Constantinople could try to develop him into a potential helper.
If that could truly happen, then they should also be prepared to seize the opportunity to contend with the Ottoman.
As for why he had not been keen to involve his Brother-in-law earlier, besides worrying about the latter's potential claims on Constantinople, it was also because Constantine keenly perceived that the Bosporus Autocratic State was a special entity maintained by Manuel's personal efforts.
In other words, the Bosporus Autocratic State's ability to become a medium-sized country spanning the Black Sea entirely depended on his Brother-in-law's leadership and military-political capabilities.
If he brought him in, it might lead to his untimely death in the conflict against the Ottoman…
This was the worst-case scenario, and in that case, this so-called Bosphorus Despotate would likely collapse with him.
For Constantine, although the two had only met officially once, he still greatly admired his Brother-in-law.
Initially, both for public and private reasons, he had not intended to directly involve them.
However, under Serenus's advice, he eventually changed his mind.
"Serenus, you are right," Constantine composed himself. "If we do nothing, the Roman Empire will sooner or later sink into the ocean of history."
As he gave this example, the Despotate's expression could not help but turn a little grim. "Perhaps it will sink under my watch. After all, my brother has yet to leave any heirs."
"Your Highness, please do not be so pessimistic." Faced with the demeanor of his old superior, acquaintance, and friend, Serenus couldn't help but revert to his attitude from when he was his attendant.
Encouraged by his former subordinate, Constantine immediately composed himself and diverted the other's attention with a rather important piece of information. "Speaking of which, it seems the Roman Catholic Church has already held an internal synod."
"Which means…" Serenus immediately opened his mouth slightly, but his surprise was noticed by Constantine.
"Yes, the Roman Patriarch has not given up on past attempts," Constantine nodded, confirming his guess. "They still want to unite the Eastern and Western Churches."
"Then what do you think, Caesar?"
"Are there any other options? As long as we can get reinforcements, what does mere religious belief matter?" Constantine glanced at his old subordinate, his eyes at this moment incomparably sharp, even more so than the younger Manuel. "According to information from my brother, Pope Eugene IV, the Roman Patriarch, seems truly intent on persuading our Basileus, the theoretical highest authority of the Eastern Orthodox faith, to attend a council.
If there are no mistakes, this should be in Florence a few years from now."
"So, Serenus, your primary mission this time, which I entrust to you, is to find a way to bring my young and promising Brother-in-law to participate in this synod after you return to the Bosporus Autocratic State.
If he agrees, then this will be the first step in our cooperation."
"Yes, Your Highness." Faced with his old superior's command, Serenus accepted without hesitation.
After discussing these important matters, they once again talked about their personal lives.
When discussing Serenus's marriage, Constantine rarely showed a teasing smile. "After all these years, you are finally getting married, Sir Serenus."
At his old superior's tone, Serenus couldn't help but shiver, knowing that the other party would surely make some extremely hard-to-bear jokes about him.
"Klyana Stratigena, my fiancée, what about her?" To avoid the tragic fate that was likely to occur, he preemptively revealed her before the Moria Despotate.
"Did you know her since childhood? The girl with chestnut hair and black eyes?"
"Cough, puff!"
Afterward, Serenus finally understood that his family arranging his wedding at this particular time, and with someone he loved, was all orchestrated by the Moria Despotate before him.
"Holy Mother, that's enough," Serenus muttered the next morning, sitting on the ship heading to Morea. "Though this development isn't bad."
As the ship carrying the Bosporus Foreign Minister continued to sail towards Morea, in the central Tauris Peninsula, Caesar Manuel had personally come to the front lines, taking direct command of the army, ready to personally put an end to this group of rebels.
"And to deal with them as quickly as possible, this decree must be passed on," At this moment, Caesar, dressed in military attire, ordered his Commander of the Guard and the accompanying military clerks, "Only the ringleaders will be executed.
Those who were coerced, as long as they leave in time or defect, will be immediately released without guilt."
"Furthermore, if the rebel leader and the mastermind behind the evil deeds are captured, they will be granted 50 stremmas of farmland and given the status of manor lord."
"As the Holy Father is my witness, for all Eastern Orthodox, regardless of ethnicity, the above decree applies."
After issuing these commands and personally witnessing their release, he then turned to discuss the tactics for suppressing the bandits.
However, his actions particularly surprised Dungar, who was from England. With this feeling, he couldn't help but ask his monarch, "Caesar, will doing this truly cause the rebels to collapse and disintegrate?"
"Not entirely," Caesar did not hide anything about this. "After all, this time it is very likely to involve those restless fellows from the Eastern European Great Plains."
"Then why…"
Before he could finish, Manuel gently interrupted him, "However, this can accelerate the collapse of the rioters and displaced people among them, and that is enough."