An eye-opening ceremony has come to an end, but for these envoys, what comes next is the highlight.

For these people, the ceremony held by Constantine was just to see something new. It was not just for this that they came all the way. The main reason was that envoys from various countries gathered together. This kind of opportunity was rare, and it was just a good time to talk.

Talk about international affairs.

There is no need for Constantine to come forward to organize this kind of thing, everything that needs to be discussed will be settled by himself, and there are some things that Constantine has no control over.

"Your Majesty, the Ambassador of the Principality of Moscow wishes to see you."

During the cabinet meeting, Cito reminded Constantine,

"The Principality of Moscow has sent gold and silver to repair the Saint Sophia Cathedral. It has been sent to the Ministry of Interior. The cathedral will be able to undergo simple renovations within the year."

This is routine maintenance. Every year, the Principality of Moscow sends gold and silver. This is a sign of respect for Hagia Sophia. In addition, it is also the reason why the Principality of Moscow is rich.

Many people think that the Principality of Moscow is located on the prairie, a group of nomads with little money. This is wrong. The furs of the Principality of Moscow are very popular. Princes and nobles throughout Europe like the fine furs on the Eastern European prairie, because the higher latitudes

The reason is that no matter where in Europe, winter is very cold, so clothing to keep out the cold is very necessary.

There are also many gold and silver mines in Siberia. Through trade and mining, the economic strength of the Muscovy Principality cannot be underestimated. This is why after the split of the Golden Horde, the Muscovite Principality was able to expand continuously and very rapidly.

"But the Ambassador of Moscow has something to tell His Majesty face to face."

Constantine thought for a while and had an idea, but still asked,

"What do you think the Moscow Principality will ask for?"

Calvo was the first to answer,

"Xiang must have wanted to get rid of the control of the Golden Horde and came to us to seek legal advice."

The current Principality of Muscovy is still nominally a vassal state of the Golden Horde. However, after the split, the Golden Horde is now called the Great Horde. The Principality of Muscovy only has the right to tax the entire Rus' region and is the most powerful in the Rus' region.

of the principality.

"What's your opinion?"

Constantine continued to ask.

"Why don't you stop interfering?"

Chavez weighed his words and expressed his opinion,

"The Great Horde is not weak in strength. The nominal Nogai Khanate, Kazan Khanate and Crimean Khanate are all its vassals. Once we interfere in the affairs on the grassland, it is very likely to arouse the resentment of the Mongols.

, which is greatly detrimental to our development."

"I do have some objections,"

Calvo made a different sound,

"The Principality of Muscovy pays tribute every year and is a brother country of the Orthodox Church. It highly respects our country and supports the independence of the Principality of Muscovy, which has a great impact on the improvement of our international influence."

"What's more, supporting the independence of the Principality of Moscow does not mean that we will send troops to the grasslands. It is only nominal support. The strength of the Principality of Moscow is not weak, and they do not want us to send troops. They have this strength themselves."

"The Prime Minister puts it lightly,"

Sito was a little dissatisfied,

"With just a few words from you, half of the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be destroyed."

In the past, the diplomatic relations between the Byzantine Empire and the Great Horde were relatively good. In order to fight against the Ottomans, the previous emperors were very courteous to the Khans of the Great Horde and the Sultan of Egypt. But unfortunately, looking at it now,

Come, it didn’t have any effect,

However, diplomatic relations with the Great Horde Khanate are still an important task of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also made a lot of efforts to this end.

The several parties argued endlessly with each other, which gave Constantine a headache, but they were all talking about the issue rather than the person, and they were all discussing the feasibility and importance of the matter.

"Okay, everyone, stop it,"

Constantine was a little bored,

"Let's call the Moscow ambassador in first. He may not be what we think."

The argument stopped, Sito went out and personally led the Moscow ambassador into the hall.

After careful identification, the Moscow ambassador saluted Constantine.

"Honorable Emperor of the Roman Empire, Universal Sovereign Constantine, your humble servant Katolov has met your Majesty."

After saying that, he straightened up and waited for Constantine's inquiry, but Constantine didn't put on any airs.

"You said you have something to tell me, what is it?"

"His Majesty the Grand Duke admires the reputation of His Majesty the Emperor. In addition to sending me to regularly deliver repair funds, His Majesty the Grand Duke hopes that the Emperor can support the independence of the Principality of Muscovy, get rid of the rule of the Mongolian Tatars, and free the Orthodox Christians from the persecution of the Sunnis."

Hearing that what the messenger said was similar to what Constantine thought, Constantine was not surprised.

"What does the Grand Prince of Moscow need from us? Does he want to start a war of independence immediately?"

The messenger shook his head,

"The Great Horde is still very strong, and our country is not sure yet. Therefore, we hope to get help from your country."

Constantine and Calvo looked at each other, and Calvo immediately understood what Constantine meant.

"Your Excellency Ambassador, I'm afraid this won't work,"

Calvo rejected the ambassador's request outright,

"Our country has just emerged from the war, and the war-weariness in the country is already very strong. It will be difficult to spare our hands to help your country for a while."

Calvo smiled bitterly. If he hadn't just heard that he supported helping the Muscovy Principality, Constantine would have almost believed it.

The ambassador hesitated. He knew something about the situation in Byzantium, so he could not say anything about kidnapping Constantine morally.

"Since your country is temporarily unable to do so, His Majesty the Grand Duke Xiangbi will not force it."

The ambassador breathed a sigh of relief. The country was not ready to rebel against the Great Horde so early. Grand Duke Vasily II of Moscow looked more towards the other side: the Novgorod Republic on the Baltic Sea coast.

The Novgorod Republic has been the trade center of the Rus' region and the Nordic countries since ancient times. The furs of the Rus' region are very popular in Northern Europe. The Novgorod Republic occupies the mouth of the Neva River, and all goods transported by water must pass through Neva.

River, relying on this, the economic strength of the Novgorod Republic was very strong, which made Vasily II covet it.

In fact, Vasily II had already begun preparing to conquer the Novgorod Republic, and this was not the first time. Vasily II had already conquered Novgorod once in 1441.

The two parties exchanged a few words and the atmosphere began to become harmonious. However, Sito said something that caught the ambassador off guard.

“Is the Russian Orthodox Church’s refusal to recognize the decision of the Synod of Florence a sign of contempt for the Church of Constantinople?”

Although he was a little surprised, the ambassador was not panicked.

"The Russian Orthodox Church will never recognize the results of the conference. This is the wish of the entire Russian people. The Catholic Church must not be allowed to ride on the head of the Orthodox Christians."

It was at this meeting that the Orthodox Church of Constantinople recognized the leadership of the Pope and made great concessions. However, most of the various Christian denominations in the East refused to recognize it. It was purely a political deal.

This was finalized when Constantine's brother John VIII was king. At that time, Constantine's status was not high and he had little say in this matter. In other words, this religious meeting was not a royal meeting.

The meaning of Constantine.

And for this reason, Basil II already had the idea of ​​making the Russian Church independent of the Church of Constantinople, but he had not yet put it into practice.

Hearing the ambassador's tough response, Constantine and the cabinet members were not angry, but looked at each other and laughed.

"What the envoy said is very good. This is exactly what I want to say."

Constantine still had a smile on his face. This was what he had always wanted to do.

"I will convene a religious conference in Constantinople and invite religious scholars and church leaders from all over the country to participate. This conference will bridge the gap between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. Otherwise, they will be completely separated and the province will be noisy every day.

."

"In addition, there is no problem with Basil II's proposal that Bishop John be elected as the bishop of all Russia. I will ask the Patriarch to issue a letter of appointment and formally canonize him. The Russian Church should strongly support Basil II's missionary activities and send the glory of the Lord to the world.

To the world.”

"Missionary activities"... This is purely a glorified term, but it is actually an act of conquest. Now it has found an excuse for Basil II's conquest, and the church also controls a large amount of financial resources, which solves the logistical problems for the army.

"Thank you Your Majesty. If this is the case, the Russian Orthodox Church is willing to accept the leadership of Constantinople and allow the Orthodox Christians to unite."

The envoy got the desired result and was ready to return home without staying any longer.

Constantine's interactions with envoys from various countries were normal. In addition, the French envoys' frequent collusion with various countries was a bit eye-catching.

Just like now, the French Ambassador is communicating with the Florence Ambassador,

"Joan of Arc is a heroic figure in France. The English Inquisition ruled that Joan of Arc was a witch, which seriously insulted His Majesty Charles' face. The French people demand that Joan of Arc be vindicated. This is the unanimous wish of France."

The Florence ambassador was a little helpless. He had known these things for a long time. After all, the French ambassador had been communicating with envoys from various countries on this matter these days.

Rehabilitate is easier said than done. Now rehabilitated means that the Holy See and the local Church of England are on opposite sides. This will definitely cause a rift in the relationship between the two, but now the Hundred Years War has just ended.

, the British forces have been driven out of the mainland, and subsequent retaliation can be ignored. There is no need to worry about the British armed pilgrims.

And now the behavior of the French ambassador is to force the Holy See to abandon the Church of England. Under this situation, it is normal to want to unite some countries to put pressure on the Holy See. Only when the Holy See feels a sense of urgency will it make a decision.
Chapter completed!