As Constantine XI had said, after Sfrantzis and Serenus secretly negotiated in Buda on behalf of their respective monarchs and brought back their stances, he was inspired by his Brother-in-law's suggestion: if he declared war on the Ottoman in the name of the Despotate of Morea, couldn't he participate in the Holy War under the premise that Constantinople would not directly intervene, thereby avoiding risks in the upcoming situation? This way, even if something went wrong, at least the Mother of All Cities could be preserved?
After all, it was the Despotate of Morea that launched the Holy War against you, what did it have to do with the Roman Empire?
Therefore, after discussing with his cabinet and confirming the feasibility of the plan, he made a decisive decision: he left Prime Minister Lucas Notaras and a few other important ministers in Constantinople to hold the fort, and took most of his staff back to Morea, attempting to launch a northern expedition against the Ottoman in the name of Thomas's Moria Despotate. But this was merely a facade; the real orchestrator would naturally be himself, who had managed the peninsula for many years and could still firmly control Morea through his prestige, system, and achievements.
As for Thomas himself? In fact, he was initially unconvinced by his elder brother's seemingly ostrich-like behavior, "Brother, will the Turks believe such a sleight of hand?"
"Certainly not," Constantine readily admitted this point, but he immediately turned the conversation, "If we played such tricks in normal times, then both Morea and Constantinople would be ravaged by that blasphemous Sultan in his fury.
"But now the Ottoman is under attack from both sides, with the Catholic Crusaders in the west and the strong assault of the Karaman Beylik and the potential threat of the Bosporus in the east. Murad II cannot be as arrogant with us as before; instead, he will hold his nose and tacitly approve of this'sacred separation,' making an enemy only of Morea and not of Constantinople."
At the end of his speech, the Basileus even made a rare joke, almost amusing his younger brother.
"Is that so? That's good, isn't it?" Although Thomas still had doubts about his elder brother's words, he ultimately accepted his proposal, deciding to declare war on the Ottoman in his current capacity as the Moria Despotate, while the actual command would be fully handed over to Constantine XI.
However, since the Roman Empire's military strength was far inferior to the Ottoman at this time, both Constantine and his brother maintained their silence until conscription was complete, not rashly entering the war.
While they were making preparations, in the Brusa palace, Sultan Murad II, dressed in military attire, faced the important ministers of his Sultanate, his eyes solemn. This Sultan, who had been in middle age for many years, was shorter and stouter than those tall and handsome young talents. His broad, brown, Turk-like face, with high cheekbones, a round gray beard, a large and crooked nose, small but sharp eyes, and dark brown pupils, all indicated the dignified bearing expected of a monarch.
If Manuel had been present, he would likely have paid more attention to the Ottoman ministers present than to the Sultan's current appearance, and his heart rate would have accelerated in shock. This was because all the civil and military officials of the Ottoman present were the most outstanding elite and wise ministers of that period, whom he was familiar with from his previous life.
And at this moment, these most important high-ranking officials of the Ottoman were gathered together, naturally to overcome this crisis that could overturn the state. They clearly understood that the Sultanate was facing an extremely severe situation this time, and if they did not unite to respond, they would inevitably face an abyss of eternal damnation.
It was precisely for this reason that the Sultan, after personally repelling an offensive by Karaman and gaining a brief respite, quickly rushed back to the palace, summoned the high-ranking pillars who could attend, and discussed with them how to respond to this great war.
Murad II, dressed in a red and black military uniform and wearing a white turban, was listening to his important ministers discussing the war's response. His Grand Vizier, Halil Pasha, stood beside him, fully attentive, representing the Sultan and moderating the atmosphere.
Now, with the exception of local governors who could not get away, including his beloved son Sultan Aladdin Ali, almost all the high-ranking officials he could directly summon were gathered here to discuss state affairs.
And now, it was precisely the end of the discussion.
After listening to the opinions of his subjects and making up his mind, the Sultan, accompanied by his personal guards, took the scepter and heavily struck the ground, commanding silence from all present.
"My decision will determine the fate of the entire Sultanate," Murad scanned the entire hall with his incomparably majestic gaze and immediately ordered:
"The current situation is that the reckless and complacent Karaman Turks are attacking Asia Minor, while Rumelia is being invaded by the infidel army summoned by the Roman Curia. The situation is critical and there is no time to lose. Therefore, I will now make the following arrangements to quell the rebellion and disputes brought by the Christians—"
"Turahan Bey?"
"Your humble servant is here!" A middle-aged military officer with a typical Turk appearance stepped out from the crowd, knelt on one knee, and bowed in salute.
"You will immediately lead the Rumelia Legion garrison to reinforce Kasim Pasha, the Governor of Rumelia, who is still in the Bulgaria region, to slow down the Christian advance. Remember, winning or losing is not important; what is important is to slow down the Christian advance before I return to the west bank of the Dardanelles Strait. During this period, you can lose ground and disregard casualties, but you must absolutely bog the enemy down in the quagmire of Bulgaria."
"As you command, Sultan."
"Arnavutlu Iskender Pasha?"
"Your humble servant is here!" An Albanian-looking officer with a Turk-style long beard, a stern expression, and a pair of dark brown eyes stepped out and saluted. His features were as clear and sharp as if carved by a knife, his hair and beard were black, his build was robust, and his complexion was fair.
"You also take your 5000 cavalry troops and assist Turahan Bey and Kasim Pasha in flexibly harassing the Christian army, disrupting their supplies in Rumelia, and breaking their formation."
"As you command, Sultan."
What no one noticed was that after receiving the Sultan's appointment, Arnavutlu Iskender Pasha's mouth twitched slightly.
"Zaganos Pasha?"
"Your humble servant is here!" A young military officer with a Greek appearance stepped out and stood at attention, saluting.
"As the Derya Bey of the Sultanate, you are responsible for leading the navy to guard our coastline, patrolling all major ports, and absolutely not allowing any enemy forces to invade land from the sea. In case of a special situation, even if you allow the enemy to plunder, you must ensure that their sea invasion fails."
"As you command, Sultan!"
"Halil Pasha?"
"Your humble servant is here!" The Grand Vizier, who had been attending the Sultan, immediately turned around, knelt on one knee before the Sultan, and awaited his command.
"You will quickly return to Edirne and send envoys to contact Venice, Genoa, and Ragusa. Although these three countries are also involved in this Holy War, they are, after all, Republics governed by merchants who forget righteousness for profit. In the face of heavy costs and generous profits, their so-called piety and determination are simply no match. Therefore, find a way to entice them with benefits to make them remain as spectators to our military actions as much as possible. Preventing the Latins from hindering our military's operations in the straits is the bottom line."
"As you command, Sultan! Your humble servant will do his utmost to restrain those greedy Kafir."
"Ahmed?"
"Your son is here!" Murad's eldest son, this young Prince, immediately stepped out from the crowd and saluted his father with determination. This young Prince had a Turk-like appearance, like his father, but because of his youth, his face was relatively handsome.
"You will lead five formations of the Anatolia Legion to guard the eastern shores of the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean Sea, coordinating with the navy led by Zaganos Pasha. You must absolutely not allow any Christian ships to break through the blockade, and even more so, you must not allow their infantry to land on the Asia Minor Peninsula, especially the Frank."
The Frank the Sultan referred to naturally meant the fleet of Duke Philip III of Burgundy and the Knights Hospitaller fleet lurking around Rhodes.
"As you command, Father!"
After all these important tasks were assigned, Murad let out a long sigh, rose from his throne, walked in front of his subjects, and slowly continued his impassioned speech,
"As for Karaman, I will defeat him with my own hands. It is time for Suleiman, the descendant of a vanquished man, to taste the bitter hardships his father once tasted!
"May Allah's peace be upon you.
"For the ancestors (ceddin), the grandfather (deden), the lineage (neslin), the father (baban).
"Kahret vatan düşmanını, çeksin o mel'unun zilleti! (Destroy your enemy, let your enemy be humiliated)"