The new Grand Admiral, or rather, acting Grand Admiral, was a Venetian. To be honest, Manuel was not surprised, after all, there weren't many capable people in Theodoro's navy at the moment. Although their naval combat power could hammer the Tatars' Black Sea Fleet into the ground, they definitely couldn't defeat the Genoese navy. If they wanted a breakthrough in naval power, inviting a reliable and capable Venetian naval officer was a good choice. But how did Theodoro convince the Venetians to come? Manuel wondered.
Alexius seemed to read his thoughts and said, "Baron Falero was specifically designated by His Excellency Francesco Foscari, the current Doge of Venice, to help us."
So it was the Doge of Venice himself who gave the order. But the surname Falero… he felt like he had heard it somewhere before. Manuel nodded thoughtfully.
Next, they discussed some daily affairs, and then Alexius announced the dissolution of the miniature Imperial Council, specifically asking Manuel and Patniko to stay.
After confirming that everyone else was gone, Alexius called out all the servants in the room.
Once only the three of them remained in the room, Alexius first smiled, then burst into laughter, leaving Manuel bewildered. Patniko stood somewhat constrained to the side; he probably knew what His Highness the Prince was about to say, but he felt it was better for the other party to say it himself.
After less than a minute, Alexius's smile faded, and he pulled Manuel into a tight embrace. After a while, he let go and explained the reason for his unusual behavior:
"My child, you are truly leading a revolution in armaments. To be honest, I didn't take those 500 sample guns very seriously before, as they had very little practical combat function beyond training simulations. But later, I had the craftsmen follow the improved blueprints you provided and construct 300 new matchlock guns. With gunpowder, they can easily pierce plate armor, and they are sturdy and durable. Now, even militiamen, after training, can stand against proper knights."
"Is that so? That's really good, really good…"
As expected. However, "So, Father, from March to August, there were only 300 practical matchlock guns available for use?"
Patniko, who had been standing by the side since the beginning, interjected helplessly, "Yes, it takes too long to build one. It's hard to say how long it would take to arm the entire army. Currently, there are only enough for less than three regiments. Crown Prince, can you suggest any further improvements?"
Sorry, I can't! Manuel grumbled internally. Unless you can forge durable steel in the late Middle Ages.
However, it was his father, Alexius, who preempted Patniko's rebuttal, "Patniko, haven't I already deployed 100 of these 300 guns to your legion?"
"But Your Majesty, the remaining 200 are all in your Filaka Legion. I'm not saying this is unreasonable, it's just that relying on only one legion does more harm than good for the overall combat effectiveness of the army."
"The resources I gave you before were the same, yet you suffered heavy casualties even fighting a group of Tatars, and there was the difference in performance during last year's exercise. Oh, Holy Mother!"
Was last year's military exercise referring to the Filaka Legion fighting armed peasants, holding their own against ten to one? And what was the situation with the Tatars?
"Your Majesty, what happened in May was a complete accident. If those present were well-trained…"
"So all those at the border that time were militiamen, or ghost soldiers? Your report didn't mention that!"
"Your Majesty, no, I'm not, I didn't, this, this is, Your Majesty, this is… an… accident! Just like in the report, an accident!"
"The Filaka Legion solved in less than half a day what you couldn't deal with in three days!"
"Your Majesty, a large part of that is due to your significant investment in them."
"I used to treat the entire army equally, even favoring the older armies. Why are you dissatisfied now that I've allocated a few more guns to Filaka?"
"Your Majesty, you've allocated more than just 50 guns; this is a matter of proportion!"
I need to find a way to end this topic, otherwise, if there are problems with the army, it will be troublesome. The worst-case scenario is creating animosity between the Filaka Legion and other legions. But, going to war with Genoa was initially supported by the army, so how did it turn into this mess? Manuel thought, a headache throbbing.
"Father, I believe that the next batch of matchlock guns should be prioritized for the other legions. We shouldn't have too many disagreements in this area. Furthermore, General Patniko was someone you recognized and promoted from the 1411 war due to your discerning eye; I privately believe there is considerable merit to his opinion." Manuel forcefully interjected into their argument.
Manuel's words seemed to give them a way out, allowing them to reasonably back down. After a moment, they finally calmed down and readily accepted Manuel's mediation plan.
"Patniko can be considered Father's direct subordinate, so why did things escalate like this today?" Manuel mused internally, then grew a little wary. "They wouldn't be trying to cut down Filaka because it's too strong, would they? No… never mind, I'll have Badars send someone to investigate after I get back, to see if these adults have any improper ambitions."
Then, Alexius's next words successfully pulled Manuel directly back from his conjectures. "Manuel, you might be busy for a while. I plan to have you help train and reorganize other legions, and also have you learn naval warfare from Baron Falero. What do you think?"
My cheap old man wants me to work myself to death, doesn't he… Manuel's eyelids twitched and trembled slightly. After about a second, he finally lowered his head gently and said, "Thank you, Father, I am eternally grateful."
Alexius nodded with great satisfaction, and Patniko, who was beside him, also showed no unusual expression, even smiling.
"Oh, right, there's one more thing—" As Patniko took his leave and Manuel was about to return to visit his other family members and deal with the accumulated affairs of the past few months, Alexius suddenly called out to his son.
"According to messages from Constantinople, your fiancée recently had a minor, insignificant problem."
"What kind of problem?"
"She burst into the Imperial Council of her brother, John VIII, to advise on military reform and learning from the Turks, and was severely scolded for it."
"That's it?"
"I haven't finished yet. Then, to show displeasure, John VIII angrily changed her name. Now she is called Barbara Palaiologina (Βαρβάρα Παλαιολογίνα)."
Manuel almost couldn't keep a straight face.