At Caesar's strong insistence, Badars prepared ships for his esteemed Caesar and his Philaka Legion on the third day after receiving the status report on the Tauris peasant rebellion.
On that very day, Manuel, accompanied by his Commander of the Guard and 500 Philaka Soldiers, set off for his long-absent homeland.
After a rapid voyage of just over two days, the flagship carrying Caesar Manuel was the first to arrive at Bangkok Pu, the capital of the Autocratic State, at noon.
Upon disembarking, he, accompanied by his trusted guards, immediately headed to the palace he hadn't resided in for a long time, where he ran into his father and the remaining cabinet members, who were overwhelmed by the peasant rebels.
Facing his father after a significant period of separation, Manuel was first dazed and surprised, then he solicitously inquired about his health and the well-being of other family members, before finally asking about the current state of the rebellion in Tauris.
Facing his genuinely concerned son, Prince Alexius, who had served as regent and endured three months of pressure alone in Tauris, couldn't help but feel a wave of relief and emotion.
Although he had known since the day before that Manuel was returning, when his child truly reappeared before him, he still couldn't help but feel a little emotional and wished to discuss more everyday matters.
But now was not the time; thinking this, Alexius had to temporarily rein in his emotions and meticulously inform his son about the situation in Tauris, detailing everything.
And after receiving indisputable intelligence from his father, Manuel clearly understood and confirmed the current situation: unlike when the rebellion first erupted in December, sweeping through most of Tauris, after nearly three months of defense and suppression, the Bosporus Army had largely gained a clear advantage.
The peasant rebels, on the other hand, had been forced into the desolate wilderness south of the Tatar Isthmus, north of Simferopol and Kerkimetis.
Although he had ordered its development, a mere few years naturally couldn't bring about any significant changes, and it largely remained barren.
"Logically, by now, these unruly peasants should have stopped, especially since I previously ordered the exemption of agricultural taxes for all Tauris peasants this year.
So why are they still stubbornly resisting, allowing this rebellion to continue?" Manuel couldn't help but shake his head as he spoke.
He truly didn't understand why these commoners were still rebelling and not stopping, even in such a predicament.
"Father, there must be something fishy going on here.
Because this time, it's not just bankrupt small farmers and serfs, but also the involvement of Rus exiles and Tatars…" Thinking this, Caesar unconsciously informed his father of his discovery, just as he did in his youth.
But no sooner had he finished speaking than he realized he seemed to have made a mistake, and immediately, without changing his expression, he shifted his tone, "However, these are matters to be investigated after our army has quelled this peasant rebellion.
Everyone, please return to your duties as quickly as possible." At the end, he cast a somewhat sharp gaze over the various officials, military officers, and Generals gathered around him and his father, implying that this conversation should end here, and also attempting to ascertain whether his personal authority had diminished during his absence from Tauris.
The result was quite satisfactory to him; despite having been away from Tauris for a considerable time, in the face of his sharp gaze, with the exception of his father and wife, the attitude of all other subordinates became incredibly respectful, and they immediately hurried to attend to their duties.
Fortunately, after confirming that his status had not wavered in the slightest, their Caesar immediately withdrew his gaze and instead appeased them with a relatively gentle look.
That evening, after completing the transfer of power, relieving Alexius and Barbara of their regency, seeing his elderly father off to continue his peaceful retirement, and also giving his adorable "eldest princess," little Justiana, a hug, Manuel finally returned to his old office room and began meticulously reading the real-time reports from the front lines.
Among them, he noticed the report submitted by Dungar de Lapole, the General he had sent to command the anti-rebellion forces.
"The captured and killed rebel leaders, those restless Tatars, account for seventy to eighty percent?" Reading this, Manuel, seated in his armchair, gently tapped on the wooden table in front of him, his mind deep in thought.
After a while, he had a rough guess, "Tonight, let Badars lead the secret department to conduct a covert investigation into these rebels.
I have a feeling this civil unrest isn't so simple."
As he finalized his countermeasures, Barbara, who was helping him with official duties beside him, suddenly let out a gasp.
"What's wrong!?" Seeing his beloved wife's troubled expression, he quickly went over and held her by the shoulders.
"Nothing," Barbara said, rubbing her forehead, and with a forced smile, handed him the report that had greatly shocked her, "Manuel, look at this.
Saint Mary, these bandits truly have no respect for the Holy Father, and are ungrateful for the Emperor's grace."
Manuel, curious, took it and read it carefully.
Upon finishing, he burst into laughter on the spot, "I thought it was something serious; it's just the rebel leader threatening to kill our entire Gavras Family if they enter Tauris."
"Utterly rebellious," Barbara frowned, muttering angrily, "Do they not even spare infants like little Justiana?"
"Such commoners are like that," he merely shrugged casually in response, "Besides, the reason it escalated to this point is largely because I was too reckless in my campaign in Asia Minor, which forced these commoners to rise up.
So, when I ordered the tax increase, I was already prepared for the rebels to wipe out my entire family register.
Rest assured, I have that kind of resolve."
"But since these unruly commoners dared to rebel against me, then they must also be prepared for me to wipe out their entire families!" At the end, a cruel, cold smile, rare for him, appeared on Manuel's face.
"Wait, wait, wait, what's the necessity of such resolve!? And what is a 'family register'?"
As the couple bickered during this brief interlude, Justinian Seresnus, the Chief Secretary and Foreign Minister of the Bosphorus Despotate, also arrived at his transit point.
Yes, a transit point, not his destination; in other words, he did not sail directly to his hometown of Morea, but stopped somewhere in between.
That place was the sole and irreplaceable capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, the unforgettable Constantinople.
And today, he had specifically come to meet Constantine, who happened to be in Constantinople, under the pretext of a ship stop.