Seeing how his last adress has provoked few comments, Tagaris rises to speak once more.

One thing I would like Comes Ampelas to tell us is how with much more provinces in the Empire, though most are still struggling to get their economies started, how will he manage to fund the building and troop training policy he advocates ?

Our Basileos, with a lot less provinces requiring funds, and with the high managerial skills he displayed was often at a loss for funds : therefore construction sites had to abandoned , few professional troops were trained... See the Megas' reports for 1086 and 1090... The only time where construction could be launched in all settlements was with the influx of funds from the taking of Antioch...I rest my case.

Pillaging is not something I look forward to but it is a means to an end... nothing more, nothing less... And let us not forget that if the enemy (be it Turk or Italian or whoever else) attacked us, our victories could afford us to ransom their men back...

War is the means to the improvement of our Empire not some attentist policy... Build churches all you like but they will offer you some truly poor shelter once our neighbours awaken to our new found strength and begin to see us as a threat...