1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 156 Gold Salt Trade
Eastern Roman Empire, Southern Frontier.

A convoy was moving on the hard sand, with light cavalry in blood-red uniforms patrolling outside and guarding the big flag in the center.

Under the golden-red double-headed eagle flag, the short Bob horse pulled the carriage and galloped across the endless wasteland, splashing up dust all over the ground.

The carriage is black in color, with extremely luxurious interior and exterior. The Palaiologos family crest on the body glows golden under the sunlight.

"Father, is this the Jared Great Salt Lake? It's so beautiful."

Next to the convoy, the Great Salt Lake of Djerid was filled with salt water again in winter. Several dry rivers flowed into the salt lake from the distant mountains, combining with the minerals at the bottom of the lake to reveal a gorgeous rose color.

In the largest carriage, Isaac and his son sat side by side. Little Justinian leaned his head against the window, enjoying the cool breeze while staring at the beautiful and spectacular Great Salt Lake.

"Where shall we stay tonight? Why don't we camp next to the Great Salt Lake?"

"We are staying at Fort Romanus tonight, which is also close to the Great Salt Lake and has even better scenery than here."

Justinian cheered and continued to tilt his head to look at the scenery.

The sun in deep winter looks very small, like a golden disk hanging high in the sky.

After the military and political affairs of the new territory were on track, Isaac ended nearly two years of conquest and finally had some free time. He threw all the trivial matters to several ministers who moved to Carthage, took his family to tour the territory, and accepted the loyalty of the ministers and tribal leaders.

Justinian, freed from his heavy workload, got a hard-earned vacation. He was in high spirits and chattered all the way.

However, Isaac was not going to let him be so happy. Of course, he brought him out for a mission.

"Last week in Gafsa, I took you around the edge of the Atlas Mountains to meet with some of the heads of small tribes and let you talk about your ideas."

"It's been a week, you should have thought it through, right?"

Isaac tapped Justinian's little head and pulled him toward him.

"Well...it seems like they are all afraid of you."

"Nonsense! I just beat the crap out of them."

Isaac cursed with a smile.

“It feels quite messy there.”

"Oh? What kind of chaos?"

"The tribes fought endlessly over water and territory, and the disagreements were huge. The pioneer knights and slave-hunting groups took the opportunity to enter, trade with the tribal leaders, buy serfs and war slaves, and messed up the mountains."

"I heard that many tribal leaders have asked you to divide their territories and stop the fighting between tribes. Can't you do something about it?"

Seeing the curious look of little Justinian, Isaac couldn't help but touch his head.

“It’s good to be able to see the cause through the phenomenon.”

"But don't trust those cunning leaders easily."

"Those who are willing to come and see me are all small tribes that have been pushed to the margins. All they hope for is for me to administer so-called justice for them, to defeat their enemies through my hands, and to annex their land and population."

"As for those pioneering knights and slave-hunting groups, they were originally my work. The purpose was to create chaos, so that they would focus their energy on fighting and consume their manpower."

"Only when they become chaotic and continue to be weak will they make demands on us, and only then can we sit firmly on the Diaoyutai."

Justinian thought about it.

"Didn't you anoint Prince Makusum as the Sultan of Bislak a few days ago? Aren't they your vassals?"

"Makusum is just a pile of mud. A few months ago, I sent troops to help him defeat the local forces and occupy Bislak City and surrounding towns. Under the pressure of military might, the local forces did recognize his status as the Sultan of Bislak. In name, he is indeed my vassal."

"However, Makusum's character is too poor to gain the sincere support of the people. After my army withdrew, he immediately began to indulge in extravagance, causing his subordinates to become disloyal."

"Not long ago, Ebenezer, who fled from Kairouan, led his army to defeat Makusum's remaining troops in Tebessa, occupied the land and proclaimed himself king, and asked me to confer him the title."

"Did you give it?"

Although Justinian had no impression of these unfamiliar place names, he was still very interested in these war stories.

"He was given the title of Emir and ordered to pledge allegiance to the Sultan of Bisrak."

"But this man is very ambitious and will definitely not give up. He will probably confront our Makusum Sultan later."

Isaac waved his hands and put these complicated worries behind him.

"Let them fight as they please. Until they have fought to a conclusion, the war deep in the Atlas Mountains has little to do with us."

"So, after they continue to fight, will a powerful leader emerge, swallow up all the surrounding land and population, and then attack us?"

Justinian asked.

"It is possible, but very difficult."

"Unlike the steppes, the Atlas Mountains divide large settlements into small geographical units, which are connected by limited roads. This special topographic barrier is often more serious than the division caused by culture and religion."

“Settlements and towns surrounded by mountains are the perfect breeding ground for ambition and separatism.”

“Even if a genius really appeared and could subdue the tribes in the mountains and unite them under his banner, the empire he hastily built would surely fall apart with his death and would not last long.”

"Besides, we are not vegetarians. We can't just turn a blind eye to this."

"Furthermore, it is difficult for nomadic tribes in these mountains to form large cities. They do not have a complete metallurgical system and commercial system, let alone the development of technology. They must rely on external transfusions."

"As time goes by, their army will only fall further and further behind us."

Isaac smiled and touched Justinian's head, and was quite satisfied with his performance.

"Father, I actually have another idea."

Seeing Isaac's smile, Justinian became even more eager to try and show himself.

"You said."

"I have just returned from the Iberian Peninsula and visited your new territories. I found that some people compare your crusade to the Iberian Reconquest, and it is not without reason."

"Oh? Why did you say that?"

"First, your holy war and the reconquest of Iberia were carried out in the name of God to drive out the Saracens who had occupied Christian territory and to spread the glory of the Holy Father back to the land that should have belonged to us."

"Secondly, I found that the topography, climate conditions and cultural landscape of the central and southern Iberian Peninsula are very similar to those here. They are also relatively arid, mainly mountainous and hilly, and are also inhabited by a large number of Saracens."

"I heard from the Prime Minister that your development decree is similar to that of the previous king of Iberia."

"Good! You are worthy of being my son. You have such vision at such a young age, even better than many of my ministers."

Isaac was extremely happy. He hugged Justinian and gave him a big kiss, then took out a few pieces of cake from his bag as his reward.

In fact, Isaac's decree of development was based on the Iberian Reconquest Movement, and he also added some of his own experience from later generations. Similar to North Africa, the climate conditions on the Iberian Peninsula are also extremely changeable. The precipitation decreases sharply from the northwest to the southeast. The annual precipitation in the Galicia region in the northwest corner can reach up to 2,000 mm, while the Benas Desert in the southeast corner has only 200 mm, which is the only desert in the European continent.

The current capital of the United Kingdom of Castile is Toledo, a semi-arid city deep in the inland plateau with an annual rainfall of only more than 400 mm, less than half of that of Carthage.

But precipitation does not equate to poor land. Abundant river water and abundant sunshine can also make wheat thrive and develop irrigation agriculture.

Similar to the Iberian Reconquest, Isaac's encroachment on the Atlas Mountains also relied on pioneering knights from all over Europe, who would summon the increasingly surplus population on the European continent to open up new territories in the mountains.

There are rivers and mountain springs in the Atlas Mountains, and some places with high altitudes also have meltwater from snow. In addition to ordinary wheat, Isaac also vigorously promoted the cultivation of rye. This plant originated from the Iranian Plateau and the Afghan Plateau and has better tolerance to high altitudes, drought and salinity. The seeds are edible and the stems are also high-quality forage.

These pioneering knights would cooperate with the slave-hunting groups, and either attack or compromise with the local tribesmen. The captured slaves would be sold to nearby serfdom estates, forming a complete industrial chain.

"Father, you just said that these Saracens are very backward. Then why did you give Saracen merchants and craftsmen so many rights and interests, integrate them into the Carthaginian merchant group, and even rely on them to complete the construction of the new capital?"

"Well..."

Isaac stroked the beard on his chin.

“Remember, it is not people or Islam that are backward, but only this mode of production based on nomadic tribes.”

"The Saracens are not backward at all; their civilization is just as prosperous, and even surpasses ours in many respects."

"The largest city in Africa is Cairo in Egypt, and the largest city in Europe is Granada on the Iberian Peninsula. Even the population of Fez in the Marin Dynasty was larger than that of Paris and Venice. Before we came, Carthage was larger than most capitals on the European continent. These cities are all treasures of Saracen civilization, shining in inconspicuous places."

"A qualified monarch must learn from the strengths of various cultures and be inclusive. It is absolutely not acceptable to be self-admiring."

Isaac continued his teachings.

"Governing a city with a population of over 100,000 is a skill. The Empire has not had such experience for a long time. When you grow up, I will arrange for professionals to assist you in governing Bilinchi City. This city already has a population of 60,000, which is perfect for you to practice..."

Isaac was talking about his future plans and didn't notice Justinian's somewhat gloomy face.

"Father."

"Ok?"

"According to what you said, the Saracens seem to be much more advanced than us. I heard from my geography teacher that the most prosperous city in Asia was Baghdad, then Batu Sarai, and now Samarkand, all of which are Saracen cities..."

Isaac stared with wide eyes after hearing this, and secretly decided to change Justinian's geography teacher when he returned.

"Batu Sarai is not an Asian city, and Baghdad and Samarkand are not the most prosperous cities in Asia. As for the Saracens, they are indeed more advanced than us now."

"In the far east, there are two civilizations that are completely different from ours. India in South Asia is also densely populated, and China in the Far East even had cities with over a million people. You may have dealings with them in the future."

"When I go back this time, I will ask your mother to take time out from wasting time at the banquet to tell you stories every day, starting with The Travels of Marco Polo. It may not be authentic, but you will definitely like it..."

The father and son chatted in the car as the convoy continued to move forward, eventually stopping at Romanus Castle, the capital of the Southern Border Region, next to the Jered Salt Lake.

The city was originally the capital of the Sultanate of Djerid. Isaac captured this unwalled town at the beginning of the previous year and renamed it Romanusburg as one of the residences of the vassal minister.

A year has passed and there has been no change here. It is still a stronghold of several thousand people. On a low hill in the distance, a small castle is being built.

On a tower that had already been built, the double-headed eagle flag of the Roman Empire and the roaring boar flag symbolizing the southern border region were flying high.

"Abel, the resident minister of the Southern Border Region, pays respect to His Majesty and the prince."

The giant knelt on one knee, lowered his head, and saluted Isaac and Justinian. Behind him, officials from the southern border area and tribal leaders knelt in a mass.

Justinian looked at the giant in front of him curiously, stood on tiptoe, and touched Abel's furry head.

Abel was not angry. He looked at Justinian with a smile on his scarred face.

"The prince is a man of great talent. With such an heir, Your Majesty can rest assured."

The people behind him also praised him highly. Although Justinian didn't understand these dialects very well, he was also very happy.

Isaac helped Abel up, ordered his soldiers to lay out the food and drinks they had brought, lit a bonfire under the blue sky and white clouds, and sat on the ground with his subjects.

Among the subjects, some migrated from the east, and some were local tribes who were willing to obey Isaac's rule. The atmosphere at the banquet was quite harmonious.

During the banquet, Isaac introduced his eldest son and heir to his subordinates and asked them to send their children to Carthage to serve as the prince's study companions.

The next morning, Isaac found Abel and listened to his introduction to the situation in the southern border area, and also gave his guidance on the focus of future work.

The overall situation in the southern border area did not make much progress. After hearing about the tragic fall of the Hafsid Dynasty, Sultan Togurt and Emir Mzab in the west became much more honest. They allowed Abel to send envoys to their capital, sent several unimportant heirs to Fort Romanus as hostages, and sent hundreds of old, weak and sick people as vassal troops.

Abel divided the administrative power among Ahmed and Hussein, while he himself took charge of the military power. His current main goal is to establish authority and subdue the rebellious tribes that are unwilling to obey.

Isaac was quite confident in Abel's military capabilities, and he had another main purpose for coming here this time.

That is the trans-Sahara gold and salt trade that he has always dreamed of.

Compared with the groping-by-the-sight gold plundering in West Africa, the trans-Sahara gold and salt trade has been going on for centuries, the trade routes are mature, and it is currently at its peak.

This trade route, with camels as the main means of transportation, crosses the uninhabited Sahara Desert and directly connects to the legendary golden country, Mali.

Because sub-Saharan Africa was short of salt but rich in gold, camel caravans traveling from North Africa to Central Africa and West Africa had no trouble selling their salt. The cheap salt in the Mediterranean world could be sold at a very high price after crossing the desert, even at the same price as gold.

Isaac once established a gold and salt trade transit station in the city of Sabha, which was very effective and soon made enough profit.

Starting from the city of Carthage, going south through Fort Romanus and heading southwest to Mari, this was the second trans-Sahara trade route that Isaac planned to establish.

Compared with the trade route of Sabha, this trade route is shorter, has a larger carrying capacity, and its destination, Mali, is richer and more wealthy than several grassland countries in Central Africa.

Camel caravans have a small cargo capacity, so it is difficult to successfully transport bulk commodities such as grain and cloth, but gold and salt, which are small in size and high in price, are very suitable.

It can be said that Isaac took great pains to occupy North Africa and made the area from Carthage to the east of Gafsa his own, and was willing to lose one-third of the population to stabilize it, more than half of which was for this lucrative trade route.

Due to the difficulty of trekking in the desert, the trade routes and transit stations for the gold and salt trade were fixed, which also made it convenient for Isaac to collect taxes and achieve a monopoly.

The operation of a country requires a lot of funds as a lubricant. With money, there will be people and soldiers.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. Although I am a rough man, I will definitely cooperate with you and build Fort Romanus into what you want."

In the tent, Abel made a promise to Isaac.

"You will receive a 5% commission from the profits of each gold and salt trade, which will be used to support the operation of the southern border region and the development of your own family."

Isaac nodded and also ceded some of his interests to Abel.

"Your Majesty, urgent news!"

The captain of the personal guards, Yergubai, hurriedly pushed open the tent, holding a letter stamped with wax in his hand.

"Prime Minister Isurt wants you to return to Carthage as soon as possible. Something has happened in the Balkans!"

(End of this chapter)