1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 185 Navigation School
Suburbs of Carthage, Roman Armory, Navigation School.

Five years ago, the city of Tunis surrendered to the Eastern Roman Empire, the Hafsid dynasty was destroyed, and the co-ruling emperor Isaac moved the administrative center of the North African territory from Birinci to Carthage, and established the Carthage Naval Shipyard based on the former Hafsid dynasty shipyard.

In the following years, the Carthage Naval Shipyard continued to expand, supporting facilities continued to increase, and gradually a small town was built around the shipyard to provide services for the shipyard.

Two years ago, war broke out again in Italy, and a large number of Genoese refugees moved south. Among them, shipbuilding and navigation talents were concentrated in this small town. The huge amount of plundered wealth was also continuously injected into the Carthage shipyard. Docks and naval tool factories sprang up like mushrooms after a rain, and the size of the town continued to expand.

In mid-1460, Isaac, co-emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, defeated the Venetian Armada in the Battle of Malta. He returned to the Carthage naval port with the glory of his great victory and formally established the Roman Arsenal based on the model of the Venetian Arsenal, institutionalizing and standardizing the shipbuilding industry.

The Roman Arsenal included the Carthaginian Naval Shipyard, the Carthaginian Civilian Shipyard, the Naval Tool Factory, the Wood Processing Factory, the Naval Textile Factory, the Naval School, the Naval Hospital and the Naval Orphanage. Prefabricated ship parts, armaments, ropes, sails and everything needed were produced in different factories, and sailors and officers for various types of naval warships were trained in various academies.

With sufficient external supplies, this Roman arsenal had the ability to independently build a naval fleet.

The Roman Arsenal was centered around the Carthaginian Naval Shipyard, with the newly established Navigation School to the east.

As early as the beginning of his business, Isaac requested navigation instructors from the Kingdom of Portugal and established a number of small naval schools in port cities such as Surt, Birinci and Constantinople to train talents for the naval fleet.

After the Roman Arsenal was established, naval academies from all over the country were moved to the small town next to the Arsenal, and the Eastern Roman Empire Navigation School was officially established.

At first, Isaac planned to set up a navigation school in Constantinople, but it was located in a corner of the Black Sea, too far away from the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, and the local maritime atmosphere was not strong enough. After much deliberation, he gave up this plan.

Compared with the previous academies in various places that were dedicated to training talents for the naval fleet, the teaching framework of the Eastern Roman Empire Navigation School was more comprehensive. It was divided into four academies, namely the Inland Sea Academy, the Ocean Academy, the Naval War College and the Naval Medical College.

The Inland Sea Academy is the largest and is mainly responsible for training naval officers for the Mediterranean Fleet and the Black Sea Fleet. Students will study naval tactics, command flags, artillery use and other courses. They must be proficient in Greek and popular Latin, and can choose one of French and Arabic. The text is mainly Greek.

The Ocean Academy is the second largest, and its main purpose is to train explorers for ocean expeditions. Students must understand basic astronomical principles, the basic laws of sea breezes and currents, the human geography and climate characteristics of the West African coast, how to deal with unexpected events, etc. There are fewer requirements in terms of naval warfare and language.

The Naval Academy is nominally designed for the Marine Corps, but in reality it focuses mainly on looting activities along the Mediterranean coast. The students come from a variety of backgrounds, most of them are children of pirates, the course requirements are relatively few, and the focus is mainly on internships.

The Naval Medical College has the smallest number of students and is mainly responsible for training military doctors for various ships. Students will learn courses such as surgical bandaging, treatment of common diseases, use of herbal medicine, consumption of marine life, and treatment of scurvy. The academy will also offer a psychology course, and military doctors will also undertake ideological counseling for sailors when necessary to alleviate the sorrow and depression caused by the arduous journey at sea.

In the Eastern Roman Empire Navigation School, Christopher Columbus sat in the classroom, listening absent-mindedly to the old teacher's long speech.

The layout of the classroom is very beautiful. The wooden walls exude a faint fragrance. Through the window lattices, you can directly see the blue sea and smell the salty sea breeze.

Just above the podium hung the double-headed eagle flag of the Eastern Roman Empire, and below the double-headed eagle was a line of Greek text carved, which was said to be written by Emperor Isaac.

The ocean is a source of wealth.

"The ocean is the source of wealth, and sea power is the key to controlling the ocean. Our course today revolves around sea power."

The old teacher's low voice sounded intermittently.

"First, what is sea power?"

"The term sea power was first proposed by the famous ancient Greek scholar Thucydides. In his view, the ocean will grant this power to anyone who knows how to conquer and use the ocean."

"Cicero, a famous consul in the Republic era, also said that only by building a strong navy can the ocean be completely under control."

The old teacher adjusted his glasses, looked at Columbus who was staring intently out the window, and continued speaking in silence.

"Your Majesty once said that as long as Rome controls the seas, it will never fall."

"Many people have raised questions about this statement. Please share your thoughts."

“I asked the same question during a class at the Inland Sea Academy, and Admiral Fidel’s son gave a nearly perfect answer.”

Seeing that Columbus was still daydreaming, the old teacher's voice suddenly became high-pitched.

"Columbus, tell me something!"

Columbus was startled and stood up quickly, but he didn't know what the teacher was asking and looked around at the classmates around him.

"Christopher!"

Bartolomeu Dias in the back seat kicked Columbus' calf and whispered a warning.

"Teacher, why did His Majesty say that as long as Rome controlled the sea, it would never decline?"

Columbus cast a grateful look at Dias, his brain working rapidly as he organized his answer.

"First, the current Roman Empire is mainly divided into two major parts, namely the Balkan Peninsula and North Africa."

"The territory on the Balkan Peninsula is surrounded by the sea on three sides, with high mountains in the northwest and low mountains in the southeast. The side not surrounded by the sea is protected by tall and steep mountains. The same is true for the capital Constantinople. The side not facing the sea is protected by the Theodosian Wall."

"It is precisely because of this that when powerful enemies attack the Balkan Peninsula, they usually come across the sea. As long as we can defend the three seas, the Balkan Peninsula will be safe."

"The situation in North Africa is even more special. Most of the big cities are located on the coastal plains. The southern part of Africa is protected by the mountain fortresses in the Atlas Mountains. The southern part of Sirte and Cyrenaica is the endless Sahara Desert. If the enemy wants to attack this place, it will be very difficult."

"They only have two options: either go through the east-west corridor along the coast of North Africa, or choose a large seaport city that can be supplied for landing operations."

"Several Saracen countries in the east and west are now caught in serious internal friction. It is impossible for them to launch an offensive against us in a short period of time. As long as we ensure the hegemony of the Mediterranean, the enemies from Europe will not be able to threaten our core cities."

"Great, what about the second one?"

The old teacher nodded frequently.

"Second, unlike previous emperors, your Majesty's main source of funds is not agricultural taxes, but trade income, the most important of which is ocean trade. Relying on various islands and colonies, gold, slaves and precious commodities are transported back to Europe, concentrated in Carthage and Birinci, and then transported to Constantinople."

"Therefore, as long as the trade routes can be guaranteed to be unimpeded, the Roman Empire's capital chain will not be broken. A country with a vast territory and a complete capital chain cannot decline."

"Well, that's a good point. You can sit down now."

The old teacher waved.

"Your theory is incomplete, not taking into account the effects of political struggle, internal rebellion, and commodity devaluation, but it is sufficient."

He looked around, scanning every student.

"Next time, don't let me catch you slacking off in class. If you do it again, I will punish you severely, no matter who you are!"

He looked sternly at Columbus and Dias, the two most senior and mischievous children in the Ocean Academy.

"You can ask around. Fifteen years ago, I, Old Barr, was the first mate on the St. Nicholas. I was one of the first to follow Emperor Isaac to the Western Ocean. My leg was broken in a storm!"

Old Barr raised his right leg, and where the strong tendon should have been, there was a piece of hard wood, which made a banging sound when it hit the ground.

"Every year at the royal banquet on the Nativity of the Lord, the emperor and the queen would treat me with great courtesy."

"You can go ask Chancellor Giovanni and Dean Dinis if they will expel me for beating up their child!"

After old Bal finished his speech, all the students fell silent and hid their heads under their books.

"Okay, let's get back to the topic."

"Second, how to gain sea power..."

The class continued, and the students sat upright and answered old Bal's questions honestly.

"In summary, the ocean is the glorious road to wealth, and it is also the holy shield that protects Rome, blocking the powerful enemy on the other side." "Everyone here will be an officer of a ship in the future. I hope that my words today can touch you a little."

Dang——dang——dang——

The bell rang and the students breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's all for today. My wind direction teacher asked me to tell you that the paper on the windless areas in Guinea must be submitted tomorrow, not even a day later!"

"We must hurry up and finish the homework assigned by the ship construction teacher. The tasks will only get heavier in the future. Everyone, please stay alert!"

After Old Barr finished speaking, he glared at Dias, who had half of his body left his seat, packed up his lesson plans, and walked out of the classroom on his wooden leg. In the corridor, the dull knocking sounds gradually faded away.

The children cheered and ran out of the classroom quickly to the square of the college.

The wreckage of two ships are placed in the square, one is the original St. Nicholas trireme, and the other is the Grand Duke of Morea with only charred wooden boards left. The two meritorious warships lie quietly on the ground, telling of their legendary past.

Columbus stood outside the fence of the battleship wreckage, thinking about his own things.

"Hey! Christopher, what are you thinking about now?"

Diaz ran over and patted him on the shoulder.

"I wonder when we will graduate and have our own caravel to explore distant lands."

Diaz knew that his friend was actually worried about the disappearance of his family, but he didn't know how to comfort him.

"Alas, there will be opportunities in the future. If you don't lay a solid foundation, you will be lost in the dark sea."

Dias chuckled, took out a bottle of wine from his pocket, bit open the bottle cap, and gulped it down into his mouth.

"Sugarcane wine! Isn't it amazing? This is a rare thing!"

"You're only 11 years old, isn't this a bad thing?"

Even as he said this, Columbus still took the bottle, took a sip, and felt the cold wine slide down his throat, leaving a burning sensation.

"Drink less! This was given to me by Prince Justinian! It is said that it was stolen from His Majesty's wine cellar."

Diaz took the bottle with a distressed look on his face, took another sip, and carefully corked the bottle.

"Have you thought about the paper?"

"Don't worry, write it tonight!"

Dias has always been optimistic.

"By the way, what's the answer to the last question in the ship construction assignment? The one from ancient Greece?"

Columbus thought about it.

"It's fir, a high-quality wood that grows widely in Macedonia. It can be used to build light ships. Ancient Greek shipbuilders particularly liked it."

As they were talking, another group of students in red school uniforms came over. The young man in the lead was tall and handsome, and he looked at Dias and Columbus with a smile.

All students at the Eastern Roman Empire Navigation School wore a uniform school uniform designed by Isaac himself, which was luxurious and eye-catching.

The school uniforms of the four academies are different in color: the Inland Sea Academy is deep red, the Ocean Academy is azure blue, the Marine Corps Academy is yellow, and the Naval Medical College is light green.

"Felix, we are busy now and don't have time to argue with you. Goodbye!"

Dias was obviously very familiar with the young man and was about to leave with Columbus.

Felix waved his hand, and the students of Inland Sea College surrounded them, blocking their retreat.

"Felix, what do you want to do!"

Dias was shocked and angry.

"This is an academy. Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you are Admiral Fidel's son!"

"I know. You two are not commoners. One is the eldest son of Dean Dinis, and the other is the godson of President Giovanni."

Felix shook his beautiful brown hair.

"If you know, why are you trying to stop us?"

"Even though you have a large number of people from the Inland Sea Academy, we from the Ocean Academy are no pushovers!"

All the students of the Navigation School knew that the four major colleges included a large number of children of aristocrats and gentry. Each college represented a political faction, and there were countless open and secret struggles, among which the Inland Sea College and the Ocean College were the worst.

The Inland Sea Academy represents a traditional naval family. After Vice Captain Henry's younger brother graduated, the baton was passed to Captain Fidel's son Felix.

The Ocean Academy represents the emerging adventurous aristocracy, headed by Dean Dinis's son Bartolomeu.

Columbus was an exception. His godfather Giovanni was the president of the Pirate Council of St. Simon Island and the commander of the Marine Corps. He was expected to become the leader of the Marine Academy, but he insisted on joining the Ocean Academy when he enrolled. He soon became good friends with Dias, who was also passionate about exploration.

The situation at the Marine Corps Academy is rather special. The hands of these people are more or less stained with blood. They rarely return to the academy and look down on the kids from the other three academies.

As for the Naval Medical College, they have never been interested in political struggles.

"I'm here to find him."

Felix pointed at Columbus.

"Just say what you have to say."

Felix took out a text message and handed it to Columbus.

"Your family has been found. They missed our rescue ship but survived by chance. When Domenini Doria went south to Corsica, he brought some people who were unwilling to submit to the French. They were among them."

"His Majesty has not forgotten you and has been sending people to look for you. When the spies reported back, my father was in the council chamber and wrote to tell me."

Columbus took the letter and stood there in a daze, unable to speak.

"They should be arriving at Carthage Harbor soon. Go and greet them."

"Thank you."

Columbus whispered, then took a step and ran quickly towards the academy gate.

"Hey! Let me borrow your paper to copy!"

"In the dormitory! Go back and find it yourself!"

Columbus yelled, tears welling up in his eyes, messy in the wind.

(End of this chapter)