1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 196 Anti-Roman Alliance
The city of Carthage, on the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

The flames of war have spread across the entire Eastern Mediterranean. Small-scale battles continue to take place between Venetian and Eastern Roman ships on the vast sea. Today you destroy my merchant ships, and tomorrow I attack your port. We go back and forth, enjoying ourselves.

On land, the battlefields of Crete and Dyrrachium were temporarily at a stalemate. The fortifications of the Republic of Venice in both places were extremely well built, making it difficult to capture them in a short time.

This war will definitely be a protracted war of attrition.

The Eastern Roman Empire deployed a total of more than 60,000 troops on the battlefields of Crete and the Balkans, and the remaining military forces in the North African territory were very insufficient.

Against this backdrop, Isaac had to travel to major cities, meet with many important figures, and stabilize the local situation.

War is extremely expensive, and the money that Isaac had saved with great difficulty in previous years was once again spent like water, injected into the markets, arsenals, textile mills and shipyards throughout the territory. These factories in turn stimulated the downstream supply of raw materials, making the entire Eastern Empire's war machine rumble.

If handled properly, war can stimulate the development of the real industry to a great extent and create a short-term prosperity.

The prerequisite is that the country’s capital chain must be healthy.

After the early colonial powers acquired huge amounts of wealth from their colonies in Africa and America, the pockets of the monarchs and nobles quickly bulged, but it was easy for them to fall into a fatal misunderstanding.

I am so rich, I can buy as many foreign products as I can. Why should I develop myself?

In the original time and space, Portugal and Spain both fell into such a wealth trap. The huge wealth brought by overseas trade was not well converted into national strength, nor did it benefit all the people. Instead, it stimulated the real industries of other countries, leading to the rise of countries such as Britain, France and the Netherlands.

Many years later, Britain and France made similar mistakes, leading to the rapid growth of Germany.

Such paper prosperity is as fragile as bubbles. Once internal problems arise and commercial interests are snatched away by other powerful countries, it will quickly fall into endless decline and it will be difficult to rise again.

Huge wealth and vast colonies are a double-edged sword. If left unchecked, it will be extremely detrimental to the improvement of local national strength and the advancement of new technologies.

Of course, the huge wealth from the early colonization is one-time. If you don’t grab it, others will. You can’t give up your wealth just because of a bubble that may appear in the future.

Isaac was of course well aware of this and began to deliberately reform the colonial economy of the Eastern Roman Empire.

First of all, plantations, sugarcane, coffee beans and cotton are all low-end materials. By obtaining cheap raw materials through colonies and then establishing corresponding food processing plants and textile factories on the mainland, we can better control the colonies and also benefit all the people from the wealth gained from ocean trade.

Secondly, precious materials, such as animal fur, ivory, and gems, can be directly used as commodities and sold to merchants from various countries in exchange for money.

However, in this way, the processing fees for processing raw materials into high-end handicrafts were all earned by the artisans in northern Italy, and the Eastern Empire became an economic colony of northern Italy.

In order to avoid this situation, Isaac built a number of high-end handicraft workshops in Carthage and Constantinople, connecting precious materials with the handicraft workshops, producing and selling them by himself, and keeping the processing fees firmly in his hands.

Of course, due to the weak handicraft industry base in North Africa and the years of chaos in the Balkan Peninsula, the high-end handicrafts produced in Carthage and Constantinople were far inferior to those of Italian products in quality, and it would be difficult to improve them in a short period of time.

However, as a monarch, Isaac could issue decrees to increase import and export tariffs on Italian products, and then occupy the downstream market with a large number of cheap handicrafts, cutting off the flow of funds to northern Italy from all directions.

As a result, bankrupt craftsmen had to either stay in their hometowns in poverty or accept Isaac's recruitment with their families to establish new workshops in Carthage and Constantinople.

Even if Isaac's products are not popular in Europe, they can still be sold to Congo and the Mamluks.

Finally, there are precious metals such as gold and silver. These things can also be used as raw materials for high-end handicrafts, but more often they circulate in the market as equivalent exchanges.

Unlike most European nobles, Isaac did not have the habit of collecting gold, silver and jewelry. Money cannot be made by holding it in one's hand. Only by spending it can its true value be reflected.

This time, Isaac used precious metals worth 40,000 ducats on war and war industry. A large amount of wealth flowed into factories and farms, and then into thousands of households.

As for the seemingly most advanced financial industry, Isaac will not consider it in the short term because the conditions do not allow it.

Early banking and financial institutions have already emerged in Europe, but they are mainly distributed in densely populated areas with developed industry and commerce, such as northern Italy and northern France.

Although Isaac's two territories were vast in area, the population was not abundant, especially in North Africa. In order to achieve social stability, Isaac had to conduct macro-control of population distribution, consciously reducing the population density in some areas to achieve a strong trunk and weak branches.

Judging from the current situation, under the promotion of Isaac, the wealth obtained from ocean trade can greatly promote the prosperity and development of the two territories, and there is no risk of falling into a "wealth trap" for the time being.

As for what will happen in the future, we can only trust in the wisdom of future generations.

Thinking of this, Isaac felt a headache and quickened his pace.

Of his two sons, the eldest, Justinian, was almost 12 years old. As he grew older, he became more and more rebellious and began to protest against some of Isaac's arrangements.

Last year, Justinian followed his mother to Lisbon to attend a funeral and stayed there, not wanting to come back. It was not until the St. Titus Rebellion broke out that Isaac sent three letters in a row, calling back this stubborn adolescent child.

After returning, Justinian was severely scolded by Isaac, who changed several teachers for him, filled his schedule, and forbade him to leave the Carthaginian palace without permission.

The second son, Alexios, was at the other extreme. He spent all day in the training ground and the stable honing his martial arts. He disdained literature and art, and did not like to cultivate relationships with the children of nobles and gentry. Instead, he particularly loved to go to the military camp and stay with the lower-level soldiers.

This kid has recently become addicted to reading knight novels. He loses his appetite if he doesn't read for a day. I don't know where he got this bad habit from.

The eldest princess, Thessaloniki, is four years old this year. She has begun to systematically learn to read and recognize words. She always sticks to her mother Leonor and clamors for her to give birth to a younger sister as soon as possible.

As for the cheap son-in-law Carlo Tocco, this boy has basically adapted to court life and has come out of his initial shyness and uneasiness. Because of their similar age, he has a good relationship with Alexios and often accompanies him in sword practice.

Isaac dismissed the guards, walked gently to the window of the palace classroom, and looked at the children in the classroom.

There were dozens of children in the classroom, of varying ages. Except for the royal family members, the others were children of high-ranking officials, nobles, and wealthy businessmen.

Many people scrambled for the opportunity to enter the palace and study with the princes.

Whether or not we can learn anything is another matter, but the relationship has been cultivated.

In the classroom filled with the aroma of natural wood, Balsamon, the teacher of human geography, was wearing glasses and reading from a textbook.

He first served as the administrative chief in the Tobruk Military Region, mainly responsible for the construction of the fortress group. After making some political achievements, Isaac wanted to promote him to the Engineering Department, but was rejected.

Barsamon was a scholar who asked to be a professor at the Academy of Athens and was even willing to donate his savings to build dormitories for students.

Isaac finally agreed to his request and appointed him as the dean of the Academy of Athens, responsible for the prince's literary and historical education in his spare time.

"After a tour, Marco Polo bid farewell to that prosperous and wealthy country and returned to Europe, where he dictated the famous The Travels of Marco Polo in prison."

"All signs indicate that in the far east there exists a very powerful civilization with flourishing culture and education and advanced technology."

"In 1402, Timur defeated the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid in Ankara and took him back to the capital Samarkand."

"This incident shocked all the European countries. They never imagined that the king of the East was so powerful that even the Ottomans were no match for him."

"However, even so, King Timur always regarded himself as the son-in-law of the Yuan Dynasty, which aroused the monarchs' strong interest in the Eastern Dynasty."

Balsa was wearing a mask and smiling.

“So, two years later, King Henry III of Castile sent an embassy led by Clavijo to distant Samarkand to meet King Timur.”

"According to records of the time, Samarkand was more prosperous than any other city in Europe. Perhaps only Cairo could compare with it."

"It was at the court meeting in Samarkand that Clavijo met the envoys from the Eastern Dynasty. They were detained by King Timur and were not allowed to return home."

"Timur angrily rebuked the envoys of the Eastern Dynasty at the court and handed over their special treatment in Samarkand to Clavijo."

"However, the envoys were not afraid and confronted King Timur head-on. According to the envoys, the Yuan Dynasty had already perished and they came from a more powerful dynasty."

"bright."

Balsamon's story was very much to the children's liking. Everyone watched intently and listened with fascination.

Isaac stood by the window and nodded slightly.

It seems that this teacher has put in some effort. At that time, there are many people who like "The Travels of Marco Polo", but not many people are willing to patiently read "The Mission of Clavijo".

"Your Highness, I suggest that you do not write letters in class, especially poems."

Following Balsamon's gaze, Isaac found Justinian scribbling on paper, and his face suddenly turned ugly.

"If you continue like this, I will have no choice but to report to His Majesty that you secretly drank with His Highness Andreas in class a few days ago."

Balsamon said gently.

"It's all right, Mr. Balsamon. I have remembered everything you just said."

Justinian stood up with a smile and folded the letter.

"You just said that there was a dynasty in the East that was more powerful than the Mongols, the Ming Dynasty."

"I have a question."

"Which is bigger, Ming or Rome? How big is its area? Is there a land route to it?"

Isaac was shaking with anger when he saw Justinian's careless appearance.

Balsamon thought about this question seriously and shook his head regretfully.

"I'm sorry, I can't answer this question for now. Please allow me to go back and check."

"However, since the Ming envoys were able to reach Samarkand, there must be a land route available."

"Oh? Then I see..."

Isaac was too lazy to take care of this rebellious child, nor did he want to criticize him in front of everyone. He was about to leave when he was stopped by a voice.

"Your Majesty, are you here to observe the education of the students?"

"Oh, yes, Basilius, the prince has been playing outside. As the head teacher, you should discipline him strictly."

The man in front of him was wearing traditional Roman clothes and had a gentle face, but he had a German sword on his waist, which looked very strange.

"I heard that you are good at swordsmanship. You can show it off to scare them when you have time. However, Justinian is very shrewd and may not fall for it."

"Your Majesty, don't worry. Although His Highness Justinian appears cynical on the surface, he is actually very shrewd. He knows how to gain the trust of his subordinates and has a good grasp of people's hearts and human nature."

Basilius smiled.

"Although you may not be very happy with him, the children around him like him very much, respect him, and are willing to tell him everything. They are the future of Rome."

"On the contrary, Prince Alexios lags far behind in this regard. Apart from a few of his most trusted friends, almost no one is willing to confide in him."

Isaac glanced at his second son who was sitting behind Justinian. He obviously had no interest in literature and history, and was wiping his golden dagger under the table.

Basilius looked at the sun.

"Your Majesty, I am about to start class. Do you want to sit in?"

"Forget it, the queen is pregnant, I'd better go and accompany her."

Boom, boom, boom!
The bronze bell rang, Balsamon packed up his books, the children cheered and were about to run out of the classroom, but they saw Basilius pushing the door open.

"Okay, I have a busy schedule today, so I have to hurry up..." "Our topic today is to limit royal power, so the first thing we have to talk about is the Magna Carta promulgated by the Kingdom of England more than two hundred years ago..."

A complaint was heard, Isaac smiled, walked away and went to Queen Leonor's bedroom.

……

Northeast of the Apennine Peninsula, Adriatic Gulf, Venice, Doge's Palace.

The Grand Council was meeting, and all the nobles were gathered together, but they were all silent, and no one wanted to speak first.

Maripiero, the current Doge of the Venetian Republic, sat in a luxurious armchair with a gloomy look in his eyes.

"That's the way it is."

After the secretary finished reading the intelligence, he stepped aside and waited for the governor to speak.

"Why, you are all mute, are you?"

Maripiero tapped the tabletop.

"When they were fighting for power and profit, they were dancing happily. Now that the country is in danger, what are they thinking about?"

There was still silence. Several congressmen glanced over, and seeing the governor's grim expression, they quickly retracted their heads.

Maripiero is not Foscari. He was born into one of the top wealthy families in Venice. He is very confident and speaks in a much more firm manner.

"Very good, since no one is telling me, then I will tell you!"

Maripiero stood up and slapped the table.

"As we all know, since the end of the Battle of Constantinople, the Eastern Empire has begun to fully recover and its national strength has been growing day by day."

"I don't want to talk about the past, let's talk about the present."

"The current situation is that, whether everyone admits it or not, the comprehensive national strength of the Eastern Empire has far surpassed ours, and the gap will only get bigger and bigger."

Maripiero's chest heaved.

He knew very well that the reason why Venice became so powerful was that it took advantage of the decline of the Eastern Empire to occupy many of their ports and islands and reap commercial interests in the eastern Mediterranean.

However, when the Eastern Empire rose again, Venice found it difficult to maintain its colonies due to geographical reasons.

It took a ship more than twenty days to travel from Venice to Crete, but the same ship only took three days to travel from North Africa to Crete, and only two days to travel from Morea to Crete.

The long supply lines required a large number of warships to escort them, which made it difficult for the Republic of Venice to gather a large fleet.

Even if they risked everything, really gave up their lifeline at sea, and tried to challenge the Eastern Roman Navy for another decisive battle, the Eastern Roman Navy would most likely not care at all.

You attack me, and I will attack you, let’s see who can endure longer.

"So far, the Eastern Empire's army has gained a firm foothold in Crete. Their ruling foundation there is better than ours, so it's easy for them to gain the trust of the Cretans."

"Besides, the army heading north from Aulon is also a huge trouble. I have signed the Governor's Order to send Marshal Colleoni to recruit mercenaries to defend Durrazion."

"Doge, Marshal Colleoni cannot be trusted! He has evil intentions and has betrayed Venice several times. He—"

One councillor objected.

"shut up!"

Maripiero stared at him with disapproval.

"When it comes to state affairs, they all pretend to be deaf and dumb, but when it comes to fighting for power and profit, they speak out boldly!"

"Corleone can't do it, or you can do it!"

"If you dare to say that you can defeat Maruna and his 30,000-man army, I will immediately appoint you as the Marshal!"

The congressman remained silent.

Maripiero took a deep breath and continued.

"In short, it is impossible for us to defeat Isaac III and the Eastern Empire under his leadership by ourselves. We must seek external help!"

Malipierrot unfolded a map of Europe and pointed at it.

"Isaac III is a profit-seeker. Wherever there is a conflict of interest, he will rush there like a green-headed fly and put wealth into his own pocket like crazy."

"Therefore, he has offended many people and has many enemies."

Maripiero drew a circle in the city of Bursa.

"His biggest enemy is the Ottoman Empire. The two are at loggerheads and there is no possibility of compromise."

"Moreover, anyone can see that if we collapse, the Eastern Mediterranean will almost be ruled by the Eastern Empire, and the Ottoman Empire's remaining Anatolian territory will be subject to endless attacks."

"Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II was a wise man and he knew this very well."

"But, because of the strait, the Ottomans can't pose any real threat to the Eastern Empire?"

One councillor asked doubtfully.

“Yes, Mehmed II was very interested in our proposal, but he also said he could do nothing about it.”

"His most urgent goal at the moment is to eliminate the remaining forces of the Karamanbey State to avoid being attacked on two fronts."

“However, under the guidance of the Bursa envoy, we have established two other connections.”

Maripiero circled two points on the map.

Bakhchisarai, Sofia.

"A few days ago, my envoys contacted Mahmoud who occupied Bulgaria and Haji Gera who occupied Crimea. They were also worried about the expansion of the Eastern Empire and promised to send troops in the near future."

Maripiero looked around and saw that the expressions on the congressmen's faces had become much more lively.

"Furthermore, the northern expedition of the Maruna army also violates the interests of the Albanian Alliance. Castrioti has already assembled troops in Kruje Castle and is preparing to drive the Greek invaders back to the south."

"His army is worthless, but Giorgio Castrioti himself is a very powerful general who may be able to work a miracle."

"Well done, Governor."

Several members of parliament couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"So, what does Hungary think? Is it possible for us to get support from Matthias I?"

Maripiero shook his head regretfully.

"Although Matthias I has great ambitions, he has just ascended the throne and his foundation is still shallow. He is currently suppressing the rebellion of the great nobles at home. I am afraid he will not extend his hand abroad for the time being."

"My envoy did look for him, but this young man is very slippery. He hopes that we can transfer the Dalmatia region to him as a bargaining chip for sending troops."

The councillors sighed.

As for the transfer of Dalmatia, there is no room for negotiation.

You should know that Dalmatia is Venice's longest-running overseas territory. One of the titles of the Governor of Venice is Duke of Dalmatia. It is closest to Venice mainland and is the external barrier of the city of Venice. It is impossible to hand it over to others.

"However, Matthias also said that if Isaac III went too far and threatened Hungary's security, he would not hesitate to send troops to attack him."

Maripiero was silent for a few seconds.

"Finally, we also plan to start from Italy, lure the French southward, attack the Free City of La Spezia, and tie down his forces."

"Northern Italy is the most important place for the sale of Eastern Empire products. It is impossible for Emperor Isaac to ignore this matter."

"My envoys have already set out, and should have made some progress by now."

"As long as the French attack, everything will be fine."

Maripiero gave a wry smile.

Back when Venice was at its most powerful, it had the final say in the entire eastern Mediterranean. It did not need any help from any allies and could suppress the Mamluks and Ottomans on its own.

But now, the proud Venetians can only be forced to lower their heads and humbly ask for help from others.

"In addition, our diplomats went to Trebizond, hoping that they would question the legitimacy of the Palaiologos family. Of course, it was of no use."

Seeing that there was finally a gleam of hope on the congressmen's faces, Maripiero decided to strike while the iron was hot.

"Everyone, Venice is in trouble, but as long as we unite, we can overcome the difficulties!"

"Back then, the Genoese united many forces and wanted to destroy us in one fell swoop, but the brave Venetians did not admit defeat. They fought back in the Battle of Chioggia, completely broke free from the cage on their bodies, and became the overlord of the Mediterranean."

"The situation is far from that point yet. We still have a chance to turn the tables!"

"well said!"

The congressmen stood up excitedly and applauded loudly.

Malipierrot finally breathed a sigh of relief and bowed to everyone around him.

The door suddenly opened and an envoy rushed in.

"Oh? You're back? How's it going?"

Malipiero looked at the envoy and had a bad feeling in his heart.

Without saying a word, the envoy handed a short message to the Governor.

Malipiero looked at the envoy with a reproachful look, opened the letter, glanced through it, then threw the letter aside in silence.

"Governor, what happened?"

Malipiero sighed, faced northwest, and made the sign of the cross on his chest.

"Charles VII. is dead."

(End of this chapter)