1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 206: Sea Cage
Carthage, Imperial Medical School.

The classroom was filled with candles. Students gathered around a large wooden table. On the dark wooden table was placed a simple and heavy wooden coffin. In the coffin was a fresh corpse. A lot of coarse salt used for preservation was scattered next to the corpse.

The body belonged to a white male with distinct Berber features, a well-proportioned body, bulging muscles, a swollen face, black lips, and a pale, bloodless body.

"This is a widower fisherman who fell into the water and drowned while fishing last night, so he looks like what you see now."

"I bought the body from his greedy nephew out of my own pocket to teach dissection."

"The conditions are limited. It is not easy to get this body. Everyone must listen carefully."

Sitting in front of the wooden table, the anatomy teacher looked at the students around him with a smile, rubbed his hands excitedly, and picked up a knife.

Outside the classroom, Isaac and his entourage looked at the extremely excited anatomy teacher and the corpse on the wooden table, with a strange look on their faces.

"Your Majesty, as expected, these Italian doctors are more or less crazy."

Prime Minister Isurt frowned and turned his head away.

"Maybe. As long as they can promote the advancement of medicine, it doesn't matter if they are a little crazy."

Isaac smiled and continued to watch the Italian anatomy teacher's classroom "performance".

The anatomy teacher picked up two silver-plated knives and carefully placed the knives in the bubbling boiling water for preliminary disinfection and sterilization.

After a while, the teacher picked up a pair of tweezers, picked up the knife from the boiling water, and dipped the blade of the knife into the strong liquor.

The teacher wiped some strong liquor on his hands, picked up the silver knife, and began to cut the belly of the corpse with bated breath.

The tiny sound of metal scraping against skin reached their ears, and the human skeletons placed in the corner of the classroom came into view. The faces of the attendants all looked a little unhappy.

"Let's go, the inspection ends here, we won't disturb their classes."

Isaac patted Isurt on the shoulder and came to the office of the Imperial Medical School with several entourages.

More than a decade ago, when the North African territory was first established, Isaac founded a medical school in Fort Narses and hired a Shiite Muslim doctor to serve as the dean, who was mainly responsible for training military surgeons.

Later, when Isaac established the Naval Medical School, he also set up the Naval Medical School for military purposes.

In recent years, there have been constant wars in the Eastern Mediterranean. As too many troops were drawn from the two battlefields, Isaac could only stay in North Africa and patrol around, relying on the prestige he had accumulated over the past twenty years to suppress disobedience.

It was during his inspection that Isaac discovered many hidden problems among the people of the empire, and he prepared to gradually improve or even eradicate them.

First of all, there is the issue of currency. During its heyday, the Eastern Roman Empire had its own monetary system. Each emperor would print his own portrait on the solidus gold coins and issue them to the public. In addition to the most valuable gold coins, there were also silver coins and copper coins.

After the decline of the Eastern Roman Empire, the monetary system became chaotic. There were many different currencies, such as the Venetian Ducat, the Ottoman Akçe, the Genoese Florin, the Mamluk Dinar, etc. It was very complicated.

Generally speaking, due to the Venetian Republic's monopoly on trade in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Venetian Ducat gold coin was the most widely circulated, had the most stable value, and was more favored by big businessmen.

During these twenty years, even though Isaac obtained a large amount of gold from ocean trade, the continuous wars had cost him so much that he could not save any money, nor did he have time to rebuild his own monetary system. He basically still relied on counterfeit ducat gold coins, which saved trouble and enabled him to better connect with Italian merchants.

However, with the expansion of territory and the prosperity of business, the Eastern Roman Empire now needed an independent monetary system to meet the growing market needs.

For the Eastern Roman Empire, which was now mainly based on ocean trade and colonial economy, it was crucial to reorganize its monetary system in order to avoid large amounts of foreign precious metals from disrupting the market.

Isaac didn't want to repeat the mistakes of Spain and Portugal in the original time and space.

Corfu and Albania have returned to the embrace of the empire. The influence of the Republic of Venice in the eastern Mediterranean has begun to shrink sharply. Crete has no external reinforcements, and its fall is only a matter of time.

After the war, Isaac planned to accumulate a certain amount of precious metals and officially issue his own currency.

The second is the issue of hygiene. Facts have proved that when it comes to cleanliness, the old Romans from Europe are no match for the new Romans who converted from Muslims and are left far behind.

Garbage is thrown everywhere, wastewater flows everywhere, and feces is dumped everywhere... In some Christian communities, the smell of decay and sourness is everywhere, children play on garbage dumps, and pregnant women give birth on moldy bedding.

Due to religious reasons, Muslims pay a lot of attention to hygiene issues. Fortunately, after changing their beliefs, they also brought this good habit of hygiene to new cities and new communities.

In the city of Tripoli, the western city area where Christian immigrants live is stinking, but the eastern city area where converted Muslims live does not have this problem. The two city areas, separated by a street, are like two completely different worlds.

Isaac was very angry when he came here for inspection. He scolded the consul and demoted him to the position of tribune of a small city in the Surt region. This was not only because the consul of Tripoli did not follow Isaac's instructions to maintain good sanitation, but also because he separated the new Romans and the old Romans for the sake of saving trouble, which was not conducive to national assimilation.

Isaac had to admit that at that time Islamic civilization was far ahead of Christian civilization in many areas, and was even at the forefront of the world in some areas.

The core population of the Eastern Roman Empire was too small. In order to rapidly increase the population, Isaac had already paid a lot, but there was obviously still room for further efforts.

After Isaac returned to Carthage, he urgently established the Imperial Health Department and promoted Marcel, the former dean of the Narses Medical School, to be the Minister of Health.

Dean Marcel was a devout Shiite scholar. In order to better attract talents, Isaac did not ask him to convert to Orthodoxy. Instead, he asked him to use his connections in Baghdad to recruit medical talents.

Afterwards, Isaac donated a mansion he owned in Carthage to the Imperial Health Department, and the Imperial Medical School was formally established, under the jurisdiction of Dean Marcel.

Initially, Isaac planned to set up a branch in Constantinople as well, but due to the overly religious atmosphere there, he eventually gave up the idea.

Since we are going into medicine, we cannot avoid Arabic medicine and anatomy, which are things that the old charlatans in Constantinople cannot tolerate.

Sometimes, religion can promote scientific progress, and sometimes, religion is the biggest obstacle to scientific progress.

Isaac granted religious freedom to the Imperial Medical School, and all churches were strictly prohibited from interfering in any matters of the medical school. Anatomists persecuted by the church in Italy and Muslim doctors who were not recognized for their talents in the Near East could both take a place in this medical school, and while concentrating on research, they could also teach students.

In addition to training medical talents, the Imperial Health Department also had to send personnel to major cities to spread health concepts and cooperate with local officials to carry out health reforms.

In order to reduce the mortality rate, Isaac also proposed some modern medical concepts based on his previous memories, such as boiling water disinfection, boiling drinking water, and the use of allicin, strong liquor and forceps.

Currently, health reforms are only being piloted in Carthage and Tripoli, and will then be gradually implemented in other major cities in Africa and the Balkans.

As for rural areas, it is too difficult and we can only take it slow.

"Don't look at me like that, Iseult."

Sitting in his office, Isaac took a sip of coffee and glanced at the prime minister.

"Ten years from now, or maybe even less than ten years from now, when you count the number of newborns and the total population, you will thank me from the bottom of your heart for my hard work during these days."

"Your Majesty, you are the emperor. Of course I cannot change your mind."

Iseult sighed.

"But you should at least consider the feelings of the church. Isn't it a bit inappropriate to hire a Saracen as a high-ranking official with such fanfare?"

"There's nothing wrong with that. If you want to see results as soon as possible, you have to take drastic measures."

Isaac said unhappily.

"If you can find a few skilled, professional medical professionals in the Balkans who are willing to devote themselves to research, I will convert Marcel without hesitation."

"The Saracens have so many talented people. They are now at war everywhere, and a large number of them are leaving. Wouldn't it be a pity if we don't take the opportunity to recruit them?"

Isaac remembered that the Ottoman Empire benefited the most from talent in the original time and space. With its geographical advantage of spanning Europe and Asia and its open and inclusive political environment, they attracted a large number of talents from all over the world, with advanced technology and prosperous culture.

"Once the war is over, I will also establish the Royal Academy of Sciences and the Royal Academy of Engineering. The church is also not allowed to interfere with these academies!"

Isaac waved his hand to stop the prime minister from speaking any further.

"The Eastern Empire has been in chaos for many years, and it no longer has the cultural and educational prosperity it once had. If it wants to recover as soon as possible, it must be open to all. I will take as many talents as Italy and Saracens can get. I am not spending their money!"

Isaac became angrier and angrier as he thought about it. The Eastern Roman Empire's finances still had not turned a profit, and nearly half of the military expenses and nearly a quarter of the administrative maintenance costs were paid out of Isaac's own pocket.

Of course, this was also because Isaac did not trust the administrative officials of the empire very much and kept the most profitable colonies and ocean trade firmly in his hands.

When it comes to colonization, Isaac's vision is certainly ahead of his time.

"Okay, let's get down to business."

Isaac rinsed his mouth and took a deep breath.

"Uh, what did you say on the way?"

Isurt was stunned and thought about it.

“What is the situation in the Balkans now?”

"Albania has been basically pacified. Hamsa Kastrioti and several other local lords are on their way to Carthage, ready to accept your enthronement." Isurte sat up straight.

"By the way, there are a few things I want to ask you."

Isaac nodded.

"You have clearly defined the Albanian Military Region, guarding the northwestern border and controlling the throat of the Adriatic Sea."

"And what are you going to do with Ragusa and Montenegro?"

Isaac frowned and thought about it.

"Ragusa is too close to Italy and Hungary. If we forcibly bring it under our jurisdiction, it will definitely arouse their vigilance, which will not be worth the loss."

"Although Ragusa is a very important transit port, the focus of our trade is not there. We should follow the old way of La Spezia and allow them to govern themselves."

"Having several merchants from free cities competing with Roman merchants can also prevent commercial monopoly and promote the birth of new business models."

Iseult glanced at Isaac.

Anti-monopoly? Aren’t you the biggest monopolist in the Eastern Empire?

"What about Montenegro? Grey Cardinal Alexander is a tough guy."

"Montenegro has a small population, extremely limited output, and is a long way away, so let Alexander govern himself."

Isaac thought.

"He is a very pious man, pure and simple, and dedicated to the people. Although he has never converted, he is deeply influenced by the Bogomils and is extremely disgusted with exploitative organizations like the Roman Catholic Church. He can help me stand on the front line against Hungary."

"Understood. I will make arrangements according to your instructions."

Isurte nodded.

"What plans do you have for the subsequent war?"

"The war in Crete won't end anytime soon. Venice's work there is so complete. Let's just keep dragging it out and take our time."

Isaac sighed.

"That's the end of the matter in the Northwestern Balkans. If we move further north, Hungary will probably be unable to sit still."

"Let Maruna stay in Albania to form a border defense force, and the rest of the army return to the east to rest and prepare to support the battlefields of Crete and Thrace."

"Let Balkan transfer another group of militiamen to Crete for reorganization to make up for the losses caused by the war."

Isurt put down the cup and wrote down each item in his mind.

"What about the navy? Captain Henry is eager to march into Northern Adria."

Isaac shook his head, his eyes flickering.

"Don't be impatient. This matter is of great importance and we must not act rashly."

"Our current goal is to block the Strait of Otranto and trap Venetian ships in the Adriatic Sea, rather than attacking Venice itself."

"A centipede is still alive even after death. They still have a lot of ships, and they are building ships very quickly."

"Genoa almost drove Venice to death, but in the end it promoted their unity and they turned the tables."

"Since we control the Strait of Otranto, we have already seized the strategic initiative. There is no need to be so violent. We should proceed step by step, sow discord, create conflicts and profit from them."

"Believe me, after losing the Eastern Mediterranean trade, within ten years, the city-states in the Lombardy region will become independent one after another, and the Republic of Venice will fall apart."

"Besides, we also have to take into account the views of the Catholic world."

"We made an emergency landing in Ragusa. The news from Albania must have spread to Italy, Hungary and Austria. Let's wait for a while and see what they say."

Isaac sighed inwardly.

The popes of all generations did hate Venice, but they also did not want to see its complete collapse.

Venice has a very clever geographical location. It can defend against the Balkan powers to the east and block the invasion of the Holy Roman Empire to the north. It can be called the gatekeeper of northeastern Italy.

When foreign enemies still existed, the northern Italian countries could not do without Venice.

In the original time and space, the Ottoman's aggressiveness caused great panic in the northern Italian countries. Under the mediation of the Pope, Venice and Milan shook hands and signed the Treaty of Lodi, a joint defense treaty, to jointly deal with the threat of the Ottoman Empire.

After the Eastern Empire re-emerged in the Balkans, although its army was not as good as the Ottoman Empire in the original time and space, its navy was far superior, which would also arouse the vigilance of the Italian countries.

Oh no, I'm Ottoman.

"Chancellor, go and inform a few diplomats and ask them to visit the courts of Frederick III, Matthias I, and His Holiness the Pope, respectively, and ask for their opinions."

Isaac thought hard.

"Hungary has long coveted Dalmatia, Austria also wants to take back the Istria Peninsula, and the Pope is also very dissatisfied with Venice's large-scale invasion of surrounding city-states."

"Of course, Frederick III and Matthias I were both wise rulers, and I can't guess what they were thinking."

"We still have to rely on ourselves."

Isaac opened a map, found the Strait of Otranto on the map, and drew a horizontal line on both sides of the strait.

"My plan is to attack Venice's ships through a dual attack mode of navy and pirates, so that their ships dare not set foot outside the Adriatic Sea."

"The main reason for taking Dyrrachium is for this plan."

"Venetians will not be content to be restricted, and this will probably be very costly."

Isurt looked at the map and thought carefully.

"Let them fight. Rome is a great country. We are no longer the dilapidated country trapped in a corner of Constantinople."

Isaac stood up and put his hands behind his back.

"We own some of the most profitable trade routes, a population of nearly four million, and more than two hundred ships of various types."

"We can afford to lose! We can afford to waste time!"

"On the other hand, the Venetians did not dare to fight a decisive battle, because if they lost again, they would be completely defeated."

"But the more they hesitate, the tighter the rope will be, and it will eventually get around their necks, suffocating them to death."

"The purpose of a commercial city-state is to make money. When a commercial city-state gradually fails to make money, its life span will come to an end."

Isaac turned his head and looked at the prime minister excitedly, with a gleam in his eyes.

"And we are going to build an invisible iron gate on the Strait of Otranto, build an invisible cage, trap the beast called Venice inside, and use time to wear away its wildness."

"When the wildness is gone, the wolf will become a loyal dog again."

Isurt thought about it and suddenly laughed out loud.

"What are you laughing at?"

"What if the evil wolf doesn't want to become a loyal dog?"

"Then beat them again until they completely surrender."

Isaac smiled back.

"I named this plan the Sea Cage. You will be responsible for coordinating and communicating with the admirals. Make sure to compile a complete plan document in the near future."

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)