1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 311 The Howling North Wind
In the increasingly cold weather, 1471 passed quietly, and the bells of 1472 rang across the Eurasian continent, accompanied by war, smoke, wind and snow.

For Europe, everything was business as usual in the past 1471. Local wars broke out from time to time, natural disasters occurred frequently, glacial movement swept across the Alps, and early capitalism flourished on the southern coast of the Mediterranean.

In the distant British Isles, the War of the Roses has not yet ended. This internal conflict that broke out in 1455 has plunged the entire Kingdom of England into wave after wave of chaos. People are displaced, development is stagnant, a regent is hanging his head, a legitimate king is murdered, a famous queen is imprisoned in the Tower of London, three crown princes are executed, and the once dignified and prominent nobles are like lambs to be slaughtered at will.

Lancaster, York, Woodville, Neville...even Valois and Burgundy across the sea, did not miss this civil war frenzy.

Edward IV of the House of York failed to cherish the hard-earned peace ten years ago. He loved beauty more than power and insisted on marrying the widow of the Woodville family as the King of England. He also gave this country knight family great power, which made the "kingmaker" Neville extremely dissatisfied and eventually started the third stage of the War of the Roses. The family was driven out of London in 1470, and the Lancaster family was briefly restored.

In 1471, Edward IV ascended the throne again with the support of the Duchy of Burgundy. The Neville family was defeated and killed, and the Lancaster family that joined with them was even more miserable. Henry VI was murdered and the Lancaster dynasty officially perished.

However, Edward IV's position has not been completely consolidated, resentment still exists, blood has not yet dried, the nobles are not yet tired, and the conflict will continue.

On the other side of the Channel, after being released by Charles the Bold, King Louis XI of France still refused to repent and tore up the treaty that had been signed, once again embarking on his tortuous road to centralization.

However, his capriciousness disgusted many great nobles. Charles the Bold assembled the third "Anti-Louis Alliance" and signed an alliance with Edward IV who returned to London.

Although Louis XI's plan in England had completely failed and he failed to stabilize the throne of the House of Lancaster, and Burgundy's strength had far surpassed his, this omnipotent spider still persisted, using his super diplomatic skills and strategic abilities to confront Burgundy, while winning over Burgundy's Lowland rebels and obtaining priority hiring rights for Swiss mercenaries from the Swiss Confederation.

Charles the Bold did not have the ability to completely defeat Louis XI. He tried to open up a corridor to connect his Burgundy territory with the Netherlands. He was preparing to wield the knife against the remnants of Lorraine and the Swiss Confederation who stood in his way, hoping to capture Nancy, the largest city in Lorraine.

The Second Hussite War in Central Europe came to an end. The Bohemian King Jiri Podebrad died of illness that year. The Hungarian King Matthias Hunyadi obtained half of Bohemia, wore the Bohemian crown, and was negotiating and compromising with the Polish Jagiellon family, which also claimed the Bohemian throne.

In northern Italy, the most powerful Duchy of Milan went through another unforgettable year under the rule of the tyrant Galeazzo. The drop in temperature and human exploitation and oppression made life increasingly difficult for Milanese farmers. Many farmers who lost their land due to extortion and heavy taxation began to flee to the Duchy of Parma and the Free City of La Spezia in the south, and then took a boat to the western border of the Eastern Roman Empire to obtain almost free land and become Latin Romans.

In southern Italy, the Kingdom of Naples was also under the rule of a "tyrant". King Ferdinand treated the people relatively well, but was cruel to rebellious nobles. He strengthened centralization and advocated violence, but this also caused the country's governance system to be paralyzed from time to time. The fiscal deficit became increasingly larger, and the dividends from the East India Company's shares could not even satisfy him. The fiscal deficit continued to rise year by year, and he had to borrow from his cousin Queen Leonor again and again.

Looking at the entire Mediterranean world, 1471 was also a very exciting year. The Ottoman Empire in Anatolia was lingering, the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty was expanding again, the Eastern Roman Empire successfully recovered a large amount of lost territory on the eastern coast of the Aegean Sea, and also instigated internal struggles within the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty in the Indian Ocean.

On the African continent, the complete collapse of the Marin Dynasty of Morocco had lasted for six years. The Watas family, a branch of the Marin Dynasty, officially took control of the central power in 1471 and roughly integrated the northern territory. However, the central and southern regions were powerless and continued to be divided by warlords and in endless fighting.

In the same year, the Kingdom of Portugal, which was strongly supported by the Eastern Roman Empire, once again mobilized tens of thousands of troops and dozens of ships to launch another holy war against the Watas regime.

South of the Sahara Desert, following the Mali Empire, an even larger black empire rose on the Sahel grasslands. Under the leadership of a great leader named Sonni Ali, the Songhai people won victory after victory and captured Djenné in 1471, reaching their peak. They controlled the entire inland area of ​​the Niger River and became the pinnacle of the black indigenous regime.

In the northwest of South America, Pachacuti, the leader of the Inca Empire's revival, died suddenly in 1471. His son Tupac Inca Yupanqui was also a capable monarch who was about to continue his father's career and expand the territory of the Inca Empire.

However, despite their dazzling glory, these indigenous regimes were already their final sunset. The monster from Constantinople had already landed in the Americas, and the Portuguese colonists had also established a solid forward base at the mouth of the Niger River. The picture of prosperity would be shattered with the death of the powerful monarch, and the clouds of civil war would provide the best opportunity for foreign powers to invade.

Since the signing of the Treaty of Sintra between Constantinople and Lisbon, the permanent alliance was officially established and the two sides cooperated in various fields. The Eastern Roman Empire shared its research on malaria with the Kingdom of Portugal, began to widely plant cinchona trees on the coast of Brazil, and widely planted artemisia annua on the Mediterranean coast, allowing European colonists to go further in black Africa.

Of course, the Portuguese had their own methods of colonizing black Africa. They liked to exile criminals to the islands of West Africa and interbreed them with the local black natives so that the next generation of mixed-bloods would acquire anti-malarial genes.

In order to better combat malaria, the Eastern Roman Empire dispatched the East Indian Fleet to search for oriental doctors and medical classics in Southeast Asia, and tried to introduce antimalarial herbs such as Changshan and Shuqi into the Mediterranean.

Eastern medicine is indeed far ahead in the study of malaria. These things are blind spots in anatomical medicine, and we must seek foreign knowledge.

In any case, the butterfly's wings have flapped, and the colonial division of black Africa by European powers will be carried out a hundred years earlier than in the original time and space. The Eastern Roman Empire will undoubtedly be the first beneficiary of the colonial dividends.

Help them cure diseases? Help them learn knowledge? Not true.

The fundamental meaning of a country's existence is to do its utmost to make its citizens live a better life. Nothing else.

The year 1471 that has passed was a prosperous year. Many countries that would shine in the future achieved major breakthroughs in this year. On the edge of Mediterranean civilization, in far Eastern Europe, the Grand Duchy of Moscow, led by Ivan III, won a crucial battle.

In mid-1471, war broke out between the Grand Duchy of Moscow and the feudal oligarchic republic of Novgorod. On July 7, the two sides fought a decisive battle on the Sheron River. Moscow won a great victory, killing or wounding more than 14 people and capturing more than . Grand Duke Ivan III of Moscow forced Novgorod to sign the Treaty of Korosten. Novgorod lost much of its autonomy, and the pro-Moscow faction quickly gained power and was no longer able to resist.

The impact of this battle was enormous. The Grand Duchy of Moscow defeated its biggest competitor in the north and became the only candidate for the unification of Russia, thus establishing the Grand Duchy of Moscow's decisive advantage among the Russian states.

During these decades, the Grand Duchy of Moscow became increasingly powerful. With the help of the Eastern Roman Princess Zoe, Ivan III gradually strengthened centralization, reformed the internal system, learned the Eastern Roman system, reorganized the "Easternized Court", and tried to send the separatist Russian princes into the dustbin of history. He became the only centralized monarch in all of Russia.

It was also in this year that Ivan III once again refused to pay tribute to the Golden Horde and vowed never to continue paying taxes, leading the Russian nation towards independence and autonomy.

At present, the Grand Duchy of Moscow has initially unified most of the "Great Rus" region and is working hard to enhance its own strength, allowing the cold wind from the Far North to blow the clarion call for national independence.

As for Little Rus and Belarus, they are currently occupied by the more powerful Poland and Lithuania. It is foreseeable that the Lithuanians, who are also worried about the rise of Moscow, will get closer and closer to the Golden Horde.

The vast forest was covered with snow. More than a dozen horse-drawn sleighs were traveling on the snow in the forest. The sleighs had carriages upright and wooden boards around them to block the biting cold wind.

On both sides of the sled, a team of cavalrymen lined up to guard the road, and the horses and soldiers were breathing out bursts of hot air.

In the carriage, Theodosius Palaiologos, wearing a thick fur coat, was flipping through a thick notebook. The shaking of the sled and the chattering of voices disturbed his mind.

"Iris, if you keep making noise, I'll throw you down!"

Theodosius finally couldn't help it and yelled impatiently at the little girl beside him.

Iris's excited voice suddenly stopped, her eyes were misty, she pouted her lips and turned her head to the side.

"I knew you still don't like me, but it doesn't matter, Brother Andreas and Sister Zoe like me!"

The little girl pursed her lips.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, Elise."

Theodosius sighed, pulled his sister into his arms, and kissed her forehead.

"You are my only sister, how could I not like you?"

"When we get to Moscow, I'll take you out to play, okay?"

Iris' eyes lit up, she stopped crying immediately and nodded quickly.

“We need to ask Sister Zoe to come along! And our nephews and nieces too!”

Iris imagined the scene of her family reunion and laughed.

Seeing that his sister didn't cry, Theodosius ignored her and continued to look through the notes in his hand.

Haha, when we arrive in Moscow, Iris will naturally know how cold the winter is there. There is nothing outside, so it is impossible to take her out to play.

Theodosius and Elise were both descendants of the former Grand Duke of Constantina, Thomas Palaiologos, and were siblings, with an older sister, Zoe, and an older brother, Andreas.

Since Theodosius was appointed Governor of Brazil by his cousin Isaac, he was finally no longer confused and began to cram a series of knowledge about the Brazilian colony under the guidance of his cousin. After a few years, he was no longer the same as before and could be said to be well-read.

Now that Theodosius had come of age, he was about to travel to the New World to become the first governor of the Kingdom of Brazil.

Not long ago, the news of the end of the Battle of the Sheron River reached Constantinople. The emperor formed an embassy to visit the Russian countries. Theodosius had nothing to do, so he volunteered to lead the embassy. He could not resist his sister's repeated requests and took her along.

Unlike his other brothers and sisters, Theodosius was more withdrawn and had a cold relationship with his family, and even had some conflicts with his brother Andreas.

Andreas rarely had heart-to-heart talks with his younger brother. Although they were of different generations, Andreas, who had grown up with Justinian, regarded him as an elder brother in his heart. He skipped classes with him and drank secretly with him.

As for his sister Zoe, Theodosius only had a vague memory of her, which gradually faded away with time.

After Theodosius was appointed Governor of Brazil, he began to improve his relationship with his brother and sister under the emperor's persuasion. The two brothers no longer had conflicts of interest, but they still had too few common topics. They maintained superficial harmony, at least so as not to make their widowed mother sad again.

For Theodosius, he had finally got an opportunity to make great achievements, and he must seize it firmly. Things in the Old World would be washed away by time. Before crossing the ocean, he also wanted to see his elder sister whom he had not seen for many years to leave no regrets for himself.

Last autumn, Theodosius and Elise took a boat from Constantinople to Constantine on the Don River, and then went upstream along the Don River. They arrived at the territory of the Principality of Ryazan before the river froze and completed the meeting with the prince of Ryazan.

Then Theodosius left the boats where they were and switched to sledges, heading for the damp place, the city of Moscow.

"Theodosius, are you reading this notebook again?"

Seeing that Theodosius ignored her, Iris asked tentatively, looking at the notes in his hand.

"It contains all the known information about the Brazilian colony, including its culture, geography, resources, and specialties."

Seeing his sister coming closer again, Theodosius sighed and closed his notebook.

"In addition to these, there are also some of the emperor's personal insights, which are very valuable."

"do you want to see?"

Theodosius handed the notebook to Iris, but the girl quickly waved her hand to refuse.

"Do you have to go?"

Elise asked somewhat sadly.

"Mother will be very sad."

Theodosius was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly.

"You have to fight for your own future."

"Brazil is a good place with a good climate, even better than most places in the Eastern Empire."

Theodosius touched his sister's head.

"It's not like I won't come back. It only takes a little over a month to get from Rio Port to the British Fortress. It's very close."

"When you get married, I will be the first one to come back and bring you the best gift."

"Okay! It's a deal!"

Elise smiled and kissed Theodosius on the cheek.

"But I heard from Brother Andreas that explorers and sailors are always at risk, so you must stay alive!"

Iris warned seriously.

"I'm not an explorer or a sailor. I don't need to go on adventures myself. I can just stay in Rio Port and handle the affairs."

Theodosius smiled and shook his head.

"Moreover, our good life today is inseparable from these warriors who travel in the wild land."

"His Majesty praised them and said, 'I have never seen so few people make such a great contribution to so many people.'"

"Making an expedition into the darkness is not something that ordinary people can do."

Elise nodded and thought about it.

"But, your Majesty went to the Western Ocean with Prince Enrique a long time ago. At that time, the entire Atlantic Ocean was dark. That was called courage."

"Yes, that's why he is our greatest emperor."

Theodosius nodded heavily.

The sleigh slowly stopped and the cavalry captain knocked on the door of the carriage.

"Sir Theodosius, by order of the Duke, our escort mission ends here."

The captain said to Theodosius.

"Moscow is ahead, you are safe."

"okay, thank you."

Theodosius searched his pockets and handed a few gold coins to the cavalry captain.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Duke. Thank you for your escort. This money is nothing. Use it to buy some strong liquor to warm yourself up."

"Thank you very much, Your Excellency!"

The cavalry captain from Ryazan laughed and blew on the gold coin with the emperor's portrait engraved on it.

The cavalry left, the sleds continued to move, and the city covered with snow was clearly visible.

"I heard from Brother Andreas that Ryazan should be a Grand Duchy."

Elise looked at Theodosius curiously.

"Yes, they did in the past. More than a decade ago, they tried to use the power of the Poles to attack Moscow, but were taught a lesson by the Muscovites. They became a vassal and were downgraded from a grand duchy to a principality."

Theodosius replied simply.

"The news of our arrival must have reached Moscow. Get dressed. We are ready to enter the city."

The Moscow River was frozen, and through the window, Theodosius saw children playing and fighting on the ice and young men wrestling shirtless on the snow.

"As expected of a Viking descendant, he is so cold-resistant."

Theodosius murmured.

"But their city is so bad, and there are still many refugees living in shanties outside the city."

Elise leaned against the window and looked out.

"Not to mention Constantinople and Carthage, even Mystras can't compare. It's almost on the same level as Constantina."

"It's too cold, and the city isn't very big, but there are a lot of villages around it, so it's definitely better than Constantina."

Theodosius commented.

"As for Constantinople... there is no city in the entire Mediterranean that can compare to it. Cairo is now just a big rural village where people occasionally die of starvation."

The sled team was getting closer and closer to the city, and the welcoming team was already waiting on the side.

The car door opened, Theodosius straightened his clothes, and stepped onto the snow in Moscow.

"Welcome, dear brothers, guests from Constantinople."

The leading cavalryman, wearing a fur robe and a fur hat, bowed slightly to Theodosius.

"I am the chief of the guards of the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke is waiting. Please follow me."

The captain of the guard looked at the rest of the sleds.

"Your entourage will also be properly arranged."

"Thank you very much."

Theodosius nodded and took Iris into the cavalry's carriage, while the other members of the delegation entered the city's guesthouse.

The crowd walked around the somewhat dilapidated city and crossed the frozen Moscow River. In front of them was a magnificent castle built of marble and logs, with each roof in a unique round arch shape.

The Kremlin, the heart of the entire Grand Duchy of Moscow.

"Finally I saw a nice building..."

In the carriage, Iris muttered quietly in Greek.

The heavy city gate slowly opened, and everyone entered the Kremlin and slowly stopped in front of the hall.

Theodosius nodded to the captain of the guards, then took his sister up the steps and entered the inner hall.

The inner hall was as warm as spring, with several stoves burning brightly. The decoration inside the hall was very gorgeous, with carved beams and painted buildings, and the workmanship was exquisite.

Theodosius looked around and identified the identities of several people from their attire.

There are no ministers, only the Grand Duke’s family members.

Sitting at the top was the current Grand Duke of Moscow, Ivan III from the Rurik family.

The woman next to her was wearing gorgeous clothes, a crown on her head, and a smile on her face.

"It is an honor to come to your court, Grand Prince of Moscow, Master of Ryazan and Novgorod, Ivan Vasilyevich Rurik."

Theodosius bowed and continued to look at the woman sitting next to Ivan III. She looked exactly the same as he remembered.

"And you, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, dear sister."

"Welcome, Theodosius, descendant of the House of Palaiologos, my brother."

Ivan III smiled faintly.

"May your arrival bring love and warmth to this cold winter."

Ivan III and Zoe stood up and came before Theodosius and Elise.

"Long time no see, brother."

Zoe looked at her younger brother who had grown up and smiled with some relief.

"And you, my sister."

Zoe reached out and hugged Elise.

After the greetings, Ivan III and Zoe sat back on the throne and introduced several family members present to Theodosius.

"Ivan Ivanovich Rurik, my eldest son and heir."

Ivan III pointed to a young nobleman and emphasized the word "heir".

The young nobleman was masculine and heroic, with a gentle and elegant face. He smiled and nodded at Theodosius. Of course, Theodosius understood Ivan III's intention, but just smiled slightly and said nothing.

"This is Ivan's fiancée, Yelena, the daughter of Grand Duke Stefan III of Moldavia."

Theodosius also noticed the girl next to Ivan, but the girl turned her eyes away.

"This is a great marriage. Has it been confirmed?"

Theodosius asked.

"Not yet. Yelena is here to visit just like you guys."

Ivan III smiled.

"However, I hope they can get married as soon as possible and give birth to a future heir soon."

Theodosius looked at Zoe's face and saw that she was still smiling, as if she was happy for her stepson's happiness.

"This is Vasily, my second son and Zoe's first boy."

Ivan III looked at a child.

Vasily, who was six years old and already understood a little, bowed to Theodosius.

"Hello, Uncle Theodosius."

The smile on Theodosius' face deepened. He walked forward, took out a dagger from his waist and handed it to little Vasily.

"This is my welcome gift, a fine product from the Constantinople Arsenal."

Vasily took the dagger with the Palaiologos family crest and waved it happily, proudly raising his eyebrows at his half-brother Ivan opposite him.

Next, Ivan III introduced several of his daughters to Theodosius, two from his ex-wife and the other two from Zoe.

As usual, Theodosius gave a lot of gifts to his two ignorant nieces, but the other two princesses received nothing.

Ivan III looked at this scene with an unsightly expression, but he still managed it well.

As an uncle, it is natural to give gifts to his relatives and no one can say anything about it.

Theodosius also secretly observed Ivan's expression and saw that he was still as gentle as ever and not angry at all, so he thought more highly of the heir.

Well, since you don’t object to me giving gifts to my nephew, then when your father is about to die, I will send some mercenaries and muskets and cannons to Vasily. You should have no objection, right?

Theodosius shook his head and stopped thinking about it.

Since we are all leaving now, let my sister deal with these inheritance disputes.

After finishing his personal business, Theodosius got down to business, took out a gift list from his pocket and handed it to Ivan III.

"This is a gift from the Emperor in celebration of your great victory in Novgorod."

Theodosius said.

Ivan III took a look at the gift list, and his previous dissatisfaction was immediately swept away, and he smiled very broadly.

"Thanks to the Emperor of Constantinople, the gifts are very generous and I am very happy."

Theodosius smiled and nodded, but he felt a little disdainful in his heart.

As expected of the semi-civilized Russians, they even care so much about these gifts which are not particularly valuable.

“How is Constantinople?”

Zoe looked at her younger siblings and couldn't help but ask.

"Everything is fine. Constantinople is thriving, and the population is about to exceed 300,000."

Theodosius replied.

"Andreas and his mother are doing well, and Constantina is thriving."

Theodosius paused.

"It's a transit point from Carthage to Algiers, and the commercial income is very good."

"What about the war? What's the situation in Anatolia now?"

Zoe asked again.

"Our army has captured the cities of Smyrna and Manisa and is slowly advancing northward."

"The remnants of the Ottoman army have retreated to a corner of Bursa, and the Arowana Army is spending the winter on their winter pastures. Due to the difficult roads, we have currently slowed down our northern expedition."

Theodosius said simply.

"There will be no major military operations before the beginning of spring. His Majesty has returned to Constantinople. I heard that there are some matters that he must personally preside over."

"How long will your war last?"

Ivan III couldn't help asking.

"After the spring, there will be a decisive battle between us and the White Aries King Uzon Hassan. After the decisive battle, the First Great Turkish War will be almost over."

Theodosius looked at Ivan III.

"Anatolia is too big and there are too many pagans. We can't take it back in one go. There will be several more wars in the future."

"Can you guarantee victory over Uzung Hassan?"

Ivan on the side asked.

"We can lose countless times, but he can only lose once."

Theodosius said calmly.

"Alright, alright, we'll talk later. You guys came here not just to congratulate and visit relatives, right?"

Ivan III stopped smiling, waved his hand, and drove his daughters away, leaving only his two sons.

"If you have any needs, just tell me."

Theodosius took out another letter and handed it to Ivan III.

"Your Majesty believes that with the expansion of the Poles and the decline of Crimea, it is necessary for our two countries to revise the ambiguous alliance that was previously established, at least to stipulate the obligations of both parties."

Ivan III finished reading the letter and handed it to Zoe.

"Who specifically is the covenant against?"

"Grand Duke Casimir IV of Lithuania, Great Khan of the Jochi Ulus, Ahmad."

Theodosius said.

"After the Great Turkish War is over, we will launch some small-scale wars, the first of which is the Crimean War. We will wipe out the separatist regime established by Hajigelai in one fell swoop."

Theodosius smiled.

"At that time, we will be natural allies, and Lithuania and Jochi Ulus will also be natural allies."

"Are you so confident? The Crimeans are not easy to deal with, even if they are divided."

Ivan III couldn't help but question.

"Their core area is the Crimean Peninsula, and densely populated areas are generally along the coast or rivers."

Theodosius shrugged.

"And we have the most powerful navy in the world."

"Governor Alexander and Princess Charlotte of the Crimean Governorate have already seized many settlements during their civil war. If we help them, the Crimeans won't be able to hold out for long."

"If that's the case, yes."

Ivan III nodded slightly and pondered.

"The Poles and Lithuanians did go too far. They were the ones who supported the rebellion in Novgorod."

"And the Tatars, it's time to blow the clarion call for a counterattack."

"Also, what about the economic cooperation that Emperor Isaac wrote in his letter?"

Ivan III looked at Theodosius.

"We hope to revive Black Sea trade, develop commerce through the Don River and promote economic growth in both countries."

Theodosius said.

"The Don River flows very gently and is suitable for navigation. You can sell your furs and grains to us, and our liquor, clothes, clocks, books, gems and other handicrafts can also enter your city."

“We can negotiate taxes on goods and reduce them as much as possible so that business can develop freely.”

Theodosius smiled.

"It's called free trade, the emperor said."

Ivan III curled his lips and said nothing.

"There is one more point that the emperor did not specify in the letter. I must raise it in person."

"You say it."

Ivan III grew serious.

"It is like this. The emperor once met with some merchants from Moscow and Ryazan, and from them he learned about the problem you are facing now."

Theodosius said slowly.

"From what we understand, you are seriously short of precious metals. Not only can you not issue too much currency and consolidate financial power, but even private commerce is severely hampered."

"I took a casual stroll around Liangzan City and found that 80% of private businesses are still bartering. This is absolutely unacceptable and will seriously slow down your development."

"Yes, you are right, so what?"

Ivan III remained expressionless.

"Your Majesty believes that our two countries are related by marriage and belong to the same Eastern Orthodox Church. Since you are in trouble, he can provide you with a large amount of precious metals for you to mint coins, which can not only strengthen centralization but also promote commercial development."

Theodosius looked at Ivan III.

Ivan III remained silent for a moment, expressionless.

"That's a good proposal, but what are the conditions?"

"I just saw that there are many refugees in your city, and the same is true in Ryazan. We hope to obtain the right to recruit refugees to relieve the pressure on your city and do our part for the Orthodox cause."

Theodosius crossed himself devoutly.

"Your Majesty is kind and merciful. He does not want to see his brothers suffer from the severe cold and wants them to live a better life."

Ivan III snorted, his eyes flickering.

“Russia may be large, but no piece of land is redundant; Russia may be numerous, but no one is redundant.”

"They can't offer you any value. There are only so many cold, arable lands."

Theodosius retorted.

"But gold and silver are real. You can do whatever you want with them."

"You can also use these precious metals if you want to buy our weapons, armor, guns, and possibly warships in the future."

Ivan III did not say anything, but he was struggling inside.

Theodosius was right. He was indeed in urgent need of precious metals, and there were indeed quite a lot of commercial activities among the Russian people still carried out through the primitive means of barter.

Moreover, he has not yet completely taken back the right to mint coins from the feudal princes, and the main reason is that there are not enough precious metals.

However, in the future Moscow-Eastern Roman trade, Moscow was in a complete trade deficit. These precious metals could still return to the hands of the Eastern Roman Empire after several rounds of circulation, but if the population was lost, it would be really lost.

However, he could indeed benefit greatly from this round of exchanges, as he could raise more soldiers, buy better weapons, and be one step closer to becoming a centralized monarch and one step closer to breaking the Tatar shackles.

"What will Emperor Isaac do if I disagree?"

Ivan III asked tentatively.

"Some merchants have suggested that Your Majesty finance the Tatar robbers and purchase Orthodox slaves directly from them."

Theodosius said bitterly.

"His Majesty severely reprimanded them and said that Grand Duke Ivan has always been considerate and would definitely not embarrass us."

Ivan III was not angry. This phenomenon was too common, from centuries ago to the present day.

During this period, a large number of Russian white slaves were sold by the Tatars to Genoese merchants, forming an important part of the Black Sea trade.

"What do you think?"

Ivan III looked at Zoe.

"You are the monarch, you decide for yourself."

Zoe said calmly.

Seemingly satisfied with Zoe's performance, Ivan III nodded and turned to Theodosius.

"I need to convene a Duma meeting and discuss matters with the nobles."

“That’s your right.”

Theodosius said.

"But I just captured some prisoners from Novgorod. They are all militiamen with little culture and fighting ability. They can be sold to you."

Ivan III sighed.

"I hope your emperor will keep his word and give them a better life."

"Don't worry, the emperor is always very good to his own people."

Theodosius' smile became much more intense.

"You'll be glad you made the decision today."

Ivan III waved his hands, looking a little annoyed.

"What are your plans for the future?"

"If you allow us, we will stay here. In the spring of next year, we will go to the Grand Duchy of Kiev and try to sign a similar business agreement."

Theodosius said.

"Kyiv? Are you going to bypass the Poles and Lithuanians?"

Ivan III was a little surprised.

"Let's give it a try. If the political approach doesn't work, we'll contact the businessmen."

Theodosius shrugged.

"When the Don River thaws, we will also send a fleet to take the refugees back."

"Okay, let's stay here first."

Ivan III nodded.

"Moscow's winter is very cold, but it also has its own unique flavor. We don't have any special products. If there are any, they are bears, wine and cold wind."

……

In early 1472, amid the howling north wind, a delegation of envoys from the Eastern Roman Empire arrived in Moscow and began negotiations and consultations on military alliances and commercial agreements.

(End of this chapter)