1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 348 Frozen Castle
The high mountains on the north and south sides are covered with snow, the plain in the middle is covered with green grass, and a large river flows from west to east, calmly and gently, bringing infinite vitality to the grass and crops on both sides.

On the newly built road, a convoy of cars drove eastward. In the most luxurious carriage, a blond young man opened the curtains and looked at the surrounding scenery with great interest.

The wheat has just been planted, and farmers can be seen working hard in the fields from time to time. The joy of labor appears on their faces. Their farm tools are still of good quality, their clothes are still warm, and their nutrition is still adequate.

This is the Kura River Valley located between the Greater and Lesser Caucasus Mountains, between the cities of Tbilisi and Ganja. It has a flat terrain, abundant rainfall, a suitable climate, and is suitable for both grazing and farming.

Ever since Prince Alexios from Constantinople came here and formed the Order of St. Andrew and St. George, this once-tortured land has finally stabilized, vacant land has been reclaimed into farmland, barren mountains have been turned into mines, and the prosperous Eastern trade since ancient times has begun to revive.

Since when, the original name of this land has been forgotten. The people of various ethnic groups living here and the passing merchants call it "Land of the Holy Cross", which symbolizes peace and tranquility.

In the carriage, the blond young man looked at the farmers working with curiosity and was quite interested in their production methods.

"Knight Boris, the farming methods in the Holy Cross seem to be very different from those in the Eastern Empire, but very similar to those in the monastery."

The blond young man turned his head and looked at Knight Boris who was resting with his eyes closed.

"This is not something that ordinary farmers can achieve. It really shows a strong level of organization."

"Yes, our Grand Master did imitate the monastery's farming methods, but there are still many differences."

Boris opened his eyes.

"Sir Leonardo, if you are interested, you can draw it. We have no objection."

"Will have the opportunity next time."

The blond young man smiled and nodded slightly.

His name was Leonardo. He was an illegitimate child and theoretically could not use his family surname. People usually called him Leonardo of the town of Vinci, that is, Leonardo da Vinci.

Since accepting the employment of the Eastern Roman royal family, Leonardo da Vinci's living standard instantly improved by several levels. Architects in Constantinople often came to him for conversations. Dignitaries and noble ladies were also very interested in his artistic skills and often asked him to paint.

Of course, Leonardo knew that when he first arrived in Constantinople, he had not yet revealed his talent, and people respected him only because he had an outstanding teacher, Verrocchio.

So, Leonardo da Vinci devoted himself to his career, and drew pictures in various places of the Grand Palace. It took him half a year to finally draw up the renovation drawings of the Grand Palace, successfully meeting the requirements of the government and the emperor. The new building complex combines ancient Roman and ancient Greek styles. It is beautiful and grand, majestic and elegant as a whole. In addition to living and office use, it also has a certain defensive capability. Even if there is unrest in the city, the Grand Palace will not fall easily.

Now, the Grand Palace has been renovated according to Leonardo da Vinci's conception. The rising of new palaces has amazed all citizens. They have recognized his talent from the bottom of their hearts and believe that he is indeed a talent, not a countryman who came to Constantinople to beg for food by relying on the reputation of his master.

Later, Leonardo da Vinci, who wanted to return home, was "forced" to stay in Constantinople. With the recommendation of Veneto, he became an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Engineering. Money and honor came together. Leonardo da Vinci slightly refused, then agreed and immersed himself in the atmosphere of beauty and comfort.

During this period, Leonardo also drew many essays, designed some buildings, and received invitations from several architectural companies to serve as a resident designer.

The liberal reforms of the Eastern Roman Empire provided fertile soil for the development of capitalism. The social environment and production methods underwent dramatic changes. The innovation of building materials also brought about a series of architectural revolutions. Under the guidance of the royal family, some early professional construction companies began to take shape.

These construction companies are often composed of capitalists, contractors, designers, engineers, laborers and logistics groups. Members divide the work and cooperate with each other. After receiving the order, they rush to the construction site to complete the building for the employer. Compared with the old classical primitive system, they are more efficient and technologically advanced.

In the future, when government departments and wealthy nobles need to build buildings, they do not need to contact quarries, brick factories, timber mills and architects in person. They only need to place orders with construction companies, and the company will take care of all of the above. They can pay the money and get the goods.

However, among these early construction companies, the one with the fastest development momentum was not the Royal Construction Group invested by the royal family, nor the Golden Horn Construction Group jointly funded by the three major nobles, but the Marmara Construction Company collectively formed by the people of Marmara Island.

The island is rich in marble and limestone, and is a very good quarrying base. The islanders are born to deal with construction, and many of them are skilled bricklayers and stonemasons.

The rapidly prosperous city brought the first spring to the construction industry. The establishment of the Royal Construction Company was reported in newspapers. A quarry owner on Marmara Island saw an opportunity. He gathered the people together, raised funds, signed an agreement, and jointly established the Marmara Construction Team.

Since the market was far from saturated and the old system was indeed inefficient, this emerging small construction team quickly received several orders, and after gaining some reputation, they immediately sought a loan from the Bank of Constantinople.

They were all native Romans, and the loan negotiations went very smoothly. A large amount of low-interest loans allowed the company to gradually expand in size, and the orders it took on also increased from simple to complex.

However, due to the lack of experience in building large-scale and military buildings, the absence of outstanding designers, and the lack of connections in upper class society, Marmaray Construction Company lost out in the competition with the other two major builders.

Later, the islanders who had become shareholders held a collective meeting and decided to completely abandon high-end markets such as palaces, castles, fortresses and mansions, not to compete with the two giants, and directly target things that they disdained to open up new blue oceans.

So they started to engage in real estate, building family homes for ordinary people in major Aegean cities such as Constantinople and Thessalonica, and launched a modular citizen house with a concrete structure, doing their best to reduce labor costs and shorten working hours.

This type of house has no artistic sense, no high-end building materials, and no personal characteristics. Its only advantage is that it is cheap and meets the needs of the general public.

Constantinople was indeed wealthy, but no big city could be filled with only rich people. There were still a large number of common people below the middle class.

Moreover, in recent years, a large number of rural people have begun to move to cities, but they don't have much spare money.

Marmaray Construction Company's low-end real estate business was a huge success, and it soon earned enough capital, was featured in newspapers, and became famous.

After completing the initial accumulation, Marmaray Construction Company re-entered the high-end real estate market, gradually attracted more talents, and successfully defeated the Royal Construction Group in a competition, obtaining the construction rights for a sea view villa street in the Galata district.

The head of the Royal Construction Group was of course furious and submitted a report to the emperor, demanding restrictions on the company and even proposing a direct annexation.

Surprisingly, the emperor was not angry about this, but very happy. Not only did he not suppress this private company, he also asked the government to encourage it, increase the loan limit, increase the number of orders, and specially sent several architects employed by the royal family to the company for technical guidance. It was up to them whether they wanted to stay or not.

The Marmara Construction Company, which had been uneasy a while ago, was of course grateful for this and voluntarily handed over one-tenth of its shares to the royal family as a sign of obedience and respect.

Instead of accepting it outright, the emperor bought the equity at twice the price, increased technical assistance, and gave them the order for one of the castles in Poseidon Fortress.

Later, Leonardo da Vinci's fame attracted the attention of the construction industry, and several construction companies extended olive branches to him, offering salaries that were more generous than the last.

In the end, perhaps because they were both of common origin, or perhaps because their salaries were the highest, Leonardo chose the then-powerful Marmara Construction Company, but only as a consultant, not an employee.

Leonardo da Vinci's first job at the Marmara Construction Company was the Fortress of Poseidon. Being ambitious, he did not spend much time and effort on the building that was already mostly completed, but only made some valuable suggestions.

After traveling in Malta for a while, Leonardo da Vinci set off again, traveling around the country and completing commissions from construction companies.

After a period of investigation, Leonardo da Vinci gradually understood the new architectural model of the Eastern Roman Empire. He also knew that the revolution in architectural model was actually inseparable from the innovation of architectural technology. Although the brick and stone buildings he liked were beautiful and elegant, they were indeed too complicated and were not the best choice for ordinary people.

This time, Marmara Construction Company was commissioned by the Order of St. Andrew to send a small construction team to the Holy Cross. On the one hand, it tried to expand its overseas business, and on the other hand, it was also preparing to inspect the special building materials in the Holy Cross.

Leonardo da Vinci was also a member of the expedition, but his main purpose was not architecture. Instead, he wanted to take this opportunity to have some contact with Prince Alexios and see if he could ask him to be a model for his new painting.

Da Vinci withdrew his thoughts and turned his gaze back to the farmland.

"Can I ask which landlord they are working for? It seems that they are very motivated and efficient."

Da Vinci couldn't help but ask.

"This is something I have never seen in Italy, nor in the Eastern Empire."

“They were all free farmers, with no slave owners or landowners.”

Boris explained.

"Captain Alexius believed that land and food were treasures bestowed by God on mankind. Every Christian had the responsibility to cultivate them and was entitled to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Jesus Christ was a poor man, and the oppression of the poor by the rich was not something He wanted to see."

"After the Frozen War, the Safavid sect ceased its activities, and the Holy Cross Land began to expand. The land and population became larger, and the Grand Master decided to develop people's livelihood and reform the existing agricultural production system."

"The head of the group divided the farmland and pastures into cross-territories. Farmers and herdsmen were the members and owners of the cross-territory. A cross-territory was a production unit. Members worked together, ate together, and celebrated the harvest together. Even women could participate in the labor equally. There was only a difference in the division of labor, but no difference in status."

"The Knights will send monks and knights as managers. The monks will be responsible for providing them with technical guidance, spiritual guidance and simple medical care, while the knights will be responsible for militia training. The Knights will collect some food based on the harvest of each cross territory, and keep the rest for themselves."

"The handicraft industry in the Holy Cross is also mainly family workshops. Each Crucifix develops its own handicraft industry under the guidance of the Knights. The Grand Master is not very willing to allow the sweatshops in Constantinople to open here."

"You just said that this model is somewhat similar to primitive monasteries and has some similarities with the Christian mutual aid groups of ancient times. This is true. The Grand Master did refer to them."

"They have no master above them. If there is one, it is God."

Boris puffed out his chest with some pride.

"The Grand Master did not like the capitalists of the Eastern Empire, nor did he like the feudal lords of Georgia. He did not think that the excessive concentration of personal property was God's will, and he hated slavery. He believed that all believers in Jesus were brothers, and as leaders and loyalists to Jesus Christ, we have the responsibility to take good care of them."

"Under the leadership of the theological collective, we are able to adopt a three-field or even four-field agricultural model to achieve intensive farming rather than free-range farming."

"The Eastern Empire develops free markets and encourages individual thought. You are different."

Da Vinci shook his head somewhat disapprovingly.

"But how do you ensure the purity of your thoughts? You know, personal greed is inevitable. Your emperor has understood this point very well. He has no intention of eliminating greed, but instead tries to combine it with the fate of the country and the nation as much as possible."

"Yes, that's why others say that our knights are idealists who restrain themselves with ancient Christian virtues."

Boris nodded.

"The Grand Master often said that when Christianity was first born, our ancestors went through difficult times with a spirit of unity. At that time, individual interests would never be higher than collective interests, and every Christian would risk his life for the purest ideals."

"Men and women are equal, monogamy is accepted, all beings are equal under God, family is valued, children are loved, murder and human sacrifice are prohibited, life is respected, and the land is respected. This is the best proof that we Christians are ahead of other primitive religions on the spiritual level."

"We call it universal values, and one day, these values ​​will spread to the whole world."

Boris paused.

"I admit that most Christians have not put this set of values ​​into practice, but that doesn't mean it's wrong. There will always be a day when it will be realized."

Leonardo da Vinci was not interested in these theological matters and sighed.

"Forget it, I'm just a painter. I came here just to investigate and paint. It's up to you guys."

"By the way, does your Grand Commander still want to be king?"

"Under your theory of returning to the ancient times, how do you explain the king and the nobles?"

"Haha, even though the Grand Commander never said it, the people are looking forward to him becoming the king. He is kind and loves the people, peaceful and fair. Even the peasants in Tbilisi are fascinated by the Holy Cross Land."

Boris smiled.

"The Grand Master said that God has given the nobles a more distinguished background and a wealthier family, but this is also a responsibility. The nobles should be at the forefront of the war, while the common people should retreat to the second line."

"It's a typical retro chivalric ideology, but that's fine, I like it."

Da Vinci chuckled.

"Sometimes I really wonder if your leader is a Westerner. Not only does he look like a Westerner, he also thinks like a Westerner."

"Oh? Are there other people who also practice this theory?"

Boris became interested.

"There are many. It's just a school of humanism. In the past few decades, various ideas have emerged in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and even in remote England. I don't understand them very well, but I know that these ideas are very advanced."

Leonardo recalled.

"The theological collective retro communal thought of your Grand Master is one of them, especially in England. Even the Archbishop of Canterbury has expressed this philosophy."

"They have recently started to develop the wool industry, which is what you call the 'enclosure movement'. However, they have no pagans to exploit, and the king and nobles will not protect the common people. The only ones who suffer are their own people."

"There are successful theological rural communes, such as the Dithmarschen Farmers' Republic in northern Germany. The Swiss Confederation is also considered half a theological rural commune. In recent years, they have also been gaining momentum. However, it probably won't work in a big country."

"However, it is certain that not many nobles and senior clergy are willing to promote theological restoration. Your Grand Master is a very unique one."

"Do you think we'll succeed?"

Boris asked.

"I'm just a painter, how would I know?"

Da Vinci laughed and shook his head.

"But your Grand Master's faith is pure. What about his successor? What about his descendants? Can they still maintain the same faith as today?"

Boris didn't answer, he didn't know either.

In fact, what Leonardo da Vinci said was correct. At that time, Europe was in an intellectual heyday that was rare in a thousand years. The Renaissance made ancient values ​​​​re-emerge in people's minds. The beautiful world that seemed like a dream formed a sharp contrast with the cruel reality, causing these philosophers to have a considerable ideological gap.

Against this background, many value systems that have had a profound impact on later generations began to be constructed, including the civil rights movement, individualism, collectivism, capitalism and even socialism.

In the midst of this, England's "sheep eating people" enclosure movement caused thinkers to question both feudalism and capitalism. Utopian socialism began to take shape, and many thinkers began to use pen and paper to construct an idealized perfect world. Eventually, Thomas More in the late 15th century became the first to synthesize them all, and the concept of "utopia" was born.

In the original time and space, in a few decades, the ideas of the theological rural commune will move from paper to reality, and the first peasant uprising with a socialist nature in human history will soon set off a revolutionary wave in the German region.

The Renaissance was a great revolution. To describe it merely as a prosperity in literature and art is to ignore its essence, but to regard it merely as a new cultural movement of the bourgeoisie is also disrespectful.

Seeing that Boris didn't say anything, Da Vinci didn't want to dwell on such a profound topic.

"In any case, whether your Grand Master sincerely wants to contribute to the cause of Christianity or has deeper motives and just wants to use this method to subvert the Georgian nobility and seize the throne of Tbilisi, I wish him success."

"you!"

Boris turned his head away angrily.

Da Vinci smiled but said nothing.

The convoy continued to move forward, passing through farmlands and villages, and a small but vibrant city appeared before everyone.

The city is located on a bulge on the banks of the Kura River, surrounded by many military fortresses. There are many people coming and going, and everyone has a smile on their face.

"The Frozen City, the new city of the Knights, the free city, the enlightened city."

Boris pointed toward the city.

"Right now, only half of the city exists, and the other half is still under construction. A large castle will be built on the side facing Ganja City. The castle is connected to the city wall, and the Grand Master usually sleeps at the front line so that everyone can see it."

"This castle is one of your jobs."

"Okay, I'll take a look."

Da Vinci nodded and looked out at the dark blue city.

"I can understand the Frozen City, but why is it called the Freedom City?"

"Because there are not only Orthodox Christians living in this city, but also Armenian Orthodox Christians and a large number of smaller sects."

Boris said.

"The Grand Master attracted many minority believers who were severely suppressed by the Safavid Order, including small Muslim sects, small Christian heterodox sects and those ancient sects such as Nestorianism and Zoroastrianism."

"These small sects must abide by the laws of the city. Hostility and the spread of extreme ideas are prohibited. We do not require different sects to get along with each other in a friendly manner, but at least they cannot use violence against each other. The Knights' force will maintain order."

"this--"

Leonardo da Vinci was very surprised.

"I thought you would kill all these heretics."

"The Grand Master said that he was very confident in his faith and believed that he could convert those barbarians without the need for horses and swords."

Boris paused. "But I think that in such a land with mixed cultures and complicated beliefs, we don't have a better solution."

"Since the Safavids took root, the extreme militarism of this area has become increasingly intense, and those more peaceful sects have been swallowed up one by one. What we want to do is to alleviate this phenomenon as much as possible."

"His Majesty Isaac thought this was meaningful and agreed with the Grand Master's approach."

"I think, for His Majesty, he may not care how we develop. As long as we can cause trouble for the Safavids, everything is fine."

Boris grinned.

"In the south, our ally Arslan is the representative of pacifist Muslims, and he is doing the same thing as us."

"The Grand Master said that we must provide a place for those peaceful people who do not want to go to the extreme path, and let them know that there are better options besides being tied to the chariot of extremism by the Safavids."

"Well, this is your own business."

Leonardo pointed toward the city.

"Were you never attacked when you were building the city?"

"Who will attack? The pain that Emperor Justinian and General Gonzalo inflicted on the Shirvans last time has not yet healed. Besides, they have to deal with the united Circassians."

Boris pouted.

"The Safavids attacked repeatedly in the past few years. After the Aq Qoyunlu rebellion, Haidar returned to Tabriz. It is said that he participated in the power struggle."

"Otherwise, we wouldn't dare to develop people's livelihood, reform the system, and build cities in this way."

“How many years was this city built?”

Leonardo asked.

"It's been almost two years. The members of the Cross Territory would come to help during the slack season. In the past six months, the advanced technology of Constantinople has also provided great support."

“It’s a great improvement.”

Da Vinci said sincerely.

"But why is the wall dark blue? What building materials were used?"

"You will know soon. Follow me. Our destination this time is not a city."

Boris winked at Leonardo and gave some instructions to the driver.

The convoy bypassed the frozen city and continued to move towards the mountains in the south. After a while, a camp came into sight with the flag of the Knights flying above the camp.

Outside the camp, Alexius looked at the approaching convoy, his lips curled up slightly, with a hint of anticipation.

After getting married, Alexius returned to Holy Cross with his wife and began to devote himself to his career, which has been two years to this day.

The civil strife of the Aq Qoyunlu attracted the attention of the Safavid Order. The opening of the Constantinople-Sinop-Batumi route and the recovery of Trebizond increased the influence of the Eastern Roman Empire in Georgia. The princes no longer dared to restrict the development of the Knights of St. Andrew. All these created favorable conditions for the development of the Order.

Against this backdrop, Alexios took steps toward his ideal, made breakthroughs in institutions, technology, and economy, and tried to turn his first base into a true paradise on earth.

From the already renowned Georgian wine to the pioneering use of new-style buildings, from the mining of manganese ore to the promotion of fertilizers, over the past two years, although the development speed of the Holy Cross Land has not been as fast as that of the two sides of the Aegean Sea, it is still very rapid. Refugees have flocked in and the population has gradually increased.

However, Alexius knew very well that the Knights Templar themselves did not have any technological research and development capabilities, and he was only relying on his family connections to reap the benefits of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Not to mention other things, the money his mother and brother sponsored for his wedding alone was several times the annual income of the Knights Templar.

Among them, what Alexius attached the most importance to was the advancement of construction technology and the use of new building materials. In his opinion, this was the unique advantage of the Holy Cross.

Earlier this year, Alexius and Maria gave birth to a daughter named Tamara. The arrival of the newborn brought great joy to Alexius, and the gifts from family members filled several carriages.

Despite his wife's reluctance, Alexius sold all the gifts to realize his ideals.

The unconditional support from the Eastern Empire made Alexius feel a little guilty. He knew that the collectivist path of the Holy Cross's theological revival was very different from the market liberalism of the Eastern Roman Empire, but was somewhat similar to some peasant republics in Germany. The capitalists from the Eastern Empire did not get much dividends from Georgia because of Alexius' success.

However, his parents did not blame him in the letter. The emperor believed that his practice was still valuable and took away copies of the Knights' reform documents. In the future, when problems arise on the road to the Eastern Empire, he may learn from their experience.

There is no completely wrong path. For the happiness of our people, we can do anything.

Alexius remembered these words.

Alexios knew that his father was obviously more concerned about the Safavid Order and the Kingdom of Georgia than the reforms in the Land of the Holy Cross, and expressed his willingness to help him take the Georgian throne.

Was the ancient chivalry that he had been practicing all along intended to bring a better life to the common people, or was it, as others had slandered, just to win public support and seek the throne of Georgia?

Alexius was not quite sure, but he knew that everything depended on human effort.

The carriage stopped, and Boris and Leonardo got out and greeted Alexios.

"It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness Alexius. I have heard that you are handsome. Seeing you today, I can see that you are indeed extraordinary."

Alexios was a little embarrassed by Leonardo's straight gaze, so he quickly spoke to express his welcome.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Leonardo. I heard that you are very interested in our new building materials. I will show you now."

"Boris, you will be responsible for receiving the other people sent by the construction company. When I am done, I will host a banquet for them."

Alexios instructed.

Boris nodded and left, while Alexios took Leonardo to a hillside.

"Mr. Leonardo, what do you know about concrete?"

Alexios asked on the way.

"I have some knowledge. The architectural innovations of the Eastern Empire all relied on cement and concrete."

Da Vinci pondered.

"As I recall, cement is a very old thing that has existed since the ancient Roman period. Your Majesty's research institute only found a quick way to produce it a few years ago, and also divided cement into volcanic cement and gypsum cement."

"Concrete is a new product invented by the Engineering Research Institute under the guidance of Your Majesty. Its main ingredients are cement, sand, water and slag. Sometimes other ingredients are added. It is not difficult to produce."

"You are right, Mr. Leonardo, but do you think concrete is really cheap?"

Alexius paused.

"This... I haven't thought about this. I heard from the construction company that the raw materials are very cheap, and the proportions have been tested by the Engineering Research Institute. It shouldn't be difficult to produce, right?"

Leonardo da Vinci rarely came into contact with low-end buildings and didn't know much about them.

"At least the citizens of Constantinople could afford concrete houses."

"But not all cities are called Constantinople. In this world, there are still countless people living below the poverty line and they cannot afford to live there."

Alexius sighed.

"In our area, since there is no production system, the price of concrete is not low."

"So you—"

Da Vinci looked at him inquiringly.

"Here we are, let's take a look."

The two men walked up the hillside, and Alexios pointed to the valley below.

In the barren valley, many "earth mounds" are clearly visible, piled up into small hills, some of which are still spewing out sticky mud.

"This... Mud Volcano?"

Da Vinci thought about it and frowned.

"Good insight, it's a mud volcano."

Alexius said approvingly.

"Unlike volcanoes, this type of mud volcano does not erupt hot lava. Instead, the vent of the mud volcano is very cool."

"The construction progress in Holy Cross Land all relied on mud from mud volcanoes. We found that this can be used as a lower-level substitute for concrete. It is cheaper and requires no investment. It can be used immediately."

"In Azerbaijan to the east, there are more mud volcanoes. They are inexhaustible and are a gift from God to mankind."

Alexius said with a smile.

"We use mud and European black pine wood to replace reinforced concrete. Although the quality is a bit inferior, it can provide almost free housing for ordinary homeless people."

"Good idea, great."

Da Vinci muttered.

"Then why is the Frozen City dark blue?"

"This brings us to another specialty of Georgia, which Father calls manganese ore."

Alexios pointed to the mine vaguely visible in the distance.

"You know, I have accepted many followers from small sects, most of whom are from the East. They brought a lot of technology with them."

"According to them, manganese ore is also a very good additive. Indian Wootz steel uses manganese ore."

"We mixed manganese slag into the mud from the mud volcano to increase the strength of the building. That's how the dark blue color of the Frozen City came about."

"We plan to mine manganese ore on a large scale and sell it to the Eastern Empire. Their iron and steel industries may need it, and we can enrich our people."

"That's your business. However, if I were God, I would be pleased with your actions at the Holy Cross."

Leonardo da Vinci said.

Alexios was somewhat stunned by Leonardo da Vinci's "blasphemous" words, but then he thought of his identity as a dissolute artist and did not delve into it any further.

"What do you need me to do?"

Leonardo asked.

"In fact, I hope you can design a modular house that can be mass-produced. It should be cheaper than the one in Constantinople. It doesn't have to be beautiful, but it should be habitable. At least it should provide a shelter for those refugees."

Alexius brought up the subject.

"Also, I want to use these natural materials to build a fortress complex in a very short time, with the Frozen City as the center. It would be best if it could completely block the Turkmen nomadic raiders from the east."

Leonardo looked at Alexius deeply and said nothing.

Once the fortress complex is built, the nomadic tribes in the east will not be able to pose any threat to the Knights Templar, and the Knights Templar's troops will be freed up.

For a long time, the Georgian princes relied on the Knights to help them stop the invasion of nomadic tribes, while they themselves enjoyed life in the castle without any worries. This was an important prerequisite for peaceful coexistence between the two sides.

It was precisely out of fear of the Turkmen tribes and awe of the mighty power of the Eastern Roman Empire that the Georgian princes tolerated the existence of the Knights Templar and did not even pursue the refugees who fled to the Land of the Holy Cross. This allowed Alexius's power to grow rapidly.

When the threat from the East was eliminated, this important premise disappeared, and the increasingly powerful Knights became a new threat to the Georgian princes.

"Mr. Leonardo, I can assure you that we are not afraid of the Turkmen."

Alexius licked his lips.

"This is not about seeking peace in one corner, but about seeking peace for the people in one area."

"No problem, I'll do my best."

Da Vinci nodded heavily.

In fact, he didn't care about the specific function of the building. Since he was favored by the royal family, he should give full play to his talents.

After bidding farewell to Leonardo da Vinci, Alexius went to the reception banquet held by the construction company, then returned to the ice castle which had not yet been completely completed, and entered his bedroom.

The bedroom was very warm. Maria was holding her daughter and coaxing her to sleep.

Alexios walked forward and kissed his wife on the forehead.

"The construction team is here."

"Ah."

Maria looked gently into Alexios's flickering eyes.

"The plan for the fortress complex can be realized quickly."

"Ah."

Maria nodded.

"I will seek the throne of Georgia."

"Okay, I'll support you."

Maria nodded again.

"Remember to tell Constantinople about your plan. Once they have resolved the situation in the Mediterranean, they will definitely send a fleet to support you."

"Georgia is part of the Eastern Empire's Black Sea plan. They will do their best to support it."

Seeing that Alexios remained silent, Maria touched his golden hair.

"I know you care about your reputation, but as you said before, those princes and nobles who are also Orthodox Christians are complete insects. How can we build the kingdom of heaven on earth with them?"

"The people's support is with you. You should have taken action long ago."

Alexius stood up, his eyes gradually becoming firm.

The bell rang and a maid came in.

"Go and call all the grand masters of the Knights Templar to the chapel. I have an important announcement to make!"

(End of this chapter)