1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 360 Operation Flood
The cool breeze blew away the summer drought, and the Mediterranean world entered a warm and humid autumn and winter. The rain gradually increased, the weather gradually became colder, and the farmers planted wheat seedlings and prayed for a good harvest next year.

The Mediterranean world in 1475 was still in turmoil. From the Great Plains of northern France to the Forest of Lorraine, from the Iberian Mountains to Sicily, several Western European powers were caught up in this long-planned turmoil. Burgundy rushed forward recklessly, France took advantage of the situation, Aragon gambled everything, and the Eastern Roman Empire also sent out its entire army. Peace was shattered, and years of war became the main theme of the western Mediterranean.

The chaos in Italy has been initially quelled. The Republic of Florence and the Republic of San Marco are both in a mess. The Duchy of Milan has forced the Free City of La Spezia and the Duchy of Parma to pledge allegiance to it. The tyranny of the Duke of Milan has fallen on more and more people. The witch hunt and anti-Hebrew movements have reached their climax. People have chosen to kill each other in confusion and pain. The once prosperous Italy has gradually shed its gorgeous coat, revealing its weak nature.

Against this background, a large number of workshops went bankrupt and a large number of workers lost their jobs. What followed was the massive expansion of the Pope and the old secular aristocracy. From finance to industry, Italian capital suffered an unprecedented setback.

Venice collapsed, and the Adriatic trade and shipbuilding markets were divided up by the Eastern Roman Empire. Florence collapsed, and the big pie of the financial and banking industries fell into the hands of Eastern Roman bankers. Granada collapsed, and the Eastern Roman Empire once again became the largest silk producer in Europe. The whole country was filled with optimism and progressive mood, and more and more middle-class people and even civilians were willing to bet everything on a gamble. It seemed that this unprecedented heyday would never end.

The huge amount of precious metals brought by ocean trade poured into the royal family, government or private banking institutions. These banks issued large loans to dreamers for ocean exploration, business establishment, invention and research... As long as you want to do it, a good life will be there tomorrow.

Economic prosperity and policy openness naturally brought about cultural booms. More and more literary works and artistic works were created, and more and more Italian artists began to seek funding on the Aegean coast. Here, everyone has the right to create freely and enjoys all rights to what he creates. The emperor's cultural supervision policy is very loose. As long as it is not excessive, everything is up to you.

By the late autumn of 1475, the Eastern Roman Empire had a total registered population of million, more than half of whom were registered as Greek Orthodox Christians. Under the auspices of Vice Prime Minister Basilius and Minister of Education Balsamon, the reformation movement in western Anatolia was in full swing, and more and more hesitant and undetermined people began to convert to Orthodox Christians. Diehard Turkic Muslims were captured and forced to work as coolies in workshops in major coastal cities to atone for hundreds of years of blood feuds.

However, the accelerated development of capitalism is naturally not perfect. The urbanization process on both sides of the Aegean Sea has continued to intensify, a large number of jobs have been created, a large number of opportunities are waiting to be seized, and there is almost no unemployment. Greek citizens who enjoy the highest citizenship rights have lived a better life that was unimaginable in the past few hundred years. "Full employment" has become more and more common, and the willingness to join the army to fight has decreased.

It is true that the Eastern Roman Empire placed the most importance on military achievements, and if one wanted to climb to the pinnacle of power, one had to go to the battlefield. But for today's citizens, they could live a good life by working honestly and diligently. The Orthodox Church protected their rights, and workshop owners did not dare to exploit them at will. They could even obtain titles by making breakthroughs in literature, economy, and technology. There were too many opportunities for success and fame, so there was no need to risk their lives for a future.

Calls to let peasants join the army, let the poor join the army, let slaves join the army became more and more common in big cities, and also attracted the attention of the imperial government.

The actual situation is that in recent years, the proportion of soldiers from these categories has indeed been increasing, and the proportion of citizens joining the army has been decreasing year by year. Although the advantages and disadvantages cannot be seen for the time being, this is definitely not a good phenomenon.

With the development of military technology, the era when one could defeat the enemy with brute bravery alone is gradually fading away. The army's requirements for the personal qualities of soldiers will only become higher and higher. Citizens have a high literacy rate, and their average height and weight exceed those of farmers. They are better than farmers in mastering new weapons, understanding new tactics, and obeying orders from superiors. They are definitely a force that cannot be ignored.

In order to solve this problem, the imperial government adopted two methods. The first was to accelerate the assimilation process and attract the Italian population to fundamentally increase the troop base. The second was to change the propaganda method and encourage nationalism. The propagandists would tell young people that they joined the army not for tangible benefits, but for their own nation and country.

Money, nobility, power, status, title, honor... For the citizens, although these things are beautiful, there are other ways to obtain them, and they may not be worth fighting for.

However, the bourgeoisie is national in character. In a peaceful social atmosphere, there may not be many people who waste their lives for money, but there must be many passionate young people who are willing to go to the battlefield for the future of the nation and the country.

The rise of nationalism is an inevitable result of the development of capitalism. It is also a mighty torrent that can only be followed and cannot be stopped.

In order to further promote nationalism, the history textbooks revised under the auspices of the Ministry of Education of the Eastern Roman Empire detailed the territory of the ancient Roman Empire at its peak, the territory of the Eastern Roman Empire during the period of division between the East and the West, and the largest territory of the Eastern Roman Empire during the Justinian period. How to promote it to the people depended entirely on the country's national strength at that time.

It has been the law of nature since ancient times that when you are rich, you put aside your disputes, while when you are poor, you put aside your disputes.

The Eastern Roman Empire already had the concept of nation. After Isaac gave it a shot of adrenaline called capitalism, the vigorous development of nationalism was visible to the naked eye and had already shown some signs.

Of the two wars currently faced by the Eastern Roman Empire, there are obviously more citizens willing to sign up for the Battle of Sicily than for the War of the Castilian Succession, because the former is about recovering lost territory, while the latter is about the monarch's private interests.

Ordinary citizens, limited by the times, still found it difficult to understand the emperor's long-term layout in the western Mediterranean. They did not understand how big a threat Granada's silk weaving industry posed to the Eastern Roman silk workshops, nor did they know how drastic an impact a united Greater Spain would have on the Eastern Roman Empire's overseas routes. In their view, Castile would not become a part of the Eastern Roman Empire, and King Carlos would not become a Roman, so this matter had little to do with them.

This situation is not a bad thing. After all, the masters of the country are still the people. Only when the royal family stands on the side of the majority of the people will they support it from the bottom of their hearts. Future emperors should take this as a warning.

In any case, the times had not yet developed to that point. In the minds of Eastern Roman citizens, the Palaiologos royal family was still sacred and great, and still represented the interests of the nation. The emperor used his own money to fight his own war, and a large number of orders would fall on them, bringing countless opportunities to make a fortune.

The late autumn in Constantinople was peaceful and harmonious, with abundant resources, good public security, and stable and affluent life for the people. The war next door had not affected the rapid development here, and advances in construction technology allowed this world-desired city to expand rapidly.

To the west of the main city of Constantinople, a magnificent castle sits on the shore of a large lake. The scenery here is beautiful, the roads are wide, and the town next to the castle has already taken shape.

This is the Citadel of St. John, one of the three citadels of Constantinople. Although it has the smallest population, it is a gathering place for art and thought, and an absolute center of culture and technology. In addition to the four universities occupying the four main buildings of the castle, there are also supporting facilities such as paper mills and printing houses, the Institute of Humanities, branches of the Royal Academy of Sciences, the Imperial Examination Bureau and a series of other cultural and educational departments.

In recent years, more and more new universities have been established, and the Cité St. John has also begun to expand. The four towers obviously cannot meet the growing educational needs. The newly relocated University of Constantinople is wealthy and powerful, so it simply built a new institution by itself. The main part uses the latest reinforced concrete structure, which is simple and beautiful.

College students at Cité St. John often organize various activities, such as sightseeing, sketching, painting, poetry, and festival celebrations. Residents from nearby areas occasionally come to watch and join in the fun.

In the center of the Cité St. John is a large square. The square is very large and was renovated to imitate the model of the ancient Roman theater. There are circular rows of seats all around and a circular platform in the middle, which is designed specifically for speeches.

With the encouragement of teachers, college students here often hold debates and speech activities in the big square. They can engage in heated debates on a topic, display their research results, criticize the current social situation, satirize corrupt officials, question government policies, and show their latest scientific research results to classmates and teachers.

This is an old tradition of the Eastern Roman Empire. Although it is called an empire, it retains many republican elements. Citizens have the right to criticize the government and the emperor. They are well aware of this and are proud of it.

No matter whether you are Justinian the Great or Basil the Butcher, no matter whether you are Alexios I or John II, the citizens of Constantinople will still curse you, and of course the ones who curse the harshest are the college students.

At such times, the main square would always be filled with crowds of spectators, from nearby villages to as far away as Constantinople. Many people enjoyed watching such activities very much. Sometimes some people would even go up to the podium and have a debate with the students on the stage.

Since natural philosophy is highly professional, most of the debates, speeches and presentations are about the humanities, fine arts and music, which are loved by college students and auditors alike.

However, workshop owners and investors tend to pay more attention to research in natural philosophy. Many college students are noticed on the spot after presenting their results, and this provides them with the opportunity to realize their dreams.

The Citadella de St. John is very lively today. The main square is packed with people. A college student is making an impassioned speech on the podium, revealing his confident and high-spirited temperament in his every move.

Everyone on the field was sitting in distinct sections. The college students on the left were wearing their respective school uniforms, all black robes, but with different brooch accessories. The blue harp represented the Imperial Academy of Arts, the red griffin represented the University of Constantinople, the ancient giant hammer represented the Imperial College of Science and Technology, the silver scales represented the Imperial University of Law, and the Imperial University of Finance and Economics was taken from the purple gold horn of plenty of Proetus, the ancient Greek god of wealth.

The onlookers sat on the right. Their clothes were a little messy, but the enthusiasm and expectation on their faces were no less than those of the students, and they would occasionally burst into cheers.

Loving to watch fun and engage in debates may be the most distinctive feature of the citizens of Constantinople.

Today's event was somewhat unusual. The highest stand opposite the podium was no longer empty, but was filled with dignitaries in gorgeous clothes. Students and the public pointed and talked at the highest stand, their eyes full of respect and admiration.

On the highest stand, a golden and red double-headed eagle flag fluttered in the wind. Under the eagle flag, the eight-year-old Constantine stared at the figure on the stage intently, and from time to time he looked at the old man beside him and asked questions with great interest.

"Sir Balsamon, you are right. The activities in the Citadel are very exciting!"

Constantine said with great delight.

"Especially the band performance just now. The students of the Imperial Academy of Arts were amazing!"

"Haha, Your Highness, if you like, you can come and see it often in the future."

Balsamon, who was standing nearby, stroked his beard and said with a smile.

"This kind of event was organized by your mother, Queen Isabella. When she was in Constantinople, she would come to watch every few times, and sometimes she would force your father to come along."

"Your grandmother is not interested in this, but I think this is actually a very good opportunity. The people and students will be very happy to have you here."

Constantine nodded and continued to watch the speech.

"In my opinion, sports are a very important matter for a strong country. All schools should promote physical education to strengthen the body, enrich the mind and body, let students exercise in sports and cultivate collective friendship..."

The male student on the podium spoke loudly, took out a joint document and showed it to everyone present.

"In addition, on behalf of all the teachers and students of the Imperial Academy of Arts, I have made a proposal to the Emperor's government, hoping to hold a national sports conference so that citizens from all over the country can participate in sports competitions..."

"Do they want to hold a sports meeting?"

On the highest stand, little Constantine asked quietly.

"To be precise, they want to revive the Olympic Games, not only using that name, but also holding them in Athens, and lighting the flame from Mount Olympus."

Balsamon explained.

"When people's lives become prosperous, they will naturally have higher-level pursuits. Voices about restarting the Olympic Games appeared a few years ago, but were opposed by the Orthodox Church."

"The Orthodox Church believes that it is inappropriate to restart the Olympic Games, which belonged to the ancient pagan Greek city-states. This is neither holy, nor Roman, and has nothing to do with the empire."

Balsamon recalled.

"But they have no problem with the Games themselves, they just want some changes, not to use the name Olympus, not to go to Mount Olympus to get the Olympic flame."

"How boring. Olympus is a nice name."

Constantine curled his lips.

"Forget it, let's wait for grandfather to come back and let him decide."

After the male student finished his speech, he bowed deeply to everyone and left the podium amid applause.

The next group to come on stage was a group who, judging by their brooches, were all from the University of Constantinople.

This group seemed a little different. The leader was standing on the podium, while the others were struggling to carry a large glass tank with some building structures inside.

"Here comes the main event."

Balsamon warned in a low voice.

Constantine nodded quickly and stared at the architecture team.

"Your Majesty, dear citizens, before we begin, please allow me to introduce myself."

The speaker's booming voice rang out.

"My name is Tsorvas. We are a research team from the School of Architecture at the University of Constantinople. This project was not initiated by us, but by our mentor. However, he is currently carrying out a military program abroad, so we are presenting it on his behalf."

Tsorvas thought about it, then reluctantly took out a piece of paper and began to read.

“First of all, I would like to thank the Royal Construction Group for its investment in this project. The Royal Construction Group is the best choice for high-end houses that are both artistic and practical…”

"This is advertising, which originated in England and has recently been introduced into the country by our Prometheus."

Balsamon explained to Constantine.

"We are grateful to Leonardo of Vinci for his drawings that provided us with inspiration, and to the Fugger Mining Company for the German mining technology they introduced that gave us great inspiration."

The advertisement was finally finished, and Tsorvas breathed a sigh of relief, smiled and put the piece of paper in his pocket.

"Okay, let's get started."

Tsorvas turned to the crowd and began his speech.

"As we all know, people in ancient times long ago have realized the importance of water resources. However, according to the words in geography textbooks, rainfall and snowfall are uncertain in time and space, which often leads to droughts or floods, posing huge risks to agricultural production."

"So, ancient people began to look for corresponding solutions, such as digging trenches, building reservoirs, and of course, our protagonist today, the dam."

Tsorvas said with a smile. "The first dam we know of came from the First Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. The Nile River is probably the most flood-prone river in the world. The ancient Egyptians used dams to regulate the river for flood control, water supply, and irrigation."

"Early dams were all stone dams, and later mortar was added for reinforcement. Although this type of dam has a weak bearing capacity, it can still perform well as long as it is built properly."

"After the opening of the new sea route, we were able to learn more about Eastern wisdom. By reading Eastern books, we found that about 1,700 years ago, Eastern people built a water diversion project called Dujiangyan in an inland city. Although this project is not a dam, it has provided many valuable ideas for the water conservancy projects of all mankind and brought us inspiration."

"The innovation of architectural technology brought concrete into our view. With the support of the Royal Architecture Group, my mentor began to explore the feasibility of concrete dams and eventually made some breakthroughs."

Tsorvas turned around and showed the glass tank behind him to everyone.

"Inside this large vat is our concrete dam model. The concrete skeleton is made of hardwood, and the two sides are modeled after the Dujiangyan Irrigation System of the Orientals. Through interception and release, it can play a good role in flood control and regulation."

Tsorvas waved his hand, and a strong student lifted a bucket of water and dumped it on the building.

"As you can see, the floodwaters flowed away from other rivers, leaving the plots of farmland unscathed."

Tsorvas faced the crowd.

"Of course, this is just a model. In reality, we also need to consider many factors such as river sediment, concrete strength, bearing capacity, etc. This requires specific analysis based on the specific situation."

“In reality, do you still use hardwood for concrete?”

A student from Imperial College London asked.

"No, in reality you have to use steel bars."

Tsorvas shook his head.

"There is no need to worry about the high cost of steel bars. The exploration team has discovered a large amount of fluorite mines in southern Africa and found that fluorite has a very good effect on metal smelting, making large-scale metal smelting possible."

"Furthermore, if the project is done properly, the benefits it brings will far exceed the construction costs, which cannot be compared with a little steel bar."

Then, Tsorvas introduced some professional terms. Except for a few college students, everyone else was confused and the applause was sparse.

"They...should be good at speaking, right?"

Constantine asked tentatively.

He was just a child and of course he didn't understand much about these things.

“There should be someone who will invest in them, right?”

"No, no capitalists are willing to invest in such things. They can't make any money."

Balsamon said.

"This kind of project, which doesn't seem to make money but is actually beneficial to the national economy and people's livelihood, can only be the government's business. This is one of the reasons why we can't hand over the country to capitalists."

“Then invest?”

Constantine asked inquiringly.

“I think they seem to be working hard.”

"Haha, you don't have to worry about that, Your Highness. Your grandfather has long asked the Royal Architecture Group to fund their research, and their mentor has already been received by the Emperor."

Balsamon smiled.

"They plan to conduct a test on a tributary of the Merichi River in the Thracian Plain by building a small concrete dam to see the effect."

"If the plan is successful, more than 20,000 farmers will benefit from it."

"I understand."

Hearing this number, Constantine was a little surprised, and then nodded seriously.

"It seems that my grandfather's emphasis on science and education is absolutely correct. If I become the emperor, I will also vigorously support scientific research."

"That's good. The best thing for you to do during this trip is to learn something."

Balsamon nodded with satisfaction.

"But, Mr. Balsamon, isn't it a bit inappropriate to choose Thrace as the first test? What if it fails?"

Constantine looked at Balsamon in confusion.

"Should we accumulate some experience first?"

“It wouldn’t be the first time.”

Balsamon's smile faded a little, he thought about it, and sighed.

"We are already accumulating experience, and you will understand it later."

……

Dark clouds rolled over the sky above Sicily.

In a temporary command post on high ground, Isaac lit a whale oil lamp and studied the detailed map of the Catania Plain attentively.

On the map, each river was marked in detail, and based on the descriptions of local residents, the engineering corps divided their water storage capacity into several levels.

The upper reaches of the river are located in mountainous areas, and some sections of the river are marked with horizontal lines and others with vertical lines.

Unlike the northern Balkans and some areas in north-central Italy, Sicily has a completely Mediterranean climate, with very little rainfall in the summer and very concentrated rainfall in the winter. This results in extremely poor road conditions in Sicily. Every winter, the low-lying areas will all turn into swamps and wetlands, with mud everywhere, making it almost impossible to march.

At first, after capturing Syracuse, Isaac did want to break through Catania and take Messina directly before the rainy season arrived, but the calm response of the Marquis of Gatiss quickly made this plan fail. The lack of time forced Isaac to seek other methods in order to capture Catania before Christmas.

Coincidentally, at this time, an architecture tutor at the University of Constantinople claimed that he had successfully developed a construction model for concrete dams and combined it with oriental ingenuity, hoping to build new water conservancy projects in the empire to benefit the people.

Then Isaac suddenly got inspiration.

Since it is difficult to travel in the rainy season, and since you want to turn the muddy road into a mess in order to trap my army, I might as well just overturn the mess.

Cannon? Musket? No, the torrential rains in Sicily during the winter were Isaac's most powerful tool of war.

So, Isaac began to divide the engineering corps into two groups. One group cooperated with small units to build roads and bridges downstream of the Catania rivers to confuse the enemy, and the other group went upstream and began to build dams upstream of the rivers to achieve water flow control.

Catania is a port city located at the foot of the mountain. It has a low terrain and the Armandano River flows into the sea from here. However, the water volume of the Armandano River is obviously insufficient. If it is not controlled, this river alone will not be able to break through the fortifications of the city of Catania.

Therefore, Isaac built a series of water conservancy facilities on other rivers and asked the army to dig waterways, trying to change the direction of other rivers after bursting their banks and let them flow into the sea through the Amandano River.

Without the latest technology, this plan is obviously a fantasy. The dam can be built, but there is obviously not enough time.

However, with the help of concrete technology, the impossible became possible. Isaac did not need to build several perfect dams. These dams were disposable. As long as they could store enough water, their mission was accomplished.

The curtain was pushed open, and Isaac remembered that the steady footsteps came from his old minister Ibrahim.

"Your Majesty, three river sections have been completed. Winter has not yet come, and the rainstorm has not yet fallen. The river water level is low. Your engineering team has also worked very hard. The concrete dam is being built very quickly."

There was a hint of excitement in Ibrahim's voice.

"The rest of our actions downstream have worked. The reckless Marquis of Gatiss was completely unaware of our main goal and withdrew his reconnaissance troops with the intention of holding on."

"Good, I understand."

Isaac nodded silently and continued to look at the map.

"Our construction technology has made more breakthroughs in the past two years than in the past two hundred years. The Marquis of Gatiss cannot change his mindset."

"The refugee relocation plan must also be accelerated. This place is too close to the European continent, and I don't want to ruin my reputation."

After thinking for a moment, Isaac looked at Ibrahim.

"Has our infiltration operation in Catania not yet made any breakthrough?"

"No, Your Majesty."

Ibrahim said simply and clearly.

"The main forces of Marquis Gatis are all in the Catania area. This old noble is very fierce. He killed hundreds of people as soon as he entered the city. The local forces that had colluded with us have all stopped their actions. They are afraid and are now providing help to Marquis Gatis."

"In that case, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Isaac sighed.

"Let the engineering team speed up. Everything must be ready before the rainstorm arrives!"

"This operation is also the best opportunity for them to learn and grow. After the war is over, they will have to pass on this technology to several major construction companies in the country!"

"Yes!"

Ibrahim saluted and left, while Isaac continued to look at the map.

boom!
The thunder roared, and Isaac was startled. He stood up, walked out of the tent, and stared at the gray sky.

The dark clouds were getting lower and lower. Isaac stretched out his hand and a cold raindrop fell on his palm.

The rainy season is here.

(End of this chapter)