1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 402: The War of Slaves

As 1478 was coming to an end, cold winds blew in Anatolia, the rain gradually increased, and snow began to fall in some high-altitude areas.

In the central Anatolian Plateau, on a flat wasteland southwest of Ankara, a group of several hundred refugees was running eastward. Mules and donkeys carrying daily necessities were grunting and foaming at the mouths, and the women and children had expressions of panic on their faces.

They were all Muslim refugees, coming from the west and fleeing famine to the east. Their monarch Bayezid had burned the city of Ankara and allowed the nomadic tribes to loot the towns and villages around Ankara. They took away all the civilian and military supplies that could be collected and fled to the east accompanied by the jubilant nomadic tribes.

Bayezid II was not as talented as his father, and the current Ottoman regime also left him with little room to display his talents. Over the past 30 years, the capital had been captured three times and the sultan had moved four times. Many administrative officials, jurists and various talents from the Ottoman period fell into the hands of the Eastern Roman Empire. Craftsmen with special skills were treated with tolerance, but talents related to culture and religion were caught and killed, especially jurists who were an important part of Muslim society. As long as they were unwilling to act as "traitors", promote the "Muslim original sin theory" and call on Muslims to convert to Orthodoxy, they had almost no possibility of surviving in the Eastern Roman Empire.

After losing its absolute core area along the Aegean coast, the Ottoman Empire's military and political systems, which had once far surpassed those of the Muslims, had long ceased to exist. The local regime ruled by Bayezid II was just an ordinary Turkic nomadic alliance. Recruiting soldiers relied on tribal contributions and collecting taxes relied on robbing the people. Muslim farmers who fled from the eastern coast of the Aegean Sea not only faced the dilemma of being homeless, but also had to face the looting of their own nomads.

The rise of the Eastern Roman Empire was undoubtedly a nightmare for Mediterranean Muslims. They were driven from one place to another, and just as they settled down and opened up farms and pastures, the high-flying double-headed eagle flag appeared before them again. What followed was a new escape, new displacement and a new nightmare. Whether they were North African Muslims or Anatolian Muslims, their population rapidly decreased, their culture was destroyed and their level of civilization rapidly declined.

Whenever the imperial legions recovered a piece of land stolen by Muslims, there would be a long period of chaos there, and the old order would be completely torn apart. There were famine, plague, bandits, refugees... When the local Muslim population dropped to a certain level, Eastern Roman immigrants and the Eastern Roman government came here, and a new order was established.

By the end of 1478, the Eastern Roman Empire had recovered nearly half of its Asian territory, but it had only a registered population of more than two million, less than half of that in the Ottoman era. The extra die-hard population either died in the war and the chaos it brought, or was captured as a slave, or fled to the East, or could only hide in the wilderness and mountains that the Eastern Roman Empire had not yet reached, watching in sorrow and despair as more and more Eastern Roman immigrants occupied their former living space.

The refugee group in front of us is part of the refugees. Thirty years ago, they lived near Adrianople, ten years ago, they lived near Manisa, and a year ago, they lived near Ankara. Now, they have lost their homes and land again and don’t know where to go.

The experiences of these large groups of refugees were undoubtedly very tragic. Natural disasters and man-made calamities along the way repeatedly tormented everyone. Only one-third of the lucky ones were able to successfully reach the relatively safe Islamic gathering areas, either in the easternmost part of Anatolia, or in the Armenian Plateau, or even in the Syrian and Mesopotamian plains. The population carrying capacity here was far from reaching its upper limit, and there was still a lot of land waiting to be cultivated.

Of course, even if they escaped from the clutches of the Eastern Roman Empire, the lives of the refugees were equally difficult. They could only survive under the contempt and discrimination of the locals and lived an inferior life. Nomadic tribes would often give them some land with harsh environments and allow them to reclaim wasteland and build villages, but the condition was heavy taxes and corvee labor.

Most of the refugees were farmers and citizens from central and western Asia Minor. Their escape to the east promoted land development and economic growth in the eastern part of the plateau to a certain extent, and brought relatively advanced culture and technology to the local Muslim community. The White Aq Qoyunlu absorbed many Ottoman scholars and craftsmen, and the city of Tabriz became very prosperous in this wave.

The refugees often cherished their current lives and obediently depended on the wings of Muslim monarchs or nomadic tribes. They often harbored hopes and hoped that they would never see the flag of the Eastern Roman Empire again in their lifetime, although this delusion was destined to be difficult to achieve.

The weather was already very cold, and the chill wind blew into the wasteland. The ragged refugees shivered as they ran, turning back from time to time and looking behind them with fear in their eyes.

Donkey carts loaded with food were burned in the attack last night, along with a third of the refugees killed by sabers.

This group of refugees came from several neighboring villages and hid in the mountains before Bayezid II allowed nomadic tribes to plunder farmers, preparing to return home before winter arrived.

This is a plateau, and the temperature in winter often drops below zero. Continuing to hide in the mountains is almost a dead end.

However, when they returned to the village, two armed reclamation groups had already occupied their land. The leading Greek ranchers, under the supervision of the priests, were excitedly enclosing their grain fields into large farms and pastures, and distributing them to every member of the reclamation group who participated in the eastward movement.

A fight broke out between the resentful Muslims and the armed reclamation group. Although they had the advantage in numbers, they could not gain much advantage in the face of muskets, armor and swords, and failed to drive the reclamation group out of the village. Their biggest "result" was killing a Greek priest who tried to persuade them to convert to Orthodoxy.

As a result, they no longer have the qualifications to obtain reservations and are being hunted endlessly.

They were not nomads, and in this land that had been destroyed by Bayezid II and was about to face a cold winter, they had no third way except death and escape.

"Speed ​​up! Once we cross this mountain, we will be out of the Greek-controlled area!"

At the front of the refugee group, a middle-aged man shouted.

"Once we have shaken off the Greeks, we will set up camp, rest, and make a fire to cook!"

Hearing his promise, the refugees seemed to have more hope and cheered up a little, and everyone gritted their teeth and persevered.

"It seems the Greeks stopped chasing us. After we crossed the stream, we didn't see them anymore!"

Two refugees carrying hunting bows came running breathlessly from behind and said to the middle-aged man with a smile.

The middle-aged man was delighted and patted their shoulders.

The refugee team quickened their pace and the hillside seemed to be just around the corner.

woo-

A loud military call sounded from the hillside, and a camel slowly appeared in front of the refugees. The cavalry on the camel was wearing bloody clothes and light armor, and holding high a blood-stained eagle flag.

Then, more and more camel cavalry appeared on the hillside, a total of five hundred of them, lined up in three horizontal rows, bringing endless pressure.

Along with the camel cavalry came a large number of hunting dogs, which were carefully selected North African greyhounds. They were good at tracking and running and were regarded as treasures by North African nomads.

"It's them again..."

The middle-aged man looked pale and muttered to himself.

"Are you really planning to catch us all in one fell swoop..."

As a veteran who had served in the Ottoman army, the middle-aged man naturally recognized this flag and this cavalry. They were called Slaves and came from Africa. They were a North African cavalry founded by the Eastern Roman Emperor himself. They had participated in countless wars, big and small, with the Eastern Roman army.

Ever since they killed the missionary, the Slaves cavalry began a massive hunt against them. Over the past few days, the Slaves have always followed them, like they were hunting, forcing their "prey" into desperate situations step by step.

Seeing these bloody cavalrymen, the refugees' eyes were filled with despair. The few remaining elderly people smiled bitterly and shook their heads, while women and children cried bitterly.

"This is your last chance. Convert to the Orthodox religion, obey the rules, and you will be spared death."

A Slavic cavalryman shouted loudly in Turkic.

"If you resist——"

“Allahhu Akbar!”

The voice of a middle-aged man was heard, and he raised his hunting knife high, destroying the refugees' last chance of survival.

The Slaves cavalry stopped trying to persuade them to surrender, and the three columns began to charge. The dromedaries rushed down the gentle slope, and the refugees' hastily organized formation collapsed at the first touch. The cold scimitars flew up and down, bringing up a pool of blood.

More than ten minutes later, dozens of adult men who put up the most fierce resistance fell under the scimitars of the Slaves cavalry, and the remaining two hundred or so refugees knelt on the wasteland, crying bitterly and begging for forgiveness and mercy from the victors.

The Slaves were cleaning up the battlefield, while their centurion slowly walked down the hillside and came in front of the crowd.

"Captain, still the same as before?"

A centurion came up to the captain, took out a cigarette and a tinder box, and lit them for the two men.

"Slaves like these are too cheap nowadays. We can't sell them for a high price. How about we kill them all?"

“No, tradition is tradition.”

The centurion said calmly.

"Pull out the half-grown children, and the Saracen priests also."

Slaves received the order and the cavalry rushed into the crowd like wolves and tigers, carrying out the orders from their superiors.

The thousand-man captain signaled with his eyes, and the centurion nodded, walked forward, and shouted loudly in Turkic.

"According to the most ancient rules and the imperial decree of Emperor Isaac, all of you defeated are our property. We can kill you at will or sell you as slaves."

The centurion stared at each of the boys fiercely, and the boys also looked at him with hatred or fear.

"Now, the last chance is before you. I will give you five daggers. Kill three scholars of the doctrine and fight with your companions. The five people who remain can become one of us!"

This is a special ceremony of the Slaves Corps. More than 30 years ago, Isaac selected the first batch of Slaves from a group of defeated slaves through this method. Although large-scale recruitment was no longer carried out through this model, the Slaves Corps still retained this tradition. They called it "baptism", using the blood of their old enemies instead of the water of the Jordan River to bathe their whole body. The few who survived would become a member of the Slaves, respect the Orthodox Church, learn Greek, and be reborn.

These Slaves recruits, whose blood is stained on their fellow countrymen's blood, are often more cruel, bloodthirsty and fanatical than those Slaves who inherited their fathers' and brothers' positions. They are also more brutal towards their Muslim "fellow countrymen".

After baptism, they will go to training camps in Carthage or Constantinople with the Slaves recruits who were inherited or recruited for three months of language, religion and loyalty training. The "bloody priests" of the Slaves Legion will brainwash them, and then the emperor, crown prince or crown prince will meet with them and formally grant them new identities.

Afterwards, they will be assigned to hundreds of households and further trained by local veterans and priests. After they reach adulthood, a new Slaves will be born.

The baptism began, and the young men began to kill each other under the pressure of knives and guns. They first killed three old Muslim scholars, and then scrambled for daggers and stabbed their companions with them.

The Slaves cavalrymen watched this bloody feast indifferently and reverently. Some of them completed the transformation of their identities through this ceremony, while others inherited the pastures and armor of their fathers or brothers. Regardless of their origins, they all respected this ceremony and were willing to regard those young men who proved themselves through baptism as one of their own.

The imperial central government, which wanted the Slaves Legion to be loyal for generations, did not like this ceremony very much. The Slaves high-ranking officials, who wanted to keep as many resources as possible in the hands of their descendants, also did not like it very much. But tradition is tradition, and due to the insistence of ordinary Slaves, the ceremony was retained, but its scale was greatly reduced.

After a moment, only five young men holding daggers were left on the field. They were covered in blood, some of them were trembling, some were laughing wildly, and the priests in blood-red robes put the same blood-red robes on them and chanted the holy words of the Orthodox Church.

"Okay, that's it."

The centurion waved his hand, and the Slaves cavalry regrouped.

"Take the remaining slaves back and see if anyone wants to buy them."

The centurion glanced at the shivering Muslim refugees, threw the burnt cigarette into the pool of blood, and spoke indifferently.

These refugees have lost their last chance. They will be sent to the slave market to pay for their sins in workshops, mines or plantations. Men, women and children are no exception. The capitalists will think of ten thousand ways to squeeze out the value of everyone.

In order to allow these slaves to retain some of the most glimmer of hope and to stimulate their enthusiasm for production, capitalists would often pay them some meager wages and allow them to gain freedom by saving money. As long as they converted to Orthodoxy and paid a redemption fee to their masters, even the lowest-level slaves could get a new life.

However, the capitalists are dirty and will never suffer losses easily. The ransom they negotiated with the church is just slightly higher than the price of the same kind of slaves on the market. When a slave is tortured by heavy work into a mindless zombie, when their bodies are covered with scars from cruel exploitation and oppression and their working ability gradually declines, the ransom money is almost enough. The capitalists will generously set them free, and then use the ransom money to buy stronger new slaves as "consumables" for rapid development.

Of course, when the slaves escaped from the clutches of the capitalists and obtained even the lowest level of citizenship, the door to the new world was completely opened. The government and the church would swear to protect them from harm, and all good things would be just around the corner.

Now, due to the impact of the war, the price of Muslim slaves has dropped instantly. I believe that many former slaves will convert and redeem themselves in exchange for their freedom and become citizens.

The centurion shook his head, put aside these things that had nothing to do with him, and slowly led his troops towards the nearest Eastern Roman city.

This land was devastated by Bayezid II, fertile fields were burned, towns were destroyed, and from time to time one could see desolate villages and ruins of water conservancy facilities. Some of the ruins even had distinct Eastern Roman characteristics, and were obviously left behind by Eastern Roman ancestors thousands of years ago.

"It's really desolate. The Turks have set the level of development here back by hundreds of years."

The captain couldn't help but say.

“I don’t know when we can restore our past glory.”

"I don't think it's possible."

The centurion shook his head.

"Your Majesty's focus is clearly on the Aegean coast. The coastal cities have received the most resources. It is said that the inland Anatolian Plateau had many large cities in the past, but this is obviously not possible now."

"Large farms and ranches will be a feature here, just like the African coast."

"Sabo, I have a very strange feeling since I came here."

The centurion suddenly frowned and looked at Centurion Sabao.

"Your Majesty brought over six Slaves thousand-man teams, apparently to strengthen the cavalry, but rejected General Gonzalo's proposal to form a new cavalry team, and transferred two guards dragoons to the Balkans."

"Is your majesty planning to fight this war with us as the core?"

"I don't know."

Sabao shook his head.

"I am not you. You grew up in Carthage and studied with your co-emperor. You have so much military knowledge."

"But in my opinion, it is a good thing to have more wars. We all hope to improve our lives through this."

The centurion nodded slightly, still not understanding.

His name is Leptis Erdosh, and he is the youngest among all the Slaves centurions. In addition to his powerful military strength and rich military knowledge, there is another very important reason - he is the eldest son of Erdosh, the first commander of the Slaves Legion.

As a child of a high-ranking official, Leptis naturally received a lot of resources. He was born in Carthage, spent his childhood in Carthage, and basically lived in the Carthaginian palace. He studied with other children of high-ranking officials and was one of the members of the co-ruling emperor Justinian. Leptis's original name was Olivia. Many years ago, Justinian, who was still young, took him to visit the owner of a manor on the coast of North Africa. On the way, they saw an ancient site. Justinian told him that this was the site of the city of Leptis Magna, the first city in Africa during the ancient Roman period, and the birthplace of Emperor Severus. If he were allowed to take power one day, he would definitely reorganize the city and make it shine again.

Olivia didn't quite believe it. Although the city of Leptis Magna was relatively well preserved, its ecological niche had been occupied by the nearby cities of Tripoli and Misrata, and it was basically of no value to be rebuilt.

Justinian simply shrugged and gave him the name Leptis, telling him to wait and see.

Later, Justinian became co-emperor and prince of Carthage. He really spent a lot of manpower and material resources to restore the ancient site, clear the sand, dig canals, repair the port, build churches, immigrate and reclaim wasteland, plant protective forests... He used money to achieve what seemed impossible to Leptis.

Although the restoration of Leptis Magna did not bring any economic effect in the short term, but instead hindered the development of Tripoli and Misrata, and although the co-emperor's move was opposed by Basilius, the then Carthaginian minister, who denounced it as "a waste of money and vanity", Justinian was still very happy. Even though he was far away from North Africa, he still often wrote to officials of the province of Africa, asking them to carry out the revival plan of Leptis Magna to the end.

Later, Leptis found out that his young master simply liked Emperor Severus, who was a military man, and liked Severus's autocratic ruling ideas and his disdainful attitude towards the Senate and republican traditions.

"He is not subject to any law, is the master of all men, and the empire is his property."

Justinian often mentioned this famous quote describing Emperor Severus, and would always pat Leptis on the shoulder with a smile, hoping that he would be as loyal as the city of the same name and always stay by his side.

As for Leptis himself, he didn't have so many thoughts. Justinian was very good to him and he would be loyal to him. For him, there was nothing wrong with that.

However, in the end, the city of Leptis Magna did develop. Justinian accidentally got some news at a banquet entertaining ocean-going sailors, and sent people to introduce a succulent plant called agave from the arid desert of Mexico. It was widely planted around the city of Leptis Magna. The herb heart could be used to make wine, and the leaf fibers could be used to make ropes and sails.

The Greek name of agave means "noble". Justinian liked this name and started a tequila craze in the court. The agave industry in the city of Leptis Magna also developed rapidly, and even the name "Leptis" seemed to have something to do with "noble".

Thinking of this, Leptis took out a bottle from the camel's saddlebag, took a few sips of tequila, and felt the hot sensation flowing from his throat into his chest and abdomen.

After he became an adult, Leptis returned from Carthage to the southern Slaves territory and began his military career as a Slaves cavalryman. He had not seen Justinian for a long time, but the latter still missed him and sent greeting letters every few months without interruption. Every time he also brought some gifts that suited Leptis's taste. This bottle of tequila was one of them. It was made from carefully selected three-year-fermented blue agave, which was expensive and ordinary people could not afford it at all.

Whenever Leptis took out a bottle of wine with the royal brewery emblem painted on it in front of everyone and looked at their envious eyes, he always felt a vague sense of superiority in his heart. He would never share these gifts with anyone else, not even his father, the legion commander.

However, his father didn't need it at all. As the next emperor, Justinian would never use this trick to win people's hearts on the high-ranking officials and nobles of the previous generation - this was the job of the current emperor.

"Sabaou, have you heard any news about the Caucasus Front recently?"

Leptis looked at Sabou.

"You have a good relationship with those officers of the Central Army. They should be well-informed."

"The Caucasus Front? Are you asking about His Majesty Justinian?"

Sabaou thought about it.

"I heard that after the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid abandoned Ankara, the nomadic tribes moved to the east. A unit of Cossack cavalry under His Majesty Justinian was ambushed by the nomadic tribes and seemed to have been defeated. Now they have given up the action and have all withdrawn from the Turk-controlled area."

"It seems that His Majesty Justinian has released the Cossack cavalry back to the steppes. The Circassian Legion and the allied forces of the Order of St. Andrew are all holding their ground in the Trebizond area."

"The weather is getting colder, and the nomadic tribes are preparing to migrate for the winter. The war may be suspended for a while."

"What's retreat? That's called strategic shift."

Leptis glanced at Sabou with dissatisfaction, and then fell into deep thought.

"Have the Cossacks left, too? How strange, very strange."

"That is to say, even though we were going to go deep into the nomadic area, the emperor consciously reduced the number of cavalry."

"The number of Slaves cavalry has been increasing."

Sabou reminded.

"Of the six thousand-man teams, four are in the Northern Army Group, one is in the Southern Army Group, and one sailed to Cilicia half a month ago."

"Which group went to Cilicia?"

Leptis asked.

"The 2,000th household of Western Slaves, the earliest batch of Slaves, the centurions are all veteran warriors promoted by the emperor himself. They have fought with the emperor for thirty years and are absolutely loyal to the emperor."

Sabou said.

"The thousand-household station is the Oasis of Saint Dionysius."

"Of course I know that. He is one of my father's direct subordinates..."

Leptis curled his lips.

"It seems that His Majesty has given them some important tasks. The newly appointed thousand households have not received any news at all."

"Captain, forget it. Since it is His Majesty's order, it must be reasonable."

Sabao smiled.

"Why bother ourselves with something we can't figure out?"

Leptis nodded with some regret, ending the speculation that was doomed to fail.

The two Slaves officers continued their conversation as the camel cavalry trudged across the plateau desert, with the military camp ahead already in sight.

……

North of the Cilician Plain, on the northern foot of the Taurus Mountains, outside the castle of Nidai, the Eastern Roman Empire's military camps were densely packed, covering the burned-out villages.

The flag of the Eastern Roman Empire was flying above the ruined castle. A banquet was being held in the castle hall. In addition to the army and naval officers and mercenary leaders who followed Isaac, the banquet was attended by the leaders of Cappadocian Christians, including several leaders of the Karamanians and several representatives of the Cappadocia Underground City.

Officials from the diplomatic department are discussing with them the distribution of benefits after the war, but Isaac did not reveal much in this regard. Whether it will be limited autonomy or the return of the natives to the Han Chinese will all depend on the final outcome of the war.

As of now, the Eastern Roman Empire has taken over several easily conquered areas. Cilicia and the southwestern part of Cappadocia have been connected. The Ottoman Sultan fled eastward, and Karaman Bey hid in the mountains between Konya and Karaman. The situation is very good.

However, a piece of news from the east dimmed the dawn of victory - the Mamluk Sultan Kait Bey signed an alliance with the Aquarium Prince Jacob, and the Mamluk mercenaries joined the Aquarium chaos. Jacob was winning victory after victory in the civil war and was about to reach Tabriz, while his brother Khalil was defeated repeatedly, and he often beat and scolded his subordinates, withheld military rations, and gradually fell into a disadvantage in the civil war.

If nothing unexpected happens, the civil war in the Aq Qoyunlu dynasty will come to an end in a few months, and the new Aq Qoyunlu king Jacob may join forces with the Mamluk Sultan to lead an army to the west to stop the eastward advance of the Eastern Roman Empire.

As we all know, the infantry of the Eastern Roman Empire is very powerful, but this is a traditional nomadic territory after all, and the Turkic nomadic cavalry has considerable geographical advantages here.

However, the Christians in Cappadocia were not too worried about the outcome of the decisive battle. They had already received Isaac's promise that even if the Eastern Roman Empire was ultimately defeated, they could migrate to central and western Anatolia and start a new life.

The guests were toasting and having a great time. A secretary walked up to Isaac and whispered something.

Isaac nodded and said goodbye to the distinguished guests, wishing them a wonderful evening.

Leaving the hall, Isaac walked up the steps to the study on the second floor of the castle.

A thin man wrapped in a black cloak was waiting here. He took off his hood, revealing a hard Germanic face, and bowed slightly to Isaac.

"You are here, Your Majesty."

"Sorry for the wait, Valentine."

Isaac returned to his seat and nodded to Valentine, motioning him to sit down.

This is Bashir Valentine, an alchemist recruited by Isaac from Germany. In the original time and space, he was one of the producers of pure hydrochloric acid. Because of his outstanding contributions to hydrochloric acid and its extended industries, he was awarded the title of royal craftsman and baron by Isaac, and nominally owned a small island in Central America.

"Your Majesty, the situation is not bad. Two "salt" ships have arrived in Adana City, but it is still far from the number you requested."

Valentine said simply.

"The chemical plant in Saint Joseph's City has been fully operational, and Tripoli City has also established a chemical industry at your request. However, our equipment is relatively crude, and the output rate is not high. The harsh environment often causes workers to die or get injured, and the waste of raw materials is also quite serious."

"Also, soda ash is so expensive these days that demand for it is outstripping supply. I suspect this has a lot to do with the rise of glass manufacturing in coastal cities in North Africa."

"Then there is pyrolusite, which is used as a colorant by glassmakers and construction companies. Although Georgia is selling more pyrolusite, it still cannot keep up with the growth in demand."

"There's not enough saltpeter either. The munitions department bought too much."

"There is plenty of hydrochloric acid, but your capitalists are very interested in this new thing and are eager to find a civilian use for it immediately."

Valentine said expressionlessly.

"If they do find it, I feel the price of hydrochloric acid will also skyrocket."

“I suggest you intervene in the market, or you’ll have to increase your budget.”

"It's okay, it's a good thing."

A smile appeared on Isaac's lips.

“Desire inspires demand, demand promotes production, and production leads to progress.”

"There's no need to intervene in the market. I'll give you some extra money."

Isaac picked up a pen and paper and quickly wrote a few lines.

"As for the lack of efficiency, we can just expand the scale and win by quantity. The people working inside are Muslim slaves anyway."

Isaac stamped the letter and handed it to Valentine.

"As for the raw materials, don't worry about it. I'm already working on it."

"Slaves has arrived, and the Cappadocians have agreed to help. The operation will begin immediately."

"During this period, you must ensure an adequate supply of salt. Remember, we must complete all this before the nomads move south for the winter. This is an iron order!"

Valentine took the letter, bowed, and left the study quietly with an expressionless face.

After Valentine left, Isaac lit a cigar for himself and thought slowly.

Over the years, Isaac has been vigorously supporting the chemical industry, improving and innovating the methods of his predecessors, and finally achieved some results, enough to use some chemical products in war.

The chemical products that Isaac ordered to be manufactured all had multiple uses in civil and military affairs. Through this war, the Eastern Roman Empire was able to obtain a relatively complete early chemical industry system, which added fuel to the booming capitalism.

In fact, this is not something high-end. In addition to the Eastern Roman Empire, many countries in Western Europe also have the ability to manufacture chemical products and have used them in handicrafts, such as dilute sulfuric acid and dilute hydrochloric acid for pickling plate armor, sulfur oxides used in textiles and printing and dyeing, and the glass manufacturing industry with gradually improving technology, which is also a kind of chemical industry.

For a long time, chemical plants in Europe did not have any advanced technology. They all adopted the crude and simple method of "winning by quantity". The containers were simple? The efficiency was low? All they did was exploit the workers.

The development of the Eastern Roman chemical industry would certainly gradually affect the whole of Europe, and some monarchs with a keen eye would certainly develop new industries in their own countries. However, only the Eastern Roman Empire had such vast colonies and such huge mineral reserves. Many things were not available in mainland Europe, such as phosphate rock used to produce early fertilizers, which is a specialty of North Africa. Louis XI successfully stole the production process, but was unable to mass-produce it.

Among the "three acids and two alkalis" often mentioned in the chemical world, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid and nitric acid had all been discovered by wise chemists before the 15th century. Caustic soda is actually not difficult to make, but it does not have much use for the time being. As for soda ash, it is one of the earliest chemical substances used by humans. There are quite a lot of it in nature, and as long as we intensify mining, it will not be too scarce.

"His Majesty?"

There was a knock on the wooden door and the secretary walked in.

"Foreign Minister Basilius is back, and he brought two Kurds with him."

"Very good, let them in."

Isaac nodded and put out his cigar.

(End of this chapter)