kingdom of nations

Chapter 240 Trivial Matters (Part 1)

At that moment, Cesar was also admiring a gold artifact, and sitting opposite him was Dandolo, who was over seventy years old but had become increasingly energetic and vibrant lately.

In recent months, Dandolo has been traveling back and forth between Venice and Cyprus so frequently that Portia and those who care about him are deeply worried, as he is no longer a young man.

It's important to know that while Portia was traveling to Cyprus with the Venetian Doge's delegation to vie for the marriage, Dandolo had already led his confidants and trusted men to reside temporarily on Crete, so that he could receive news from Cyprus faster than the Venetians.

When they finally saw the pigeon with the pink ribbon, Dandolo set off immediately without hesitation, boarding a ship to Cyprus.

He seamlessly continued the work of the previous Venetian delegation. After meeting with Cesare and confirming the demands and bottom lines of both sides, he immediately returned to Venice.

During his ten-plus days in Venice, he did not rest for a moment. He gave speeches during the day, attended banquets at night, bribed and bribed neutrals, refuted and attacked his enemies, and gathered more allies and supporters. After finally fulfilling his promise to César, the old man could not help but complain that he would rather César had asked him for a hundred ships and soldiers than make such a request again.

Cesar felt somewhat guilty, but there was nothing he could do about it.

He had long compared this world to his own. In the same era, science had already begun to take shape in Italy and the Frankish kingdoms, and monarchs, in order to counter the Church, had begun to work on popularizing education.

But here, precisely because of God's blessing and the favor of saints, from the noblest emperors to the humblest serfs, they were more eager to place their hopes on one possibility—to possess extraordinary power, the more the better.

This yearning drove them to pray devoutly and obey fervently. They built churches, practiced asceticism day and night, and donated everything from golden crowns to a handful of wheat. César could not blame these people for their blind faith. It has been proven that prayer and asceticism can indeed bring glory, rebirth, and strength.

Although they are all like firearms from another world, controlled by those in power, people prefer to take the shortcut to heaven, which has been proven by countless people to be a shortcut, rather than the modern science and technology that has no foundation and would require dozens of generations to build even if it were established.

Perhaps for this reason, monarchs didn't care much about the ignorance and stupidity of the common people (perhaps they thought it was better this way). Education remains largely unchanged from ancient Rome, with only the children of the wealthy and powerful receiving an education. Their teachers, especially among Christians, were mostly monks and clergy. Even in the few universities that have been established, clergy still serve as instructors, and the first subject taught to students is theology, not other subjects.

There's not much of it related to science—aside from mathematics and geometry, which are now mostly seen as a personal interest, and no one except businessmen would consider them essential tools to master.

This meant that when Cesar needed officials to replace the Isaacs, he found he had almost no choice but priests—some knights couldn't even write their own names, let alone be multilingual, numerate, or keep accounts, not to mention the common people.

Part of the reason he chose the Venetians was this. If he had chosen a Byzantine princess, not to mention how much dowry she could bring (he had no interest in the promises of the Byzantine emperor—who was, in a sense, an enemy), he didn't think the emperor would be willing to spare imperial officials for his use if he asked. Even if the emperor were willing, Cesare wouldn't dare accept; those people would likely be more like poisonous thorns than sand.

The niece of Pope Alexander III was involved in religious matters—he didn't even dare to take too many priests from his teacher, Patriarch Heraclius of Alassa, let alone bring in the people he needed from the Roman Catholic Church.

He knew the temperament of these priests: greedy, lustful, and promiscuous. What Cesar feared most was that once they arrived in Cyprus, they would immediately demand that the people in their jurisdiction convert to Christianity.

If they were given the power to set tax rates and collect taxes, they would not hesitate to use it as a whip to lash out at these heretics.

The Venetian is undoubtedly a good choice.

They were born merchants, and as merchants, it was impossible for them to be completely ignorant of mathematics, languages, and rhetoric. And now was perhaps the most opportune time. In 1171, the Byzantine emperor, dissatisfied with the privileges the Venetians received in Byzantium, turned against them and killed 20,000 Venetians, not to mention those he expelled.

These people returned to Venice, many of them poor souls who couldn't find opportunities for the time being. Although some of them might receive support from their families, the feeling of begging with their palms up must have been unpleasant.

Cesar already had a plan in mind for how to use these people—just like the famous Saint Mark Ducat gold coin he was holding in his hand now.

In the Mediterranean region, especially in Christian kingdoms, the most accepted currencies were not those minted by lords and kings, but rather Roman gold and even silver coins from the Byzantine Empire.

The Byzantine Empire was once incredibly glorious, and at its zenith, its emperors had very high requirements for currency. These standards were even written into law, with detailed requirements for everything from purity and size to weight and design.

People naturally preferred Roman gold coins to those intentionally minted thin, small, and impure coins. Even the Venetians, when they first engaged in trade, only accepted the currency of the Byzantine Empire.

But as the great ship decayed and crumbled, Roman gold coins were no longer as reliable as they once were.

The Ducat, cast by the Venetians, stood out from the crowd.

Cesar planned to mint some gold coins, silver coins, and perhaps some bronze coins. But this wasn't intended for them to circulate—some lords did do that, it was arguably a good way to use power to amass wealth. After all, in his territory, whenever he commanded merchants to trade, they had to use his currency, no matter how mixed, thin, or damaged, it had to be valued according to his stated face value.

César, of course, would not resort to such a self-destructive approach.

If he did so, even if it meant enduring the whims of the Byzantine emperor and the threats from the Saracens, the merchants would not hesitate to bypass Cyprus and do business elsewhere.

Cesar's minting of coins was merely a power that every new lord had to exercise after taking control of a fiefdom; it was more about asserting his ownership of the territory.

The gold coin will feature the lord's portrait on one side, and the other side may feature a saint, Jesus, or a proverb, depending on the lord's preference.

The Venetians used this format for their Ducat gold coins. The obverse depicts St. Mark holding the Gospel and handing a banner symbolizing power to the kneeling Doge, while the background shows Jesus Christ surrounded by stars, signifying that Venice is forever under the protection of Jesus Christ.

Both designs are engraved with the name of the Doge of Venice at the time the coins were minted. This is not to glorify the Doge—Venice is a republic, and the Doge is not a king—but rather to refer to a peculiar Venetian tradition: they do not use the Common Era (AD) for dating, but rather use the name of the Doge to delineate different periods in Venetian history.

Having this name tells people when this gold coin was minted.

This practice of inscribing proverbs, names, or dates around the edge of coins is not ancient—if you have a coin from ancient Rome or Greece, you'll find that they don't have such intricate patterns; this is all thanks to the Isaacs.

When the Isaacs were engaged in currency exchange and trading, they would often trim a small piece off the edge of the coins to prevent them from being discovered and rendered unusable. But when thousands of gold coins passed through their hands, these clandestine tricks could accumulate into a considerable fortune.

Almost every Isaac who engaged in currency exchange could quickly become wealthy within a few years, and that wealth was real, tangible gold.

So gradually, regardless of the country or the lord, they would engrave patterns on the edge of the coins. Even so, some Isaacs would inevitably grind off the edge of the gold coins with a grinding wheel. At that time, there were no sufficiently accurate weights, and even if there were, it was impossible for everyone to carry them with them.

“Do you think we might…” Cesar held the gold coin up, pointing to its thin edge, and asked, “carve horizontal lines into these places…”

“You mean, you intend to use this method to stop people from tampering with the gold coins?” Dandolo said, taking out a gold coin and examining it carefully.

This idea is certainly good. But it might be difficult with current casting methods. Nowadays, people can only use two methods to mint coins. One is the casting method, which involves preparing a mold that can be opened and closed, then pouring molten gold into the mold through a small hole, allowing it to solidify naturally, and then taking it out to polish and finish it.

Another method involves first cutting the gold into small round pieces, and then striking them forcefully with a large hammer with raised patterns inlaid on the surface.

However, neither of these methods could easily replicate the horizontal and dense patterns that Cesar required. Cesar had seen descriptions of coin-making machines from various periods, but these things were not closely related to his expertise, and he had only glanced at them briefly. Although he had some impression of them, he thought that he might be able to replicate them after gathering craftsmen, but this was certainly not something that could be done in a short time.

But he didn't give up on his idea. "Then let's use a carving knife to complete the design for the silver and gold coins, in addition to the copper coins."

"That would consume a lot of manpower."

Cesar nodded without speaking, but his attitude was clear.

At this moment, Dandolo couldn't help but sigh in his heart, a sentiment that many others had expressed. When you first meet Cesar, you might think he's an easygoing person, but you'll later find that he's actually exceptionally stubborn, and this stubbornness is like steel or rock; it's almost impossible for others to persuade him.

What Cesar thought was that there are many things that are best set in order from the beginning.

He certainly hoped that Cypriot gold coins would one day replace the current Roman gold coins, and even the Venetian ducats. If so, then its shape and design must be completely fixed from the outset. Anyone who receives this coin should be able to recognize it as a Cypriot gold coin simply by looking at it and touching it; this would greatly benefit the popularization and even monopolization of this currency.

He cannot first mint a substandard product to pass it off as good, and then replace it with a better one; the credibility of currency is very difficult to establish.

"Do we need silver coins too?"

"Yes, we need it." Although silver coins are not as valuable as gold coins, they are still precious metals, and their circulation may be even stronger than that of gold coins.

“Then you may need more craftsmen,” Dandolo said, seeing the young man look up at him with an expression he often saw on the faces of his grandchildren. “If possible, I’ll have to ask you for that, grandfather.”

“You can’t only call me grandfather at this time,” Dandolo said, feigning displeasure, but he also admitted that he admired this kind of persistent, pure character that wouldn’t be easily swayed by outsiders.

However, his grandsons and some other Venetians might be disappointed. Initially, they also thought that their job was to bargain with the lords, just like the Isaacs had done before, and once a certain amount was agreed upon, whatever they did, as long as they could collect taxes, all the extra money would be theirs.

While on the ship, quite a few people were indulging in grand dreams. Now it seems that their previous pleas (asking Dandolo to speak on their behalf) were completely unnecessary to mention to Cesar.

Cesar did not grant the rights to the Isaacs, nor would he grant them to the Venetians or anyone else.

He was shown that while the tax farming system made things convenient for lords and kings, it caused great suffering to the common people.

Moreover, the worst part was that the tax farming system severed the most crucial connection between the upper and lower classes, even though, due to the limitations of the era, the kings did not care about the poor.

Even when they revolted because they could not bear the heavy taxes, the lords and kings were often quelled by knights blessed by God.

Indeed, some people have advised César that almost every leader handles tax issues this way, so why should he be different?

The people may not be grateful to you, and the officials who cannot benefit from it will complain repeatedly and become dissatisfied with you.

But César saw their eyes and heard their pleas.

He knew that many people had fled to places outside the cities and villages because they could not bear the coercion of the tax farmers, just like the couple and their family he had met by the roadside when he first left Fort Sainte-Croix.

They are able to build such neat houses because they don't have to pay taxes here.

But if relocation to an uninhabited dense forest is exempt from taxes, why are there no other people?
Because they don't pay taxes, they are vagrants who are not protected by anyone.

Whether it was the army or bandits, Saracens or Christians, none of them regarded them as subjects who needed their protection. Even if they hadn't met Geoffrey, their happy days were stolen from the hands of fate, and they didn't know when they would have to pay it back a thousandfold.

He had no choice but to accept the cruel outcome then, but now that he has power, he can no longer tolerate this abhorrent system.

Compared to the powerful tax collectors, these young Venetians were more like chroniclers and magistrates. The magistrate's main political responsibility was to act as the ruler's spokesperson and the intermediary between the ruler and the people. He was responsible for reading the king's or lord's decrees to officials in various places, and if subjects needed to have an audience or make a petition, they also had to go through him.

Such a position is certainly more prestigious than that of a tax official.

But the Venetians would certainly prefer to be tax collectors—unfortunately, there was no such thing as someone promising a lord a large sum of money and then allowing him to arbitrarily tax merchants, farmers, and artisans in a certain place. All tax rates, types of taxes, and tax times were determined by Cesar himself after review and consideration.

He set a lower tax rate than the previous governor, since he did not have an emperor—although he still had to send annual tribute to Manuel I, the Cypriots could afford the tax if he did not intend to enrich himself excessively.

He gave these Venetians, and perhaps Byzantines and Franks, a generous stipend—and the Venetians would also receive various privileges in trade as a result. But in return, they were absolutely not allowed to change his will, disobey him, or extort him—although he knew such things would certainly happen.

But he was already preparing to ask his teacher, Patriarch Heraclius, for a group of priests. The Venetians received his promise to build their own churches in the twelve great cities. Surely they wouldn't refuse priests sent by the Patriarch of the Holy City.

The priests will oversee these new tax collectors, and the Venetians will inevitably turn around and monitor them in return.

Just a few days ago, Cesar met with some Cypriots, led by the Georgio family, and gave them the power to deliver secret letters to him at any time.

This letter will be hidden in a box and sealed with a special wax seal, so they can tell Cesar everything that is happening in their city.

Regarding the issue of weights and measures, César did not completely replicate the Venetian units of measurement. The Venetian system of weights and measures was the most accurate and easy to master in the Mediterranean region, but for César, it was far from sufficient.

He proposed the decimal system.

“Decimal. You mean the numerals used by the Saracens?” Dandolo asked in surprise.

“That’s not quite right,” Cesar had to correct. “It is indeed what the Saracens are using, but its numerals come from India, but India wasn’t the one who created the decimal system. The real creators of these things are from a much more distant place…”

He gave a strange look, as if he were reminiscing or longing.

"It was a very ancient and glorious civilization, and all its treasures were as numerous as grains of sand in the sea."

(End of this chapter)