The news from the east had a great impact on Vitus. He sat stunned in his seat for a long time, letting Cabinet handle the government affairs on his own.
Cabinet After the meeting, he asked Pelato: "What is the work content in the afternoon?"
"The Navy has three ships Double-Deck Warship holding a commissioning ceremony at Golden Horn. You mentioned that you would attend in person."
In the impression, Vitus did say this. After lunch, he ordered Eunuch to prepare the carriage and go to Golden Horn to review the three warships.
Compared with the first generation Double-Deck Warship, the hulls of these three battleships have been slightly modified.
The hull is about 40 meters long and 12 meters wide, with a stable aspect ratio of 3.5:1. This is the best aspect ratio that the shipyard and the navy have long summarized, and it can achieve good stability and maneuverability at the same time.
In terms of firepower, the total number of naval guns reached fifty (excluding deck swivel guns), twenty-two Twelve-Pounder Cannon were placed on the open deck, the same number of Eighteen-Pounder Cannon were placed on the lower deck, two guns were placed on the bow, and four guns were placed on the stern.
The number of crew members on the battleship is set at 280, including a 30-man Marines whose duty is to participate in land battles and boarding battles, maintain shipboard discipline, and prevent sailors from mutiny.
Vitus After listening to the officer's report, he stepped on the gangplank onto the battleship and inspected the battleship's three mainmasts, rigging, and the filling at the deck joints.
After checking the open deck, he bent down and entered the lower gun deck.
The light on the lower deck is much dimmer, and the broadsides are placed at the gun emplacements on both sides. Ordinary sailors are not allocated cabins, and their hammocks are placed in the middle area of this deck. Usually, the hammocks are tied up with ropes, and when it is time to rest, the sailors untie the ropes and lie down on the rickety hammocks to sleep.
Vitus Went to the next deck, where the air circulation was poor and there was a slight feeling of stuffiness.
Walking into the storage room, it is spacious and filled with numerous large wooden barrels used to store fresh water and food.
Vitus asked the crew to open the lid of a fresh water bucket and saw that the bottom of the bucket was covered with a layer of silver foil. He always believed that silver utensils can inhibit bacteria, so he forced all the navy's buckets to be covered with silver foil.
After visiting the ammunition depot, operating room and other rooms, Vitus returned to the dock and awarded sabers to the three captains.
Counting the three newly commissioned battleships, the number of the Eastern Roman Empire's main battleships reaches sixty, and there are also a larger number of small and medium-sized Galley. The role of Galley is to patrol the coast and hunt down smugglers, and is not suitable as the main force in decisive battles.
It is rumored that Venice is also seizing the time to build warships to ensure that the number of its own warships is significantly ahead of Eastern Roman Navy.
At the end of the ceremony, he asked Minister of the Navy: "How many warships can be commissioned this year?"
"In accordance with your instructions, I have put the shipyards in Constantinople, Trebizond, Nicomedia, Thessaloniki, Kyllini and other places into wartime status, and tried to shift production capacity to the military. In the second half of this year, twelve main warships are expected to enter service. There will be more warships entering service next year, and it is expected to exceed thirty."
Minister of the Navy has collected relevant information and found that the number of workers at Venice Arsenal is nearly two thousand. The area of the island is limited and it is impossible for the armory to continue to expand in size.
And Rome has many excellent ports and no shortage of craftsmen and timber. As long as the funds are sufficient, we can build more shipyards and crush the enemy in terms of production capacity.
"That's the problem, we have no money." Vitus sighed, then got on the carriage and left the port area, heading to Latin Quarter to visit the recently launched Stock Exchange.
The exchange is adjacent to the most prosperous Bank Street, and its core is an open-air rectangular courtyard surrounded by colonnades. At first, the exchange's business was to help manor owners with financing, and later, its business scope expanded to Textile Mill in the city.
Jean Coeur recruited a group of accountants and lawyers to try to calculate the accounts and other information of those factories and estates, and then help them issue a paper dividend certificate so that the holders can share the profits regularly.
Recently, he discovered another phenomenon: some people are unwilling to hold such certificates for a long time, but sell them to others to make profits.
Therefore, Coeur decided to launch a new business and dedicated a hall as a place for ordinary people to trade vouchers. The hall was divided into two areas with a counter. The employees inside the counter were responsible for marking prices, and people stood outside the venue to submit transaction applications.
This model was proposed last week and has a small audience. There are currently only fifty people in the lobby, half of whom are exchange employees.
"It's such a deserted scene. I thought this place was crowded with people, fighting for or selling securities in some factories." Vitus walked around the hall casually, and the large number of guards behind scared everyone to retreat, and soon attracted the owner of the exchange, Jean Coeur.
Vitus: "Are you the son of Jacques Coeur? I refused to summon you at first. It seems that this was a mistake. You do have great ideas. It is really rare to be able to build a stock exchange from scratch."
Faced with the emperor's praise, Coeur's performance was somewhat disappointing. "Actually, from its opening to now, the exchange has been in a state of loss.
In order to attract the manor owners to issue dividend certificates, I did not charge any fees. Even on this securities trading floor, I did not charge transaction fees for fear of scaring away ordinary customers.
Recently, I have also faced a trouble: If the manor owner or factory owner falsely reports the accounts, it will seriously affect the reputation of the exchange and the rights and interests of the buyers. But I am a private exchange, so I can only sign an agreement in advance and rely on the agreement to bind the other party. This is indeed a business innovation, but unfortunately I can't make money. I am looking for a buyer. If the price is right, I plan to sell this exchange and engage in new business."
At this point in the conversation, Vitus made a proposal. "Actually, I also want to open an exchange, not just for securities, but also for various cash crops, such as cotton, wool, silk, Flax.
The newly opened exchanges are non-profit and I don't expect them to make money. The purpose is to standardize trading behavior and avoid big troubles.
Obviously, its appearance will affect the operating conditions of your exchange. Since you feel that the exchange lacks profit prospects, you can sell it to me and reorganize it into Rome Stock Exchange. What do you need? Money, high-quality land, and official positions?"
Hearing that the emperor was willing to take over this industry, Coeur had mixed emotions.
As a foreign businessman, he really had no way to solve various problems arising from the transaction. Only the emperor came forward to formulate relevant rules to restrain those manor owners or textile merchants with their own agendas.
After thinking for a long time, he agreed to sell the exchange in exchange for a large amount of capital and high-quality land, and prepared to start a new business: shipping insurance business.
"Since the last century, ship insurance policies have appeared in Genoa and Florence, but there is no such business in Constantinople. I want to fill this market gap."
Vitus listened to Coeur describe the relevant details without commenting too much. Before leaving, he granted the other party the title of consultant of Rome Exchange Commission, "If you have any trouble, you can go directly to the Blachernae Palace."