November mid, Venice local.
After the fall of Ionian Islands, the Trade of Venice, Crete, and Egypt were sharply reduced, and fishing boats and merchant ships inside the Adriatic Sea were often attacked.
Forced to have no choice, thousands of large and small ships crowded in Lagoon, their masts like winter woods, bare and piercing the gloomy sky. Most of the dock workers lost their livelihoods, and the dock became particularly deserted.
A group of fishermen were sitting on the shore chatting, and the white air they exhaled condensed into a small cloud of mist in the air, which was then blown away by the wind. They did not seize the time to repair the fishing nets. Since the Lagoon fishing boat cannot go to sea, what is the point of mending the nets?
"After losing Battle of Antikythera, the Crete fleet has been huddled in the port. They are really a bunch of useless cowards."
"Army is also a waste. They originally boasted that Corfu City had a new-style city wall and vowed to hold on for two years. However, they lasted less than forty days. I heard that most of the defenders surrendered."
People's grievances accumulated, and Governor suffered the most abuse, followed by his eldest son Jacob·Foscari.
Soon, Jacob reduced the number of times he went out. For a long time, Governor’s Palace was reluctant to go out for fear of being surrounded or assassinated by the public.
The attitude of the nobles towards Governor is also deteriorating. The nobles have not overthrown Governor for the time being because they want him to bear the anger of the people. When the war is over, Governor will most likely be deposed.
"Loredan family has always blamed us for Piero Loredan's death. If father loses Governor's position, our family will be completely finished."
Jacob's mood became more and more pessimistic, and he felt that Marcello (the former commander of the navy) was the real smart man. Seeing that the situation was not good, he immediately ran to Rome to live in seclusion in the suburbs to avoid the chaos.
Jacob thought to himself, "Venetian Fleet has a slim chance of winning, so they can only adopt the peace negotiation strategy, but Great Council is unwilling to make too many concessions. Their bottom line is to keep Corfu and Crete."
Corfu is the gateway to the Adriatic Sea, Crete is an important agricultural production area and Eastern Mediterranean Trade center, Great Council refuses to compromise, which means that the war will continue.
In the spring of next year, Palaiologos will launch a general offensive. Venice's prospects are bleak. It is time to find a suitable retreat.
Rome The suburbs are suitable for seclusion. Loredan family will not go to Rome to hunt me down. Or escape to Portugal. If I spend money to invest in overseas Trade, I should be able to exchange for Prince Henry's asylum."
November late, Warsaw Court.
Recently, Wladyslaw III's life is comfortable and comfortable. The biggest enemy (Teutonic Knights) has fallen into decline and is no longer able to threaten the safety of Poland and Lithuania.
After regaining the northern coast, the situation of Finance in the kingdom improved. Władysław had enough financial resources to hold banquets and tournaments, and there was still money left to form Firearms Corps.
"New Army has been organized. Next year, I will find a suitable excuse to attack Teutonic Knights and destroy this group of knights who have betrayed their oaths."
Władysław sat high on the throne, leaning back lazily on the chair, letting several ministers argue endlessly in the hall. Suddenly, an attendant walked into the hall and reported a piece of news to the king:
Venice The envoy requested an audience, and Hungary noble Istvan accompanied him.
Within a moment, the king guessed their intentions.
Venice wants to persuade Jagiellon Dynasty to join the war and go south to attack Palaiologos.
The Hungary nobles headed by Istvan were bought by Venice and helped Venice lobby. At the same time, they also wanted to obtain the land south of Danube.
"Tell them I'm not free."
Originally, Władysław had the idea of helping Venice.
But Venice went too far and even assisted Mamluk's army to attack Palaiologos Dynasty who had the same belief. This exceeded the tolerance limit of Władysław.
He even wanted to personally lead his troops into Po Valley to teach these unscrupulous vendors a lesson.
The close minister dissuaded. "No matter what your decision is, you should at least summon Istvan and comfort him with a few words. In Hungary, Istvan's power is second only to Hunyadi. You should not offend this great noble."
"I am the king, why should I obey the orders of a noble?" Władysław immediately stood up and left his seat, leaving behind the important ministers who were discussing the matter. "Staying with you is a waste of time. It is better to hunt in the forest."
The king's roar was heard outside the palace. Istvan felt that he had lost face, and his anger suddenly rose.
"When Albert was in power, this was not the attitude."
Half a month later, Istvan returned home with disappointment and resentment.
At a certain banquet, he complained about the king's disregard for the Hungary nobles, and the guests responded strongly.
A few years ago, House of Habsburg's Albert died of illness and his son was young. The Hungary noble took the initiative to invite Władysław to be the king.
At the beginning of his accession to the throne, the king was considered "wise". He was willing to listen to the opinions of the nobles and sent troops to attack Wallachia and occupy a large plain on the north bank of Danube.
Later, the king called Black Army to attack Teutonic Knights and regain the west Prussian Region in the north. Since then, he has been staying in Poland and rarely paid attention to Hungary's affairs.
Under the influence of alcohol, Istvan made harsh words. "Suppose Poland and Teutonic Knights start a war again, the parliament must not send Black Army to show the king our attitude!"
A nobleman replied, "Poland has recovered the Trade center of Gdansk. The king is not short of money and has set up a new Firearms Corps. It seems that we are no longer needed."
The atmosphere of the banquet became more and more noisy, with the nobles arguing with each other, mixed with the cheerful tunes played by the musicians, and the exaggerated laughter of the two clowns.
Hunyadi was sitting next to the host of the banquet, wearing a black shawl hood, with a few strands of gray-white hair exposed from under the hat. On the left side of the hood was a long piece of cloth, hanging low on his shoulders. The end of the cloth was stained with wine liquid, showing a dark red color.
Hunyadi was born in 1387. He was over sixty years old and his energy was getting weaker and weaker. He rarely participated in the conversations among the guests.
He sat slumped in his seat in a daze. After a long time, Hunyadi recovered and found that the banquet was over and the guests had dispersed one after another.
In the biting cold wind, the host of the banquet personally escorted Hunyadi out of the mansion. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, he asked, "Do you really disagree with Istvan's proposal?"
Hunyadi, wrapped tightly in a dark blue thick woolen robe, had a pessimistic attitude toward war, "Even if Władysław is willing to go to war, and Poland, Lithuania, and Hungary form a coalition, our chances of winning are still not enough."
Vitus has deployed 20,000 defenders on the Balkans border, relying on mountains, rivers, and fortresses for defense. It is difficult for us to take advantage of the cavalry.
There are some Ranch in Eastern Europe and Outer Tauris Province. Assuming that Lithuania launches an attack, the people of Outer Tauris can move into Tauris with their herds. Perekop Isthmus has built two walls, and Lithuania cannot penetrate at all.
Some time ago, Hungary went to the Dalmatia coast that Venice returned. We can regain the land without going to war, what else is there to be dissatisfied about?"
Feudal System countries with loose power structures such as Hungary and Poland can hardly keep secrets.
When the news reached Blachernae Palace, Vitus was relieved.
"The war has lasted for more than two years, and I have been worried about the Balkans border. Since Władysław is unwilling to participate in the war, Venice has no hope at all."
In his mind, Wladyslaw III and Richard the Lionheart have similar personalities. This type of monarch is enthusiastic, brave, and pious, possesses the virtues that a medieval knight should have, and is willing to devote everything to a Crusaders war with little profit.
Venice united with Mamluk, and most of the Europe monarchs condemned it on the surface, but did not take it seriously in their hearts.
However, Wladyslaw III has a devout faith and hates pagans the most. How can he tolerate such apostasy?
"Mamluk, Jagiellon, and Venice cannot be in two boats at the same time. Foscari is also confused and wants to form an alliance with Władysław, but cannot figure out his character. Now, Venice has no hope at all."
Nowadays, the Middle Ages are coming to an end and the Renaissance trend of thought is gradually spreading. This kind of traditional "knight king" will become less and less.
The future Europe monarchs are more inclined to secular interests. They promote centralization of power, weaken the power of the nobility and the church, reuse professional bureaucrats, and rely on power and force to maintain rule.
If Finance is wealthy, this type of monarch will also spend money to sponsor the arts and build libraries in exchange for a good reputation.
"A few years later, Machiavelli wrote his personal book - "The Prince". I wonder how he evaluated Eastern Roman Empire in this period?"
Vitus Open the window to let some air in, and the cold wind carries snowflakes into the room. In the distance, the red terracotta tiles of the entire palace are covered with a thin layer of snow, making it look particularly plain.
Suddenly, Eunuch's announcement sounded outside the study:
"Your Majesty, Holy See has sent Cardinal Cesarini, seemingly to seek peace for the enemy."
The current Pope is Nicholas V, who just took office not long ago. Vitus doesn't know his specific character, but he only knows that he loves collecting books and is knowledgeable.
"Invite him in."
A few minutes later, Cesarini entered the study and first handed over the letter from Governor Foscari.
Vitus was too lazy to open the letter and motioned to Pelato to take the letter and archive it.
"Bishop, I know what you want to say. We can't talk about this matter. Let's put aside the past grudges and just talk about the past ten years. Do you know what the biggest damage caused by Venice is? It delayed the empire's strategic expansion period!
Without the funding from Venice, the remnants of Ottoman would not have been able to hold on for so long, and Mamluk would not have been able to form a firearms unit.
After 1444, I was forced to shift my focus to the navy, and then the war lasted for more than two years.
We have been entangled so far, and the most capable officers and I are no longer young. Originally, we could do many things, but because of the checks and balances of this commercial city-state, many of our ideas can no longer be realized.
The enemy has wasted my most precious years. Now, the war is about to spread to the Venice homeland. They know they are afraid and want to cease the war immediately. Oh, how can there be such a good thing in the world?"
At the end, Vitus exudes unabashed murderous intent.
Considering that Cesarini had helped Eastern Roman Empire, he picked up the silver cup and took a sip of water, then suppressed his anger and said slowly:
"Since Holy See has come forward to plead for mercy, I am willing to negotiate, and the conditions are as follows: Venice Great Council publicly admitted the crime of 1204, returned Four Gilded Bronze Horses and other looted treasures, holy objects, and books, gave up Ionian Islands and Aegean Sea Islands, handed over all battleships, and paid compensation of three million Ducat..."
Cesarini After listening to the emperor's conditions, he found that some aspects were negotiable, such as the return of statues and treasures, but some aspects were too stringent, and Venice simply could not raise three million.
In the past two years, Venice has gone all out to build ships. One Battleship cost tens of thousands of Ducat. In just one Battle of Antikythera, more than 30 warships were sunk, and the losses were countless.
As for the Army, Venice has more than 30,000 mercenaries. Although their combat effectiveness is low, their maintenance costs are extremely high, with annual expenses of up to four to five million.
The losses among the private sector were also heavy. Venice's merchant ships were often attacked, causing many merchants to go bankrupt, and Finance's income dropped accordingly.
According to what Cesarini knows, Venice can't even afford one million Ducat.
Vitus's reaction was dull. "You can convey my conditions to Foscari and Great Council. They have plenty of time to consider it."
Send the Cardinal away and Vitus continues to process the files.
At the beginning of the year, Aegean Sea's fishing and shipping resumed, and the frequency of enemy raids on the coast dropped significantly.
After Ionian Islands was recovered, Venice Cruiser's activity space was compressed, and Eastern Mediterranean's situation further improved.
Finance Department's report shows that the deficit in 1447 was only 400,000 Florin, far less than last year's 700,000.
When the war ends next year, Eastern Roman Empire will recover Aegean Sea Islands, and it is expected to achieve balance of payments.
"In 1082, in order to raise money, Alexios·Komnenos granted Venice a tax-free Trade charter. This move had endless consequences, causing Eastern Roman Empire's business to be impacted by the outside world, and the competitiveness of local businessmen became increasingly low.
After this war, I regained the dominance of trade in the Eastern Mediterranean, local commerce and handicrafts developed further, and the financial difficulties of Eastern Rome that lasted for hundreds of years are finally coming to an end."
The next report comes from Minister Foreign Affairs.
A rumor was mentioned at the end of the document: Portugal gave up her marriage to House of Habsburg and married princess Leonor to France's Dauphin Louis.
Vitus remembers that a few years ago, Portugal first found France, but Charles VII refused to agree to the marriage, so they were forced to find House of Habsburg. Now Portugal has found France again. What is the situation?
He asked Eunuch to find Minister Foreign Affairs, who made the following speculation:
"I think House of Habsburg may be too weak and his value as an ally is too low. So Portugal paid a huge dowry to marry the princess to France in exchange for France's protection."
Asylum? Who wants to fight them?
Vitus is still a little confused.
Minister Foreign Affairs: "It is rumored that Portugal's expedition ship crossed the southern end of Africa. King Portugal is lobbying Pope Nicholas V, requesting Pope to issue a Decree authorizing Portugal to occupy the explored land.
This news caused a sensation in Castile. Castile is also organizing an expedition fleet and wants to make money from Africa and Indian Ocean.
Portugal is not as strong as Castile, and is eager to find a land power as a backer to preserve the results of overseas exploration. France is the best choice at this stage."
Vitus's attention shifted to the map. In the coming era of great navigation, Eastern Roman Empire's geographical location was too poor to make much profit.
Even so, he still wanted to make some attempts, at least to occupy a transit base.
"At the beginning of the year, Scala arrived at an uninhabited island. Admiralty once proposed sending another ship there to collect corals and other species.
I agree with this plan. After the war, Admiralty can explore the archipelago and send some exiles along the way. It won't take too many to temporarily maintain the size of a small settlement."