On September 10, Young Loredan initially stabilized the situation and relieved the threat to the land.
In the bleak autumn wind, he arrived at the dock in the northern suburbs of Padua, boarded a single-masted Galley, and said, "Go back to Venice."
The boatman untied the mooring rope, and the sailboat moved slowly along the current of the Brenta River. On both sides of the river bank were endless cultivated fields, and farmers were harvesting mature Barley and oats.
After sailing for a long time, the river gradually widened, the water flow slowed down, and the salty sea water and the unique smell of Lagoon floated ahead.
Occasionally, a flat-bottomed barge loaded with cargo came forward. The barge went upstream and was towed by Harness Horse on the river bank. The ship was loaded with more than a dozen exquisite copper boxes, with the emblem of a certain noble family painted on them.
"They moved so much luggage to Padua. Are they planning to stay in Padua for a long time?"
Whether it is from personal emotions or overall strategic planning, Young Loredan is very disgusted with the migration of these families to Padua.
Although the living environment of Lagoon is not as good as that of Padua, it has protected Venice many times and escaped the Franks invasion and Magyars invasion in history.
Venice won the competition with Genoa and Pisa and became the number one hegemon of Eastern Mediterranean, largely because it eliminated threats on land and was able to concentrate resources on developing its navy.
"If the nobles are allowed to pursue pleasure and move the administrative center to Padua, the biggest advantage of Venice will disappear. No, I must find a way to change the trend of nobles moving away from the island."
In the afternoon, Galley docked at the south side of St. Mark's Square. The scene here was very different. Four Gilded Bronze Horses was taken away. There were many idle people wandering in the square. Some of them had burnt traces of asphalt on their fingers. At first glance, they were the boatmen of Venice Arsenal.
There are also some unemployed people who are seafarers. Venice handed over all the large merchant ships to the Eastern Roman Empire. The crew members lost their livelihood and could only do nothing on the shore.
"We must find some work for them, otherwise it may cause unrest."
Governor's idea is to use this idle labor force to rebuild the armory.
He came to the ruins of the former armory. The arch at the entrance was scorched black by smoke. There was a layer of dark yellow charcoal floating on the water surface of the canal, which was lifeless. Occasionally, a blackened ship skeleton lifted up from the bottom of the water.
The tall boat sheds on both sides of the canal were all burned down, wooden pillars collapsed, and beams were broken. Governor walked inward along the barely discernible path between the ruins, and a strong smell of burnt remains in the air.
In the distance, most of the hundreds of meters long stone arch corridor of the rope-making factory collapsed, the inside of the vault was smoked black, and a thick layer of ashes remained on the ground.
The accompanying supervisor said, "We transported a lot of raw materials and equipment in advance, and only the main body of the factory was damaged this time. I made a rough estimate and hired people to clean up the ruins. It is estimated that it will take 4 to 6 months and cost 50,000 Ducat."
In the follow-up, the biggest cost is to purchase wood and build those large boat sheds or factory buildings. This cost is at least 300,000 Ducat, and the construction period can be as short as three years or as long as ten years.
To restore the armory to its original state, the total expenditure is expected to reach 400,000 Ducat.
During the reconstruction period, I suggested that the shipbuilding workers be dispersed in several temporary locations to build ships. Although the efficiency will decrease and it will be difficult to build large warships, this is the only way at present."
"Let me think."
Young Loredan's staff have calculated that in the next few years, Venice's Finance income will shrink to 700,000 to 800,000 Ducat. The annual Finance surplus will be used to pay compensation, and not much funds will be available to rebuild the armory.
Four hundred thousand Ducat is a direct cost, a truly huge loss, which comes from the devastating blow to Venice's economic lifeline due to the suspension of production in the armory.
Re-export Trade is the pillar industry of Venice. Merchant ships carry handicrafts and other goods to Egypt, exchange them for Egypt's Oriental goods, and then transport them back to the mainland for sale, and the entire Venice benefits from this.
Before Venice rebuilds its merchant fleet and navy, this part of Trade is destined to be divided up by Genoa, Florence, Naples and other countries.
For a long time, Young Loredan sighed, "The war is over, and the real difficult moments have just begun."
September 25, Sea of Marmara.
The autumn day is bright, the sky is high and clear, and a few thin clouds are like torn cashmere, lazily hanging on the horizon. Blown by the sea breeze, the expedition fleet formed two neat columns and sailed to Julian Harbor south of Constantinople.
At this moment, the breakwater of the port was crowded with people. Some children sat on their father's shoulders, stretched their necks and looked towards the sea in the south, holding in their hands the Chestnut they had just bought from the roadside stall.
"The fleet is back!"
I don't know who shouted first, and the sound was like pebbles thrown into the calm water, causing ripples. The crowd started to stir, and their eyes were all directed towards the southern sea level.
The flagship Nesos was the first to enter the port, and alongside her was the ship "Bucintoro" of Venice Governor.
Taking into account the ocean seaworthiness, part of the superstructure of this ship was removed, and its appearance did not have the shock and luxury of its heyday. At first glance, people thought it was a combat ship Galley.
Amid the cheers of the people, Nesos docked, and Romanus and the officers walked off the trestle to report their duties to the emperor.
In the rear, transport ships carrying cultural relics entered the port one after another. The tread wheel crane operated slowly, lifting the gold-plated bronze horse that attracted the most attention into the air, and slowly placed it on top of a heavy-duty carriage.
"The golden scepter, Heraclius's crown, Justinian's crown..."
There are so many cultural relics recovered this time. Vitus Reading this lengthy list, I feel that this process will continue until tomorrow.
"There is no time. Let the navy unload the holy objects and church utensils first, and the remaining items will be put in the back temporarily."
Even so, they waited a long time.
Under the strong autumn sun, the patience of the onlookers wore away, and they went home for lunch one after another. The royal family members and ministers took a break in the nearby naval barracks, leaving only a group of crew members working hard at the dock.
After an unknown amount of time, the last box of holy objects was moved to the ground. After receiving the report, Vitus led everyone back to the dock.
Led by the royal carriage, the entire team marched northward. Due to the drag of the heavily loaded carriage, the team moved very slowly.
After receiving the news, a large group of onlookers gathered near the pier. Their eyes focused on the four gilded bronze horses, the gold box containing Fragments of the True Cross, and the gold screen inlaid with many treasures...
On the way, from time to time, someone tried to break through the obstruction of the guards on both sides and wanted to touch the sacred objects with their own hands, as if this could bring blessings.
Fortunately, City Official anticipated the public's fanaticism in advance and specially requested two thousand soldiers to be deployed at the scene, so there was no major commotion.
Romanus is riding "Chestnut" at the front, looking at Julian Naval Church which is under construction. It is estimated that there are still 2 to 3 years of construction left.
After passing two intersections, ahead is the Hippodrome ruins. The northernmost starting gate has been repaired and a tread wheel crane has been placed next to it.
The process of placing the bronze horses is tedious. In the next few days, craftsmen will need to inspect the main structure of the sculptures in detail before placing them at the top of the starting gate...
Finally, the team arrived at Augustus Forum.
Patriarch and a group of clergy stood in front of Hagia Sophia. Romanus got off his horse, took the list and walked straight to Patriarch to start this lengthy sacred object handover ceremony.
In 1204, the Venice people looted the entire city and took away hundreds of sacred objects and numerous religious vessels.
These cultural relics come from different churches. When reciting Romanus, you need to introduce the name of the cultural relics, their ownership before 1204, and their storage locations in the past two hundred years.
Whenever he finished reciting the message of a cultural relic, the attendant behind him would pick up the corresponding cultural relic and hand it over to the clergy respectfully.
At first, Romanus's mood was both pious and excited. As time passed, his voice gradually became hoarse and his tone became urgent. He just wanted to complete the process quickly.
"Oh, I finally know why my father doesn't like to hold triumphal ceremonies."
In the evening, the royal motorcade returned to the Blachernae Palace. Romanus sat inside the carriage, looking tiredly at the scene outside the window.
A large open space was cleared on the right front of the road. Judging from the foundation laid by the workers, this was a large-scale project that cost more than 100,000 yuan.
Leo guessed what his brother wanted to ask and answered in advance, "Army Church."
Antikythera After the great sea battle, the navy proposed to donate money to build a church, and the emperor agreed. In the past more than a year, the project was carried out in an orderly manner, triggering internal discussions within the Army.
Some officers believe that Army has fought for more than 20 years, stretching from the Caspian Sea in the east, to Kazan in the north, to Tunisia in the west, and to Djerba Island in the south. He has destroyed cities and countries and has made countless military exploits, so he is qualified to build an exclusive church.
Not only that, they also discussed hiring the best painter to paint a giant oil painting on the church dome.
Regarding the theme of the oil painting, some people suggested Battle of Sakarya, while others suggested the most dangerous early city defense battles Corinth and Battle of Bochak. Some officers were relatively junior and only participated in Battle of Konya, so they suggested painting this battle as a dome oil painting...
Until now, Army has not come up with any results internally.
Vitus was unwilling to intervene in the debate among the officers and kept the topic on hold.
The navy became more united and set the theme of the oil painting as Antikythera sea battle.
Whether it is within the Navy or outside public opinion, it is unanimously believed that the importance of this battle far exceeds other naval battles, symbolizing that Roman Navy has once again regained Europe's status as the first navy after hundreds of years.
At this stage, Venice has lost its battleship and shipbuilding capabilities, and France's navy ranks second.
Although France's local shipbuilding capabilities are not strong, they control Genoa, and House of Anjou controls Naples. The three companies are put together, and their scale is second only to the Eastern Roman Empire.
Vitus thought to himself, "Naval combat effectiveness not only depends on the size of the ship, but also the quality of the sailors, hull design, and tactical concepts are all important."
Excellent cavalry came from the herdsmen group, and similarly, excellent sailors came from the merchant crews and fishermen groups.
Most of the people in France are engaged in farming. A farmer who has never touched a ship is obviously not suitable to join the navy. Their total population is huge, but the navy's reserve manpower is very small.
The coastline of Greece is complex and winding, and the fishermen group is large. It has a maritime tradition as early as the classical period.
Greece's local resources are limited, so residents of Athens and other city-states sailed ships out to sea, playing multiple roles as merchants, colonists, and pirates.
Many cities along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea originated from settlements built by Greece immigrants.
For example, Naples and Syracuse of Southern Italy, Marseille, North Africa of France Cyrene, Northern Black Sea Coast, Chersonesus, Anatolia, Trebizond and Smyrna.
As of now, Eastern Roman Empire has abundant naval manpower reserves. The sailors' sailing abilities are similar to those of the Italy city-state, and it is able to maintain a well-trained and large navy.
The next morning, when Vitus was having breakfast, he suddenly thought of those Venice hostages.
Vitus instructs Eunuch of Inner Palace Directorate:
"Pass an order to place these people in a valley in the Rhodope Mountains, let them herd sheep and cultivate the land, and arrange a teacher. Whether they want to study or not is entirely up to them. After Venice pays off the debt, send these hostages back home."
Hearing this, Agnes and Leo were not surprised at all. This is Vitus's consistent style.
Most of the noble prisoners captured over the years, whether they are from Crusaders country or Ottoman, are placed in remote areas.
Some nobles voluntarily surrendered and received slightly better treatment. They received a large piece of land and could hire outsiders to help take care of the land, becoming a squire with no worries about food and clothing.
Most of the nobles were defeated and captured, and were resettled in remote valleys, requiring them to work in the fields themselves, including members of the Cyprus royal family.
This group of hostages left their hometowns and were separated from their relatives for a long time. They have every reason to hate Eastern Roman Empire. Vitus has no interest in influencing this group of unstable factors, which demonstrates Eastern Roman Empire's magnanimity.
I didn't follow Rome's measures towards Carthage, so I was tolerant enough.
At nine o'clock in the morning, Vitus held a meeting of Cabinet to discuss the administrative division of the newly recovered territory.
In this battle, Ionian Islands and Aegean Sea Islands were recovered, and a new population of 300,000 Greece was added.
The area of Ionian Islands is too small. It cannot be used as a separate Province. It is divided into the existing Epirus and Peloponnese Province.
Crete has a large population, so Chancellor suggest setting up a Crete Province.
"The new establishment of Province means that there will be more civil service admission quotas this year." Vitus muttered a few words and agreed to the proposal.
He opened the land registration report of Crete. Not surprisingly, most of the land belonged to the Venice government or Venice immigrants.
"What plans does Cabinet have for these lands?"
Prime Minister recommends giving half of the cultivated land or olive trees to the poor. These crops are suitable for small farmers.
In contrast, Sugarcane cultivation requires a large investment, and ordinary farmers cannot afford daily expenses, including repairing water canals and operating sugar pressing workshops. Therefore, Sugarcane is only suitable for large-scale operations.
Vitus: "You mean, give Sugarcane, almond trees, lemon trees and other plantations to meritorious officials, or sell them to Agricultural Company?"
Selling the land to Agricultural Company can quickly withdraw funds. Vitus agreed to this suggestion.