Finance

Vitus had originally intended to recruit administrative staff from the local populace, but since Constantinople had sent a batch of civil servants, he simply distributed the prepared test papers to assess their cultural proficiency.

The test was not complex, covering common knowledge in arithmetic, geometry, agriculture, handicrafts, and commerce.

Vitus stood up and stretched, telling Uranus, "I am going to have lunch. You stay here and supervise; if anyone needs to go to the latrine, remember to have a soldier follow them."

An hour later, Vitus checked the submitted papers; everyone had passed.

This was not surprising. The Eastern Roman Empire was a centralized bureaucratic state; whether it was the administrative hub, local institutions, the judicial system, or the Eastern Orthodox Church, their operations could not function without a large literate population.

To this day, Constantinople still maintained the educational system of the classical period, with primary and secondary education being relatively widespread, leaving its literacy rate far ahead of London, Paris, and Prague. The city-states of Italy had higher literacy rates, but they still could not compare to Constantinople.

Since these individuals met the requirements, Vitus began to introduce the situation in the Principality of Achaea, showing them the statistical data from the previous period, and finally posed a question:

"How much tax can the Principality of Achaea collect annually?"

Savard gave an estimate based on historical data, "The Morea region has a population of 230,000, with an annual fiscal revenue of about 90,000 Ducat, of which agricultural taxes account for sixty percent. The population of the Principality of Achaea is less than one-third of Morea's, so I expect you can collect 28,000 to 30,000 Ducat annually."

"Regarding expenditures, I have reviewed the fiscal reports for Morea: forty percent is used for military spending, thirty percent is remitted to Constantinople, and the remaining thirty percent is used for other expenses. I wonder what your plans are?"

(Note: At this time, the official currency of the Eastern Roman Empire was the Nomisma, valued at 4.48 grams of gold. For ease of reading, this book attempts to convert figures into the currency units of Ducat/Florin.)

Thirty percent remitted? That proportion was far too high.

If that were the case, the income Vitus could control would be approximately 20,000 Ducat (Florin), far less than what he earned while working for Florence.

At this moment, Savard added, "On the road here, I heard farmers mention that this year's summer tax was cancelled. You are truly a benevolent ruler, but because of this, this year is destined to have a fiscal deficit. I suggest you explain the situation to Constantinople and strive to have this year's remittance waived."

Vitus regretted his earlier remarks, but this was the first order he had issued, and he could not retract it under any circumstances. "I hope Constantinople will understand my difficulties."

Since the treasury was tight, he strictly limited the scale of the administrative system, dividing the entire Principality of Achaea into three towns: Andravida, Kyparissia, and Patras, establishing positions such as mayor, tax collector, judge, and harbor master in each.

"That is all. You are to prioritize the management of the towns; do not overly interfere with the daily operations of the villages, monasteries, and manors. If you need to recruit new employees, the mayor must write a detailed report, and I will personally vet the candidates."

Now, Vitus finally understood why Venice had ignored the Peloponnese. If the shrewd Venetians looked down on this land, it proved that there was indeed little profit to be squeezed from it.

For the next half-day, Vitus interviewed these civil servants one by one, then summoned the junior officers of the Tuna Legion to ask if they were interested in transferring to the administrative system.

"Considering our friendship, as long as you answer thirty percent of the questions on the test correctly, you will be considered qualified."

Regrettably, this group of miners came from poor families (otherwise they would not have gone abroad to work), and they hailed from the war-torn regions of Attica and the Peloponnese, so the cultural level of the populace was very low. Seven applied to take the exam, and only one officer named Daniel passed.

"Daniel, what did you do before this?"

"Your Highness, I served as a stonemason's apprentice in my youth and received some education."

Vitus nodded slowly, acknowledging the man's account. He then asked Marcus, Damien, and Uranus, "Do you not intend to try?"

Marcus replied, "Once I transfer to a civil position, my income will drop; it is better to remain an officer." The other two held the same view.

The three were resolute, and Vitus did not wish to waste time persuading them. He dismissed the group and sat alone in the room, pondering the candidates for each position.

In early February, the sun was bright, but the sea breeze carried a biting chill as a three-masted sailing ship slowly cut through the azure water. The captain held onto the damp gunwale, squinting at the coastline as it gradually came into focus.

The moment they saw the shore, the sailors cheered loudly. Agnes ran from the cabin to the deck, but before her eyes was not the magnificent stone-built port of her memory, but merely a simple fishing village built against ancient ruins.

"Is this the place?" Agnes gazed at the Eastern Roman flag atop the lighthouse, doubting that the captain had chosen the right direction.

Half an hour later, the sailing ship slowly approached the wooden pier, and the sailors lowered the iron anchor into the water, securing the vessel with ropes. Once the ship was steady, Agnes walked onto the pier with the help of her maid. Confirming she had not come to the wrong place, she ordered everyone to begin unloading the cargo.

Before departing, following her husband's letter, she had recruited seven blacksmiths from Florence who lacked the qualifications to open their own shops, and purchased ten 3-pounder cannons along with large quantities of sulfur, saltpeter, iron ingots, copper ingots, and lead ingots...

Not long after, Vitus arrived upon hearing the news, having his guards move the supplies onto wagons, and asked Agnes, "What was the total cost?"

"A total of 5,000 Florin. Father paid it for you as a congratulatory gift for your conquest of the Principality of Achaea. Also, the batch of gun barrels you ordered only had five hundred completed; the remainder will be delivered at the end of the year."

The cold wind whistled, and the tip of Agnes's nose was frozen red. She wrapped her white fur coat tightly around herself, shivering, and asked her husband to take her to see their new home.

"Don't hold your expectations too high; Andravida is just an ordinary small town, not comparable to Constantinople or Florence." Vitus helped his wife onto the carriage. After traveling southeast for two hours, Agnes lifted the curtain of the carriage window and discovered the walls of Andravida not far ahead.

Passing through the city gate, the interior was a vast expanse of wasteland, with nearby residents using the fallow land as fields and livestock pens. Approaching the city center, Agnes finally felt a bit of liveliness. She curiously observed the stalls on both sides of the road, and judging by the variety of goods, the life of the local populace was quite poor.

Finally, the carriage stopped moving. Agnes found that the exterior of the mansion was plain and unadorned, even somewhat gloomy, with the tall stone walls having almost no windows facing the street.

After entering the main gate, the left and right sides were quarters for guards and servants, and ahead was a relatively narrow passage, which further enhanced the defensive nature of the building, preventing intruders from easily entering the interior.

At the end of the passage was a spacious central courtyard, overgrown with weeds, surrounded by a cloister with Ionian columns, and directly ahead stood a two-story residence.