On August 16, Vitus came to Pelusium.
Under the scorching sun, thousands of prisoners of war were working on the coast. According to the plan of the engineer staff, they needed to complete three large-scale projects:
1. Repair ports and urban facilities.
Second, a branch canal is led from the nearest large irrigation canal to provide water to the town.
Third, build a road leading to Suez.
The port has the highest priority. The construction team is laying trestles in shallow waters, building warehouses, treadmill cranes and other facilities. After the port is completed, it will be easier to transport more resources, such as lumber, from other places.
The Egypt area lacks large tracts of forest and needs to continue to import from the outside world. The forest resources in the north of Epirus and Anatolia are rich and can meet the demand.
Not only that, Eastern Europe has more forest resources.
The Rus regime and the Tatars Khanate cut timber in the middle and upper reaches and sold it to Chersonesus through water transportation. Therefore, the supply of timber in the Eastern Roman Empire market is sufficient and the price has been low for a long time, promoting the development of other industries.
Vitus suddenly thought, "The cost of building a canal is too high. It is better to lay a wooden rail connecting Suez and Pelusium to save project expenses."
He discussed this idea with his attendants, only a small number of people were in favor of it, and the majority were against it.
Edric gave the most sufficient reason:
The distance between Suez--Pelusium is more than one hundred miles, which requires a large number of iron-clad wooden tracks. The area it passes is a barren desert, and the passenger flow is very low, so it can only operate at a loss for a long time.
"Your Majesty, I suggest increasing funds to build a small canal, which can not only transport fresh water, irrigate fields, but also carry small flat-bottomed barges. The caravans use camels to pull the flat-bottomed barges forward to meet the freight needs of the two places."
After listening to Edric's suggestion, another attendant named Baldas retorted, "The distance between Suez and Pelusium is too far. Whether it is a track or a canal, the cost is not cheap. Why not use this money as military expenses to capture a new land?"
Baldas believes that last year's attack on White Sheep and the acquisition of the entire Armenian Highlands cost only a few hundred thousand in combat funds.
This year we attacked Mamluk and captured Levant and Egypt within half a year. Not only did we not lose money, but we made a small profit.
If Finance has a balance, it is better to expand externally, which will gain greater benefits.
Time passed and the discussion turned into a meaningless dispute. Vitus left the scene of the dispute and rode to the construction site in the west of the city.
Fine sand floated in the air, and heat waves rolled in, twisting the distant sand dunes into swaying shadows.
A row of wooden stakes was planted in the desert from west to east, fifty steps apart, as a reference for digging canals.
A thousand prisoners of war were assigned here. They bent over and worked, their skin was tanned to a bronze color, sweat ran down their backs and then evaporated quickly. The sound of shovels cutting into the sand was heard one after another. The shoveled soil and stones were thrown to both sides and piled up into a embankment as high as a person.
Along the construction site, a pergola was built at regular intervals.
Hearing the supervisor blowing the whistle, the nearby prisoners of war went to drink water under the shady hut, and then sat down under the shady hut to rest, staring at the unchanging scenery in the distance in a daze.
Vitus patrolled all the way to the west and unknowingly came to the main water conveyance canal ten miles away.
Egypt area divides water transmission canals into two categories: uljan (main canal) and bala (branch canal).
The former is managed by Court and regional governments, which direct Nile River water to various regions. The latter is smaller in size and the village community is responsible for management and maintenance.
It is now the flood season for the Nile River. The water surface of the main canal is turbid, mixed with reeds and mud washed upstream. A river fish jumped in front of it, attracting two children to go fishing.
Hundreds of steps away, two groups of people were facing each other across a main canal, holding hoes and pitchforks in their hands. The two leaders argued loudly in local dialects, trying to overpower the opponents with their loud voices.
Vitus held up the telescope and watched from a distance. He was glad that he adopted a feudal system in Egypt, and the conflicts between the local people were resolved internally.
If Province is forcibly established, and Greece officials sent by Central Administration are not familiar with the local conditions, a series of conflicts will inevitably occur. Resentments will gradually accumulate, and sooner or later it will turn into a rebellion.
In the evening, Vitus returned to Pelusium and saw Thomas taking care of his mount outside the barracks.
Upon discovering that his brother had arrived, Thomas wiped his hands clean and took out a roster from the saddle, "As required, I disbanded Lord Mamluk's excess private soldiers and recruited two Copts Auxiliary Brigade. The new recruits are being trained."
Vitus put the report aside and asked the other party:
"It is rumored that you have been complaining that I did not give you a chance and wasted your talents. Is this true?"
Thomas quickly denied. "Which bastard destroyed our brother's relationship? Is it the despicable person Demetrius, or Deputy Prime Minister Balram? You can't believe what they say. When I was a child, I was..."
Vitus motioned Thomas to look at the map and introduced the Cyrenaica coast to the west of Egypt.
The history of Cyrenaica originated in the seventh century BC. A group of Greece immigrants, under the guidance of Temple of Delphi, settled on the North Africa coast. The first city they built was called "Cyrene", so the area was named Cyrenaica.
Times have changed, and desert tribes have occupied this land. The population density that the nomadic lifestyle can support is far lower than that of agricultural society. The core settlement area is expected to have a population of only 100,000 to 150,000.
After the Ottoman empire fell, some remnants fled to North Africa and became pirates. Now that Mamluk has been destroyed, some remnants will flee to the West, and the scale of piracy has further expanded.
The coast of Cyrenaica is located to the south of Peloponnese, separated by more than 300 kilometers of sea. Pirates can rob merchant ships as well as the coasts of Peloponnese and Crete.
If piracy is allowed to develop, Eastern Mediterranean's fishing and transportation industries will be affected.
Vitus: "I intend to occupy the western coast of Egypt and set up Cyrenaica Borderland Region. If you are not interested, I will find Constantine."
Thomas accepted this new position without much hesitation.
On the map, sparsely populated desert areas are marked in lavender, and only small stretches of coast are marked in purple.
Thomas judged that the intensity of this war was very low, and dispatched 10,000 soldiers to capture the core settlement area within two months.
At this time, he noticed that the lower right corner of the map was also marked in lavender. "Is this?"
Vitus: "Demetrius is just like you, complaining all day about having nothing to do. I found him a job at Africa to satisfy his ambition."
Demetrius is the most incompetent member of the royal family. He often causes all kinds of troubles and seriously damages the reputation of the royal family among the people.
Yesterday, Vitus read the report sent by Central Administration. His patience reached its limit, and he simply left Demetrius's family to East Africa, out of sight and out of mind.
The day we have finally waited for! Thomas laughed unabashedly, attracting the attention of the attendants and officers.
"I want to write a letter personally to inform Demetrius of the good news. Haha, Africa has many special animals, such as elephants, crocodiles, hippos, lions, baboons... I hope he likes this new home."
After his younger brother left, Vitus began to plan a Foreign Affairs operation to contact Abyssinian Kingdom (the Ethiopian region in later generations).
This kingdom believes in Coptic Church and is ruled by the Solomonic Dynasty.
After the twelfth century, there was a widely circulated legend in Europe: In the distant interior of Africa, there existed a Christian kingdom ruled by "Prester John".
The kingdom is powerful, and its ruler has the dual identity of monarch and priest. It has a fountain of youth, a gem palace, and is rich in spices and various precious luxuries.
One of the reasons for Portugal to explore new routes is to find Prester John and convince him to attack Mamluk.
Vitus speculates that the prototype of the "Priest King" is King Abyssinia.
He originally planned to send Alexander Patriarch as the envoy, but the Alexander diocese was still in the reconstruction stage and Patriarch could not leave for the time being, so he could only let Andronikos serve as the envoy.
On August 20, a fleet flying the flags of many countries passed Pelusium, followed by a Eastern Roman Empire cruiser at the front, responsible for leading the way and monitoring.
At noon, the fleet anchored in the harbor.
The trestle has not yet been completed, so the fleet can only put down the small boats and transport a group of nobles to the dock to rest.
There are as many as 200 nobles, mainly from France, with nobles from Genoa, Florence and other countries joining in the process.
The fleet set off in May and rested at Naples midway. Due to the bad relationship between Naples and Eastern Roman Empire, they were mistaken for the troop transport ship of Naples, so they were delayed for a period of time.
Not long after, Vitus arrived at the pier. The guests were generally wearing gorgeous and loose summer clothes, with relaxed expressions, and were surrounded by a group of servants, as if they were on vacation.
At the edge of the crowd, Jeanne·Duck was talking to Attendant Officer Edric. Now she is nearly forty years old, her appearance is much older, her face is thin, and her eyes are firm, like the abbess of a convent.
After talking for a long time, her focus shifted to the Coptic Church and Armenia orthodox churches.
"Why does the emperor condone these Monophysite people?"
Facing Jeanne's inquiry, Edric didn't know how to answer. He could only show a friendly and embarrassed smile, wanting to change the topic to another topic.
Jeanne did not give up and remained committed to religious affairs in the North Africa and Levant areas.
Five minutes later, she found the emperor surrounded by a crowd and raised the question again.
Vitus replied with Latin: "Marshal Dark, the situation in the newly conquered territory is complicated, so we can only fool around with it like this. If we have to take it seriously, they will definitely rebel. The army is exhausted and has no energy to devote to a protracted counter-insurgency war..."
Sure enough, Jeanne·Dak still has the same character as when he was young, pious and uncompromising.
This character created her faith and courage, but limited her future in the political field.
Vitus has read the report of Minister Foreign Affairs. Recently, Jeanne and Charles VII have been very unhappy. It is not because of rebellion or corruption, but because of a seemingly ordinary trivial matter - Charles VII's family life.
Charles VII had a bad relationship with Dauphin Louis, and his relationship with the queen was cold. Gradually, he devoted his emotions to his mistress Agnès Sorel and several illegitimate daughters.
At first, Agnes Sorel was very fond of Jeanne and wanted to be friends with her.
The problem is that Jeanne never treats Agnes well. Every time Agnes goes to church to confess her desires and sins, and then she takes her daughter to live in seclusion in a country monastery and spend the rest of her life in confession.
As time passed, Charles became resentful of this outspoken minister, but he could not expel or imprison Jeanne.
On the one hand, it is due to Jeanne's meritorious service, and more importantly, it involves the stability of Charles's regime.
According to the mainstream legal concepts of Europe, Charles is actually a "usurper of the throne". His succession to the throne of France is not as legitimate as House of Plantagenet.
In 1420, French Army was defeated miserably, and Charles VI signed "Treaty of Troyes" with King Henry V of England.
The core content is to deprive France Dauphin (later Charles VII) of her inheritance rights. Princess France Catherine married Henry V, and the France throne was inherited by Henry V and his heirs.
From this point of view, the nobles of Burgundian Faction are loyal to King England and have not betrayed "France". Because King England has the title of King France, and Charles is just a former Dauphin who was deprived of his inheritance rights and belongs to the rebels.
Several years passed, Dauphin Charles tried various methods, and finally placed his hope on a country girl.
As a result, Charles miraculously made the right bet, Jeanne rescued Orléans, reversed the decline in two months, and regained Reims (the traditional coronation site of King France) in one fell swoop.
On July 17, 1429, at the coronation ceremony of Charles VII, Jeanne was wearing armor, standing behind Charles VII, holding her iconic white flag in her right hand, possessing unparalleled support.
If Jeanne is guilty, what does Charles VII, who was supported by her, count?
Subsequently, even if Charles expelled the England forces, the rift caused by "Treaty of Troyes" still existed. The nobles of Burgundian Faction were worried about the liquidation of the royal family and opposed any act to strengthen the royal power.
Burgundian Faction regards Jeanne as a political enemy. However, if the king imprisons Jeanne, they will instead make noises and even rebel in the name of redressing the injustice of "Jeanne Marshal Dark".
In desperation, Charles VII sent Jeanne to Jerusalem, hoping that this journey could make her calm down.
The conversation ended, Vitus walked out of the crowd, Thomas followed behind and whispered:
"If Jeanne lives in seclusion in Jerusalem, France will lose a talented tactician, which is a good thing for us."
Vitus doesn't think so.
Once France is in a critical situation, whether she is in Rome or Jerusalem, she will definitely rush there as soon as possible. This is what is bound to happen.
"It doesn't matter whether Jeanne is on a short pilgrimage or in seclusion for a long time. She believes in Roman Catholic Church and is destined not to be loyal to us. Let her be."
Vitus yawned and turned his attention to a group of knights wearing white robes and red crosses.
These people belong to Order of Christ, which is the continuation of Knights Templar in Portugal. Their robe styles are the same as those of the original Templars.
In the late thirteenth century, Knights Templar owned thousands of manors across Europe. With the tax-free rights granted by Pope, the Knights developed a huge banking network and their financial business was booming.
In 1307, Philip IV of France coveted Knights Templar's wealth and arrested the grand leader and many members.
In 1312, the King of France convinced Pope Clement V, who ordered the dissolution of Knights Templar.
Subsequently, the grand leader was executed at the stake, and the territory and property of Knights Templar were disposed of by the monarchs of various countries.
The Templar Knights in Portugal had the best luck. They transformed into Order of Christ, which continues to this day. The current grand leader is Prince Henry.
In the agreement reached between Vitus and Pope, the matter of Knights Templar was not mentioned. Both parties acquiesced that the organization was destroyed and the real estate once owned by Levant was ownerless.
After recovering Levant, the Portugal knights can make pilgrimages and stay in the Holy Land for a long time, but those castles and manors have nothing to do with them.
The last one is Teutonic Knights.
This organization was founded in 1198, when Jerusalem had fallen, and its headquarters was located in Acre City.
In 1226, the Knights were invited by the Poland nobles and began to attack the pagan tribe of Prussian Region. From then on, the focus of the Knights shifted to the Baltic Sea.
During the conversation just now, some nobles asked Vitus for information, and Vitus clearly rejected Teutonic Knights's request to move back to Acre.
Poland and Lithuania have been harmed by this group of Teutonic Knights for more than two hundred years. He has no interest in accepting this group of unstable factors.