In late October, Central Administration submitted a detailed canonization plan.
This time the canonization involves thirty-six Garrison District, with reference to the past resumes and military exploits of the officers. When Cabinet submitted the list, he also submitted relevant information, which was three large boxes of documents.
"How long will this take?"
Vitus's energy is limited and he can only spare 3 to 4 hours a day to review the plan. Each time he reviews the complete list of Garrison District, this work is expected to last until the end of the year.
Fortunately, during his stay in Jaffa, he distributed rewards and real estate to the army, which temporarily calmed the army's mood.
"Boranov, Second Dragon Cavalry Brigade deputy brigade commander, colonel, from Ryazan Principality, the time of enlistment is..."
Vitus had an impression of this person, and quickly read his resume, military exploits, previous bosses' evaluations, and Army Department's evaluations, put a mark behind his name, and approved Army Department's recommendation for canonization.
Not only that, Vitus plans to transfer him to Levant Frontier Army to serve as the brigade commander of Eighth Frontier Brigade.
The largest permanent unit of the Frontier Army is the brigade. The first to seventh border defense brigades are affiliated to Balkans, Northern Black Sea Coast and Armenia respectively.
The specifications of the Frontier Army are not as good as those of the field troops. The position of Boranov has been upgraded, but the military rank remains unchanged, and he is still a colonel.
Busy until evening, Sixty-Fifth Garrison District still had more than twenty hereditary sergeant positions. Vitus was in a hurry to eat and scanned everyone's resume at a very fast speed.
These people were junior officers or sergeants with few transfers and thin resumes. Vitus took a quill and marked each person's name in turn.
"Pelato!"
Vitus called to Eunuch and handed over the roster of sixty-five Garrison District, "Give it to the Army Department tomorrow and send out the notice as soon as possible to avoid some guys being unable to wait."
After finishing the chores, Vitus came to the restaurant to eat.
The recent dishes have more Africa flavors, including crocodile meat, ostrich eggs, and rich-smelling coffee.
The origin of coffee is Abyssinia. If Europe people are used to drinking coffee, Eastern Roman Empire can continue to make money from this re-export Trade.
Although he did not like the bitter taste of the drink, the royal family took the lead in drinking coffee, which could lead to people following suit and speed up the promotion of coffee.
"It's too bitter, not as good as almond milk." Agnes scooped up a little black liquid with a silver spoon. It was bitter and hot, so he asked the maid to add milk and sucrose.
She stirred it a few times with a silver spoon and tasted it again. She found that the taste of the coffee had become mellow and smooth, with a hint of sweetness.
"Well, it tastes much better."
She drank less than half a cup of coffee, scooped out the bowl of golden ostrich custard with a spoon, and after a few bites, she felt that the taste was a bit bland, so she asked the maid to add a little fish sauce.
Agnes asked her husband, "Egypt Is this drink popular?"
"No, this is just a niche drink. When Army attacked Suez, they found two sealed wooden barrels containing coffee beans from the warehouse. It is said that the buyer was a certain Mamluk noble.
Next year, we will contact Abyssinia. A large amount of coffee will flow into the country, and we hope to sell it at a good price."
Vitus wants to get ahead of Portugal, take the lead in opening up the East Africa market, sell Eastern Roman Empire's handicrafts, and promote the development of the domestic industry.
According to intelligence, Portugal is building numerous coastal strongholds in Africa. This move has two purposes:
1. Provide supplies to passing ships and reduce crew mortality.
2. Contact the inland and sell glass, ironware and textiles to the locals in exchange for gold, spices, ivory and other expensive items.
"I heard that some time ago, there was a conflict between Castile and Portugal. Why didn't they fight? What a pity."
His words triggered Agnes to complain, "I think about war all day long. Eastern Roman Empire has almost regained its territory. Why can't we live a peaceful life for a few years?"
Vitus: "This is just a hypothesis. In the next few years, Rome will try to avoid taking the initiative to start a war."
He traveled abroad for two years, fighting all the way from Armenian Highlands to Cairo. His energy was excessively exhausted, and the troops under his command were also very tired. They urgently needed a period of rest.
Secondly, he must also consider the domestic situation.
Today, the population nominally ruled by the Eastern Roman Empire has reached 18 million, and Eastern Roman Empire has become the largest country in the Europe and Mediterranean Sea regions.
However, most of the people captured this time were pagans and people from different cultures.
According to statistics from civil servants, there are only 4.7 million people of Greek origin and Greek culture, accounting for a quarter of the total population. They have the highest proportion of soldiers and pay the most taxes.
The total number of groups like Armenia, Don River Tatars, and Copts is more than three million. They are fairly loyal and can provide a certain amount of soldiers and taxes.
The remaining population has a pagan and foreign cultural relationship with the Eastern Roman Empire, and has extremely low loyalty. Levant and North Africa are almost in a laissez-faire state.
The local people were unwilling to join the Eastern Roman Empire army and would not provide much tax revenue. However, Eastern Roman Empire wanted to form more Frontier Army to control the newly occupied borders. After defeating Mamluk, Eastern Roman Empire's manpower became even tighter.
In order to stabilize border defense, Central Administration is discussing a new round of military expansion plan.
In the future, the empire's army will reach 300,000.
The total number of posts in the Garrison District system reaches 100,000. In most cases, military households can be self-sufficient, and the expenses in this part are limited.
The field force has six legions, five Cavalry Brigade, Hermes Brigade, and directly subordinate Artillery, with a total of 90,000 people. This part has the largest expenditure.
The combined garrison forces of the Frontier Army and Province are about 70,000 people. In order to strengthen defense, Garrison District and neighboring Province regularly provide some troops to assist Frontier Army in operations.
The number of the navy is eighteen thousand.
Arsenal, the directly affiliated shipyard, and Military Academy have a total of 20,000 personnel.
Judging from the population size of the Eastern Roman Empire, there are 300,000 troops and 18 million people, and the ratio is 1.67%.
However, more than half of the pagan population will not serve as soldiers, and the 300,000 troops come from a small half of the domestic population (8 million), a ratio of 3.75%.
The core manpower is only 4.7 million, and it needs to support nearly 200,000 troops, a ratio of 4.2%.
Within the range of Europe, this ratio is at a relatively high level.
In 1600, Spain had a population of 8 million. With the gold and silver mines in the New World, it supported 200,000 soldiers, and the army accounted for 2.5% of the total population.
During Richelieu's administration (1624-1642), the total population of France was close to 20 million, and the size of the army was estimated to be 125,000, accounting for only 0.625%.
After Louis XIV ascended the throne, France's standing army reached 200,000, and the military expansion limit was 400,000, accounting for 2% of the total population.
During the Thirty Years' War (1618~1648), Gustav's army reached a maximum of 140,000 people, while the population controlled by Sweden was only 1.5 million, accounting for 9%. This was an extreme situation, and the army included many foreign mercenaries.
The larger the country, the lower the ratio of the army to the total population. An empire may seem to have a large army, but the actual number of troops invested in a certain direction is not as large as imagined. Sometimes, a commander is needed to use fewer enemies to defeat more.
Before Battle of Sakarya, Eastern Roman Empire occupied Greece, Thrace, and Northern Black Sea Coast, with a population of 2.6 million, and was able to mobilize an army of 100,000 to fight Ottoman.
Today, Eastern Roman Empire has almost regained the territory that was divided between east and west. The land is vast, the population has expanded to 18 million, but the power that can be used in a certain direction has declined.
Last year we attacked White Sheep, this year we attack Mamluk. Although Eastern Roman Empire is much larger than the enemy, the troops invested are not as good as the opponent. If mediocre men like Vakhtang and his son are allowed to lead the army, the defeat is extremely likely.
Perhaps, this is the expansion limit of the Eastern Roman Empire.
Early December, Levant Coast.
The sky was overcast, the wind was howling, mixed with the biting rain, a large fleet sailed towards Acre City, all hoisting Palaiologos Flag.
Arriving at the berthing area, the ships lowered their sails and anchored one after another. A ketch sailed to the dock. Five Eunuch, who were dressed in luxurious clothes, walked off the pier. The leader Eunuch looked at the port guards indifferently.
"The imperial edict has arrived, take me to see Renaf."
Levant Frontier Army is headquartered in the most eye-catching castle on the seaside. It was originally the property of Knights Templar. It has towering towers and covers an area larger than other areas.
The moment leader Eunuch walked into the lobby of the main building, he was slightly lost in thought, "Are the Templars so rich?"
Eunuch cleared his throat and revealed his identity to all Frontier Army senior officials. After completing a series of procedures, he began to read out the imperial edict, which mainly focused on two things:
1. The emperor confirmed the first batch of canonization lists, involving five newly formed Garrison District.
2. Holy Land Guard Legion arrived at the front line and was ordered to take over the northern part of Jerusalem.
Renaf took the roster handed over by Eunuch and reminded the other party, "Your Excellency, the positions of the conferred personnel are scattered. Some officers are relatively close to each other, and some officers are located at Egypt and Cyrenaica. Do you plan to wait for them to arrive and canonize them all at once, or do you want them to come in batches?"
Eunuch still looked indifferent, "The imperial edict just mentioned that the first priority is to stabilize order. If hundreds of people come here at once, it will definitely cause organizational chaos. It is best to come in batches and canonize one Garrison District at a time."
After speaking, he motioned to the officer behind him to step forward. "This is the deputy general of the escort corps. He has brought three thousand soldiers, and another three thousand will arrive next spring.
What your Majesty means is that the escort regiment needs to resist the desert cavalry from the east, and also be wary of Knights Hospitaller and the visiting western nobles. The situation is complicated and requires you to pay more attention."
During the conversation, a cold wind flowed into the hall, and the map hanging on the wall whistled. Eunuch wrapped his cloak tightly and took two steps towards the fireplace next to it.
The pine wood in the furnace continued to burn, and the flames reflected the face of Eunuch. He stopped talking and signaled the officers to hand over the defense.
At noon the next day, Sea of Galilee West Bank, Tiberias.
Boranov was wandering by the lake. Winter has arrived, and the lake has lost its transparent blue color and has become dark.
A few dozen steps away, a fisherman threw a fishing net from the boat. After a while, the net bag gradually emerged from the water. Several river fish struggled in the net, and splashes of water sprayed in the air.
On the shore, a group of women were handling the fish. The fish was bouncing and crackling on the bottom of the basin. They skillfully cut open the belly of the fish, took out the internal organs and threw them into a wooden basin. The harvested fish meat was thrown into another wooden barrel. The smell of blood attracted a small flock of birds.
Boranov took a closer look and found that there was no change in the types of river fish in the wooden barrel. Not surprisingly, some of the fish meat would appear in the canteen tonight.
"If you eat fish every day, can't the quartermaster do something different, such as purchasing some pigeons, chickens and ducks?"
When he was struggling with what to eat for dinner, a rider came over and reported, "Deputy brigade commander, someone from the headquarters is here. It is related to hereditary military positions. The brigade commander asked you to come over for a meeting."
Regarding his personal future, Boranov quickly returned to Tiberias's command post. The room was crowded with people, and some people stood in the courtyard outside with anxious expressions, staring at the unopened official document on the desk in the room.
After the senior officials arrived, the brigade commander opened the document and read aloud the names mentioned in it, a total of thirty-one people.
"That's it. Don't complain, others. This is just the first batch. The emperor will establish thirty-six Garrison District, and there will be many more places later."
Boranov remained silent and did not participate in the discussions or complaints of others. After the meeting, he led the team to Acre City to accept the canonization.
December 8th, early morning.
Before the ceremony started, everyone gathered in the open space outside the main building to chat. There were about a hundred people, exactly one Garrison District.
"Why is there still a navy?"
Boranov whispered, looking at the closed door in front of him, recalling his experiences in the past two years.
White Sheep Army's equipment is simple, but Uzon Hassan's excellent commanding ability makes up for some of the equipment disadvantages. Therefore, Armenian Highlands's battle is the most difficult.
When attacking Levant, Rome faced Mamluk Frontier Army. The enemy was well-equipped, the commander's ability was mediocre, the morale of the army was poor, and the overall combat effectiveness was not as good as White Sheep.
Nile Delta's battle was the easiest. From Rome's landing to the capture of Cairo's city, the whole process only took more than a month. The enemy's morale was extremely poor, and each unit tried their best to gain military exploits, making the friendly forces who did not participate in the battle quite jealous...
At eight o'clock in the morning, the door slowly opened, and a Eunuch walked outside, took the name book and read everyone's names.
The first person to be called was Boranov, which meant that he became a hereditary guard (thousand households).
Eunuch winked at him, "Don't waste time, go in."
Boranov took a deep breath and walked slowly into the castle hall.
The hall was unusually empty at the moment, with tables, chairs, sand tables, and bookshelves removed. The atmosphere was solemn and solemn, incense was burning in the air, and black-robed clergy stood on both sides.
There is an empty seat at the end of the hall, symbolizing the emperor himself. All the ceremonial behaviors of the officers are directed towards the emperor, rather than delivering orders Eunuch or the general.
Yesterday, Boranov and the ennobled personnel learned relevant etiquette from Eunuch. He followed the etiquette steps, respectfully saluted the seat, and completed the process step by step.
Subsequently, at Eunuch's signal, he stood on the right side of the hall and waited.
Next are the two deputy guards (Deputy Battalion Commander), one of whom has a special identity and is the illegitimate son of Palaiologos-Montferrat Branch, called Orlando.
Further behind are the hundreds of households, flag officers and sergeants.
This time, a total of 120 people were awarded the title: one garrison officer (thousand households), two deputy garrison officers, seven hundred households and seven deputy hundred households, as well as 21 flag officers and 82 sergeants.
Garrison District has 820 military households and is located in a valley southeast of Mount Hermon, not far from Damascus.
Boranov recalls the nearby terrain. The local area is adjacent to the upper reaches of the Jordan River. It has sufficient water resources and is suitable for farming. There are also enough mountains and forests as hunting grounds, and the geographical environment is superior.
"I wonder what kind of prey there are in the mountains? It would be great if there were large animals like bears and Wild Boar."
The canonization ceremony was over, and before Boranov had time to get acquainted with his subordinates, he received another transfer order.
Renaf informed the Rus officer, "You will be transferred to Eighth Frontier Brigade as the brigade commander. The station is located at Damascus. You will be posted there within a week."