The Knights Hospitaller

After two days of travel, Agnes selected a plot of land on a riverside slope. Vitus spread out a map, confirmed that it belonged to the former nobility of Achaea, and agreed to his wife's request.

He swung down from his horse and scooped up a handful of soil to examine it. "You have a good eye; this is well-drained, fertile sandy loam. However, we will need to build waterwheels and irrigation canals to cope with the dry summer climate."

Having confirmed the site for the mulberry grove, Agnes wrote home to ask for help in purchasing mulberry saplings and silkworm eggs, as well as hiring a group of experienced farmers. After finishing the letter, she pressed her seal into the wax on the envelope. "The matter of the mulberry grove is settled. Where shall we go next?"

Vitus led the caravan further south to inspect Kyparissia in the southwest of the Peloponnese.

Compared to half a year ago, the permanent population of this port town had recovered to 1,800. Five merchant ships were docked at the pier, all five captains being Venice merchants who had come to import olive oil.

In addition, they purchased agricultural products such as wool, grain, and salted fish, while selling woolen cloth, ironware, and soap. Agnes observed for a long time before suddenly asking one of the Venice merchants:

"You pay almost no taxes. Why is that?"

The Venetian replied, "Because we have signed relevant agreements with the Eastern Roman Empire and enjoy preferential treatment in this regard. By the way, the Genoa merchants have similar benefits."

Agnes looked stunned. She trotted all the way to find Vitus to complain, only to receive an unexpected answer.

"The Venetian is right. In 1082 AD, Alexios Komnenos issued the Golden Bull, granting the Venetians numerous privileges in exchange for naval aid from Venice. Subsequent emperors have also signed similar agreements, including my father and my brother."

Vitus had long realized that the Eastern Roman Empire had effectively been reduced to a source of raw materials and a dumping ground for products for northern Italy.

Ironically, it was precisely because of this that Venice and Genoa had repeatedly aided Constantinople to prevent it from being captured by the Ottoman Empire. As an emerging empire, the Ottoman Empire was far more aggressive and would not tolerate these merchants acting so wantonly. Once the Eastern Roman Empire fell and the Ottoman Empire controlled the trade routes of the Black Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, the good days for the Italy merchants would come to an end.

"How could they do this?" Agnes realized the reason for the Eastern Roman Empire's financial shortages. She became determined to expand her business, funding the establishment of soap and woolen workshops to seize a large share from Venice and Genoa.

At this moment, the mayor, Daniel, received the news and sprinted to the pier to greet them. "Your Highness, why have you come?"

"Just looking around. There is no need to be nervous."

Despite these words, Daniel still followed behind, fearing that something might go wrong. Vitus paid no attention to Daniel, instead taking out a notebook and a homemade charcoal pencil to record the transaction volumes and prices in the market item by item.

This was a habit he had developed in the Italy region; every time he arrived in a town, he would collect relevant data to judge the general condition of the area.

After touring the entire town, Vitus entered the mayor's residence to check the recent work records, throwing out a question from time to time.

"How is the situation with the circuit court?"

Daniel replied, "It is going well. They have already visited ten villages and have not yet returned."

Vitus did not completely neglect the many villages under his jurisdiction; he had the judicial system regularly dispatch personnel to the countryside to adjudicate civil disputes. If small-scale bandits were discovered, the town garrison would go out to suppress them. Once the scale of the bandits exceeded thirty men, the mayor was required to report to the Ducal Palace to request the intervention of field troops.

Vitus flipped through the pages and was just about to ask about other aspects when he was suddenly notified by a guard—a severely damaged sailing ship had appeared at the pier, carrying dozens of armed men who claimed to be a unit of the Knights Hospitaller.

Accompanied by the relieved expressions of the civil officials, Vitus returned to the pier once more to see a riddled two-masted galley. At the top of the mast was a red flag with a white eight-pointed cross in the center.

By now, the town garrison had surrounded the pier. They wore captured armor and held spears or heavy crossbows, watching these uninvited guests with vigilance.

Vitus stepped out from the crowd and shouted to the captain, who appeared to be a pirate, "Do you speak Latin?"

"I come from a noble count's family; of course I speak Latin..."

The captain identified himself as Simon de Chantonay, the second son of a French count and a knight of the Knights Hospitaller. He had recently encountered a surprise attack by the Ottoman fleet and had been forced to flee into a storm to survive, eventually drifting his way to this place.

A surprise attack? I suspect you were robbing an Ottoman merchant ship and accidentally got entangled by their navy.

Vitus offered two choices: "You may stay on the ship, and I will send people to provide food and drink. Or, you may leave your weapons and armor on the ship, and I will prepare lodgings for you within the city."

Having drifted at sea for over half a month, Simon's greatest wish was to take a hot bath and sleep in a clean bed. He quickly stripped off his armor and led his men into the city in an orderly fashion.

In the evening, Vitus invited Simon and five other knights to dinner, using fine wine to get them drunk in order to probe for internal information about the Knights Hospitaller.

Over a hundred years ago, the Knights Hospitaller had seized Rhodes and made it the headquarters of the order. Their number of knights remained in the hundreds, usually the second or youngest sons of noble families from Western Europe.

The members of the Knights Hospitaller came from various countries and were divided into seven sub-organizations based on their home regions, with the Grand Master usually being served in rotation by members of these sub-organizations.

In terms of income, the order possessed land throughout Europe (donations from the nobility) and also actively engaged in piracy, raiding Ottoman and Mamluk merchant ships and coastlines.

"Last year, we launched fifty maritime raids—hic—and also planned five land operations. It was the most profitable year since I joined the order."

Simon's words drew cheers from his five companions, who seemed quite satisfied with this life of piracy. Vitus took the opportunity to ask about the whereabouts of the spoils and prisoners. "I hear that Ottoman galleys usually use Greeks and Armenians as slave rowers. How do you treat these people?"

Simon replied, "They are left on Rhodes to farm or work. Or they are sent to Crete, where the local Venice merchants have opened large sugar plantations and are in urgent need of labor."

Vitus proposed sending the rescued Greeks to the Peloponnese, but the knights looked at each other, stating that such matters were decided by the Grand Master and they had no authority to decide.

It seems they have reached some kind of agreement with Venice.

Vitus had no choice but to change the subject. "If one day the Ottoman Empire launches a full-scale invasion, how can I obtain the help of the Knights Hospitaller?"

Simon said, "Opposing the Ottoman Empire is our sacred duty. Of course, if you are willing to bear part of the expenses, our response will be more rapid, and the scale of reinforcements will be even larger..."