In late July, Abyssinia's envoy came to the Blachernae Palace and was received by Vitus.
Messenger Naqueto's request is to purchase more firearms, preferably shipped tomorrow.
Vitus feels good. "What happened?"
"Sultan of Adal and Sultan of Ajuran are allies, and the latter is being attacked by Portugal. The king does not want to miss this opportunity, and while Adal has no reinforcements, he wants to defeat this old enemy as soon as possible."
Naqueto gives a list of the materials that need to be purchased: muskets, Field Gun, Monocular, Siege Cannon.
According to the price of the last transaction, the purchase price this time will reach 250,000 Florin. Naqueto requested a discount because the Portugal ship visited Massawa Port and they also wanted to sell firearms.
"His Majesty values the friendship between Abyssinia and Rome and is unwilling to destroy this relationship, so he rejected Portugal's musket. He just hopes that Rome's musket can be cheaper..."
The messenger was sincere, but in fact he concealed some information.
The caliber of the Portugal musket is larger. The advantage is that it increases the range and penetration. The disadvantage is that the musket is bulky. When the shooter raises the gun to aim, he needs to use a wooden stick in front as a bracket, which reduces the rate of fire.
During the test firing, King Zara·Jacob discovered a problem. The penetration of the Portugal firearm was indeed better, but the Adal cavalry on the opposite side did not have heavy armor and could only wear a chainmail. In this case, what is the point of pursuing penetration?
Moreover, once the distance exceeds eighty steps, both muskets will be inaccurate, and the Portugal musket's advantage of longer range cannot be used.
Therefore, Zara·Jacob is willing to continue to purchase Rome muskets, but let the envoy use Portugal as an excuse to find ways to bargain...
After listening to the messenger's narration, Vitus's face became calm, but his heart gradually became irritable.
He felt that Eastern Roman Empire did not interfere with Portugal's attack on East Africa. In turn, Portugal should respect Eastern Roman Empire's interests.
There are many potential buyers for Matchlock. Why must Portugal dump products to Abyssinia and destroy Eastern Roman Empire's business?
Could it be that because there is a princess married to France on the other side, he thinks that he is the strongest power in Europe and has the confidence to do the right thing with the Eastern Roman Empire?
After thinking for a moment, he agreed to give Matchlock a discount, but kept the other products at their original prices.
With this batch of firearms, Abyssinia has a high probability of winning this war. But it doesn't matter, even if Zara·Jacob regains its heyday, it will still not threaten Rome. The distance between the two countries is too long.
On the map, Abyssinia has a link from Blue Nile to Egypt. However, this river cannot be navigable all the way. There are many waterfalls in the Nubia area, and there are also waterfalls in the south of Egypt. The difficulty of passage for the army has greatly increased.
It is almost impossible to send tens of thousands of troops to Nile Delta across this two thousand kilometers distance.
Regarding the navy, the core area of Abyssinia is on the plateau (Ethiopian Highlands), with inconvenient transportation to the coast.
If high-quality timber from the inland is transported to coastal ports, shipbuilding costs are high, limiting the size of their fleet.
"In the future, arms will be traded at the official level, and various handicrafts will be sold privately in exchange for Abyssinia raw materials.
It took less than two months to sell the products from the Eastern Roman Empire to Abyssinia.
It takes nearly a year for Portugal products to come all the way from the mainland, and the sea route along the way is more dangerous, which greatly increases the transportation cost. The same is true for Spain, Netherlands, and England.
Under normal business competition, Eastern Roman Empire will control the vast majority of Trade's share of Abyssinia."
After the interview, members of the mission followed Eunuch and left Blachernae Palace South Gate, walking on the main road in the office area.
Seeing the neat and orderly courtyards on both sides and the civil servants walking on the main road, Naqueto had a lot of thoughts and a vague sense of crisis.
"Selecting wise talents through examinations and letting them handle government affairs seems to be very efficient. Unfortunately, if His Majesty plans to follow the Rome people's system, the nobles will definitely cause trouble and may even initiate a civil war."
Naqueto observed the remaining members of the mission from the corner of his eyes, and some members were thoughtful.
No matter what others think, Naqueto is determined to protect himself. As long as the king does not ask about Administrative System and Civil Service Examination System of Rome, remember not to talk too much.
The royal family and the noble groups are not easy to mess with. If there is a fight, the entire kingdom may fall apart.
Soon, the group of people walked out Alexius Gate. Naqueto and saw twenty well-dressed men gathered outside the door, holding yellowed parchment in their hands and wandering back and forth in the open space outside.
"Are they?"
Eunuch replied, "Franks and Italy. They took the land deeds of Kingdom of Jerusalem and Principality of Antioch and asked for real estate from Rome. This is obviously deliberately looking for trouble. Such people exist every day. Don't pay attention to them. If you have the ability, send troops to rob them and kill them one by one."
Messenger Naqueto was shocked by the murderous intent of young Eunuch.
"Why are these Rome people shouting and killing all day long? They are so cruel. Fortunately, Abyssinia is far away from them."
After leaving the office area, the members of the mission dispersed and each visited the largest city in Europe.
Naqueto walks slowly forward along the shade of trees on the right side of the main road, admiring the shops on both sides with interest, or Railway Carriage driving in the middle of the road.
"From the perspective of population size, Constantinople is not as good as Cairo, but in terms of municipal facilities, it is definitely better than City Desired by the World."
After walking for a long time, Naqueto came to Municipal Square and saw hundreds of carriages parked in front of a building. Many well-dressed passengers got out of the carriages and walked into the main entrance of the building one after another.
The translator introduced to him, "This is an auction place, where a group of people bid for a certain product, and the one with the highest price bids.
The bulletin board shows that the property being auctioned today is the property in the central and southern part of Levant. It has been sold one after another for more than half a year. This should be the last batch.
There are two types of buyers. One is the representative of Agricultural Company, who buys land to plant Sugarcane, cotton and other cash crops.
The other type is the rich and powerful who buy a manor so that they can have a place to rest when they go to Jerusalem for pilgrimage in the future.
Foreigners can also purchase, but the area of the estate is limited, and estates owned by foreigners cannot be adjacent to each other, preventing them from piecing together multiple small plots into one large plot.
At the same time, the owner of the manor is not allowed to store more than five sets of armor or more than three Matchlock in the manor to avoid rebellion."
Naqueto intends to buy a manor located near Jerusalem.
His idea was that once there were signs of civil war breaking out in the kingdom, he would take his family and run away to Eastern Rome in the name of a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and wait for the storm to pass before returning to the country.
Based on what I have seen and heard these days, Eastern Roman Empire is indeed a good place. The municipal facilities, medical care, and public security far exceed those of Abyssinia. Although Vitus has a reputation for cruelty and violence, in reality he has a gentle personality and has never broken a promise.
"Can I participate in the auction?"
The translation was a little difficult, "The quota has been determined a long time ago, but you are His Majesty's guest. I will discuss with City Official to see if I can add an extra seat for you."
After waiting for a few minutes, the translator came back with an entry requirement: the guest must hold assets of more than one thousand Florin.
Naqueto didn't bring so much money, so he took out a small bag of rubies and wanted to use this hometown specialty to pay off his debt.
After appraisal by the staff, the value of the gemstone reached one thousand five hundred Florin, so the dark-skinned exotic noble was allowed to enter.
At the same time, south of the Red Sea, a fleet flying Palaiologos Flag is sailing south.
The fleet consisted of two brigs and five Arabian dhows, with a total crew of 300, and carried 240 exiled prisoners, a marine company, as well as financial officers and clergy.
Nowadays, Demetrius no longer makes any noise, and often stays on the back deck of Long-Haired Rabbit, gazing at the blue sea in the north.
I don't know since when, Demetrius learned to talk to himself. Sometimes it seemed like he was chatting with John VIII, and sometimes his tone was harsh, as if he was scolding Thomas.
Suddenly, the lookout shouted from the mast, "We are about to leave the Red Sea exit and enter Gulf of Aden."
Demetrius turned around slowly and saw that the sea in the distance was narrowing rapidly, and a desert island lay across the left side of the channel. The scenery on both sides of the strait was desolate and monotonous, with no green plants or settlements visible.
The fleet passed through the strait in a column, and the view broadened again. A water column spewed out from the sea in the northeast. Amid the excited shouts of the crew, a huge figure jumped up from the water.
Humpback whale.
The whale's back was dark, with a large gray-white barnacle attached to it. As its body emerged from the water, the remaining seawater slipped in clusters from the edge of its pectoral fins.
Then, it twisted its body and fell sideways into the sea, splashing large white waves.
Several smaller whales imitated the movements of the mother whale, jumping out of the water and falling one after another, and then followed behind the fleet to better observe these larger "strange fish".
The whales followed the fleet for half an hour, and at some point they quietly dispersed. Demetrius let out a long sigh and returned to the cabin to rest alone.
In the early morning of August 1st, the outline of Socotra Island appeared in front of us. The island has rugged terrain and arid climate, and there are few poor shrubs growing near the coast.
Samuel controls the steering wheel and sails along the coast to the northeast side of the island. The east side of the island is a large mountainous area. The trees growing here have a special shape, similar to the Black Coral Island "Dragon's Blood Tree" recorded in the Admiralty data.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, the fleet arrived in the northeastern part of the island. In front of it was Suq Harbor, the largest settlement on the island. The houses were low, flat-roofed stone houses with walls made of processed stones.
"The largest settlement has only three hundred houses, and the population is too small."
Demetrius stood indifferently on the bow deck of the ship, looking at the chaotic crowds near the port.
The appearance of the locals is similar to that of the Arabs, but their skin color is slightly darker. Due to the hot weather, they wear loose cotton robes and simple clothing without gorgeous patterns and bright colors.
A three-story castle stands near the pier. Judging from the flag flying on the main building, the fortress belongs to Mahra Sultanate in the south of Arabian Peninsula.
According to the information obtained by Samuel, Sultan's control over the island is very loose. There is only one fortress on the entire island. It collects taxes once a year and does not interfere with other affairs for the time being.
Considering that the defenders had no artillery, Samuel ordered the two brigantine warships to stop a hundred paces away and fire at the fortress from the broadside.
Bang! Bang!
Six-Pounder Cannon's cannonball hit the wall and main building, splashing fine gravel and dust.
After discovering that the defenders had not resisted throughout the whole process, an Arab sailboat approached sixty paces and used the Mortar above the deck to bombard the enemies behind the city wall.
The power of Mortar destroyed the defense of the defenders. Before Marines launched the landing, the defenders opened the castle gate and came out one after another to surrender.
"Is this the end?"
On the deck of Long-Haired Rabbit, Demetrius did not feel happy about this victory.
Since we can easily seize the island, how should we respond if a foreign country launches an attack one day?
"Father, armor!" The adult illegitimate son Michael came over and put on Plate Armor for Demetrius. Because he was too fat, he couldn't put it on after working for a long time.
The nearby crew members looked at each other, and one person laughed first, causing the others to laugh loudly. Due to his identity as the captain, Samuel tried to keep a serious face and focus on the aftermath.
After half an hour of inventory, Samuel took the cotton cloth and spices in the warehouse as fleet trophies, and left the defenders' equipment and food to Demetrius.
"Your Highness, from now on, Socotra Island is officially handed over to you to rule. It is recommended that you continue the practice of Mahra Sultan and not interfere with the people's beliefs and daily life.
We come here 2 to 3 times a year, but we will not supply materials for free. The island needs to provide corresponding coins or raw materials.
Also, you must ensure the safety of the clergy and Finance officials. If they die in Socotra Island, Red Sea Fleet swears to investigate thoroughly..."
After speaking, Samuel handed over a list for Demetrius to sign, and then handed over the equipment and supplies loaded in the cabin to the other party, including sixty Matchlock, two Three-Pounder, and two Six-Pounder Cannon.
Before departure, among the 240 exiled members, 140 adult males received military training and were organized into a garrison company.
In the future, Demetrius will need to use this company to defend the fortress and at the same time deter the tribes on the island to make them pay taxes honestly.
Demetrius: "The island has been recently recovered and the situation is unstable. Can you ask the Marine Company to stay and help me for a while?"
Samuel shook his head. "Of course not. They belong to Red Sea Fleet and there is no reason to serve as your private soldiers. If you feel that there are too few soldiers, you can recruit some locals and equip them with these captured weapons."
By the way, the prisoner of war just mentioned that there are about 14,000 people on the island, divided into 25 settlements.
The largest one is Suq Harbor, which is currently under your control. The second largest village community has only more than a thousand people, so it poses a limited threat to you. Unless you repeat the evil deeds in Macedonia and force everyone to join forces to rebel, this will be dangerous."
Hearing the other party's ridicule, Demetrius pretended that nothing happened. He would still count on Red Sea Fleet to send supplies in the future, so it didn't matter if he scolded him a few times.