On January 26, Mail Ship arrived at Jaffa. The whole journey lasted twelve days and was only two days later than expected.
Jaffa is the most prosperous port in the entire Levant. Pilgrims from Europe and North Africa disembarked here with enthusiastic and excited expressions. Some knelt down and kissed the ground, while others couldn't wait to set off eastward.
Not far from the pier, a signboard with the emblem of the Knights was hung in a courtyard. Edric took a closer look and saw more than a dozen well-dressed customers staying in the store, waiting to handle various businesses.
"Business is so good?"
It was still early and Edric did not want to stay in the city. He asked City Official for supplies and escorts, then left Jaffa and headed east along the Pilgrim Avenue.
Edric has been fighting with the emperor for many years and is skilled in riding skills. However, most of the two accompanying Eunuch and the civil servants cannot ride horses and can only travel in carriages, which slows down the team.
On the afternoon of the 28th, Edric visited the Knights headquarters.
It occupies a spacious area and the main building is a large charity hospital that can accommodate thousands of patients at the same time and attracts many pilgrims.
However, after the Knights left for more than two hundred years, the main body of the building lacked proper maintenance and was in very poor condition. Edric I heard some people discussing raising funds for repairs, which seemed to cost tens of thousands Florin.
There is a church at the core of the building complex, named Church of Saint John the Baptist. Surrounding the church and hospital are other ancillary buildings of the Knights, including dormitories, canteens, and meeting halls.
Edric and his party came to the front of the hall and told the halberd-wielding sergeant on guard with Latin, "I am the envoy of Emperor Rome, and I have been ordered to negotiate with the commander of the regiment."
"The Grand Master is ill. Jacques de Milly is currently in charge of affairs. Please wait a moment." The sergeant walked into the meeting hall and returned to the door a minute later to inform the visitors. "You can go in."
After entering the door, Edric saw a spacious hall with long tables on both sides. There were more than twenty Hospitallers wearing red robes with white crosses on the inside, and four Teutonic Knights wearing black with white crosses.
What are you doing here? Asking for help or discussing the merger of the two organizations?
Edric walked calmly to the center of the hall and introduced his name and official position with Latin.
At this time, a England knight asked, "Edric, this does not look like the name Greece. Are you from Britain?"
Faced with such sarcastic remarks, Edric wanted to laugh.
His ancestors were indeed England people. However, in 1066, Duke Normandy of France conquered England. From then on, England has been ruled by Normans. The original Anglos Saxon nobles and gentry were largely purged, and some of them fled overseas and settled in Northern Black Sea Coast.
In other words, Edric and the current England noble are enemies, not fellow villagers.
If there had been no invasion of the Norman army, his origin would have been a England noble or a country squire, not a Circassia country shepherd.
Edric took a deep breath to calm down, took out the emperor's edict and began to read it, and then handed a document to the acting leader Jacques de Milly.
Not surprisingly, the acting leader believed that the Knights did not need to pay taxes because of the many privileges granted by Pope.
Edric directly ignored these excuses, "Your Excellency, the reality is complicated. According to our understanding, the Knights' industries in England, France and Germany have a precedent of paying taxes. There is no reason to obtain exemption in the Eastern Roman Empire.
Don't waste your time. The emperor doesn't want to get entangled with this kind of thing. It will not be good for you to continue to make trouble. I believe Holy See also doesn't want to make trouble because of this kind of thing."
Jacques looked at the knights on the left and right, intending to compromise.
At first, Knights Templar was doing too much business and did not pay taxes, so he was targeted by King Philip IV, who raided the Knights' funds and real estate in France at once.
As we all know, Vitus is a bad-tempered and stingy monarch. If you anger him, things may be difficult to end.
Jacques: "Can you change the wording and rename taxes as donations and sponsorships?"
Edric shook his head in rejection, ignoring the angry looks from the knights on both sides.
Before entering the city, he notified Holy Land Guard Legion in the north to be on alert. If the relationship between the two parties breaks down and the knights initiate a provocation, the escort regiment can also ask for help from Levant Frontier Army.
The situation remained deadlocked for several minutes, but the acting team leader finally failed to withstand the pressure of reality and promised to pay taxes in accordance with regulations.
"Thank you for your understanding." Edric handed over a tax manual and turned around and left the Knights headquarters.
After finishing the business, the mission was disbanded. Two Eunuch and two civilian officials returned to Constantinople to resume their duties. Edric led the remaining people to Cyrenaica to take up their posts.
In ancient times, the core city on the coast of Cyrenaica was Cyrene. In the seventh century AD, this city was destroyed in wars, as were the other major cities.
When the Eastern Roman Empire army arrived, there was no settlement with a population of more than 5,000 in the entire area. The people's livelihood was poor and the population was sparse, just like a barbaric area.
Thomas and his staff considered it again and again and decided to set the capital of Borderland Region at Hesperides Harbor (later known as Benghazi).
On February 15, 1453, Mail Ship aboard Edric arrived at the port.
The sky was dark, rain was pouring down, and the area near the dock was extremely deserted. The new city wall here has not yet been completed, and a temporary stone fort was built, with Palaiologos Flag flying in the sky.
As Mail Ship slowly docked, a group of soldiers in cloaks came to ask questions as usual, "Mail Ship? It's really rare. What news has Central Administration sent to you?"
"I am Edric, and I have been ordered to serve as Borderland Region Finance officer. Where is Your Highness?"
Upon hearing the identity of the other party, the leading non-commissioned officer immediately saluted and led them towards the town official residence.
Rain dripped down his cloak and wet Edric's cheeks. He held the sealed document bag proving his identity in his arms to prevent the documents from getting wet by the rain.
Walking along the street, Edric found that most of the land was idle, and the remaining houses were low and dilapidated. The residents stayed behind the windows and stared at the group of outsiders indifferently, their eyes making people shudder.
"How many people are there in the city?"
The noncommissioned officer replied, "There are currently 6,000 people, including 2,000 local residents, 2,000 prisoner of war laborers, and the remaining members are troops, craftsmen and family members."
While they were talking, a spacious mansion appeared in front of them. The architectural style was similar to that of the Egypt area. Two children were sitting under the eaves, and next to them were guards on duty.
Edric recognized the siblings. The elder sister's name is Zoe, who is ten years old this year. The younger brother's name is Andrei, who is five years old. I heard that Thomas and his wife gave birth to a baby boy last winter, named Alexios.
At this time, Zoe recognized Edric, "You are the civil servant of Constantinople, I will remember you. Has the latest issue of "Adventures of Shieldmaiden Lagertha" been published? I have been waiting for this Manga for a long time."
Andrei also likes to watch Manga, grabbing Edric's clothes to prevent him from leaving, and clamoring to watch the latest "Chronicles of Alexander".
I was given North Africa. How could I be in the mood to buy Manga book before I left?
Edric was about to cry without tears. Fortunately, a young scribe accompanying him helped to rescue him. "Your Highness, I brought "Chronicles of Alexander" with me. It is in the cabin. I will help you get it after the rain stops."
Zoe raised his head and asked expectantly, "What about my "Adventures of Shieldmaiden Lagertha"?"
The clerk shook his head regretfully, saying that he did not have the habit of looking at the girl Manga, which made the little girl very sad, and her eyes filled with tears, as if she was about to cry in the next second.
After a delay, Edric came to the lobby of the official residence, handed the sealed document bag to Thomas, and asked the other party to check his identity.
"We are all old acquaintances, why are we checking?"
In the early years, Thomas lived in Constantinople and occasionally met Edric. Although the two did not talk much, they at least became familiar with each other.
During the conquest of White Sheep and Mamluk, Edric followed the emperor and chatted with Thomas several times. When they talked about the military accounts, Edric did not need paper and pen tools and only calculated the results by heart, which left a deep impression on Thomas.
Thomas asked the guards to find the judge, the garrison general, Metropolitan, and introduce Edric to everyone.
I heard that this new colleague was from Central Administration, who had been the emperor Attendant Officer. Everyone was in awe, mixed with a hint of goodwill.
Did this guy sin against the emperor and be thrown into this miserable place to hang out?
Sensing that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Thomas shouted, "Fat Joe! Make room for the courtyard on the east side of the official residence for official Finance and his subordinate civil servants to stay. Also, ask the chef to prepare a banquet tonight, including roasted camels and roasted lambs."
Later, Thomas and Finance talked about Constantinople's current situation. When he heard about John VIII's title, Thomas lowered his head and cursed the scholars of the fourth editing team in a low voice.
"When Vitus mentioned that he wanted to compile a history book, I proposed to write a few nice words to my elder brother. But I was too naive. These scholars were so shameless that they even called him an apostate.
Today's "traveler" can barely be considered a neutral title, but it's still not appropriate enough. It should be replaced by "good guy", like John II·Komnenos. There are very few benevolent monarchs like them in history."
As it involved royal family matters, the four senior officials in the hall did not dare to answer the conversation and allowed Thomas to talk to himself.
The next day, Edric officially performed his duties.
Currently, the Rome army controls the main settlements of Cyrenaica, but has not established an effective governance system and does not even know the specific population within the territory.
"About 150,000 to 180,000?"
He laughed angrily at the number above. Although Borderland Region has loose rules and extremely low taxes, it is too confusing.
Edric found Thomas, and the other party's answer was, "In the past year, Borderland Region's main business was the construction of Hesperides and five other towns, and it has not gone deep into the countryside for the time being.
This summer, after the city walls in various places are completed, I will try to deal with rural affairs, obtain more Agricultural Tax, and reduce the Finance gap between Borderland Region."
Edric records that during the classical period, Cyrenaica had a specialty product - Silphium, which was said to be very popular. However, Thomas stated that Cyrenaica did not exist. Silphium may have been wrong, or the plant may have become extinct.
Edric asked to go out on a patrol to look for this spice that was "priced as gold" in the history books. Thomas had no choice but to send him a team of soldiers to serve as guards.
Leaving the town, Edric observed the fields on the outskirts with great interest.
There was a lot of rain in winter, and river water was introduced into the fields from irrigation canals. Just when he was speculating on crop yields, Fat Joe's words shattered his illusions.
"Sir, the precipitation here is concentrated in winter. Most of the rest of the time, the rivers are dry for a long time. The water sources of Hesperides are springs in the eastern mountains, wells in the city and Reservoir.
The situation in the remaining areas is similar. There is no river with water all year round, and people also rely on springs, wells, and Reservoir.
In fact, His Highness has thought about developing agriculture, but it is too dry here and is not suitable for growing high-value crops such as cotton and Sugarcane. He can only continue to plant drought-resistant olive trees, figs and dates."
The group of people walked fifteen miles along the river and came to the western edge of the mountainous area, which spans more than a hundred miles from east to west and is called "Green Mountain Highlands". The climate in this area is wetter than that of the coast, and terraces have been opened on the hillsides, as well as pastures of nomadic tribes.
The nomadic style of Cyrenaica is similar to that of Anatolia. In winter, Berbers drives herds of sheep and camels to the coastal lowlands. In summer, they migrate to alpine pastures.
Fat Joe pointed to the northeastern hillside, where a Berber herdsman stood, alertly observing the Rome army down the mountain.
"Last year, we suffered a total of four hundred casualties, most of which came from nomadic tribes. It is said that a small number of Ottoman exiles stayed in the mountains and encouraged the Berber tribes to fight against us. It is expected that there will be another war this year."
Edric has followed the emperor on the battlefield and understands the difficulty of nomads.
No matter where they are, nomadic tribes value freedom more, and the cost of governance is higher than that of settled villages.
Borderland Region has only one border brigade with a total of 600 cavalry. Berber The tribe has a huge number of riders. Our own cavalry cannot consume them, so we must find other ways.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, a village appeared ahead.
The village is built according to the mountains, with more than 40 farmhouses, and the houses are built with stones.
At this time, male villagers were scattered across the hillside, repairing stone ridges on the terraces on the hillside. Winter rains washed away some of the field ridges, and the gaps had to be repaired while the weather was fine. The longer it took, the rain continued to wash away the soil of the terraces, weakening the fertility of the terraces.
There is a clear spring at the foot of the mountain. Women use clay pots to fetch water and whisper in Berber. Some goats gather downstream, lowering their heads and sipping the spring water.
Edric frowned. "A fence must be built around the spring to prevent goats or camels from coming into contact with human water sources and reduce the rate of illness."
Within Borderland Region, the authority of official Finance is second only to Governor (Thomas). Since Edric spoke out, Fat Joe asked the translator to convey his meaning and threatened the villagers to do the same.
After leaving the village, the team continued to march eastward, arriving at a small military camp at dusk.
A company was stationed in the military camp, and walls and trenches were built outside, serving as the easternmost stronghold of Hesperides.
Further east is the area controlled by the Berber tribe, and the level of danger increases sharply. Edric has limited guards, so the patrol can only go so far.
On the afternoon of February 17, Edric returned to the capital, and Thomas joked, "Have you discovered Silphium?"
Edric shook his head, admitting that his idea was unrealistic.
The natural environment of Cyrenaica is harsh and the people are full of hostility. Edric cannot find a way to take advantage of it and can only manage it step by step and gradually strengthen its control over Borderland Region.
However, Borderland Region has loose controls, the proportion of civil servants in the total population is far less than Province, and administrative expenses are very low. In a few years, it is expected that Finance balance will be achieved.