On April 30th, Samuel returned to Socotra Island again.
The fleet docked, and the sailors who had been waiting for two months dispersed to have fun with their newly received wages.
Michael came to greet Michael and asked Samuel: "Sir, what is the strategy for the homeland? Are you planning to attack White Sheep from Persian Gulf?"
Samuel shook his head. "How is that possible? That place is hot and remote. It takes two months to sail from Suez to Persian Gulf.
Transporting Army across the sea is a troublesome matter. It requires building a supply base in advance, which consumes a lot of materials and time. If we attack White Sheep, it is more convenient to take the Armenia route, and there is no need to make a big circle at sea."
Considering that Michael was not a member of the military, Samuel did not discuss the strategic level with him and shifted the topic to last month's naval battle.
Hearing hundreds of warships fighting each other. Michael couldn't help but feel excited, but his imagination was poor and it was difficult to construct such a grand scene in his mind.
The next moment, he suddenly had an idea:
What if White Sheep defeats Timur Empire and their navy can rush out of Persian Gulf and threaten Socotra Island?
Samuel felt that this was a small probability event, so he comforted the illegitimate child with a sad face:
"Establishing a navy is a troublesome matter. The White Sheep fleet suffered heavy losses in the decisive battle last month. It will take 2 to 3 years to reorganize the fleet and seize control of the sea.
The combat effectiveness of this kind of old-style ships is very poor, and Red Sea Fleet is enough to deal with them.
If they want to imitate European-style sailing ships, it will take longer, ranging from ten years to twenty years.
A long time ago, Ottoman Sultan received technical assistance from Venice and wanted to build a large Battleship in the Black Sea. The result? It sank in the first battle.
The ship is still sinking under the water, and the mast is only a few steps away from the water. Some fishermen with good water skills dived and observed, and found that the hull was densely covered with shellfish.
I think it was three years ago or five years ago, "Golden Horn News" made a special report, interviewing Ottoman prisoners of war who experienced this battle. The report described in detail the chaotic process of the construction of the flagship, haha, it amused me to death."
After saying that, Samuel patted the illegitimate child on the shoulder, whistled and walked away.
Looking at the sailors wandering around, Michael sighed and felt that the island faced three threats.
The first is Mahra Sultan and Socotra Island in the north, which were once his nominal territories and could send troops to attack at any time.
However, Mahra lacks firearms. Even if they land on the island, they can only besiege Suq Fort. If they hold on for a while, they will retreat.
The second threat is White Sheep Dynasty. Their fleet is in a damaged state and faces a long rebuilding period.
The third threat is Portugal.
Michael When I go fishing during this period, I am always on tenterhooks, afraid of encountering Portugal boats.
"Now, the island has a garrison company, an indigenous Militia Company, a whaling ship and forty sailors, for a total of 270 combat personnel. If the enemy attacks, the remaining more than 300 male immigrants can also join the battle.
Hundreds of people defended the castle, which was enough to resist Mahra Sultan's cold weapon troops, but they could not withstand Portugal's attack."
Michael looked at the outer wall of Suq Fort worriedly. The wall was thin and only small artillery could be placed on it. This level of firepower would not be enough to damage the ship.
Once the Portugal fleet launches an attack, their ships can ignore the small artillery, park directly offshore a hundred steps away, and use naval guns to shoot directly at the fortress, imitating the original move of Red Sea Fleet to capture Suq Fort.
The only way to strengthen the defense is to build a new earth wall outside the fortress and place Nine-Pounder Cannon and Twelve-Pounder Cannon on it.
"The number of prisoners of war is insufficient, so we must persuade the village leaders to recruit some indigenous people to participate in the construction..."
Michael stood at the port and talked to himself. The nearby residents were used to this illegitimate son who always had a sad face and ignored him.
"Do I really have to agree to Lokan's request and marry his sister?"
Lokan is the leader of a village community in the interior of the island. The village community has 150 households. In addition, Lokan has a good relationship with the four village communities and is quite influential in Socotra Island.
If Lokan is won over, Michael will have the confidence to promote a temporary corvee with the support of the other party and the force it possesses:
Each village on the island sent out 5 to 10 people, and recruited 150 indigenous people. Prisoners of war and soldiers were also involved in the construction, with a total labor force of 500. It took 1 to 2 years to build a lower-standard exterior wall.
"It seems I have no choice but to agree to this engagement."
From last year to now, two more groups of native immigrants have arrived at Socotra Island, and the number of island exiles has increased to 700.
Michael originally planned to choose a marriage partner among the exiles and marry a "Rome wife". Thinking about it carefully, this move will not be helpful.
If you marry Lokan's sister, you can improve the favorability of the island's indigenous people, which is the best choice for the current interests.
In the afternoon, Michael returned to the main building of the castle. Demetrius was still basking in the sun at the top, with a thin blanket spread on his knees and his eyes blankly staring at the white clouds in the sky.
Michael squatted beside the recliner and expressed his thoughts. For a long time, Demetrius replied in a hoarse voice:
"Getting married? Vitus is getting married. Is the Florence woman he married very rich?"
Michael came closer and explained again, "It's not Vitus, it's me, Michael."
"Oh, it's not Vitus who is getting married, it's Constantine who is getting married. Who is he going to marry? Genoa's merchant's daughter, or King of Georgia's daughter? Remember to ask for some dowry. When Ottoman attacks the city, you can recruit more mercenaries."
This matter is of great importance, and Michael is unwilling to give up easily.
He called for Finance officials and priests, and pestered Demetrius for half an hour, but there was still no reply.
As night fell, Officer Finance was anxious to go back for dinner and urged Michael:
"Don't waste time. You've made a lot of money from whaling, so you don't have to worry about wedding expenses. You want to marry the Aboriginal leader's sister, and no one is stopping you. Pick a date and get it done."
The priest nodded silently and was willing to support the marriage.
Now, Socotra Island's affairs are divided into many parts, Finance officials are responsible for accounts and management Suq Harbor, priests are in charge of religious affairs, Michael is in charge of whaling ships and Militia Company, and inland affairs are decided by the leaders of village communities.
Although Demetrius is mentally disturbed, it does not affect the normal operation of the island. It seems to be the same without him.
No matter what Michael was thinking in his heart, at this moment he had taken over part of his father's power. He stood up from the recliner and said in a very low voice, "That's it."
Early the next morning, Michael led ten Militia on horseback to the inland mountains.
In the afternoon, a valley appeared ahead, and a small number of wheat fields were opened at the bottom of the valley. The village is located on a relatively gentle northern slope, surrounded by drought-resistant olive trees and date palms.
Lokan's residence is more spacious than an ordinary farmhouse. There is a low wall built with stones outside the courtyard, a vegetable patch is cultivated in the backyard, and there are more than a dozen chickens in the front yard.
In addition, his largest property is the livestock herd, which is taken care of by three villagers and consists of hundreds of sheep and ten camels.
When Michael arrived, Lokan hurriedly changed into a decent light red cotton robe, the toes of his leather boots were slightly raised, and a Persia-style scimitar hung from his waist.
After entering the house, Michael and Lokan mentioned the wedding and the collection of corvee.
This strong man in his thirties did not reply immediately. If he responded proactively, the advantage would be to establish a relationship with Rome people, but the cost would be to lower his reputation within the island.
"How long will it take to build the fortress? If it takes too long, the village leaders will not agree."
Michael consulted with Finance officer and fleet officer, and the initial estimated construction period was one year. He truthfully informed Lokan, causing the other party to hesitate for a long time.
After dinner, Lokan took Michael to drink a lot of wine. When he was done drinking, he took the cup and slammed it on the table.
"Okay, I agreed. On the day of the wedding, I called the leaders of the village community over and raised the matter in public. I have a good relationship with several leaders and they will agree. As long as my friends and I take the lead, the remaining leaders will also agree.
If a very small number of people refuse, you can let Militia scare them, shoot and fire into the open space, you can always force them to compromise."
After discussion between the two, the wedding was scheduled for May 10th.
On this day, Michael brought Militia Company and sixty Marines members to fill the scene.
The wedding scene was lively and chaotic. Lokan emptied the wine barrels in the wine cellar, slaughtered more than 20 sheep and a camel, and entertained the guests and local villagers.
Camels are so big that a large oven needs to be built temporarily, and firewood needs to be added to it every once in a while.
It is said that the preparation of this main dish started in the early morning. First, it was slaughtered, then the ingredients were applied on the surface, and then it was slowly baked in the oven. It took several hours to finish.
There are fewer steps to roast sheep, but there are so many, almost the whole village's labor force comes to help.
Michael did not participate in the work. He and Lokan's sister were sitting in the courtyard. The other party had an average appearance, an oval face, a lighter wheat color, and thick long brown hair.
Perhaps out of shyness, she did not dare to look directly at Michael throughout the whole process, but instead focused on the camel in the oven, holding the hem of the blue dress with both hands. The flames in the furnace burned brightly, making their faces blush.
And in the distant Constantinople, a wedding is also being held.
The royal wedding represents the dignity of the entire empire. The stronger Eastern Roman Empire is, the more complicated the wedding ceremony will be and the more expenses it will cost.
In Hagia Sophia, Patriarch personally presided over the ceremony, and Leo married his sweetheart Eudokia, the daughter of an ordinary country squire as he wished. From the appearance, Eudokia has a good appearance, otherwise Leo would not be interested in her.
Agnes looked at the second son and daughter-in-law, raising the back of his hand to wipe the corners of his eyes from time to time. Vitus reacted indifferently, standing in front of the crowd with a calm expression, not taking the ceremony to heart, and thinking about the Indian Ocean situation in his heart.
Currently, the naval power that Eastern Roman Empire can project is limited and is not suitable for competing for Indian Ocean hegemony. The goal is to maintain Trade and seek certain economic benefits.
Arab businessmen occupy the main share of Indian Ocean Trade. The disadvantage is that shipbuilding technology is backward and they will gradually lose their dominant position.
Portugal can deliver local large warships to Indian Ocean through the Africa route, which will capture more Trade shares.
"In the future, Portugal's share of Trade will gradually expand, but Portugal cannot completely replace the status of Arabian maritime merchants.
This is a good thing. Arab businessmen are Eastern Roman Empire's substantial partners. If they disappear, it will be harmful to Red Sea Trade Route."
In the original sixteenth century, the Portugal fleet declared war on the Arab forces, destroying the original structure of the Indian Ocean.
Arab ships are small in size and have a shallow draft, and are not as good as European sailing ships in frontal combat. However, in the daily Trade process, such shallow-draft ships are better able to adapt to the many shallow water ports along the Indian Ocean coast.
Subsequently, Western Europe's power was limited to a few deep-water ports, and Arab merchants controlled a more cumbersome and basic distribution and procurement network.
With this unique competitive advantage, Arab businessmen persevered tenaciously.
After the seventeenth century, Portugal was ruled by Spain and was involved in the bloody and cruel European War, and its strength was not as good as before.
At this time, Oman in the south of Arabian Peninsula took the opportunity to rise and expand southward along the East Africa coastline. Its power extended to Kilwa and Madagascar, becoming a maritime empire with commerce as its core.
In the mid-19th century, England steam ships were widely used. This type of ship had a large load capacity and low freight costs, and completely surpassed the Arabian dhow in performance.
Amidst the roar of steamships, Oman's long-standing trade system collapsed, and the entire empire began to collapse...
At noon, the ceremony ended and the royal family members returned to the Blachernae Palace.
During the banquet, Eudokia's parents tried to get close to the senior management, but the effect was not satisfactory and they only received some polite and perfunctory answers.
Leo is not the heir. He will live on the coast of North Africa in the future and is excluded from the core decision-making level of the empire. Although his status is noble, his influence is not as good as that of a department minister.
In the minds of the senior executives, this couple has no value in making friends. Once they become familiar with them, it is possible to send a "support Leo" signal to the outside world.
At the main seat, Vitus ate his food absentmindedly. After staying patiently for a while, he got up and left the banquet.
The next day, Vitus received a message: Pierre, the second son of Phil, came to Constantinople by boat and brought a handwritten letter from Phil.
In the letter, Phil entrusted his second son to Vitus and his wife, asked them to take good care of the child, and also mentioned some trivial family matters.
The entire letter did not mention Cotton Act. Phil had requested many times before, but there had been no response, so we simply didn't mention it.
Vitus collected the letter and assigned two servants to Pierre to take good care of his daily life and arranged for him to live in the courtyard next door to Manuel.
Pierre is six years old and Manuel is four years old. They can be playmates.
Regarding Di Maggio family's current situation, Vitus feels that he owes them nothing.
A few years ago, Venice was defeated. Vitus persuaded Giulio to take advantage of the favorable situation and find excuses to imprison or expel several families to clear obstacles for the next generation. If France sends troops to intervene, Eastern Roman Empire will definitely send troops to assist.
Giulio did not do so because he was worried that the in-law relationships behind these families might lead to revenge.
After more than two months of suffering, Giulio suddenly fell ill, and Di Maggio family lost its dominance over Florence.
Subsequently, Vitus was busy attacking White Sheep and Mamluk and had no time to interfere with Western Mediterranean. The window period for Di Maggio family to launch a coup disappeared.
Now Di Maggio is not short of money. The annual income from Bone China's business is as much as 6,000 Florin. Together with other agency businesses and his own properties, the total annual income reaches 60,000 to 70,000, which can maintain a luxurious and decent life.
The trouble is that Pauli is unwilling to take a back seat and spends all day trying to find ways to scheming with Medici and other families. He often holds banquets and bribes people, consuming a lot of wealth in the process.
If there are no major changes, they will always be in this embarrassing position of neither getting up nor down.