October on the second day, Indian Ocean.
A Cruiser sails from west to east, with Palaiologos Flag suspended high on the mast.
The battleship is called Talos, one of the only two Cruisers owned by Red Sea Fleet, and Samuel serves as the captain.
The sea was blue and calm, the sails were slightly bulging, and the masts made a rhythmic creaking sound. Some crew members were barefoot and polished the deck with strips of stone and sand. The sun scorched their backs, and sweat slid down their bronzed skin.
The weather was hot, so Samuel changed out of the solemn and decent Major uniform and wore a loose and breathable cotton shirt and trousers. The trousers were rolled up to his calves, and he controlled the steering wheel with both hands.
"Whale!"
A shout came from the right side of the ship, and Samuel responded indifferently. It is the season when whales are active (from August to February of the following year), and it is normal to encounter whales.
The warship was designed for combat, and there was no large stove built on the deck, which was not suitable for processing blubber harvested from whale hunting. He ignored the whales in the distance and maintained his original route.
At noon, a Portugal large sailing ship sailed past the sea in the distance. The hull had a deep draft and was filled with goods purchased from India.
The moment the Eastern Roman Empire warship was discovered, the Portugal sailing ship hurriedly avoided, but the Samuel did not pursue it. Our own side was not ready yet and was not suitable to trigger a war in advance.
"After defeating Calicut, they have more merchant ships."
Samuel handed the steering wheel to the chief mate, then checked the outline of the sailboat drawn by the trainee officer and traced it on the logbook.
From Lisbon to India, a single voyage takes eight months. The ship needs to be maintained and goods purchased during the journey. A round trip usually takes two years.
Therefore, the Portugal sailboat pursues load capacity and loads as many commodities as possible to support this costly voyage.
According to the information collected by the Eastern Roman Empire, the fleet departed from Lisbon to India, with an average loss of 20% of the ships, and the attrition rate of sailors was as high as 50%.
The cause of ship loss is wind and waves, especially at the southernmost end of Africa.
There are many reasons for personnel attrition, mainly scurvy and tropical diseases.
The lack of fresh food and fresh water during the voyage caused scurvy. Passing through tropical areas like Zanzibar, when the sailboat was anchored, the crew had a high probability of contracting malaria. It was simply a gamble with their lives.
"I heard that in order to maintain the India route, the Portugal royal family issued a special decree to exile prisoners to overseas strongholds and recruit qualified male sailors or craftsmen.
Overseas Trade and settlement construction, Portugal lose 1,000 to 2,000 people every year. Their total population is only more than one million, and they lose one-thousandth of their young adults every year. It can be called a medium-intensity war. Can the manpower sustain it?"
A ratio of one-thousandth, placed on the Eastern Roman Empire, is equivalent to 20,000 soldiers killed in battle. This is a figure only found in the years when the war was the worst.
After experiencing such a war, the empire always needs to rest for a while before launching the next war. Portugal regards this as normal, which is beyond the scope of Samuel's understanding.
The next morning, the ship arrived at Suq Harbor at Socotra Island.
In the past two years, the port has received a total of 1,200 exiles and has become lively. The castle on the east side has been expanded, and the new walls are low and thick, able to withstand naval gun fire.
Currently, the port is building an exterior wall to provide residential areas with the most basic protection.
In order to reduce the amount of construction, the stone walls in residential areas are thin and do not have an outer layer of masonry and an inner layer of rammed earth. They can only withstand low-intensity shelling.
Samuel feels that if the main force of Portugal launches a fierce attack, the residents should be evacuated to the interior for resettlement. If they are put into the castle, the supplies inside the castle will be consumed.
"Hurry up and unload the supplies. I brought a lot of things this time. I expect to be busy until sunset."
Samuel's words were like a basin of cold water, dousing the sailors' interest.
Everyone urged the exiles in the cabin to go ashore, hang the rope hook of the tread wheel crane on the cargo net bag, and use the crane to lift the cargo to the dock.
Michael directed Militia to be busy at the dock. On the one hand, he transported supplies to the interior of the castle, and on the other hand, he registered the information of new immigrants and placed them in the south of the town.
"Twenty-Four-Pounder, I didn't expect that Admiralty agreed to my request and gave me the most powerful artillery."
He circled around the four heavy-duty Bronze Cannon, got close to the muzzle and observed the smooth bore inside, imagining the astonishing power of this kind of artillery.
Samuel was sitting under the eaves not far away, drinking coffee and telling the illegitimate son:
"You should thank His Majesty. Although Demetrius's sins are serious, His Majesty has never treated you badly. Without his permission, how could Admiralty dare to sell Twenty-Four-Pounder?
Admiralty has been tested. Suppose you face Double-Deck Warship and shoot at a medium distance. This artillery hits a certain area multiple times and can penetrate the hull of the battleship.
This time, we sent a Artillery second lieutenant to guide the Militia gunners of the fortress. In the subsequent battles, we hope that the fortress will sink as many Portugal warships as possible to relieve the pressure on the fleet."
Michael nodded solemnly, vowed to hold on to the fortress until he died in battle, and then directed Militia to carry the goods.
At the same time, Militia moved the whale oil, whale bones, and spices accumulated in the warehouse to the dock for the fleet to count.
Now, Socotra Island owns two two-masted whaling ships and an Arabian sailing ship, and the whaling efficiency has been greatly improved.
During the whaling season, three hundred barrels of whale oil can be obtained every month. The warehouse has accumulated two months of whale oil, totaling six hundred barrels, and the purchase price reached 5,200 Florin.
"The benefits of whaling are so good? Congratulations."
Socotra Island made a fortune from the whale oil industry, which Samuel did not expect. The fleet transported the whale oil to the mainland, and Admiralty received a sum of funds from it, which was enough to cover the expenses of Red Sea Fleet and Suez's garrison.
However, after the war breaks out, the whaling industry and Red Sea Trade will be hit hard. The local supply of whale oil will decrease, and those factories will complain about the lack of high-quality lubricants.
After the handover of supplies was completed, Samuel came to the castle to visit Demetrius.
After the birth of her grandson, Demetrius regained some of her energy and was able to read newspapers and answer questions from visitors.
Samuel has no friendship with this prince, and came to visit just because of the order from above. He sat upright, looked solemn, did not mix any emotions during the conversation, and completed the visit in an orderly manner.
Half an hour later, he walked out of the room and talked with the island's Finance official and priest to collect information on the island's movements during this period.
Officer Finance was in a panic on the island, pestering the captain and chatting a lot of irrelevant gossip. He sighed, "Central Administration promised to send someone to replace me when it expires. It will expire early next year. Is there any news about this?"
Samuel shook his head and said that he was a member of the navy and had no right to interfere with Socotra Island's government affairs.
He asked the sailor accompanying him to take out two packages, which were books, newspapers and Manga that the two of them had entrusted to buy.
"All the leisure books you can find on the market are here."
For the next week, the crew relaxed on the island. After the rest, they weighed anchor and set out to sea, returning to Suez along the original route.
On the way, the battleship anchored at Massawa Port in Abyssinia and saw a group of nobles being executed there.
The translator talked with the onlookers, and then told Samuel, "This is the king's order, and he wants to shock the entire noble group with their blood."
After the execution was over, the people screamed one after another. Some people applauded loudly and accused the nobles of their terrible behavior towards the tenant farmers. Some even suggested that all the nobles be cut off and the land be distributed to the poor.
The sun was scorching hot and the atmosphere in the square was lively. Samuel was unwilling to stay long. He and his translator walked through the narrow and winding streets to visit Governor at his official residence.
In the subsequent conversation, Samuel discovered that the reason was not that the nobles oppressed the common people, but that the king wanted to increase his income and thereby increase military spending.
Actual combat has proven that the combat effectiveness of Firearms Corps is significantly stronger than that of the old army. The lead bullets are enough to penetrate the strongest armor. The loud noise when launched can scare the enemy and cause a significant blow to morale. The disadvantage is that it is costly.
Whether the king purchases firearms from outside or develops his own military industry, it will require a huge amount of expenditure. Therefore, he turned his attention to the aristocratic group that occupied most of the land and wanted to increase tax revenue.
"Why do you feel so familiar?"
Samuel reminds me of a report in "Golden Horn News". Serbia in the Balkans area also practices this way: squeezing the traditional nobles and using the funds obtained to establish Firearms Corps.
"Not only Serbia, Abyssinia, France's Charles VII also devoted themselves to weakening the nobility after regaining their lost territory. It has been more than 20 years ago.
Eastern Roman Empire has gone the furthest in this regard. In the past century, we have lost most of our territory, the traditional Pronia aristocracy has lost its foundation, and there has been almost no turmoil."
Samuel is from a commoner background. Assuming that the war goes well, he is expected to obtain a hereditary military position, such as flag official or hundred households. It is almost impossible for him to become a hereditary noble.
Therefore, he lacked sympathy for the plight of foreign nobles and instead took pleasure in their misfortunes.
October On the 26th, Serbia Guodu, Smederevo.
The city is located on the south bank of Danube, and on the opposite bank is Pannonian Plain (Hungary). The city is small in size, but its defense facilities are strong and the city wall is more than three steps thick.
In the palace, the new monarch Grgur is sitting on the throne. He inherited his father's strong body and the color of his mother (Irene·Kantakouzenos), and is called a handsome man by the people.
At this moment, Grgur held his chin with his right hand and stared expressionlessly at the nobleman ten steps away. He probably guessed what the nobleman was going to say, and said in a rather impatient tone, "What's the matter?"
The reaction of the nobles was in line with Grgur's expectations. They complained about the recent increase in new taxes. They felt that the two consecutive tax increases within one year of the monarch's accession to the throne exceeded the burden of the people.
In order to stabilize the situation, he requested that the new taxes be cancelled, so that the people could live and work in peace and contentment.
Grgur sat slightly forward and threatened the other person. "What else? Do you want to unite the nobles to protest, or do you want to rebel?"
He inquired about the tax situation of the Eastern Roman Empire. A farmer has to pay 20% of his output to the national treasury every year. In the past few years, this ratio once rose to 25%.
In contrast, most of the people in Serbia live in noble territories, and all their Agricultural Tax belong to the nobles.
Grgur became more and more angry as he thought about it, and the murderous intention in his heart suddenly increased. "The nobles collected 30% of the output from the farmers, and I only ask you to allocate 10% to the national treasury. You take 20%, and I take 10%. Is this too much?"
Of the two tax increases complained by the nobles, the so-called second tax increase has nothing to do with Agricultural Tax, but a new tax card established by Grgur at the border port.
In the past, tax cards were distributed in several major locations. Now Grgur has expanded tax cards to some border towns and increased commercial taxes.
Although this move was opposed by the people and traders, he believed that it was an exercise of the legitimate power of the monarch.
Last month, New Army completed its expansion, with the total scale reaching 8,000 people. Grgur must collect more taxes, otherwise it will not be able to issue military pay!
"I know what you are discussing in private. If you don't restrain yourself, New Army will come to your door immediately!"
After driving away the nobles, Grgur calmed down and met the subsequent petitioners.
The situation was worse than he thought.
Not only the nobles were opposed, businessmen also criticized the new deal, believing that the new tax card would seriously affect business and cause those "diligent businessmen" to go bankrupt.
"Eastern Roman Empire, France, Aragon and other countries are all collecting commercial taxes aggressively. Eastern Roman Empire collects the most. It is said that their Suez tax card can collect hundreds of thousands Florin every year. Why can't I collect it?"
Grgur really doesn't understand. Vitus and Charles VII are rulers, as well as myself. Why can't we enjoy the same power as them?
He gave up meeting subsequent visitors and came to the city wall to wander around and relax.
The view here is wide, and to the north is the gently flowing Danube. In autumn, there is abundant water, and the river surface takes on a dark, cold gray color, indicating that winter is coming.
Looking across the river, the other side is a vast gray-brown plain. The sowing of winter wheat has ended, and the fields look particularly empty and lonely.
To the east of the city is a tributary that flows into Danube. There are rows of trees on the shore, and the leaves are falling in the cold wind, floating on the water and flowing slowly.
The west and south sides are land. The terrain here is not as flat as the north coast. There are rural areas, forests and fields. A highway goes straight west, leading to Belgrade thirty miles away.
Thinking of the misunderstanding of himself by the outside world, Grgur felt lonely from the heart. "Hungary is in the north and Rome is in the south. Without a strong army, how can I keep this country?"
After walking around a corner, Grgur met her mother who was also walking, Irene·Kantakouzenos.
"Child, are you having trouble?"
"No." Grgur said a few perfunctory words, turned around and walked away.
Based on Grgur's understanding of his mother, the other party believed that Palaiologos had betrayed his trust, had treated the Kantakouzenos family badly, and was not worthy of trust.
According to her mother's idea, she should turn to the Jagiellon Dynasty to gain their safety. If Palaiologos can be defeated, she hopes to let Kantakouzenos return to Constantinople and restore its former glory.
Grgur's stance is slightly different from her mother's.
He is more wary of the south, but that doesn't mean he is willing to be a puppet of the north. If possible, he wants to avoid both sins and seek to expand westward, waiting for an opportunity to swallow up Bosnia.