Return to Sicily Island

Return to Sicily Island

As the participants signed and stamped their names, the negotiations, which had lasted for more than two months, came to a successful conclusion, and the war came to an end.

Subsequently, shipping in the Mediterranean Sea will return to normal, and prices for products such as spices and cotton in the Western Mediterranean will see a round of decline.

Within the Eastern Roman Empire, some astute merchants are preparing to ship their goods, with the highest profit margin going to whoever's goods arrive at the port first.

"Why would I be thinking about business on such an important occasion? Malaka, it's all because I was too poor when I was young."

Vitus banished his distracting thoughts and then spoke with the Pope, Frederick, and others, discussing their views on the future situation.

Suddenly, the Pope mentioned the newspapers of the Eastern Roman Empire: "Nicholas V enjoyed reading the newspapers of the Eastern Roman Empire, and I share this habit, such as the * Roman Monthly *."

I almost never missed an issue of the Golden Horn News or the university-sponsored newspaper.

I recall some articles in last year's newspapers mentioning Carthage. "Does the Eastern Roman Empire have any plans to wage war against North Africa?"

Vitus: "The empire needs time to recover after the war, and there are no plans to attack North Africa. Many people think I am passionate about war, but that is not the case."

From a young age, I preferred reading alone to riding horses and shooting arrows, unlike most noble children. If I had been born in a peaceful era, I would most likely have become a nobleman who enjoyed life, or a priest who was engrossed in scholarship.

Overall, the Holy See and the four major powers have a high degree of approval for this agreement.

The Eastern Roman Empire recaptured Sicily, established a vassal state on Corsica, and assisted its allies in recapturing Florence, yielding some decent profits.

Frederick stabilized the situation in Slovenia, and without Count of Celje, the entire region would become the core territory of the House of Habsburg.

Władysław's hard work earned him the favor of the Holy See.

Vitus believed that after Władysław died, there was a chance he would be canonized by the church and gain a good reputation.

Charles VII retained control of Northern Italy, and Milan, Venice, and Genoa continued to be France vassals.

The Holy See has eliminated the threat from the south; there is no Autreville, Anjou, Aragon, Eastern Roman Empire. Ah, how wonderful Naples!

The ones who really suffer are the small and medium-sized forces:

Anjou suffered the most severe losses.

Initially, Provence was an independent county, ruled by the House of Anjou.

In order to defend against Aragon's invasion of Naples, the House of Anjou allowed the French Army to gain the port of Toulon within their territory in exchange for the support of Charles VII.

Now that the war is over, Anjou has suffered the greatest loss, having neither retained Naples nor relinquished a portion of its Provence interests.

In the future, Charles VII planned to grant the southeastern part of the Po Valley to Anjou, encompassing territories including Bologna.

This move served two purposes: firstly, to compensate the House of Anjou and the Naples nobility; and secondly, to allow Anjou to act as a border outpost, preventing the Eastern Roman Empire from crossing the sea and landing on the Po Valley.

Aragon's losses were second.

They lost Sicily and the surrounding islands, losing the gains made since the Sicily Vespers (1282).

Genoa's losses ranked third, having lost Corsica.

Milan and Venice were under France control, and two years ago, they ceded some territory to France, suffering losses second only to Genoa.

Most of the remaining city-states did not cede land, but they lost a great deal of manpower and resources in the war, and hundreds of years of accumulation were wiped out in one fell swoop.

After the peace agreement was reached, Vitus did not stay in Rome for long.

Unlike Thomas and others, he didn't have any special feelings for the city.

Even disregarding historical factors, the city has a population of 30,000 to 40,000, making it one of the largest cities in Europe.

However, it lacks industry and commerce, and does not have a vast hinterland to support it, making the city's economic foundation extremely weak.

If this continues, the gap between Rome and other major cities (Constantinople, Paris, London) will widen.

On March 16, he arrived at the mouth of the Tiber River.

Ostia, located on the south bank of the river, has declined over a long period and become a walled town, smaller than the refugee camps outside the city.

Vitus checks the work records here.

The camp has cumulatively sent 6,000 refugees back to the mainland. Currently, the number of people registering each day is stabilizing at around 100.

In just over two months, the winter wheat in the fields will ripen, the food shortage in rural areas will be alleviated, and the number of refugees will drop sharply.

In terms of income and expenditure, the largest expense for the camp was food and daily necessities, followed by personnel wages, and lastly the purchase of timber: the forest belonged to the church, and the army had to pay for logging.

"These are all the monthly expenses? Less than I expected."

Furthermore, the camp regularly sells supplies such as spices, cotton cloth, and coffee, and after deducting various expenses, it can also hand over a portion of the profits.

Because of the excellent sales of goods from the Eastern Roman Empire, a naval captain had a wicked idea and secretly sold the warship's supplies to Italy merchants in Ostia.

Not long ago, this man was stripped of his military service and exiled to Circassia.

The attendant Simon explained to the emperor, "When I first came to Ostia, a merchant asked if I had any smuggling channels, which I refused. I didn't expect that the merchant wouldn't give up and actually persuaded others."

"As a Court attendant sent to help, you have no authority over the navy. This captain's unauthorized sale of military supplies is simply a matter of his own stupidity."

After reviewing the work records, Vitus decided to expand the recruitment drive.

The current eight recruitment points are in the central part of the peninsula. After the French Army hands over the south, he plans to set up several more recruitment points in the south to absorb more immigrants.

"Send someone to the Holy See to negotiate, requesting an increase in immigrant recruitment sites, on the same terms as before."

The Italy people and the Eastern Roman Empire had differences in beliefs and culture. If the Eastern Roman Empire occupied a territory, it would be difficult to assimilate the local people into the official beliefs and culture.

This phenomenon is quite normal. Nearly two hundred years after the Normans of France ruled Southern Italy, this land still retains the culture of Southern Italy.

In contrast, the local population who migrated to Anatolia were more likely to accept the official beliefs and culture of the Eastern Roman Empire.

First-generation immigrants retained their mother tongue and beliefs, but their offspring grew up in the Eastern Roman Empire, and their language and customs quickly became localized. By the third generation, most of the immigrant descendants would have Rome identity (Greece identity).

If the groups share the same faith, such as the Rus' or Bulgaria, this change will be even more rapid.

After leaving Ostia, Vitus traveled by boat to Palermo, the capital of Sicily.

Many years ago, he traveled by ship from Florence back to the Eastern Roman Empire, stopping here for two days along the way. The city's landscape had not changed much from what he remembered.

Not far away, a charred wreck of a warship lay aground on the beach. The mast, rigging, and upper gun deck were almost completely gone. Several waterbirds stood on the side of the ship watching, and barnacles clung to the waterline.

The captain told the emperor, "This is the Anjou of Naples. The warship was damaged in the night attack and could not retreat with the main force. The enemy burned these damaged ships before leaving."

After we captured Palermo, we dismantled most of the wreckage. This flagship was of great significance, so the admiral ordered it to be preserved; it's estimated to last another ten years or so.

Vitus remembered seeing a newspaper description of the Anjou; a model ship was displayed in the Naval Church, and shops outside the chapel were still selling related models.

But in any case, it was ultimately just a warship.

Entering the city along the main road, one sees a variety of architectural styles on both sides, and the locals are indifferent, treating Vitus as another foreign monarch.

This situation was within Vitus's expectations.

In fact, he never expected to gain the support of the locals. If he really wanted to hear the cheers of the people, there were many ways, such as reducing taxes, granting Trade privileges, or distributing surplus land to the common people.

However, he did not do so. The only measure that could be called "benevolent governance" was in the medical field.

More than a year has passed, and public hospitals have been built in various cities. At the same time, a doctor registration system has been implemented, giving relevant personnel a six-year transition period to study medical texts. After six years, those who have not passed the medical examination will be prohibited from becoming doctors.

Soon, the procession passed the square where the Cathedral is located, and further west was the Norman Palace, the administrative center of the island.

This complex dates back to the 9th century and was built by Arabs. In the 12th century, Roger II of the House of Hauteville undertook a large-scale expansion, hence it was called the Norman Palace.

The Garden surrounding the palace are vast and feature fountains, canals, and other amenities, representing a typical Arabian garden layout.

Centuries later, the garden was neglected, weeds encroached on the living space of the flowers, and cabbages were planted in the peripheral areas.

The grapevines have been turned into a vegetable garden by some resident.

The sound of chickens clucking came from the distant meadow. There were more than twenty chickens roaming freely there. A citizen hurriedly herded the chickens back to their coop.

A rooster flew erratically toward the palace gate, and the guards rushed to stop it.

Vitus said in a relaxed manner, "Don't be nervous, it's just a chicken, don't make things difficult for this guy."

Upon entering the palace hall, Vitus exclaimed, "Such lavish decorations! The Normans must have spent a fortune. I wonder where they plundered that wealth from?"

He chose a quiet place to stay and then convened a military meeting.

"The war is over, but there are still some clean-up tasks to be done."

Corsica was given to the Marquis of Montferrat and four fiefdoms of nobles, who planned to divide 60% of the land among themselves. The Porto Vecchio and Ajaccio Port were placed under the direct control of the Empire and used as naval anchorages.

The remaining 30% of the land is yet to be determined. When the Army is clearing out the inland areas, it can appropriately win over local forces to assist in the operation, but not too many, otherwise there won't be enough land left to distribute.

Northern Sicily Island is still under the French Army control. Be careful during the handover next month to avoid any trouble.

Sicily Island had a lot of agricultural land, and the army dealt with most of the Norman (Naples) nobles, acquiring more than four million Stremma of usable land.

Previously, the Finance Minister auctioned off some large estates to Agricultural Company to raise funds for the military. The Cabinet proposed using the remaining vacant land as rewards, approximately 2.4 million Stremma (3.6 million acres). The surveying work is complicated and is expected to take some time.

With the war over, the army's primary concern was the rewards. Some officers briefly drifted into thought, speculating about the assets they would receive.

Some people want to run a Sugarcane Plantation, while others feel that the land certificate area is not enough and would be better to sell it to their colleagues and then buy land in their hometown, which would be more convenient for management.

This reward was incredibly generous, but at the cost of offending the local nobility. Many were executed or imprisoned, while the survivors fled overseas, spreading tales of Vitus's cruelty and tyranny.

On the other hand, rumors circulated among the people that "the Greece emperor wanted to bribe the villagers with land." Now that the Greece emperor has "reneged on his promise," the local poor are bound to feel disappointed and resentful.

But Vitus didn't care about any of that. Before becoming co-emperor, he recognized a reality:

Never expect to please everyone.

With only so much vacant land remaining, distributing it to the people would reduce the army's rewards. Therefore, the Central Administration would have to use money instead of land certificates to reward the soldiers who participated in the war.

In this way, the people and the army were appeased, and only the national treasury and the royal treasury suffered losses.

But that's impossible. Vitus has been working tirelessly on this war; is he really going to end up paying for it himself?

"This is my money!"

Assuming there is a strong sense of identification with the Eastern Roman Empire here, like in Greece, western Anatolia, and Trebizond, and that this area could become the core region of the Eastern Roman Empire, Vitus would be willing to relinquish some interests and provide some tangible benefits to his fellow villagers.

But Sicily Island was different. More than six hundred years later, the influence of the Eastern Roman Empire had completely dissipated. Even if Vitus had given away the land for free, the locals would not have adopted the official beliefs and culture of the Eastern Roman Empire and would still regard him as a heretical monarch.

Since that's the case, he didn't treat the island as a core area and planned to make do from then on.

Half an hour later, more than thirty officers walked out of the conference hall one after another.

Vitus called out to the two men: Xerxes, commander of the Tuna Legion, and Caboto, vice-commander of the decisive battle fleet.

In the empty hall, Vitus looked at them gently.

What are your thoughts on the islands of the Aegean Sea?

Upon hearing this, the two realized they were about to be promoted to Hereditary Nobility, and their expressions brightened.

From the Sicily Island landings last year to the Italian Wars this year, Xerxes has done an excellent job.

Comparatively speaking, the navy's number of enemy casualties was not high.

The war lasted for two years, but no decisive battle similar to the Battle of Antikythera took place between the two sides.

In October 1456, during the most intense period of the naval battle, the enemy fleet met up with reinforcements in Palermo, and Caboto led his fleet in a night raid on the port. Subsequently, the main fleet arrived in pursuit, and the enemy lost a total of more than thirty ships.

After this naval battle, the enemy's main force remained in Naples.

In summary, the navy played a strategic role, keeping enemy fleets trapped in ports for extended periods and cutting off supply lines from mainland France to Southern Italy.

Without supplies from home, the French Army was forced to increase its exploitation of Italy, leading to rebellions in various regions, Vitus easily landed at the port of Ancona.

Therefore, he believed that the Navy, like the Army, had successfully completed its respective missions and deserved the same treatment.