A state of peace

Peaceful situation

In May 1458, Vitus returned to his loyal Constantinople.

Less than a year after I left, the city remained as bustling and noisy as ever, absorbing goods from all over the empire.

More boats were moored on the northern part of Golden Horn, and treadmill cranes continued to operate, hoisting stones, timber, and tiles onto land.

"The expansion work has begun?"

Vitus used his telescope to observe the situation in Thirteenth District (Galata District) and saw some faint dust rising in the distance.

Last year, while spending the winter in Florence, he received many documents from the local area, some of which mentioned urban expansion projects.

The Constantinople covers 14 square kilometers, but the area of available land is gradually shrinking. If the city is to be expanded to the west, a wall more than four miles long would need to be built, which would be extremely costly.

Considering cost-effectiveness, the City Hall set its sights on Galata, north of the Golden Horn. The local city walls were built by the Genoa and are relatively weak in defense. In recent years, there have been suggestions to replace them with new city walls.

Ultimately, the City Hall's plan was to extend the city northward by 600 to 800 steps, rebuild a city wall, increase its defensive capabilities, and expand the city's area.

The next day, Vitus went to his study and began working as usual.

There were many boxes of documents piled up in the corner of the room. He couldn't possibly read them all, so he did a spot check as usual.

In the afternoon, he pulled out a report on the Galata expansion plan, which estimated that the new urban area could accommodate 40,000 to 60,000 residents, and that the water supply canals and sewers would need to be slightly adjusted.

The following pages of the report contain the relevant drawings.

Galata's aqueduct also originates from the northern forests, with sections consisting of underground tunnels constructed of brick. The sewer outlets face the strait to the east, rather than the Golden Horn to the south.

Vitus turned to the last page; the city walls were of the latest design, with robust defenses, but lacked practical applications.

Today, Constantinople is located in the heart of the empire, more than 400 kilometers from the nearest border (the Danube), and is protected by major rivers and mountains, making it difficult for the Hungary army to invade.

The City Hall's huge investment in city defenses is more of a psychological effect, making the public believe they are protected.

The public cares a lot about this.

The difference between the suburbs and the city center is that, simply because of a city wall, land prices inside the city are much higher than those outside.

Vitus recalled the northern part of the Golden Horn, where two rivers flowed, and water-intensive industries such as textiles and papermaking were concentrated there, employing 40,000 people and known locally as "Fifteenth District."

However, this is just a colloquial term; in official documents, it is defined as a suburb, partly because it lacks city walls.

Including the residents of the surrounding suburbs, the population of Constantinople exceeded 400,000, far surpassing other Western cities. Vitus speculated that its size could rank among the top five, second only to several cities in the Ming Dynasty and India.

We are now in the pre-industrial era, and simply increasing the population cap has diminishing returns.

Vitus stopped considering the size of the city and took a new document out of the box.

"Who is this bookworm? I demanded the use of Plain Greek a long time ago, why are you still using traditional, elegant written language? This is an official document, not an academic report!"

When Vitus was the Despot of Achaea, he demanded that documents be as concise and fluent as possible. After he took power, he extended this requirement to the entire Eastern Roman Empire.

Constantinople was the undisputed capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, and the local vernacular language was defined as the Common Language. For this reason, the University of Constantinople compiled a special grammar textbook.

Many years have passed, newspapers, new legal codes, and basic textbooks have adopted colloquial language, and various regions have adapted to the new official document formats. Suddenly, a rigid and conservative fellow appears, making Vitus both furious and amused.

He signed a reply at the end, indicating that the document was substandard and requiring the relevant personnel to make corrections.

The study was piled high with official documents, Vitus spent several days going through them, only managing to read a small portion of them.

He put the task aside and began organizing his notes from years of battles, dividing them into two versions.

The complete version was kept as teaching material in the Imperial Palace Archives and the library of the Higher Military Academy.

Another version omits combat details but retains most of the content; Vitus plans to release it to the public at a later time.

"Pelato! Where are my early notes?"

Upon receiving the emperor's order, Pelato, accompanied by a large group of servants, hurriedly compiled his notes from the past thirty years.

Vitus carefully picked up the earliest notebook, a record he had made during the Ottoman siege in 1422.

Many years later, the paper has turned light yellow, the ink has faded from black to dark brown, and the edges of some strokes have slightly blurred.

What kind of nonsense is this?

Now, having experienced countless battles, Vitus's understanding of war far surpasses that of his younger self. He carefully turns the pages of the book, occasionally finding a map or a long passage of formulas for predicting ballistic trajectories.

The second notebook was written during his time in Italy, using paper from Di Maggio's house, which is different from the paper used in Constantinople.

"That idiot Pauli, I told him not to attend the banquet, but he insisted on going into the city."

Vitus smiled as he turned the pages, and before he knew it, he had reached the end.

Outside in the courtyard, as Agnes passed by, the servants were placing books in the shade and dusting them with soft brushes. Curious, she entered the study and asked Vitus, "What made you think of doing this?"

Vitus blew the dust off the pages of the book, picked up his water glass, and said, "On my recent return to Italy, I heard a completely illogical rumor. Over the years, all sorts of strange things have been circulating in the country. If this continues, the rumors may very well be written into a book and recognized as history hundreds of years from now."

Therefore, I want to release the combat records to minimize the spread of misinformation and rumors.

Agnes, upon hearing about the "Tournament," suddenly burst into laughter, which joined in with the laughter of her maids, waking the gray cat who was sleeping in the corner.

The gray cat stretched out its front paws, yawned, and then rushed out of the study like a gray gust of wind, leaving behind the noisy group of women.

At one point, Agnes's smile faded, and gazing at the flowerbeds outside the window, she sighed softly, "Would you really participate in the Tournament for me? Defeat hundreds of people, come to my stand with flowers in hand, and personally hand them to me—what a romantic scene that would be."

The maids wisely kept quiet, Vitus remained silent, staring blankly at the ceiling to pass the time.

A few minutes later, Agnes's mood plummeted. "You're so selfish."

After the women left, the study returned to its quiet state, but Vitus, disturbed by his wife's commotion, lost all interest in continuing his reading.

He strolled into the courtyard to clear his head and asked Pelato, "How's the process of bestowing Hereditary Nobility titles going? Let's get it done sometime; there's no need to drag it out too long."

Vitus was extremely restrained in bestowing titles; he had previously granted titles to seven people, but this time he granted titles to two.

In the foreseeable future, the empire will not expand outwards, the number of Hereditary Nobility will remain at nine, and the number of hereditary lords on the frontiers will remain unchanged.

Hereditary Nobility, Garrison District, and local lords—this seemed out of place in the Western Europe aristocratic system, but he didn't care.

Ultimately, the aristocratic system in Western Europe originated in the Franks Empire (8th-10th centuries, then the Carolingian Dynasty), and many subsequent aspects, such as the sword-granting ceremony and anointing ceremony for knights, were influenced by the Catholic Church.

After Charlemagne was crowned "Emperor of the Romans," he became embroiled in a long and fruitless debate with the Eastern Roman Empire over "who was the rightful heir to the Rome throne."

The Eastern Roman Empire had a long and rich history, and there was no reason for it to lower itself by simply copying the aristocratic system inherited from the Franks.

If Vitus were to bestow titles of earl and baron, it would be tantamount to adopting the customs of the Franks barbarians, which would certainly be opposed by scholars and the church.

On the morning of May 18th, Xerxes and Caboto were crowned.

In the magnificent main hall of the palace, the two proceeded through the entire process step by step.

According to ancient tradition, they received an exquisite silver-plated ivory box, its surface engraved with reliefs, containing a scroll of parchment as the official investiture document.

After the ceremony, the two left the palace and followed a group of clergy along the main road to the church for prayer.

Their destinations differed; Xerxes headed to the Army Church, while Caboto, as the Admiral of the Navy, naturally went to the Naval Church.

The royal palace is located in the northwest corner, Naval Church is near Julian Harbor in the south of the city. The whole journey takes about an hour.

As the temperature gradually rose, the clergy at the front of the procession maintained a leisurely pace. One priest carried an incense burner suspended by a chain, which swayed gently as he walked, spreading incense throughout the surroundings.

"The Tuna Legion, the Emperor's sharpest sword!"

A group of children cheered from the right side of the street, which embarrassed Caboto, but he couldn't explain it.

The adults didn't cheer like the children, and some vendors complained that the ceremony blocked the busiest main road, hindering their business.

Someone, holding a recently published copy of the * Golden Horn News *, which listed the resumes and identities of two newly appointed military officers, asked suspiciously, "From poor families again? Aren't any of these Hereditary Nobility from well-off backgrounds?"

"That's normal. The most senior officers in the army were all Rome (Greece) Miner recruited by the emperor in Italy. They were tricked into going to work in the mines by Italy merchants because their families were poor."

Around noon, Caboto arrived at the Naval Church.

The first thing that catches the eye is the dome mural; no matter how many times I've seen it, it always evokes an indescribable sense of awe.

"In the blink of an eye, twelve years have passed."

He walked to the end of the hall and began to pray.

After all the formalities were completed, Caboto returned to his mansion in the west of the city. Some servants were carrying ingredients in the courtyard, and the butler was calling on the temporarily hired chef to begin preparing the celebratory dinner.

Xerxes's mansion was just across the street, and his family was also preparing for a banquet.

In the evening, the entire street nearby was filled with carriages as guests arrived at the residences of the two newly promoted nobles to offer their congratulations. The palace sent two Eunuch to their residences to show the emperor's favor to his subjects.

From outside the street, the number of guests heading to the Xerxes family's house was significantly less than that of Caboto.

This isn't because the two are on different levels; it's simply that Xerxes isn't as popular as Caboto.

This is normal; Xerxes is used to having a stern face. He is rather short, and when he talks, he slightly raises his chin, giving the other person a sense of pressure.

During his conversation with the Court Eunuch, his tone remained serious and rigid; although he tried to be friendly, he looked like he was about to beat him up.

"Sir, would you like to stay for a meal? We have venison, goose, beef, mutton, pork, and fish..."

7

Upon hearing the nobleman announce the menu, the Eunuch gave an awkward yet polite smile. "No need," he said, "I'll be waiting for you at the palace to return and report. Have a pleasant evening, General."

After the investiture ceremony, the Army Department granted Xerxes a three-month leave, allowing him to take over the fiefdom with his family.

It was summer, and the sea conditions in the Aegean Sea were good. After a week's voyage, the outlines of two islands came into view ahead.

"Let's stop at Mykonos ahead; I need to visit Renaf."

Upon hearing the employer's order, the captain shouted a few words to the sailors, and the light, two-masted Galley drew an arc across the sea, heading towards the dock on the west side of the island.

The port was unremarkable. Xerxes arrived at a house on the edge of the dock, and before he got close, he heard a crisp sound of hammering.

Ding~ Ding~

On the east side of the house, a semi-open wooden shed was built, where an old blacksmith struck a red-hot iron axe with a hammer, sending up golden-red sparks.

During a break, the blacksmith spotted the visitor. "Hey, what brings you here?"

"His Majesty has granted me Syros, an island just twenty miles west of your home. From now on, we are neighbors."

Renaf had never been to Syros, but had only heard from fishermen that it had more freshwater and could grow wheat, unlike Mykonos, where only drought-resistant Barley and olives could be grown.

The similarity is that neither island has extensive forests, and therefore lacks the recreational activity of hunting in the woods.

He set aside the half-finished iron axe and instructed his servant to go home and fetch some wine and meat to entertain his new neighbor.

"Before I accepted the investiture, I didn't realize the importance of the matter at all. I casually mentioned that I didn't want to climb mountains and wanted a flatter island. As a result, the Cabinet assigned me Mykonos, an island without even a hunting forest. Did you make any requests when you accepted the investiture?"

Xerxes shook his head. "At the time, His Majesty held a meeting in Palermo and then informed me and Caboto. We were too busy being happy to think about anything else."

Actually, none of our islands are of great value; they're just islands where a few thousand people live. What's important is the status we have.

Renaf agreed with the other party's view.

The island has only a few hundred residents, and the annual income is meager. Renaf's income mainly comes from the real estate he has accumulated over the years. One of his Sugarcane Plantation is contracted to Agricultural Company, which provides 800 Florin in rent and dividends each year. He doesn't have to do anything, and it easily exceeds the entire island's income.

Just then, another two-masted Galley sailed into the harbor. Xerxes exclaimed, "It's quite lively here! Have mineral deposits been discovered on the island?"

Renaf spat. "What minerals? It's all because of that lousy Manga published by Constantinople, which said that Delos has Apollo's treasure, ancient magic, and that passing ships often stop here before taking small boats to Delos to explore."

Some fools, failing to find the treasure, blame it on me, claiming I discovered some valuable items first and hid them. Is that even possible? Archaeological teams are constantly stationed on the island; even if they found something good, they'd take it away anyway.

During this visit, Xerxes discovered that Renaf was very talkative, as if he couldn't find anyone to talk to on ordinary days, and suddenly having someone visit him, he poured out all the things he had been holding back.

Will I become like that someday?

Xerxes's ideal soldier was an emperor, calm and resolute. He devoted himself to imitating this style and took pride in it, believing that this was the standard image of a tough guy.

In contrast, those Latin barbarians boasted all day long, bragging about even the slightest military achievement, like belligerent and noisy peacocks. Xerxes always thought they were inferior.

Suddenly, he remembered the spoils of war loaded in the ship's hold and suggested sending a set of Knightly Equipment to Renaf.

"I really beat the Latins badly this time. I captured some armor and swords in excellent condition. Perhaps you can learn some Western blacksmithing techniques from them."