Estrangement

Alienation

Vitus discussed the matter of increasing the army's pay with the Crown Prince and the three Chancellor.

The Chancellor advised the emperor not to rush things, as Anatolia had many vacant ten-land parcels. They suggested issuing ten-land parcel vouchers to the soldiers to offset the increased wages.

Romanus was well aware of his country's Finance situation, and regardless of whether pay was increased, he advised suspending the expansion of the New Army.

Vitus nodded in agreement, "We will not expand the army this year; the main task is to resettle the immigrants."

Since the beginning of the year, we have absorbed 120,000 Italy. With the summer harvest, the food shortage on the Apennine Peninsula has eased, and the role of those settlements is becoming less and less important. The Holy See will not tolerate our maintaining more than a dozen camps in Italy for an extended period; let's disband them as soon as possible."

The resettlement of migrants is a huge undertaking, and there are still 80,000 migrants stranded in Sicily.

It is planned that all immigrants will be transported to Anatolia this year, and they will receive taxes three years later.

A self-sufficient farmer with 30 Stremma (45 acres) of arable land pays approximately 2 Florin of output annually, with the tax varying depending on the land value.

The Eastern Roman Empire had tens of millions of directly governed people and 1.8 million agricultural households, most of whom were independent farmers.

In theory, a direct territory could collect 3.4 to 3.8 million Florin in Agricultural Tax.

However, this number has never exceeded three million. One very important reason is the military tax breaks:

During a soldier's service, their family receives Agricultural Tax exemption on agricultural taxes, and this exemption lasts even longer if the soldier is killed or disabled.

Secondly, the Eastern Roman Empire established more than one hundred Garrison District, with nearly 100,000 military households, and this group was exempt from Agricultural Tax.

Although the Borderland Region is vast and has a population of over ten million, its administrative capacity is insufficient to collect Agricultural Tax from the lower classes.

In most cases, the Central Administration could only receive a small amount of tribute from local lords, as well as indirect commercial taxes from Trade.

Romanus expects business to recover this year and Finance revenue to grow to 4.2 million, with a slight surplus, provided that the army is not expanded and military pay is not increased.

If military benefits are increased in the next few years, land vouchers could be issued to soldiers upon their retirement.

Prime Minister Savard added, "If the military's salaries are increased, what about the civil service?"

"Giving only a raise to the military makes officials resentful. If the civil service is also given a raise, with over 28,000 officials, that's an expenditure of tens of thousands of Florin."

The Prime Minister knew that this suggestion was not liked by the Emperor and the Crown Prince, but as the head of the civil service, he had to say it.

As the meeting drew to a close, Eunuch brought news. "Your Majesty, an envoy from the Moscow Grand Duchy has arrived. When will you summon him?"

Vasili II sent envoys for two main reasons:

Purchase military equipment or hire skilled workers to strengthen the Moscow Grand Duchy.

They requested a marriage alliance to form a military alliance with the Eastern Roman Empire, with the aim of targeting the Jagiellon Dynasty in the future.

Vitus, of course, would not agree.

Assuming he marries his niece (Thomas' daughter Zoe) or granddaughter (Leo's daughter) to the North, the Foreign Affairs goodwill brought by such a marriage would last for at most a decade.

Further on, the Eastern Roman Empire would face a powerful northern nation that had absorbed advanced technology and institutions.

Previously, Vitus had shown leniency towards the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in order to allow them to suppress the Rus' forces.

Lithuania is predominantly Catholic Church, and there are religious and cultural differences between it and the Rus '. The monarch and nobles focused their main efforts on maintaining their rule, making it difficult to convert their vast territory into real power.

The situation would have been very different if this land had fallen into the hands of the Moscow Grand Duchy.

As monarchs sharing the same culture and beliefs, the Rus' rulers faced far less internal strife than rulers of other ethnic groups, allowing them to focus their energy on external matters.

Vitus looked at the Crown Prince and the Chancellor: "I've already explained the reasons, and I don't want to waste any more time. You just need to find an excuse to appease the envoys. I don't believe they would dare to repeat the Siege of Chersonesus."

In 988, Grand Prince Vladimir launched a war to force Basil II to fulfill his marriage agreement.

In this campaign, he mobilized tens of thousands of Rus' soldiers and a vast number of Longboat to enter the Black Sea from the Dnieper River and attack Chersonesus (southern Crimean Peninsula).

After capturing the city, Vladimir issued an ultimatum to Basil: "If you insist on breaking your promise, I will do the same to Constantinople."

Rus Soldiers besieged Constantinople in Longboat, a situation that had occurred before. Faced with the threat of an attack on the capital, Basil was forced to back down.

With the advent of firearms, Constantinople was able to avoid the maritime threats it once faced.

At its narrowest point, the Bosphorus Strait is less than a kilometer wide, and artillery can be easily deployed on both sides to block this northern strait.

The Dardanelles Strait to the south is wider, but it can still be blocked with artillery.

The situation where the fleets of Rus, Venice, and Genoa could freely enter the Sea of Marmara and threaten Constantinople would never happen again.

On the other hand, the nature of naval warfare has changed significantly.

In naval warfare during the era of cold weapons, boarding maneuvers accounted for a large proportion.

On many occasions, the Eastern Roman Empire fleet had larger and more numerous warships, but the Greece soldiers were simply no match for the Arabs, Rus ', and Normans opposite them, and ultimately suffered defeat.

Nowadays, Europe navies typically engage in gunnery duels, and boarding maneuvers are rare.

During the Portugal conquest of India, a dozen or so gunboats could defeat hundreds of enemy Galley; this boarding maneuvering tactic was already outdated.

After dealing with the Rus' envoy, the Eastern Roman Empire welcomed an envoy from Venice.

In 1448, Venice admitted defeat, destroyed its armory, handed over its glassmakers, and paid war reparations.

The total indemnity was 1.5 million Florin, to be paid in ten years. Now that the ten-year period has expired, the Eastern Roman Empire should return more than 120 noble hostages.

However, after Venice became a vassal state of France and stopped paying reparations, the Eastern Roman Empire naturally did not return them to the nobles.

Vitus: "You tore up the peace agreement, so why should you expect me to keep my promises?"

Faced with this powerful monarch, the envoy dared not argue with him and decisively shifted the blame onto the France.

"Your Majesty, the Governor was willing to pay the reparations, but Richmond of France intercepted the money and demanded a bounty for his army. You see, our newspapers published this story back then."

In the months following the war's end, the Governor had been trying to raise funds, and I personally delivered this to settle all the debts in one go.

Having accepted the money from the other side, Vitus's attitude became amiable, and he issued an order to a valley in the Rhodope Mountains to release the Venice nobles.

In addition, anti-smuggling operations against Venice merchant ships and fishing boats were cancelled.

A week later, a group of Venice youths arrived at the gates of Constantinople carrying their belongings.

They had been trapped in a valley for ten years, and when they arrived in Constantinople in haste, they were at a loss for words.

When they were taken hostage, they were just teenagers, their hearts filled with a deep-seated hatred for the Eastern Roman Empire.

Some wanted to assassinate Vitus, while others tried to learn the systems and knowledge of the Eastern Roman Empire and then return home to rebuild their homeland.

A few, recalling the legends of the bards, believed they could rise above their circumstances at Constantinople's Court, win the princess's favor, and ultimately, with her help, defeat Vitus and become emperor...

In reality, Vitus never took these prisoners seriously. He neither tortured them nor summoned any of them, nor did he keep any of them in the Court to demonstrate the emperor's magnanimity.

Most of the time, he forgot about the Venice's existence.

Under the scorching sun, the poorly dressed hostages carried their backpacks toward Golden Horn, where the streets were bustling with activity. Curious onlookers assumed they were young people from out of town who had come to join the army or find work.

A Venice ship was moored at the dock, its mast flying a blue winged lion flag. A young man stepped onto the ship, gazing blankly at the palace, his thoughts a jumble of emotions, unable to find the right words to express his feelings, and could only mutter curses under his breath.

There was a church in the valley of exile, where the priest presided over a service once a week, mechanically reciting prayers without putting any effort into imparting knowledge, resulting in their cultural level being about the same as it was ten years ago.

These were the most precious ten years of their lives, and they lived them in a daze, as if in a boring and long dream.

"Lower the anchor!"

Towed by Galley, the Venice ships departed the harbor, escorted by two Rome Cruiser, and arrived at the Venice Lagoon a month later.

"The children are back?"

Upon receiving the news, Governor Young Loredan arrived at the dock on the south side of the square immediately. Nobles, having heard the news, rushed over, loudly calling out the names of their sons and nephews.

"Thierry!" Young Loredan called out his nephew's name.

Soon, a young man in his twenties squeezed through the crowd and greeted him somewhat awkwardly, "Uncle."

As it turned out, they were not mistreated as rumored; they were all of normal build, simply dressed, and just an ordinary group of rural youths.

When he left, Thierry was a thin boy; now he is tall and strong, with short hair, dark skin, and calloused hands, looking like a lumberjack.

"Uh, I was indeed logging in the valley, and I was also responsible for processing planks, building cabins and fences..."

The uncle and nephew entered the Governor's mansion, where Young Loredan had the servants prepare a room, hot water for bathing, and dinner, and warmly welcomed Thierry.

Ultimately, Young Loredan owed his nephew a favor. If it weren't for his nephew being held hostage, Young Loredan's child would have had to take his place.

As night fell, the family gathered for dinner at the Governor's mansion. Thierry noticed that his uncle's personality had changed drastically; the sharpness of his youth had vanished, and he was more like a wealthy middle-aged businessman who didn't want to cause trouble.

"Uncle, why hasn't the armory been rebuilt yet? Have you forgotten its former glory?"

The atmosphere at the dinner table was tense. Young Loredan suppressed his grief and urged his nephew to face reality.

Anyone can see that Venice is indeed declining; however, this is the best possible outcome.

At the beginning of his reign, Young Loredan wanted to revitalize the arsenal, but his side was drawn into the Italian Wars, where the French Army regularly demanded taxes and sailors, draining the country's wealth.

Peace has been restored in the Mediterranean Sea, but the Eastern Roman Empire, having learned from history, is keeping a close watch on Venice merchants, leaving Venice with only a small share of the Mediterranean Sea Trade.

The eldest son, sitting at the side of the table, interjected, "Everything is based on Finance. We can't make money from Trade in the Eastern Mediterranean Red Sea, so how can we rebuild the armory?"

The other route, from Africa to the Indian Ocean, was controlled by Portugal, and they wouldn't allow foreign merchants to compete. Both routes were blocked. Cousin, Venice's decline isn't your fault. I'll take you sightseeing these next few days to make up for all the suffering you've endured over the years."

Suddenly, Young Loredan's wife mentioned news from the west. "I have a cousin who married into Castile. She wrote to me recently, saying that there's a saying circulating among the local nobles: the world is round, and if you keep sailing west, you might be able to reach India from the east."

These words caught Thierry's attention, and he requested to visit the library in the Governor's palace and the church.

Young Loredan agreed, telling his nephew to find a hobby to pass the time, and that he would arrange a marriage for him after a while to help him settle down.

The theory of a spherical Earth has a long history. Ancient Greece scholars such as Aristotle and Plato supported this theory.

In the third century BC, the Greece mathematician Eratosthenes calculated the Earth's circumference to be 250,000 stadias (39,690 kilometers) based on the difference in the angle of the sun between the two locations.

Today, the Eastern Roman Empire controlled the Red Sea shipping route, and Portugal controlled the Africa shipping route. Both countries continuously imported goods from the East and then resold them to Western countries, arousing envy and resentment from many.

In the maritime world, the theory of a spherical Earth is gaining popularity, and some captains are seriously discussing the possibility of crossing the Atlantic Ocean to the west, breaking the monopoly of Greece and Portugal.

Vitus heard about this. However, the location of the Eastern Roman Empire naturally put it at a disadvantage in terms of developing the New World.

Britain and Iberia were the most suitable places to develop the Americas.

Moreover, there is a shortage of domestic manpower; even the Black Coral Islands cannot be fully developed, so where will the manpower come from to invest in the Americas?

For large-scale colonization to occur, the lower classes must be poor enough.

Colonial exploration was an arduous and dangerous undertaking. Only the poorest people, living in extreme poverty and with no hope of survival, would set sail across the ocean to struggle for survival in a strange and complex land.

Under the rule of John VIII and Vitus, the people of the Eastern Roman Empire enjoyed a relatively high standard of living, ranking among the best in Europe, with a small population and abundant land.

Based on current trends, the people of the Eastern Roman Empire will continue to live comfortably for decades to come, lacking the motivation to emigrate to the Americas.

After reflecting on his own moral standards, Vitus continued organizing his notes and inadvertently came across a few pages about steam engines.

"So that's what it is."

The steam engine project was undertaken by Adrian University and Nicomedia University.

As the project's initiator, Vitus himself was unclear about its specific structure, only providing professors and students with some vague concepts:

Boiling water utilizes the power of the expanding steam to drive mechanical operations.

This project lasted for twenty years with almost no output, and resulted in two unfortunate professors being injured in a boiler explosion, scaring away most of the project team members.

Vitus did not live to see a practical steam engine.

He signed a document stipulating that a fixed amount of money would be set aside annually from the royal estate revenue to maintain the project team's operations until the project developed a steam engine capable of powering ships and Railway Carriage.