A New Bill

Constantinople, Blachernae Palace.

Manuel IV has been in a terrible mood lately, or rather, he hasn't been in a good mood since he ascended the throne.

To outsiders, he was the most powerful monarch in the West, with vast territories, a large population, and inexhaustible wealth.

The problem is that the larger the territory, the more internal problems need to be dealt with. Every harvest season, he would receive a bunch of bad news about "reduced grain production".

In the past, when there was a shortage of food locally, the Central Administration's usual practice was to requisition a batch of grain from Egypt as an emergency measure.

The situation is different now; local grievances are gradually accumulating, so we can only appropriately alleviate their burden.

The emperor still felt lingering fear when he recalled the report on suppressing the rebellion submitted by the Cabinet.

Fortunately, someone tipped them off in advance, disrupting the rebel lord's plans and preventing the empire from waging war on the southern front.

"If the grain requisition quota in Egypt is reduced, what will happen to the homeland?"

In this regard, the emperor received many suggestions, which can be broadly divided into two categories: negotiating peace and increasing grain imports.

With the arrival of peace, the Army Department can lift mobilization, which is expected to reduce food consumption by 100,000 tons annually.

However, the party that proposes peace first will be at a disadvantage in negotiations. The Cabinet's advice is to wait for Ryazan to propose peace, but no one knows how long this will take.

Regarding grain imports, the emperor recalled a bill from the House of Commons, the main content of which was to reduce grain import taxes and encourage the people to import more grain.

The more grain imported, the lower the grain price in cities, which is more beneficial to urban residents and factory owners.

Correspondingly, lower grain prices will affect the interests of farmers and local gentry.

The largest group in the House of Commons consisted of the gentry, who were certainly opposed.

Within the House of Nobles, only about 15% belonged to groups like Nikephoros, who invested heavily in industry and considered themselves factory owners. The remaining members' assets were mainly land, making it unlikely that they would actively support the bill.

"I would have to intervene to get this bill passed, which would be very complicated."

After much hesitation, the emperor began to complain about the mess left by his predecessor. For the first six years of his reign, he devoted most of his energy to cleaning up the mess left by his predecessor.

Historical records state that Vitus the Great often lamented his misfortune, and now, with this cold snap, "My fate is also miserable."

Not long after, news came from outside that the Prime Minister had requested an audience.

The emperor put aside his distractions and discussed the bill with the other party. "Egypt's grain levy quota has decreased, and we need to import more."

What do you think about grains...?

Prime Minister Labeo frequently visits the House of Nobles and has a deeper understanding of the internal situation. "This bill is in the current interest, and I will find a way to push it forward."

In fact, the situation isn't as bad as you think. After the bill was implemented, the empire imported more grain, the burden on Egypt was reduced, and the hereditary lords naturally supported it.

Nikephoros's group, investing in industry, will undoubtedly support the bill. The Patriarch of Constantinople sympathizes with the citizens' plight and will also approve... I'll think of a solution for the remaining personnel."

The so-called "finding a solution" is nothing more than resorting to various forms of coercion and enticement.

Assuming the Prime Minister's efforts fail, Manuel IV is determined to use his monarchical prerogative to force the bill through.

This move will draw criticism from the outside world, but he must prioritize solving the food problem and reducing the risk of popular uprisings.

Having settled the details of the bill, the emperor and his minister discussed some other matters:

The war, disaster relief, and the promotion of the Americas crops all fell short of expectations.

Suddenly, the emperor remembered the Cabinet's proposal from yesterday, "I agree to your plan to build a university of science and technology. Find a piece of wasteland in the suburbs as the campus."

The Prime Minister and factory owners have discussed the possibility that the Polytechnic University will temporarily offer four subjects with the highest practical value: Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry,

The program in engineering construction, mining, and metallurgy remains at four years.

If new market demand arises, the school will offer additional courses.

"Chemistry. I remember Adrian University's medical school has a drug laboratory, why set up an additional one?"

Manuel recalled the large collection of glassware he had seen in the laboratory during his visit and wondered if this was necessary.

The Prime Minister spent several minutes explaining that chemistry plays a crucial role in fields such as textiles, leather making, medicine, and agriculture.

Manuel was skeptical, but since it wouldn't cost much, he decided to take it as a bold attempt.

At 3 p. m., the Prime Minister took his leave, and the Emperor had one more item on his schedule: to receive the Sweden envoy.

Five years ago, when Manuel was twenty-six and had just ascended the throne, Sweden delegation visited Constantinople, and relations between the two sides were very amicable.

The Eastern Roman Empire needed Sweden to contain Ryazan in the Baltic Sea region and regarded Sweden as a potential ally.

Therefore, Manuel agreed to many of the other side's demands, selling arms and warships at preferential prices.

At a banquet, the emperor, in high spirits, announced that he would give a Battleship to Sweden as a symbol of the friendship between the two countries.

However, after the Eastern Roman Empire went to war with Ryazan and the House of Habsburgs, Sweden did not play the role it had expected.

Taking advantage of the absence of external powers, they used these weapons to attack Denmark and seize Denmark territory in Scandinavia.

Even after the war in Northern Europe ended, they still did not attack Ryazan, citing domestic political instability as the reason for prioritizing the maintenance of order.

"Now, we are about to negotiate peace with Ryazan, and they still haven't joined the war, thus getting away with it."

The emperor changed into his most formal attire and received the envoys in the Alexius Hall.

The King of Sweden is seriously ill, and Crown Prince Gustav, who is seventeen years old, is now in charge of affairs.

The messenger brought a handwritten letter from the Crown Prince to Manuel, in which Manuel was praised as the most powerful monarch in Europe and the most outstanding descendant of Vitus...

Manuel was not moved by the praise; he only felt a sense of irony.

Five years ago, he was deceived by such words. Recalling his foolishness and naivety back then, Manuel's face flushed slightly, and he wished he could punch his past self.

No matter how many nice things you say, it's useless. The Manuel who believed in friendship no longer exists!

He struggled to suppress his anger. Finally, the messenger finished his lengthy opening remarks and mentioned the crown prince's true intentions:

Interfering in the situation in the Germany region.

Now, the House of Habsburgs ' policy of dividing and weakening the princes has failed, and the situation is escalating. Gustav hopes to form an alliance with the Protestant princes and the Eastern Roman Empire to jointly oppose the House of Habsburgs.

Manuel's answer was straightforward, "Tell the Crown Prince that Rome will intervene in this war at the appropriate time."

That's a lie.

He didn't actually want war; he was simply trying to get Sweden to join the Protestant camp. The longer the war dragged on, the more time the Eastern Roman Empire would have to reorganize its internal affairs.

"You stood by and watched Rome go to war with Ryazan; now it's our turn to watch the show."

Manuel agreed to the envoy's procurement requests, allowing him to buy any equipment he wanted, but refused to sign a written combat agreement.

His reasoning was that Rome had been at peace with the House of Habsburgs for less than a year, and joining the alliance of those Protestant princes would give the impression that the Rome was untrustworthy.

In early November, Nikephoros returned to Constantinople with relevant Iron Mine documents and began preparations for a large Iron Mine company.

That evening, he took his lover to a box at the Theodosius Grand Theater.

The latest play to be shown is "King Arthur," but Nikephoros has no interest in this kind of subject matter. He lights a cigarette and casually exhales smoke.

"Cuba tobacco is the real deal; it's stronger than Old World tobacco."

A few minutes into the play, there was a knock at the door. A guard opened it and glanced inside. "Sir, it's Councilor Mattia Goropach."

Mattia's ancestors were Florence immigrants who had been merchants for generations. The family had declined at one point, but eventually rose again in his generation, becoming a member of the House of Commons.

Nikephoros came to the theater not to see a play, but simply to find a suitable setting to discuss business.

"You may all leave."

He dismissed all the irrelevant people in the house, including his Circassia lover, who was dressed up in a low-cut dress.

After Mattia sat down, he immediately lowered his voice. "The biggest development recently is the grain import bill; the higher-ups seem to want it passed. What do you think? Brothers, we'd love to hear your advice."

"Of course I support it. The future belongs to factories, railways, and steamships. What future can you have by clinging to a few plots of land?"

We need to take a long-term view.

Nikephoros flicked his cigarette ash and discussed the Iron Mine's operations with Mattia: "You haven't seen it with your own eyes, so you can't imagine how rich that Iron Mine is. The ore layers are very shallow. In some areas, large swathes of crimson ore are exposed on the surface; it's practically a miracle left behind by Hephaestus."

(Hephaestus, a Greece god, was the god of fire and forging)

He took out a map from his briefcase, which marked suitable mining locations, with an area circled in the lower right corner.

"This is a plot of land I purchased from Lithuania nobleman, paying 80,000 Hyperpyron in a lump sum. After it goes into production, annual payments will be required..."

Suddenly, the noise from downstairs interrupted the conversation.

Nikephoros opened the door and asked the guard who was yawning in the corridor, "What happened?"

Two young men were arguing over a female actress and challenged each other to a duel.

"You brainless idiot. Instead of fighting, you should make more money. Then you won't have to worry about not having women." Nikephoros returned to his private room, not wanting to waste time watching the show.

The conversation lasted for two hours, with more and more people entering the private room to join the meeting, which involved millions of dollars.

There is a lot of preparatory work involved in mining Iron Mine, such as building a railway to the Dnieper River to transport the Iron Mine to a river crossing 100 kilometers away.

At present, Nikephoros has several hundred thousand in working capital.

Even without his friends' investment, he could run an Iron Mine company on his own.

However, he could not build a railway by himself; he had to join forces with other mine owners.

The construction cost for one kilometer of railway is between 20,000 and 40,000 Hyperpyron.

The Northern Black Sea Coast is flat, resulting in lower construction and land acquisition costs, making it the cheapest option at 20,000 Hyperpyron per kilometer.

The construction of a railway connecting the Dnieper River is estimated to cost 2 million.

The ideal solution would be to extend this railway eastward to Tarol, transporting Iron Mine to the coal mining area for smelting into iron nearby, thus reducing transportation costs.

In this way, the railway length increased from 100 kilometers to 300 kilometers, and the construction cost reached 6 million Hyperpyron!

Mattia agreed with the Despot's idea that once the railway was operational, the mining area would produce at least 100,000 tons of ore annually, resulting in a substantial return on investment.

However, the mining area is located within the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which is not as safe as mining domestically. He suggested finding a large bank to cooperate with and share the risks.

"Di Maggio Bank, Lupotaz United Bank? Or a bank under the royal family?"

At 10 p. m., the play was still going on, but Nikephoros was getting tired and left the theater early.

Sensing his good mood, his lover hugged his arm and said, "Winter is coming, and my white mink coat from last year is getting faded. I want to get a new one."

After discussing a big deal all night, Nikephoros didn't care about the small sum of one hundred Hyperpyron and nodded slightly.

"That's great!" the lover exclaimed excitedly, hugging his arm and shaking it wildly, imagining herself showing off in front of her friends.

Bang!

The next moment, gunshots rang out from the alley.

The guards quickly surrounded the Despot, allowing him to slowly retreat back into the theater.

The gunshots also alerted the theater's security personnel, but they were unarmed and could only close the main and side doors, standing guard behind them with long poles.

Before long, cheers erupted inside the theater as guests began to leave, only to be stopped by the theater manager.

"Please don't panic, everyone. There's been a fight outside. Let's wait until things calm down before leaving."

The crowd in the hall grew larger and larger, and the atmosphere became tense.

The manager ran up to the second floor to observe and saw more than twenty black-clad police detectives appear in the square, indicating that the situation seemed to be under control.

He had security personnel open the gate, and after confirming with the detectives that the scene was safe, he allowed the guests to leave.

"What happened?" Nikephoros asked the Police Inspector, and the answer he received was:

Two brainless young men got into a fight. One of them couldn't beat the other, so he tried to draw his gun and shoot, but he missed and instead provoked the other man's ferocity.

In the end, the man who pulled out a gun was beaten to death by the other man's fists.

The deceased was the nephew of the Finance of the Province Moesia, and the murderer was the second son of the Mykonos family.

Not far away, two detectives lifted a body onto a carriage; its face was a bloody mess. A young man sat listlessly by the roadside, his knuckles bleeding profusely.

Nikephoros's focus was on the young man's boots, which were the standard riding boots issued to cavalrymen by the army.

To this day, Nikephoros's wardrobe contains a cavalry cadet uniform, with boots exactly the same style as this guy's.

"Military Academy student or an officer? This guy's in big trouble for taking a woman to this extent."

Nikephoros turned to leave, when he suddenly saw a tall, thin figure emerge from the side door of the theater. The man got into an unmarked black carriage and quickly disappeared at the end of the street.

Prime Minister?

Nikephoros recognized his back and his mind raced. "The Prime Minister isn't here tonight to watch the show; he wants to talk to someone and push forward with that food bill. Who is he talking to?"