Chapter 15 Going home for Christmas
In addition to military training, city construction and public works. Peter's mission in Constanta was completed. He entrusted the territory to the supervisor and returned to Kemplonga with gifts.
Orthodox Christmas is on January 7, because the church uses the Julian calendar, not the Gregorian calendar. (Not at this time either)
The day before the festival, Peter rushed back. Because of the establishment of the post station system, Peter was able to return to Kemplonga from Constanta in a very short time.
The post station system was established by Grand Duke Mircea in 1389 following Peter's suggestion. Each post station is equipped with post houses, post houses, post horses, post donkeys, post boats and post fields. Voucher for use of the station. Whenever you need to request a carriage, horse, or crew to transport official documents or items from a post station, you must look at the voucher. This greatly facilitated the transmission of information in Wallachia.
In addition to the government's need to use post stations when transmitting policies, the other people who use post stations the most are businessmen. A post station is like a hotel. Not only can it solve the problem of food and accommodation, but it is also equipped with a certain amount of armed forces.
Businessmen only need to pay a certain fee to live in the post station. The security of the inn is much higher than that of sleeping in the wilderness. Not only are the facilities here perfect, but they are also guarded by government soldiers. Ordinary thieves would not dare to approach.
The implementation of the post system throughout the country was conducive to the rule of the Grand Duke and to the centralization of power. Because of this, messages can be quickly delivered to various places, and the army can be quickly assembled.
Arriving at Kemplonga, the place is bigger than it was a year ago. There was an endless stream of sellers selling in the market, the city wall was expanded, and the church was renovated. Various merchants and craftsmen came here.
When everyone saw Peter's team, they all made way for them. They knew that this was the return of the Grand Duke's son.
Returning to the castle, the first person to greet him was his brother Mikhail. He has always regarded his father and brother as his idols, and always wanted to fight on the battlefield. If he hadn't been too young, he might have joined the army.
He originally wanted to sneak attack from behind, but Peter threw him over his shoulder and pinned him to the ground. He was still unconvinced and shouted for a comparison.
Instead of competing with him, Peter gave him a suit of armor and a big hammer.
"Whenever you lift it up, I will compete with you."
Lady Maria also doted on Peter very much and quickly asked the maids to prepare food and hot water. And Peter also directly brought out various gifts to subdue his brothers and sisters.
At this time, his parents gave him another younger brother. As an older brother, of course he had to give him some gifts. The toys purchased from Galata fit the bill perfectly.
Of course, after the warmth. Peter and his father Mircea meet again and enter into conversation at the Council of States.
No way, the end of the year is also the beginning of the meeting of Wallachian nobles. Facing these boyars, Mircea must deal with them, and Peter also intends to attack these nobles. Who makes them an obstacle to centralization?
Boyar, the name of Eastern European nobles. It evolved from the leader of the princes and soldiers of the Eastern Slavic tribes. They lived in the palace and served as the Grand Duke's attendants (mainly serving as deacons in charge of the Grand Duke's economy), so they were called "Boyars".
The boyars of Wallachia not only owned land but also acted as judges. After decades of development, the boyars at this time had formed a huge political force. Grand Duke Mircea's centralization methods and census system had seriously harmed their interests.
But the Chamber of Commerce and the business of the port of Constanta allowed them to receive part of the compensation, which is why they did not publicly express their dissatisfaction.
At the boyar meeting at the end of the year, they should prepare to jointly attack, and Peter is the strongest among all the boyars, but no matter how strong the lord is, he can't resist the siege of a group of nobles.
Peter's experience with nobles should be 0, because he is really not good at intrigues. But he still investigated some boyars in the past few years to screen out their weaknesses or the nobles they could win over.
On Christmas Day, Mircea took the whole family to church service in Kemplonge. Archbishop Carroll blessed the family.
"God bless Wallachia," Archbishop Carroll said.
Outside the church, a large number of Orthodox people were also praying. The church bells never stop ringing during the prayers, and then gradually disappear after the prayers are over.
Many boyar nobles also came to the capital to attend the upcoming meeting of nobles. The day before the meeting, some boyars were plotting something in the cabin.
"In the past few years, our land and our wealth have been robbed by the Grand Duke. In a few years, we may all be dead. Can you accept it?"
An older nobleman said to them. He was an old nobleman who had experienced three monarchs. With great qualifications, you have great authority to speak.
"But, what should we do?" said a boyar.
In recent years, Grand Duke Mircea eliminated many pro-Hungarian and pro-Ottoman nobles. Confiscate their land and redistribute it to their supporters. At the same time, cultivating a civil class to compete, these are things that Boyar does not want to see.
"Of course a person will fail in front of him, but as long as we can unite, he will be helpless."
I thought he had some solution, but he ended up doing the same thing, attacking in groups.
But I have to admit, don’t be afraid of old people, as long as they are useful. There were 43 members in the Council of Nobles, 20 of whom were Mircea and his supporters, and 21 of them, the so-called noble faction. Mircea would not be able to pass the motion by taking only one.
It was a good idea, but they seemed to have forgotten one person, the son of the Grand Duke, the lord of Dobroga.
Most of the boyars' business was conducted in Constanta, and if they offended the lord, they could only go in the direction of Transylvania and Moldova, which was not the least expensive.
The lord whose fiefdom is near Dobroga is very close to the Grand Duke and Peter, because the closer they are, the better price they can sell for their land output.
On the other hand, Peter sent gifts to some young boyars. This 1,000, that 2,000, the money given away is the annual income of these boyars. Why doesn't this make them tempted?
Nobles are sometimes iron plates and sometimes loose sand. Just offer some tangible benefits and swingers will fall in love with you. A golden coin is much more effective than a slogan or two.