Chapter 241 Co-opting and Demonstration

Chapter 241 Co-opting and Demonstration

Peter stayed in Naples for a month, during which time he only traveled, and then nothing. The intelligence written by those spies can be used as a travel diary.

But out of their sight, Peter was secretly dealing with other forces in Naples. Orthodox bishops and chambers of commerce trading with Rome became his targets.

Southern Italy is dominated by agriculture, and the local people have not had fierce conflicts like those in the north. People are content with a self-sufficient life. Although industry and commerce have developed to a certain extent, they have not grown enough to shake the landlord class. Under the oppression of the landlords, those farmers lived a miserable life, which was suitable for the church to win over.

Banks and chambers of commerce also opened branches in Naples, responsible for the commercial layout of the place. The frequent business exchanges between the two countries are a good opportunity to promote integration.

The day before leaving Naples, the Hungarian envoy finally found Peter and handed him the letter written by Mary.

"Sigismund is going to attack so soon?"

"Not yet, but many nobles and church personnel have come to his side, and the king is worried that he cannot resist them."

Peter thought carefully about the situation in Hungary and decided to pay a visit to Hungary after visiting other countries. Now it is necessary to ensure that the Buda regime cannot fall, and then gradually annex it.

As the Roman army moved to the Hungarian border, Sigismund also became more honest. Perhaps out of fear, perhaps to be more secure, he chose to continue to accumulate strength. And this also gives the other party time.

And at this time, his debts increased again. The debt of nearly 230,000 silver coins forced them to take out land again to pay off the debt. Soon the Duchy of Pozzoni grew again.

At this time, the Principality of Pozzony was already a third-party force within the Kingdom of Hungary, and some towns also defected to the Principality. As for the newly rising Duke of Pozzoni, both Sigismund and Mary wanted to win over each other. Both parties sent people to see him, but the Duke never showed up, which surprised them. Not only that, because the place was close to Poland, even Wladyslaw wanted to meet him to see where he was leaning or whether he was preparing for independence.

After leaving Naples, they took a boat north to Genoa. This place is even more depressed than a year ago, but on the outside it still looks passable. Even the Governor came.

Peter expressed his willingness to increase economic trade and friendship to Genoa, and the Governor was so happy to take off. He has always wanted to rely on the East to restore Genoa to its former glory. As long as the Eastern trade routes can be re-opened, it can rely on trade to rise again.

What Peter was thinking about was whether giving Genoa to Milan would please his in-laws and allow them to join the future war against Venice. After all, there is an outlet to the sea.

----Dividing line----

Caesar's visit to Romania brought a friendly signal to Western Europe, and in Constantinople, Basilius was discussing with the ministers the punishment measures for the West after dealing with the pagans in the east. 1204 was a hurdle that he couldn't get over.

The two biggest threats, the Ottomans and Lithuania, have no intention of looking at Constantinople for the time being and can just gradually encroach on it. Then there is the punishment of the West.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Venice is the main enemy of the empire. Not only did it happen a hundred years ago, but their caravans also made profits that belong to our country. If things go on like this, the country's financial resources will be depleted, which is not good for the empire."

The Chancellor of Finance analyzed a wave from the perspective of trade and finance. He felt that the need to make Venice the first target of punishment was not only religious, but also economic. Romania needed to regain the Eastern trade routes occupied by Venice, which were the empire's most important source of income.

But the military director Adrian had a different answer. He believed that the focus should be on northern Hungary. Queen Mary they supported could not last long, and they needed to help her unify Hungary as soon as possible, and then take the opportunity to annex it.

Moreover, the benefits of Hungary are no less than those of Venice. Having Hungary means that you can control the middle reaches of the Danube River and then march into Central Europe; Hungary's rich agricultural resources can greatly supplement Romania, and Transylvania's minerals can promote industry.

In addition to Venice and Hungary, some people have proposed a third way, which is to accumulate strength, solve one side first and then turn back. Because of its geographical location, the empire had to attack from both sides, and the enemy saw their weakness and used guerrilla warfare and mobile warfare to consume their strength. The advice they gave was to go east, go east to deal with the heretics and then go west to deal with the heretics. The current situation does not allow the empire to attack from both sides, so it can only concentrate its efforts to solve one side.

Mircea looked at the map in front of him and thought about the chain reaction of each method. If he attacks Venice, some HRE countries may join him; if he annexes Hungary, Sigismund will not give up. Going east is the safest option. Yes, but there is also a very powerful enemy in the east. He once shattered Osman with one punch. Rome cannot mess with him now.

Now let's just farm honestly, but the ministers have ignored one place, which has a much smaller impact than the other two countries, namely Croatia and Bosnia between Venice and Hungary.

After Croatia became independent, it has been actively seeking to join the HRE. King Louis felt that only by joining the HRE could Croatia's safety be guaranteed. At the same time, he also showed goodwill to Venice, granted Venetian merchants special privileges, and would go through fire and water for the HRE at any time.

Bosnia is much simpler. The local nobles are fighting among themselves. In fact, the entire country has been torn apart. The rulers can only rely on the church to manage the grassroots. The contradictions between the Orthodox Church, the Bogomilists and the Catholic Church have intensified the turmoil. It can be said that the time for annexation has come.

However, Bosnia is not very welcoming to Romania. In the face of military harassment, some farmers and nobles formed guerrillas to fight back. Moreover, the local area is mountainous and the cost of security warfare is too high, which is not suitable for today's Romania.

But looking around, this is the best place to flex its muscles to the West, and their reaction is the smallest. It was also easier to access the Adriatic and attack Venice from sea and land.

Mircea had previously sent his army to the Roman border to test the reactions of Bosnia and Croatia. The result was that they were frightened because even Croatia only had 3,000 troops to command. Moreover, the coastline is occupied by Venice, and the navy is even rarer. Mercenaries can last no more than two months at most. Such military strength is obviously not enough to face Romania.

The only advantage they have is the terrain. They use the mountains to fight a war of attrition with Romania in an attempt to wear them out, but with their size, it’s not certain who will kill whom.