Chapter 250 Chamber of Commerce Gathering
Mircea's veto of the petition did not mean that those who had signed it would cease, as they were all important merchants in the Roman Empire. Including retail, textile, construction, mining, shipping and other industries, with strong assets, they began to exert their political capabilities at the local level. The organizations he established, such as the Iasi Chamber of Commerce and the Bukur Yesti Chamber of Commerce, had great economic and colonial influence.
After submitting the petition for a long time with no response, these people felt that their requests were being ignored. Isn't it just an attack on Egypt? We can raise money for the government if we need it, but if others are allowed to take the lead, there will be no place to cry.
Since the government ignores their pleas, why not pay for the army itself? But if they fail, they don’t have the capital to try again. After all, they don’t have the gathering power like the government.
Since neither option worked, they had no choice but to choose the third option: petitioning Lord Caesar.
The people all know that Rome is now jointly governed by Basilius and Caesar. Since the emperor disagrees, let Caesar lead them to victory.
Of course, since you are asking for help from above, you must have a gift.
Clement of Iasi, Antony of Bukur Yesti, Bardovin of Cluj, Jankov of Niš, Tapras of Magna Graecia and Recep of Anatolia all came . Several of their chamber of commerce presidents gathered together in Constanta to discuss how to persuade Caesar to explore Egypt and the East.
"Constantinople turns a blind eye to our demands. It must be the ministers around the emperor who are hiding our requests."
"Yes, in this case, we have no choice but to express our wishes to Caesar, not only for us, but also for the empire."
Baldovin was the first to speak. As president of Transylvania, he relied on his support of Mary in the Hungarian Civil War to successfully obtain the rights to exploit a large number of minerals. He used his relationship with Rome to sell the ore for profit, and then invested in textile mills, smelters and other industries, and soon became the richest businessman in Transylvania.
The Transylvanian Chamber of Commerce headed by him was no longer satisfied with Hungarian investment, because after the collapse of the Hungarian currency and Mary's announcement of the use of leu, the entire place was already theirs. There was no place to invest, and they were not interested in Poland and Germany, so they set their sights on the East.
Through the Iasi Chamber of Commerce, Transylvanian merchants began to build trading stations and trade in New Wallachia. Although it could maintain profitability, it was still too small compared to the hugely profitable spice trade. Therefore, after hearing that the Roman fleet had gone to the East, the Transylvanian merchants were the most excited and kept asking for a share of the pie.
Compared with the Transylvanian Chamber of Commerce, the Magna Graecia Chamber of Commerce is also keen on exploring Eastern trade routes. Because it has many coastlines, this is also the most developed place for shipping in Romania. It is a good opportunity for Magna Graecia to continue to explore new shipping routes.
"Caesar is still visiting the West and will not be back for at least two months. If we are sure, we will start preparations."
Seeing them talking about the Eastern Trade Road, Recep coughed twice. "I said you are too impatient. You are going to Egypt before Anatolia and Antioch have been recovered. Don't you think it's a bit far?"
"Why do you say that? As long as the empire launches an attack, isn't it easy to regain the lost territory?"
"If that were the case, Komnenos would not have been defeated at Mileosephalon a hundred years ago."
Recep is open to exploration but is concerned about the current situation in Rome. In his opinion, Rome must regain Anatolia and Armenia and push the border to the Kingdom of Georgia and Mesopotamia to ensure the safety of trade routes and be more confident in exploring the East. The current situation, in case It would be dangerous for Egypt to collude with other forces against Rome.
"Don't worry, Your Excellency. As far as I know, the three Ottoman princes are still fighting with each other. Other countries are also short-sighted and pose no threat to Rome. Egypt also needs money at the moment. We can give them some gold coins to let us pass."
Everyone is well aware of the dangers in the East. After all, interests and dangers coexist. Moreover, the Mamluks and Ottomans are currently busy with their own affairs, Timur is going east to worship, and other countries are also wandering around in their own territories. Rome's environment in the east has never been so good. This is why these businessmen think they can expand aggressively.
"Okay everyone, let's take a look at the gift to Caesar. If we can provide him with financial support, then we will definitely take action against the East."
Antony of Bukul Yesti stopped the discussion and turned to the main topic.
"I made an agreement with the businessman before I came, and the Iasi Chamber of Commerce will provide 600,000 lei."
"The Serbian Chamber of Commerce will provide 800,000 yuan."
"We offer 1 million"
After some calculations, all chambers of commerce contributed a total of 7.8 million lei. The Bukur Yesti Chamber of Commerce contributed the most, 1.8 million. Such abundant funds make people feel like a dream.
In addition to these gifts to Caesar, various chambers of commerce also invested 1.5 million lei in the Southern Chamber of Commerce. Everyone knows that behind the Chamber of Commerce are big figures in the government and are very close to the royal family. I heard that they have a big project in Egypt. If they can get in touch with this line, it means that they can get the favor of the royal family.
At one party, 9.3 million lei went elsewhere, which makes people wonder to what extent Romania's business strength has been restored. After all, ten years ago this was a place where industry and commerce were depressed.
Romania's commercial policy has always been based on mercantilism, stabilizing the domestic situation through expansion, unifying weights, measures, and currency, and then encouraging exports and reclamation to increase people's enthusiasm. As a result, there will be more domestic wealth and more foreign trade, and these businessmen are the ones who profit from it.
Romania's encouragement of merchants to compete with other countries naturally made Italian merchants led by Venice unhappy. They protested to Constantinople, but were fooled every time. Moreover, the boundaries between some merchants and nobles are very blurred. Some nobles invest in industry and commerce, and some businessmen obtain noble titles. Such groups are called new nobles by the people, also called merchant nobles. They were keen on business and expansion, and were loyal to the emperor, but they were at odds with the old nobles. Therefore, conflicts often occur, but because of the abundant funds, many things have been accomplished, and many people have become marriage partners.
Such development was still under the control of the Roman Empire. The government guided them to colonize and expand eastward, using their funds and enthusiasm for glory to fight wave after wave of battles, and the rewards were land and commercial interests.