Chapter 288 The Emperor’s Thoughts
Mircea was about to leave, but after hearing the news about Venice, she decided to continue listening to what he had to say.
"Are you sure what you said is true?"
"Your Majesty, it is indeed true. I guarantee it with my personality."
Francesco said emphatically, and he also added a lot of nonsense, such as the Duke of Burgundy in France was also interested in leaving, and Venice would join forces with Aragon, etc.
The more Mircea listened, the more he frowned. He didn't dare to gamble on the Roman Empire, and he couldn't believe it 100%.
"In this case, please stay in Constantinople for the time being. Negotiations between the two countries need to continue to ensure peace."
Seeing that Mircea had finally changed his mind, Francesco directly thanked His Majesty the Emperor for his mercy and kindness. Mircea then held an emergency council to discuss Venice's preparations to attack Constantinople.
"Your Majesty, you can't believe the words of a Genoese. They are carved out of the same mold as Venice. They are greedy, dishonest, and arrogant. What if it is a trap for the empire?"
"But Venice and Genoa don't deal with each other. And their finances are not enough to fight a war. Maybe it's true?"
"Who knows if they are colluding. They must have divided their interests well when they formed the alliance, and then they pretended to want peace talks. The purpose is to make us relax our vigilance."
This meeting is different from the past. It is related to the security of the capital. Various members discuss all possibilities, whether it is a trap or something, the safety of the capital must be guaranteed.
“Garrison some soldiers at Galata and raise the chains of the Golden Horn if necessary.”
"Your Majesty, this is a letter sent by His Highness. It says it's about Venice."
Mircea quickly opened Peter's letter, and what it said was exactly what the Genoese envoy said. It seems that this is true.
Mircea dismissed the ministers, leaving only Angel, Adrian and Nikephorus. and delivered to them Peter's letter.
When they had all finished reading, Mircea asked them what they thought. The Grand Vizier was the first to speak.
"Your Majesty, Venice is planning to replicate what happened 200 years ago this time, capturing Constantinople and forcing the empire to surrender. Although it is dangerous to the empire, it can also be seen that they are about to be unable to hold on. General Nikephorus is here The battles at sea have sunk many of their merchant ships, and their finances will no longer be able to support them."
Angel pointedly pointed out the problem of Venice. This is a maritime country based on commerce. It cannot be self-sufficient in food, and most of its finances depend on trade. Now that Rome has disrupted his trade routes, his income will naturally drop. Venice must reopen the trade routes in the shortest possible time, so it will inevitably attack with all its strength.
"Since they want to die, let the empire give them a big gift to accompany them on their journey."
"Your Majesty, I think it will be very difficult for Rome to stop the Venetian fleet. But if they can be led into the Propontis Sea, I am sure to annihilate them." (Propontis Sea, the Roman name for the Sea of Marmara. )
Nikephoros' proposal aroused the opposition of the Grand Vizier, which meant using Constantinople as a bait to introduce enemy troops here. A little carelessness can lead to a recurrence of the tragedy of a hundred years ago.
"Master Prime Minister, the premise for the tragedy you mentioned is that there are internal agents in the city and Galata surrenders easily. Now neither of these two conditions have happened. The subjects in the city fully support the empire's war against Venice, and His Majesty Galata also sent It must be heavily guarded. This way Venice will not be captured."
Angel was still worried, but at present there was no better way, so he acquiesced to Nikephoros' plan. Adrian also decided to mobilize some of his troops to assemble in Constantinople.
After reconfirming the plan, Mircea only asked Angel to stay because he wanted to talk to his old friend.
"Angel Iliescu, do you think the empire can win?"
Mircea had not called Angel by his full name for a long time. The prime minister did not dare to neglect and said quickly.
"Your Majesty, you must believe in the empire and the prince. The prince has expanded a large amount of land and population for the empire, and the imperial navy has made many military exploits. You should continue to believe in the empire until the war is won."
Mircea perked up again after hearing Angel's words. "You are right. I have to believe in Peter and the navy. Venice will be completely wiped off the map like Carthage. It will definitely happen."
"Yes, Your Majesty, but we should end the war quickly. Our subjects cannot stay like this for a long time."
Angel wanted to persuade Mircea to end the war quickly, but Mircea looked at him and laughed.
"The end of the war cannot be controlled by one country."
Such a smile made Angel's whole body go cold, and Mircea's eyes looked like they were going to swallow him whole. But the emperor asked him to retreat, and it seemed that he had survived another day under the emperor.
"It really bothers me. These ministers are always scheming to protect themselves and their family's status. Isn't that right, Jika?"
From a dark corner of the meeting hall, a man walked out. His face was dark and intimidating, and he had a bald head.
"Your Majesty, Angel has been meeting with officials and landowners frequently recently."
"Who is there?"
"Epreanu, the son of a high-ranking official in Bukur Yesti, Florescu, a wine merchant in Constantinople, Karp who owned a large amount of land in the province of Sofia..."
The more Jika spoke, the darker Mircea became. These are all relatively powerful political and economic figures in the empire. Angel frequently meets with them to seek opportunities for his family to continue in the center.
"What about Listerine? Is he honest?"
"Lord Listerine has also met with many people recently, mainly officials and nobles in Anatolia."
Okay, the initial battle is about to begin. Since ancient times, how can the ruler have peace if his ministers don't quarrel? What Mircea has to do is to check and balance and profit from it, so that the emperor can become the biggest winner.
"Continue to keep an eye on them. I am very much looking forward to their next performance."
"yes"
The old aristocratic group represented by Angel and the emerging aristocratic group represented by Listerine compete for the highest power in the empire. As the prime minister's health deteriorates day by day, both parties are bound to win this position.
Fortunately, the fight between the two factions did not affect the empire's war decision-making, otherwise Mircha would have had to go on a killing spree. At the same time, they also knew that in order to obtain the position of prime minister, the emperor's orders were very important. They began to take a hardline approach to foreign policy, with the radicals feeling that Venice must be eliminated and the conservatives feeling that it was too conservative. Rome too must be recaptured, and the glory of Augustus must be restored.