Chapter 290 Robbery and Peace Conditions
The cities of Venice surrendered faster than the other, and a large number of rural towns also became the possessions of Rome. The grain transported to Venice fell into the hands of the Roman army, and the people with property were all slaves.
"You are blaspheming against God and will go to hell."
A priest shouted to several Cossack soldiers, perhaps too excited, and the fat on his face trembled.
"What did the old man say? Tell him to be quiet."
The Cossack soldier did not understand Latin, so he went up and punched the priest. Then he was beaten violently, and he immediately stopped talking because he fainted.
According to the robbery standards given to them before, those who are well-dressed will be robbed casually, and those who are more tattered will be temporarily let go, as they look like they don’t have much money; as for those wearing robes, wearing crosses and headscarves, and holding rosary beads, they will be beaten first and then robbed. plunder. It's best to beat them until they can't speak.
Local churches and monasteries were demolished and the materials used for the construction of Orthodox churches and fortresses. The peasants followed the instructions and worked. Northern Italy is known as the center of the Renaissance, with the highest literacy rate and artistic atmosphere, but it is limited to the upper class. Ordinary people have no access to these. They will only blindly follow the bishop's ideas. , which is why Peter killed the middle and upper classes in Venice.
"George, what do you think these people are going to do to us?"
In a small town controlled by Rome, two construction workers were quietly communicating. Residents who had never left this small town for generations suddenly saw Roman troops like soldiers from heaven, so they naturally wanted to discuss it.
"I don't know. Just save your life. Don't think too much about anything else."
The nobles of Venice demanded in parliament that the Roman army be driven away because their manors and fields had been confiscated by Rome. Their property had been damaged and they naturally wanted to take it back.
The governor could only hope that his plan would succeed, and quickly, because he found that Florence and Milan had a tendency to rebel, and Constantinople must be captured quickly.
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On Rhodes Island, the leader of the Dragon Knights is commanding soldiers to carry out the latest attack on Rhodes Fortress. Regular bombing every day has become a habit. A large number of artillery shells are transported here and then fired out without hesitation. Rhodes is at his best at this time.
"If nothing else happens, the defenders in the city will already be out of food. This is our good opportunity."
The group leader was analyzing the defense situation of Rhodes City with others. The knight responsible for attacking the western city wall reported the special situation to the group leader.
It turned out that an Aragonese soldier escaped to their camp while the defenders were not paying attention and provided a very important message: Rhodes City had been without food for ten days. The people and defenders in the city could only catch mice and risk fishing in the sea as a source of food. The shelling a few days ago caused a fire in the place where firewood was stored in the city. This forced the Knights Hospitallers to dismantle some furniture and set fire to it. There is not enough water, let alone medicine and salt.
"Are you sure it's true?"
"Our soldiers took the risk and captured a few residents, and it has been confirmed that it is true."
The regiment leader slapped the table and began to issue orders for a general attack. "Everyone has to take part in this battle. The time has come to wash away the shame."
During this year, the Knights received support from many fanatical believers and the Empire. At this time, the regiment leader had an army of 10,000 people, but most of them were civilians who had undergone brief training. The garrison of the Knights Hospitaller in the city consisted of 1,000 men, all of whom were experienced in many battles, but it was obviously not enough to defend the city.
The people in the city suffered a lot in the previous defensive battles. Some Orthodox people defected to the Roman army at the beginning. Now the defenders in the city received limited support and would soon be unable to hold on.
This is not the army when Suleiman attacked, and the Knights are not the Knights who persevered in the face of the heretics. The final battle for Rhodes Island begins soon.
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Francisco could not leave Constantinople for the time being, but he was not idle either. He began to use money to convince the officials and ministers around the emperor. If the money was not enough, he even went to pick it up with some local businessmen. Anyway, the Republic would reimburse him after the task was completed.
"My lord, the Republic will never forget your kindness."
"Genoa must remember your help."
Francesco kept going around the government, and Mircea asked Angel to go back with his request and give an explanation to the envoy.
"I wonder what it is that requires the Prime Minister to talk to me?"
Angel didn't answer, but just put the conditions on the table.
"Don't you want to negotiate a peace with your country? This is the peace condition given to you by the empire. If you agree, peace will be achieved immediately."
Francesco opened the scroll, and his heart beat faster before he could read it. The content inside made him unimaginable.
First, Genoa must give up all its lands and trading houses in the east and hand them over to Rome.
Second, Genoese merchants must abide by Roman local laws when conducting transactions. Violators must be punished and cannot be lenient.
Third, Genoa must pay Rome 1.2 million florins as compensation for losses over the years. Physical discount and installment payment are accepted.
Fourth, Genoa must maintain a low tariff of 1% for Roman merchants, and no other taxes other than tariffs may be levied.
Fifth, Genoa must provide a place for Rome to garrison 500 troops, and the military expenditure burden will be 50-50 with Rome.
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Next, there are a total of ten articles on religion, culture and other aspects. If these are put to the parliament, it will definitely be a bloody storm.
"Master Prime Minister, is this... the wrong thing?"
"Yes, this is written by His Majesty himself. The special envoy should return quickly."
Francesco wanted to say something more, but Angel didn't give him a chance at all. He only said that he should go back and resume his life. He also said that if your country doesn't agree, then just keep coming. Or go to the north to negotiate with their prince. He is much easier to talk to than His Majesty the Emperor.
Francesco had no choice but to go back. He didn't know what kind of turmoil this peace date would cause in the country, but the prime minister said that he could negotiate with the princes of the empire. Could this be the emperor's plan to use negotiations to let Venice and Milan go to peace talks? ?
These conditions were indeed written by Mircea, but his purpose was not only to shock Genoa, but also to hone Peter's diplomatic skills. He doesn't need to be like Alexios, but he should be similar. This peace treaty was not expected to pass, but Mircea thought of a story told by Peter.
If I want to open a window in a wall and others don't agree, you have to talk to them one by one to get them to agree. But if you directly say that you want to lift the roof, then they will agree to open the windows. After all, people are compromised.