Chapter 304 The attitudes of various countries changed by the changes in Rome

Chapter 304 The attitudes of various countries changed by the changes in Rome

The Roman Empire did not have many hierarchical restrictions on the selection of officials. As long as you believed in the Orthodox Church and spoke Romanian, you could be reused.

Both Mircea and Peter selected talents in an eclectic way. Just like among the staff Peter chose when he was the lord of Dobroga, Alexander was a businessman on the verge of bankruptcy, and Constantine was just a hired man making a living in Wallachia. soldiers.

Peter recommended Baptiste to the emperor with the intention of inserting his own forces. Mircea also knew that the two factions were currently fighting within the government, and inserting the prince's forces could not only temporarily suppress the struggle, but also pave the way for Peter's future succession.

Baptiste had the power to control finances and a status second only to the prime minister. He knew that he relied on Peter to obtain this, so he would not participate in political struggles.

"My lord, this is the current state of the treasury and the fiscal expenditure for the next year."

Roman finances have returned to the values ​​of the Comnenos dynasty. Because there were too many spoils from the west, Mircea has declared that the whole country is tax-free for one year and Anatolia is tax-free for two years.

This meant that Rome would not receive a dollar from its subjects for at least a year, but there would still be customs duties and other revenue. In the past two years, due to the impact of the war, the tariffs were 2 million lei and 2.6 million lei respectively.

In addition to tariffs, monopoly sales of salt and other supplies are also important income, with an annual income of almost 3 million. There are also some one-time payments such as compensation. There is now 2.9 million florins in the treasury, and because of the victory in the war, the exchange ratio of gold coins to leus and florins has now reached 1:1. That is 2.9 million gold lei and 28 million silver lei.

The gold and silver price comparison has also been adjusted with the market, but overall it is still within a reasonable range.

Baptiste looked at this year's total expenditures and found that, excluding the military salaries already paid, another 7 million silver lei would need to be spent.

"Besides these ordinary expenses, is there anything else that has been added?"

"Sir, Your Majesty has requested to expand the army to 100,000, build 19 fortresses in Anatolia, and build 300 naval warships."

"In addition, there are the costs of rebuilding the library and cathedral in Constantinople, the cost of building churches and roads in Anatolia, and the cost of land reclamation and settling of immigrants in Anatolia...a total of 9 million silver coins Yi."

Such a large expenditure surprised Baptiste, but fortunately the treasury had money and could support it. And I heard that Caesar has obtained more gold coins from Italy and will deliver them soon.

Baptiste still has experience with open source. In addition to the traditional encouragement of farming, it can also promote overseas trade and use trading sites for economic colonization.

The East India Company government must strongly support it. It handed over 3,700 gold coins in the first year. It is not easy to combine governance and expansion in the East. But the goods shipped from the east also made a lot of money. Without Venice, the trade volume will definitely be greater.

As a major source of tax revenue, the agricultural situation in different places is also different. Wallachia and Moldova relied on their geographical conditions to become the breadbasket of the Roman Empire. Specialties such as grain, wine and beeswax produced here were important export products in the early days.

The regions of Bulgaria, Serbia and Morea are mountainous, so agriculture and animal husbandry are mixed, growing grain, cotton, grapes, and raising cattle and sheep. The wool and cotton produced are important raw materials for the textile industry.

Rome occupied a lot of cultivated land in Western Anatolia, but most of it was scattered. In the inland area, there is only a small amount of cultivated land in Ansela, and the rest of the land is already pasture.

Different agricultural production methods also bring different systems. Yeomen, sharecroppers, serfs, and slaves farmed. Mircea repeatedly reiterated the importance of protecting the yeoman farmers, but his noble landowners did not seem to listen to the emperor's words. If they want more land, they can always take advantage of legal loopholes to control it. But we are still in the expansion stage, and land conflicts are not yet so intense.

Even if Mircea attaches great importance to the yeoman farmers, he will not completely attack the landlords, because the royal family is the largest landowner. A symbolic tax on royal land is enough, but Mircea and Peter are relatively restrained about the land and will not wantonly enfeoff it.

Moreover, both Eastern and Western empires will encounter an embarrassing situation, that is, the imperial power does not go to the countryside. The current administrative reforms can reach counties, but the most basic rural areas still have to rely on the local church to maintain their rule. So unless conflicts are unavoidable, this situation can still be maintained, at least during Mircea's reign.

The roads of the ancient Roman Empire were repaired and several new avenues were built. Promoted trade and prospered the economy. For now, Baptiste still needs to continue to expand roads and encourage trade, so that he can continue to gain more income.

At the same time, Rome also received great improvements in the Mediterranean trade environment. In particular, Genoa, which was originally a vassal of France, spent a lot of money and mercenaries to get rid of France as a suzerain after the hemorrhage. At the same time, it contacted Peter through Andreas, saying that Genoa was willing to become a vassal of Rome and was willing to spend 100% of its income every year. Ten percent was handed over to Rome, and there were even plans to convert them all to Orthodox Christianity. If it weren't for the fact that several people around them were better than them, this proposal would have passed.

Although Genoa declined, its naval power also played a decisive role in the Western Mediterranean after Venice was gone. In addition, Aragon and France are really inconsistent with reality and ideals, which makes Genoa feel that only Rome can help them revive. As long as you make money, you can accept any conditions.

Whatever Rome wanted, whether it was Merino sheep from Iberia, fine grapes from Burgundy, or in the case of Aragon and French vassals, Genoa could find it for the emperor. They could serve as pioneers in the Western Mediterranean to explore routes for the emperor, or they could benefit from the eastern trade routes.

As a token of support, Genoa began to help Rome's ally Naples. Despite the decline and financial difficulties, 100,000 florins were still squeezed out to give to Laszlo. This is not only to show attitude, but also because Genoa does not produce local grain, so Genoa has to rely on Sicilian grain to support its population.

Regarding Provence, another fiefdom of Laszlo, Genoa also took the initiative to pass the news to the King of Naples and the Roman Caesar. Such a change in attitude made Peter feel that the Italian businessman changed his face so quickly that it would be a pity not to sing.

Duke Gian of Milan signed a peace treaty with Peter's representative Constantine in Pavia. The Duchy of Milan withdrew from the war and the marriage contract between his son Filippo and Princess Elena was annulled.