Chapter 313 Triumph
Peter arrived in Adrian, rested for two days, and then headed for Constantinople with the booty.
On the day of the triumphal ceremony, the weather was clear with not a cloud at all. The gates of Constantinople were wide open, and the procession slowly entered the city.
The leader carried the Roman double-headed eagle, a symbol that was retained after Bartran replaced Valleolo and officially appeared on the national flag and coat of arms.
Then came the loot procession, and countless gold, silver, treasures and works of art appeared in front of the people. The flying lion of San Marco, a symbol of Venice, also appears, which was removed from the Basilica of San Marco. The contrast between the gold decoration and the current destruction is particularly ironic.
Then came the captives, the Venetian doge, councilors, clerks, and merchants. They were paraded with large strips of flowers tied around them. When the citizens saw that the enemy was coming, they all shouted to kill them. And these people could only hug each other tightly and express their fear with trembling.
Next, the main character appears, Peter wearing armor and riding into Constantinople. There were cheers everywhere. After Justinian held the last grand triumphal ceremony for Belisarius in 543, after nearly a thousand years, Constantinople ushered in another grand triumph. Mode.
From the walls of Constantinople to Hagia Sophia, there were cheering crowds. The emperor waited in front of the cathedral for a long time. Peter and the emperor entered the church to pray together, but the people outside continued to shout.
Then came the most popular scene. For this event, Mircea specially ordered his men to build a long gallows. It can hang 15 people at one time and is specially built for hanging Venetians.
Governor Steno and other members of the Venetian government began to enjoy this exciting experience. After all, there was only one chance, and then Satan gave them a direct opportunity. How could they let it go. Amidst the cheers of the people around them with expressions of surprise and ignorance, there was only a click and they were taken away.
A total of 180 people will be hanged this time, all of whom are famous businessmen. Some old bustards in the city bought their female family members and let them receive guests directly, and they also had to prevent suicide. It was not up to anyone to win or lose.
If the living is like this, the dead cannot be spared either. The former governor of Dandolo had his grave dug up and his body whipped. His bones were burned and scattered on the road. The citizens stepped forward and trampled on him.
The envoys were a little uncomfortable seeing this scene, especially Genoa and other countries that had been against Rome. They worry that Venice's today is their tomorrow, and this must be prevented from happening.
"You did a good job this time and gained the prestige of the empire. You also took revenge. The citizens will thank you."
"Without my father's support, I would not have been able to achieve such an achievement. Moreover, the Venetian navy took the opportunity to attack Constantinople. Fortunately, my father led the defenders to defend it, otherwise it would have been troublesome for them to succeed."
The two evaluated each other's achievements. After all, it would be difficult to fight the war without either one. The results of this war surpassed any other war, and those Roman emperors could rest in peace.
Then the two watched the scene of the hanging of the Doge of Venice, with civilian officials recording it. To celebrate the occasion, the royal family scattered nearly a million silver coins to the citizens.
After that, there was a big banquet for guests and friends. Nobles, special envoys, and important officials all came.
"Today is the most important day for the empire. The destruction of Venice is God's will. They have desecrated the sanctuary and deserve to be punished like this."
"Rome is willing to maintain peace with various countries. This is in the interest of both parties. It is also what God wants to see."
Mircea said nothing more than words to maintain peace, but for some reason, the envoys from various countries felt their backs tighten. Maybe I was too nervous.
The banquet was naturally also a diplomatic occasion. Mircea was meeting with envoys from Naples, the battle with Aragon was heating up, and Laszlo had entered Palermo and proclaimed himself King of Sicily. And Martin has returned to Barcelona and is furious with impotence. Unless he can take Sicily back.
As a show of support, Mircea ordered part of his fleet to protect the coast of Naples and immediately recognized Laszlo's title as King of Sicily. In this way, both parties are mutually beneficial.
Of course, with interviews there are potential conflicts. William, Earl of the Netherlands, and Baron Robert collided. The Burgundians and Orleans factions disliked each other, and then they quarreled.
"My Lord Earl, I can't believe I can meet you here."
"Yes, this may be God's will. But we are destined to be on the battlefield."
"It is our honor to fight for the kingdom, let alone face the enemy."
The struggle between the two factions was already on the horizon, and civil war in France seemed inevitable. The envoys of England were also happy to see that despite the peace treaty that had been signed, there would definitely be war between the two countries. Can France still defeat them after the civil war? Henry IV's policy was to provoke the Burgundians to attack the Orleans faction to achieve their goal.
As the biggest contributor to the capture of Venice, Peter was also talking to envoys from many countries. As a co-ruler, his words can represent the emperor, and Mircea recognizes all diplomatic actions in the treaties signed.
The Grand Duke of Moscow sent the governor of Novgorod to discuss alliances and trade issues with the Roman Empire due to the unified Rus' region. In order to avoid a recurrence of the tragedy of Rus' disintegration, Basil I began to centralize power. However, the land nobles in the country did not agree and repeatedly blocked the Grand Duke's actions. Some even colluded with Lithuania to overthrow him. So taking advantage of this celebration, the Grand Duke sent his crony Ivan to continue discussing the issues between the two countries.
At present, the common enemies between the two countries are still Poland and Lithuania, and there are conflicts in territorial, religious and other aspects. And there is a convert fanaticism in Lithuania that wants to bring Moscow under their rule. This is what Vasily I did not want to see.
Peter also wanted to support Moscow to put pressure on Lithuania and to expand trade. A trade road that had almost disappeared was re-routed.
About 3,000 years ago, savvy Mediterranean merchants came to the Baltic Sea region to buy amber and transported it back to the Mediterranean in exchange for gold of the same weight from the nobles. Since then, the "Amber Road" has been opened. Amber is also called "Northern Gold". The earliest Amber Route started from the Jutland Peninsula in northern Denmark and ran southward through the European continent to the Mediterranean Sea.
During the Roman Empire, a major trade route ran from the Baltic coast of Prussia southward through Bohemia to the Adriatic Sea. The Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun used Baltic Sea amber in his funerary objects. Amber was also transported as tribute from the North Sea to the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. From the Black Sea, it continued to Asia through another trade route, the Silk Road. . The Roman Emperor Nero sent people to investigate the source of amber. This voyage was of great significance in ancient history, as it directly connected the Nordic and Mediterranean regions.
Due to the opening of the Amber Road, the European continent was connected from north to south. After that, it developed eastward and connected Persia, India and China in Asia, which enhanced the commercial exchanges between Europe and Asia. Europeans donated various "gifts of nature" including amber crafts to the ancient Eastern countries, in exchange for the "modern civilization" of that time.