Chapter 342 Anatolia Consolidation
I won such a large order for the East India Company in Mason, but it was a pity that it was too far away from the headquarters, and I had to wait at least several months for the bosses to see it.
The gentlemen on the board of directors have received Mason's letter, which stated that they had wiped out the largest pirate and that the company's ships could go further.
Moreover, the returning ship was loaded with a large amount of spices, pearls and other products, which comforted them. With Peter's insistence, they decided that as long as Mason's profits were greater than what he withheld, he would not be held responsible.
The board decided to continue digging the canal and aim to complete it within ten years. Therefore, they intensified their efforts to operate Eastern colonies, purchased black slaves from slave traders, and then asked them to dig canals.
In order to allow more people to dig, the East India Company focused on the poor families in Egypt who could not survive. They used high wages to lure them to contribute to the project, but they did not expect that what awaited them would be endless work and poor living conditions.
In order to avoid other situations, the company decided to dig two canals at the same time. One was opened along the ancient Egyptian canal to the Nile Delta. The other was Peter's original plan to continue digging northward to separate Egypt from the Middle East. . 6̳̳Although the workload has increased, if one of them is affected, the other one can take on the transportation task.
Peter also knew about Mason's achievements in the East and wiped out the pirates in Southeast Asia, and then he could go to that Eastern country.
It seems that in addition to eastern exploration, actions to restore the territory of the Eastern Roman Empire also need to begin. A few days ago, the emir of the Jandal Kingdom sent someone to express his surrender. He was willing to give up all his land and population, and only hoped that the empire would allow his subjects to live a good life.
Jandar is the last small Turkic state in Anatolia. Now that it has surrendered to Rome, it needs to directly confront the Ottomans. But Muhammad would not sit still and wait for death. He would do everything in his power to deal with Rome.
In order to deal with Constantinople, the first step is to find allies. It happened that something happened in the Mamluks, and Osman could win over them.
Since the murder of the Roman merchants, relations between Rome and the Mamluks have become cold. Rome wanted to restore the empire's territory, and the Mamluks also had a so-called sacred mission. Sooner or later, there would be a war between the two sides. The Mamluk Sultan also saw the use value of Osman, so he sent an envoy to Konya and granted Osman the right to launch a holy war against Rome in the name of the caliph.
Muhammad also followed the trend and worshiped the Mamluk Sultan as his Lord, and was extremely flattering. This was very useful to the Sultan, who simply said that he would let the Ottomans rule Anatolia and the Balkans, as long as Constantinople was handed over to the caliphate.
This is really a good show of partition. The Sultan wants to use Osman as a shield to make him and Rome consume each other. In this way, when Rome is defeated, Osman will have no ability to stop him from going north. Well, what a good plan.
For Muhammad, the Mamluks alone were not enough. He must find more allies to send troops together. No, he also likes the one in the north.
The Trebizond Empire continued to struggle to survive under the squeeze of the two major powers. Manuel III relied on Georgia to continue to maintain his status. Coupled with the recovery of Black Sea trade, he collected more taxes in recent years.
However, the taxes he collected were spent on his life and tribute to Georgia and the Ottomans, and he did not invest much in the most critical army. He relied on the Georgian army or mercenaries to survive. He also expressed his surrender to Rome again, but the other party seemed to want to annex him.
"Ha, no, Constantinople will not do this, I believe him."
Manuel III said this when he met the Ottoman envoy in Trebizond, but the envoy heard that the other party was not confident enough. This made the messenger feel funny.
"Have you ever thought about it, Your Highness, that you are a member of the Comnenus family and that your ancestors were also the masters of Constantinople?"
Yes, how could he forget his ancestors. The ancestor Alexios was a great hero who turned the tide, John II expanded the empire's territory, and Emperor Manuel pushed everything to its peak. Such achievements were enough for the Komnenos family to maintain their rule. Unfortunately, subsequent changes made them settle here.
Although his heart was turbulent, Manuel was still not prepared to oppose Rome. He still wanted to live.
Therefore, the messenger thought that his words were in vain. After chatting for a while, he took leave of the king, but before he could leave the palace, a man stopped him and took him to another noble.
Alexios Megas Komnenos is a branch of the Komnenos family. His father's lineage originated from the second son of Emperor Alexios II. His mother was a princess from Georgia. In addition, he grew up in Tbilisi. He had no nostalgia for this place, but he also imagined himself The ancestors entered the castle just like the ancestors.
The current Manuel III is a coward, the Bartlan family and the Valleolo family are traitors. As the orthodox dynasty, the Komnenos family should expel them and restore the empire. But he actually settled for the status quo, what's going on?
As long as he obtains the throne and relies on the support of Georgia and other allies, he will be able to sweep through Anatolia like the autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves, and Constantinople will not be in his possession by then.
So when he heard that the Ottoman envoy had come out gloomily, he knew that the negotiations had failed, and hurriedly sent someone to invite the envoy, and assured him that as long as he ascended the throne, he would attack Rome.
However, if you want Osman to support you, a man with a dishonest reputation, as a monarch, you have to come up with benefits and promises. Alexios had already prepared that only the north of Anatolia was useful to him, so except for the northern coastal areas, other places could be given to the Ottomans.
Unexpectedly, there was such a happy Lord. The messenger also decided to persuade Muhammad to support him, but hoped that the other party could go there in person. Alexios agreed. After all, wealth comes from risks. As long as he can get this venture capital, he can increase his income several times.
Georgia, the little overlord in the Middle East, accepted Rome's diplomatic request and opened trade with it. But it was not their own family that made them feel uneasy. If the Komnenos family, who were related to them by marriage, came to power, Georgia's life would be much better, and they could also use the rulers to promote Georgian culture. Even if Timur was still If a man attacks, he can run directly to Constantinople, and there is no need to worry in Tbilisi.