Chapter 374: Order with profound background
Peter told Mircea that the alliance with Hungary was an important pillar in protecting the eastern border, and hoped that he could go to Buda to contact the two countries.
The emperor approved the request, and the two countries needed a long-term alliance. Allowing Peter to visit can bring the two countries closer together, and it would be even better if they could annex this place.
Through the Rome-Hungary-Naples Alliance, the Roman Peace was achieved in southeastern Europe. The Principality of Romagna also negotiated a settlement with Florence. Trade prospered and the population grew. The local area had not had such good days for a long time.
There were Roman merchant ships in various ports in the Eastern Mediterranean. Their market expanded and the merchants' trade scope also expanded. They can also earn more, and civilians can live a stable life.
Mason's leading fleet has arrived at the city of Suez. The canal here has not yet been opened, so the fleet has to use dry land boating to get there.
However, according to the current number of ships, a lot of slaves and laborers are needed. Fortunately, the locals have prepared them in advance, and only half of Zheng He's fleet can pass through. The remaining ships and people will be returned to Aden for safekeeping by the local government.
Tens of thousands of slaves and laborers labored to haul the ships into the waterways, which was laborious despite laying grease and planks of wood.
"Don't worry, special envoy. It will only take a few days of sailing to get there. Our country's capital is very beautiful. I hope it will be a wonderful addition to your voyage."
Mason kept introducing the Roman Empire to Zheng He, especially the founding emperor. Mason rummaged through ancient oriental books and compared Mircea to Tang Gaozu and Peter to heroic figures like Tang Taizong. This undoubtedly inspired Zheng He. and curiosity.
The company naturally prepared many ships to load goods from the East. While the ships were moving, various vehicles and caravans were also moving. A large amount of silk porcelain was transported. In just over 100 kilometers, four It takes about days to complete the journey. So you still have to wait patiently.
The Roman fleet went to war with the Mamluks but the Sudan failed to show any performance at all. Why? The company provided the Sultan with a toll of 120,000 gold coins, and the things for the lords along the way were not left behind, so no one stopped this large-scale movement.
As for the labor force, the slave traders were very happy. Affected by this movement, the company purchased a large number of young and strong slaves to tug the ships. The price increased by more than two-thirds, and the slave hunters and traders made a lot of money.
And those workers also received more fees than usual, but I don’t know if they can survive. After all, this is quite a waste of energy.
People trading in Egypt brought news of the different ships back to Rome, and Peter heard the news and temporarily stopped his journey to Hungary.
It came faster than Peter imagined, and after the news spread for a long time, Mason's urgent letter also reached Mircea in the name of the Governor of the East.
"I have fulfilled my mission and arrived at the Golden Kingdom in the East after a year of sailing. A local envoy returned to the empire to meet with His Majesty."
Mircea couldn't hide the joy on her face when she heard that Mason had successfully found the East and brought back an envoy from the Eastern Empire. Prime Minister Listerine immediately congratulated His Majesty. Finding the East was a major achievement of imperial diplomacy. Without Your Majesty, it would have taken many years to complete this.
At the same time, he also praised Peter, saying that the prince's enthusiasm for exploration was also one of the reasons for his success. Mircea also affirmed Peter's achievements. He handled all the affairs of the exploration. Now he is worthy of this achievement.
"It seems that we are going to be ready to welcome this messenger."
Mircea ordered the mayor of Constantinople to carry out renovations throughout the city so that the envoys could see the prosperity of the country. The money needed was drawn from the treasury, and various performances had to be prepared, which would have lasted seven days and seven nights in ancient Rome.
Mircea couldn't do this. After all, compared with the rich people more than a thousand years ago, he was considered poor. Rome needed to invest more money in border management, and the arrival of envoys from the East could bring a large amount of income to the empire.
The empire's census in the new territories was basically completed. This war added nearly 3.2 million people, mostly Armenians and Anatolians, with a small number of Georgians, Syrians and Kurds. The population of the Roman Empire returned to 12 million, but this number of people was still far from enough for the empire. There were tens of millions of people in the HRE next door. Mircea wanted to make Rome the most populous country in Europe. In Anatolia Leah and the Balkans are undergoing catalysis to varying degrees.
Rome attaches great importance to medicine, and various universities have medical schools. The library also has books on medicine, and the opening of private hospitals and pharmacies is strictly controlled. The status of doctors continues to rise, becoming the most coveted profession along with soldiers and officials.
The difficulty of medical school is several times that of other colleges. It takes less than five years to get out of here. In addition to theoretical questions, there will also be some practical questions. Medical students have to practice in the hospital for a period of time. They can only graduate after the teacher gives their affirmation. Moreover, when students graduate, teachers must vouch for them. If they want to practice favoritism, then something will happen in the future. The teacher can't run away either.
Roman medicine was very advanced compared to Western Europe. At least bloodletting and other messy things were not used on patients. King Charles II of England did not die of illness, but of being tortured to death. This is not treating a disease, nor is this serious punishment.
Doctors often use herbal remedies and sometimes surgery. The monastery will also provide simple treatments, and women can also learn some medical skills, but only in obstetrics and gynecology.
The development of agriculture stimulates population growth, because it requires a large amount of labor, and the population engaged in agriculture grows the fastest. Unfortunately, there is no agency that counts fertility rates. It is estimated that the current population growth rate in Rome is 1.5%. This is already very high in Europe, especially as land continues to expand.
The army's land reward system turned soldiers into landlords. Since they were required to serve, most of them leased their land to farmers and waited to collect the rent. These landowners became the main supporters of the empire, and there were more than 40,000 such landowners in the Balkans.
In addition to military landowners and noble estates, commercial landowners were also a type of landowner. They became rich through business and other means, and then purchased land and became landlords. Landowners who produce cash crops for market transactions are also key targets for government cooperation.
Within the empire, regardless of the upper-class nobles or citizen soldiers, as long as you are the owner of land, you must pay taxes. Royal land also pays taxes, but there are different levels of tax reductions based on status. The tenant farmers not only had to pay rent to the landlord, but also paid taxes to the country. Even so, the farmers were grateful to the emperor. Such benevolent government had not been seen for a long time.
The grievances of the nobles are also very small. Except for some old boyars who follow Mircea, most of the other nobles are military nobles who have been promoted following various wars and ordinary nobles who cannot make a difference. Those who want to cause trouble have been purged by Mircea. Apart from being able to obtain some economic privileges, they can't even think about anything else. If you want to launch a military coup, the mid-level officers must first deliver the lie to the emperor, so that they can get credit in exchange for it.