Chapter 388 Family members in action
After the meeting, it was time to spend time with Mary. Fool the nobles with a secret marriage so that Peter doesn't have to show his face in front of them.
Borrowing a false identity to bind Hungary to Rome to ensure that Rome's influence penetrates into Central Europe was also one of Peter's strategies. And he recently got some news from Brandenburg. The elector had all more than a dozen landowners thrown into prison for intending to rebel.
It seems that the younger brother of the elector has begun to show his decisive side. After all, he is the father of the future vampire archduke. How can I do it if I don't have some ability?
The land issue in Hungary has been temporarily resolved, the nobles have suppressed it, and everything is moving in the right direction. Even Peter's fiefdom in Hungary made a lot of money. Local mineral development has also been helped, and production has gradually increased.
The alliance led by Rome ushered in a period of peace, with frequent trade exchanges between the Balkans and Central and Eastern Europe, rapid population growth, and gradually catching up with Western Europe. Eastern Europe lost hundreds of years due to various wars, but now they will quickly catch up and lead the world.
Mihai's letter has reached Constantinople. Looking at the letter from his second son, Mircea felt that the children had grown up and were going out to make contributions. It was approved very happily, and then the administrative planning was carried out again.
The empire currently owns the three provinces of Crimea, Azov, and Rostov in the north, as well as Michael's fiefdom. After Michael leaves, this place will be divided into two provinces, Donetsk and Lugansk, both named after the local areas. named after its largest city. The potential here seems to be great, and it will definitely become a sacred place.
Now the only one who is still with Mircea is Stefan. This younger son caught up with the best of times and had the best education and life as a child, so much so that he didn't know how to arrange his future.
In Mircea's view, if Stefan likes academic culture and so on, there is no need to worry about brotherly feuding, but he has shown enough interest in Justinian's conquests, and it seems that he still likes to make achievements.
If annexation is not considered, the Baghdad area is a good choice. It is a neighboring country and can be attached to the empire, but the key depends on Stefan's attitude.
"Teacher, Emperor Justinian recovered so much land, but why did he lose most of it and Egypt less than a hundred years after his death?"
Stefan asked his teacher. He didn't understand why even Egypt was occupied by other countries. This was a place where the empire had ruled for a long time. How can it be easily occupied.
"Your Highness, this has to be seen from many aspects. At that time, the war between the empire and the Persians had brought the country's finances to collapse, and the Arabs took advantage of this opportunity to rise up and conquer large areas of land. Even Ilanshahr Destroyed by the Arabs, the empire was extremely lucky to have withstood this conquest.”
"In addition, the barbarians in the north and the heretics in the west all launched attacks on the empire. How could the national power at that time support the empire to attack on all sides? So even though Emperor Heraclius tried to turn the tide, he could only gradually give up some land under the influence of weak national power. , including Egypt.”
Stefan listened to the teacher's explanation of the war between the empire and the Arabs thousands of years ago. In this war, the Persian Empire was destroyed and the power of Rome was greatly damaged. The subsequent Macedonian Dynasty and the Komnenos Dynasty were just short-lived. If you want to truly let the empire be passed down for generations. To continue, a stable society, healthy finances, and a strong military are indispensable.
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Stefan also admires his eldest brother Peter like the other brothers. How can it not be said that such a perfect ruler is a blessing to the family?
So he has no interest in European lands, but is very interested in the huge and mysterious eastern lands. When the merchant ships from the East came here, Stefan was shocked in his heart. So many luxury goods and such big ships came from the East. If you can expand your territory in the East, you will definitely earn credit for your family.
"Teacher, is there a lot of gold in the East?"
Stefan suddenly raised this question, and the teacher also had a certain understanding of overseas countries and said.
"There is indeed gold in the East, but there are also dangers. The resistance of barbarians, unknown animals, and weather that appears at any time are all risks. Your Highness is still young now, and you can go to the East when you grow up."
There are still certain dangers on the eastern route, and members of the royal family cannot be allowed to take risks. So let’s wait a few years before talking.
The dividends the empire has gained from expansion have not been exhausted yet. The Roman Empire can definitely start the next war. However, the battles in other countries are more interesting at present, and its own hatred value cannot be too high, otherwise it will be besieged by groups.
Stefan is very interested. He wants to gain unprecedented honors in the East. Therefore, he was particularly keen on maps and navigation. He also compiled a set of nautical charts for the East India Company. In his understanding, the Roman Empire was a very large country, but in the nautical charts it was only a small part of it. part. Such a huge world is suitable for adventurers, and becoming a ruler can leave one's own mark in the history books.
And the Eastern Governor is recruiting people to explore the south. If it weren't for his identity, Stefan would also want to participate.
"Teacher, can our country now restore the territory it had during the time of Emperor Constantine?"
When Stefan asked this question, the teacher was also a little stunned. Yes, the empire is now prospering, can it still return to the territory it had in its heyday?
Don’t forget that the territory of the Macedonian dynasty was not much different than it is now, but most of it was not lost within a hundred years. Moreover, the throne succession of the Roman Empire was very unstable, and no dynasty could last more than 200 years. On the one hand, this is because the emperor has few heirs, and on the other hand, there are frequent military coups such as the Guards. Without a stable government, it is unlikely that anything else will go ahead.
"Your Highness, this problem will take time to prove. But as long as the empire is stable for a long time, it will be able to continue to expand and develop."
"The territory ruled by the previous emperors was greatly reduced, and in the end there was only one city and a small amount of Greek land. Now it has grown into a huge country stretching from Dalmatia in the west to Van in the east. Time will tell everything, so now we need to wait .”
The teacher could only answer Stefan in this ambiguous way, but the specific situation required detailed analysis. The territorial expansion in a short period of time made the empire very large, but local political institutions needed to be re-established, and the implementation of various policies also took time. So instead of thinking about how to restore the maximum territory, it’s better to farm first. Time will prove everything.