Chapter 468
There is probably no other country in Europe that has so many officials, and they all have tenure and are paid. And being loyal to the emperor, this class is very beneficial to the empire.
After the emperor set a date, he began to make arrangements for the itinerary and also ordered the army to mobilize in Dalmatia Province to prepare for an attack at any time. This is the first time in thousands of years that such a large-scale military movement has occurred.
The noble armies of Castile and Aragon have begun to gather on Sardinia. Most of them are the second sons and other sons of the nobles, in order to earn them fiefs and titles. The city of Rome also kept an eye on Aragon's movements, and its army was always on standby to avoid sudden attacks.
During the army recruitment, muskets and artillery were also constantly transported. To Rome and Constantinople alone, 70 artillery pieces, 2,000 muskets, and 500 barrels of gunpowder were transported.
Firearms have become a major weapon in Roman confrontations. Bullets fired from muskets can penetrate knights' armor without mercy. Artillery can also destroy their manors and castles. In addition, with the Indian saltpeter trade and local saltpeter fields, the price of saltpeter, an important raw material for gunpowder, has plummeted, and more gunpowder can be produced to supply the front line.
Other countries are more or less aware of the importance of firearms. Genoa was originally a leader in firearms research and development, but since its old rival Venice was destroyed, their interest in firearms research and development has disappeared. Iberia is still immersed in the glory of knights. Although France and England are aware of this, they are also developing slowly, and the fastest Burgundy is not as big as Rome. The Genoa fire portal gun was still used.
Roman musketeers generally train for one month before leaving the army, but they have a test every month, and those who decline for three consecutive months will be transferred to the logistics.
At the same time, the amount of gunpowder they receive every month is also limited, and the amount of gunpowder they receive is less once they train. It is impossible for them to buy it from outside. Once they find out, they will be kicked out directly. This urges them to strive for excellence in shooting technology. Each musketeer can achieve a hit rate of more than 90% within the effective shooting range.
The Constantinople Arsenal was the largest arsenal in Rome, responsible for the production of various muskets and artillery. It also had an institution specializing in the research and development of firearms, with an annual budget of 40,000 lei. As long as you have any research and development breakthroughs, you can have a noble title and manor.
An empire with a developed economy, political stability, and large military needs is the country that uses the most gunpowder. Whether it is the charge of Western European knights or the attack of nomadic tribes, firearms can subdue them. The emperor attached so much importance to firearms that he naturally also attached great importance to the changes they brought about in other aspects, including reintegrating original soldiers into social management and getting rid of a series of problems caused by aristocratic recruitment and mercenaries.
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Wladyslaw and Vytautas naturally would not sit still in the face of Rome's actions. They were frightened by this behemoth in the south. At the same time, they also discovered that the Bartland family's tentacles had extended to Moscow and Shinra, and even had contacts with Mazovia.
All this frightened them, and Wladyslaw ordered the soldiers to attack several principalities in Mazovia before they were dispersed, and captured the nobles and sent them to Vilnius for imprisonment. These also became demesne of the King of Poland.
At this time, the two brothers were discussing things in Krakow. They had no retreat from Constantinople's aggressive posture.
"Now the nobles of Vilnius have gone to Samogitia. They turn a blind eye to the threats from the east and the south. They only see their little world."
Vytautas said viciously that these nobles raised their prices when the war came, and the power they had finally concentrated was just divided up. How can you not hate this.
Not only that, the Cossacks in the south also harassed the Lithuanian border from time to time. The biggest one even reached the gates of Kiev. If the other party hadn't just looted, they would have been gone long ago.
Moreover, the Cossacks were followers of Rome. Not only did they obey the orders of Constantinople, but they also allowed them to build two castles on Cossack land, one was called Mircea Castle, and the other was called Kharkov. Where did the name come from? It's not nice at all.
"We are now surrounded on three sides, and we must find a way to break through."
"That's what I say, but where to choose?"
This is really difficult. Whichever you choose, you may be attacked by the other side. But after much thought, I decided to focus on Moscow.
First of all, it is because Moscow is relatively weak, and it is located in the east, and its economic strength is also weak. It only needs to solve Novgrod.
The second is that there are also a group of pro-Polish and Lithuanian nobles in Moscow. Vasily I has no heirs yet. As long as they support his younger brother to become a grand duke, they will have nothing to worry about. When the time comes, they can concentrate their troops to attack Berlin westward, leaving Rome alone. .
"Well said, we defeated the Teutons, then Rome will come next. God will bless us."
Wladyslaw considered moving the capital from Kraków to Warsaw in order to permanently rule the newly conquered lands. Krakow was too close to the border to rule the country. Warsaw was located inland and had rivers such as the Vistula, making it a suitable fortress.
Wladyslaw also did this to expand the strength of the royal family. The previous decentralization of privileges gave the nobles control of a large amount of the economy and population. If they wanted to get it back, they had to make themselves stronger.
Although they don't want to admit it, there is still something worth learning from them in growing a small Wallachia into a large empire. However, they cannot use the examinations and selections here, and they dare not use it if the nobility's tax-free privileges are cancelled. If you use them, they won't have to be kings tomorrow.
They could only try to make changes from other places. Rome used a lot of firearms, and Wladyslaw organized a 150-man firearms force. The power was good, but the financial resources could not keep up.
Poland is mainly agricultural, trade is represented by the Hanseatic League, and urban industry and commerce are not very developed. Because they found that exporting grain was very profitable, the nobles clung to their serfs and manors, which was very detrimental to Poland's development. At the same time, restrictions on urban industry and commerce have also dimmed the future of this future star.
What Wladyslaw could do was try to imitate some of the conditions in Rome and make changes. They used muskets and artillery, and he also used them. They set up a standing army, and then he also set up a praetorian guard to obey his orders. But again because of wallet issues, all scales are very small. Moreover, the officers were also selected from the nobles. They still maintained the past practice and scorned the king's new army, thinking that it was just a vase that would break when touched.