Chapter 567: Inspection of Spain
Seville, the capital of Spanish Bania.
Theodore was being introduced by the local chief executive. As his future fief, Theodore began to understand the true situation of this land.
The population of Andalusia exceeded one million, and the Baetis River passed through Cordoba and Seville. The fertile land provided a lot of food. Although Portugal, Castile and Aragon were eyeing it, the mountains in the north could still maintain it.
"Your Highness, Castile and Aragon are now ready to unite against us. And this place is too far from Constantinople. Only by entering Madrid and Toledo can the safety of Spanish Bania be guaranteed."
Theodore still had no experience in such a situation, so he looked for help from John next to him.
John worked hard in Tuscany and stood loyally on the side of the emperor. With these, the Mason family received many rewards.
However, any family will decline or even perish one day. Didn't the big families before Florence all get executed by the emperor and him? In order to keep the family alive forever, he must find a powerful ally to marry, and the Roman royal family is his target.
The crown prince already has a marriage partner, so they set their sights on Theodore. And he is also the future king of Iberia, such an identity is worth many people fighting for.
When Theodore was inspecting Iberia, John volunteered to become an assistant to the prince, and Peter agreed. Let him resign from Tuscany and concentrate on following Theodore.
At this time, the little prince needed help, and John also saw Theodore's eyes for help and said.
"Iberia needs to recover after experiencing pagans. The combined pressure of Castile and Aragon in the north is very high. At present, it can only take a defensive position."
The land in the Andalusia region is fertile, but the Almoravid dynasty here has been defeated by the north repeatedly, because its focus is on Morocco in the south, and the north has not invested too much power, and the reinforcements are not timely, which is why it is gradually lost.
"We can gradually accumulate strength by relying on our current position and the agriculture here. Although Castile looks strong, in fact, they are already torn apart internally.
Their fighting is the most intense. We only need to wait for the opportunity to go north and catch them all."
John's words temporarily reassured Theodore. He, the future king of Iberia, was under a lot of pressure. If he could get John to come to Seville, he would be much more relaxed.
Compared to land and titles, Theodore still likes sailing. Since the Vikings can find the land of Vinland, he can also find new land. According to the data summary, new land can be found by leaving Gibraltar and going west, but no one knows how long it will take. Fifty days, seventy days, or a hundred days are all possible.
But if he is in Seville, he will be a little unfree. Anyway, it is impossible to sail in person. Should we set up a navigation academy?
John also began to buy industries from Spain to take root. Some of these noble fiefs were distributed to farmers, and some were purchased by merchant nobles. John bought land near Seville and several wool workshops in the city. The sea is still the place of wealth for their family.
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Castile's economy deteriorated further after losing Andalusia. Although most areas are suitable for raising sheep, you can't just eat mutton, and wool can't be eaten. Fortunately, Aragon's food solved some problems.
At this time, King Juan was 12 years old, Queen Mother Catherine was already terminally ill, and the nobles were also scheming against each other. The church, nobles, and citizens were fighting for power and profit. Unknown difficulties were waiting for him.
The situation in Aragon was not much better. The loss of Sardinia made them lose a barrier. The ships of the Roman Navy often appeared on the sea, which made the new King Alfonso V feel sad.
He was going to rebuild the navy. If there was no money, he would squeeze the pockets of the Jews (threatening to force them to be baptized as Christians if they did not pay taxes), and he also implemented heavy taxes and strict collection, but these were all squeezed from the rich, and the common people loved him.
At the same time, Alfonso also actively negotiated with Genoa and other countries to expand local trade. Finally, the national strength has been restored, and now it needs to continue to recuperate. As far as he knows, the Duke of Burgundy is forming a new round of anti-Roman alliance.
From the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean, Roman merchant ships crisscross the sea. Western European countries were horrified to find that they had been surrounded by Rome and its allies, and all important places were basically occupied by Roman forces. They must break out.
In fact, except for the Oresund Strait in the Baltic Sea, other places were more or less influenced by Rome. Rome influenced the local area through trade goods every year. If you want to break out, you must risk bypassing the turbulent Scotland, but after bypassing it, you have to risk passing through Ireland. This route is not only long, but also dangerous. Therefore, they will not choose this route unless they have to.
Since the open sea is not possible, the inland rivers must be controlled. The Loire River, the Rhine River, the Elbe River, the Vistula River and other rivers are still under their control, as is the upper reaches of the Danube.
After being severely damaged, John reorganized the army again, began to pay attention to the development of artillery and muskets, and let his 20-year-old son Philip enter the army for training. An agreement was reached with the Duke of Orleans before, and the two sides ceased fighting. Burgundy obtained some land in France, and John was also committed to connecting the land in the north and south. Now it is almost done.
Compared with the first anti-Roman alliance, the second alliance is not only against Romania, but also against Brandenburg, England, Russia and Hungary. Even the church joined in. Pope Martin V issued an edict proposing to retake the holy city of Rome, so the diocese also joined the alliance and added strength to them.
John's plan is also very simple. Since Rome is strong, he will start with the weak. Burgundy attacks Brandenburg, Austria attacks Hungary, Orleans attacks England, Poland and Lithuania attack Russia. If they are launched at the same time, Rome will definitely not be able to take care of it. Then let the Arab cavalry harass the border, and Rome will be exhausted in less than half a year. Then he will lead the army to a decisive battle with the other side, and he will definitely succeed.
As for the subsequent division of the spoils, that was their business. Burgundy only needed to get Sigismund to agree to its previous conditions.