Chapter 633 Resolution
News of what happened in Naples reached Constantinople, which caught the government off guard. Now that the emperor has not returned, all issues can only be decided by the crown prince.
Alexander held a cabinet meeting to discuss the next situation. If they let it go, they risked losing Naples as an ally.
"The Queen of Naples may not be able to suppress the nobles in the country, especially Sicily and Sardinia. They should ask for help from our country."
Batista told the current situation that there is no problem in the succession of the heir. At the moment, France is busy fighting Britain, Shinra is busy fighting Bohemia, and Castile will take over Andalusia when it wants to. return. Then, there is only one country left that will take action against Naples, Aragon.
"Aragon has been quiet in recent years, but their cultivated land and population have increased a lot. Barcelona has also developed rapidly."
Ferdinand was quite powerful. When Western European monarchs were full of mediocrity, he was able to bring back Aragon, who was in danger, and rebuilt a navy.
"Prime Minister, today's meeting is not to praise him. Aragon will probably incite rebellion in Sicily, and we must help Naples."
Alexander stopped Batista from speaking. There was no time to praise him now. "Our country must send troops, and we must send troops quickly."
"But Your Highness, entering without Naples' permission will cause trouble."
This is also the most important point. They did not negotiate with Naples. The ambassador of Naples was not sure what was going on in the country. Unless permission could be obtained, the entry of troops into their territory would be considered an invasion.
"That can't be left alone. We can send troops from Rome. At the same time, the navy in Gibraltar also comes to Rome to deter Aragon."
Mason on the side also wanted to speak. Although it was a bit inappropriate to join the diplomatic conference as finance minister, who made him the first deputy prime minister?
"Your Highness, we really need to ensure the safety of Naples. Naples is an important transit supply station on the sea from Constantinople to Spain. Once there are changes, it will have an unimaginable impact on our route."
What Mason said was true, but he did not mention another fact that his family had a large amount of assets in Naples. In order to cling to Constantinople, many businessmen and officials in Naples hooked up with the upstart Mason. They trade more or less to the Sara Island under Mason's name and the Eastern Route. Of course, these are legal, and Mason also pays taxes to the imperial government for these trades.
"What you say makes sense, but if Aragon doesn't take action, it will damage the relationship between the two countries."
"Master Prime Minister, Aragon will definitely take action. They have always wanted to restore their previous territory. Especially Sicily, this important island that produces wheat will allow them to expand their strength even more. And this will also become the basis for Aragon's success. The foundation of Iberia’s struggle for hegemony.”
Thanks to a father in Spain, Mason was able to get more information about Iberia. In addition to Spain, Castile, Portugal, and Aragon all competed for this land. Among them, Portugal withdrew early because its strength was too weak and turned to the blue land-ocean development. Castile, on the other hand, pays equal attention to land and sea, and competes for Barcelona while colonizing the outside world.
Because of Iberia's topography, most areas are suitable only for grazing and not for farming. Andalusia and Barcelona are the only two large plains that they can cultivate well and obtain a large amount of food. But now, neither of these places are under control. Castile can only make money by exporting wool, but even then it will face competition from England and Romania.
Really out of money, they decided to go to sea to find their fortune. Just as Romania went east to explore, they also wanted to go east, get more money, equip their army, and restore their former glory.
Castile's colonial process in recent years has been to follow Portugal, and they went wherever Portugal went. When Portugal went to Morocco, they went to Morocco; when Portugal went to West Africa, they went to West Africa.
But West Africa was a bit too desolate, and all they saw along the way were deserts. Except for one or two small fishing villages, in other cases there was not even a human figure.
They kept going south along the coast and finally discovered a country rich in gold. This country had unimaginable wealth, and all they needed to exchange for gold was some salt or other commodities.
This country is the Mali Empire. Southwest Africa is rich in gold and is known as the Gold Coast. The prosperous trade and strategic location allow the Mali Empire to control a large amount of gold. A single visit by the ruler caused the local gold to depreciate, which shows how much gold there is.
Despite the political system, there is no unified currency throughout the country, but currency forms vary from region to region. The Sahelian and Saharan towns of the Malian Empire were both transit points for long-distance caravan trade and trading centers for a variety of West African products. Gold bullion was the exclusive property of the monarch and was illegal to trade within his realm. All gold was immediately turned over to the treasury in exchange for gold dust of equal value.
What's the point of waiting for such a land to be conquered? Moreover, this country is falling into civil strife, and various places do not recognize each other. Doesn't this give them the opportunity to interfere?
Portugal and Castile decided to occupy the country and reached an agreement whereby the gold would be divided equally between the two countries.
They were going to send 2,000 people to conquer, yes, 2,000 people, and they couldn't afford any more money. Needless to say, Portugal, Castile's tax revenue dropped sharply after losing Andalusia, and it was impossible for the nobles to pay taxes, so the people had to suffer.
Romania didn't know the specific situation, and could only wish them back. At this time, Aragon, which had no motivation for overseas expansion, could only expand to the Mediterranean region, and Sicily was their target.
"Your Highness, this is not only to help Naples, but also to deter France and other countries, so that they know that the empire does not allow anyone to provoke."
Batista was also persuaded. He had been confined to diplomatic principles before, but when the bottom line of the empire was broken, other countries would rush to divide his huge body.
"Now we must let Aragon know who is the world in the Mediterranean now."
Alexander made a decision to let the troops stationed in Rome and Dalmatia go south, and at the same time let the Roman navy go to Naples. And send someone to explain the situation to the new king of Naples, believing that the other party would understand.