The Eagle of Eastern Europe

Chapter 383 Defensive Expansion

Zheng He stayed in Constantinople for two months, where he came into contact with a lot of new knowledge. There were more goods, books, paintings, and Peter also presented the Eastern Emperor with two sets of Western European knight armor, a small cannon, and other things on behalf of the Roman Empire.

As the fleet sets sail, this team carrying friendly exchanges between the two countries will go to the East to present gifts to the Eastern Emperor.

Mason also found time to get married, to the daughter of an East India Company director. Peter attended his wedding in person, and Mason's family also rushed over by boat after getting the news.

The couple were relieved to see their son return safely. And knowing that his son was already the governor of the East made him even more proud.

Of course, Mason also has to let his family participate in Eastern affairs, otherwise he would be so sorry.

"Your Highness, I owe a lot to my family. Now I want to make up for my parents. I hope your Highness will allow my family to participate in trade."

Peter would have loved it, but the journey from Egypt to India was entirely controlled by the East India Company. It is impossible for Mason not to know the benefits of this.

"If your family is willing to endure hardship, then one day's trade in East Asia can be left to you."

Thank God for Peter's reluctance now, because the East India Company only knew the route to East Asia. But I didn’t know that Mason had mastered two important trade lines. The trade from North Korea to Japan could be controlled by the family.

"I thank you, Your Highness."

Mason began to recruit for the formation of the expedition team, which will cost approximately 30,000 florins, including ships, crews, mercenaries, food, weapons, etc. According to the plan, when they are ready, they will move south and continue after arriving in Zanzibar. Heading southeast, the land is here.

The arrival of envoys from Eastern countries to the Roman Empire had spread throughout Europe. When the envoys left, many people planned to follow them. However, they were all blocked by ships from the Roman Empire, indicating that only imperial citizens were allowed to go to the East. This caused merchants from other countries to protest, believing that Rome wanted to monopolize Eastern trade and violated its principles.

King Joao of Portugal saw the unlimited potential of navigation. He wanted to expand, but there was no place. Most of the land belonged to Castile. Portugal was a small country with few people, so he could not go head-on.

Expansion on land is not feasible and the only option is to develop into the ocean. Coincidentally, Castile thought the same way, so they colonized the Canary Islands in order to find an eastern route that they could control.

As for the monopoly created by Rome, that is actually true. Rome did have a monopoly on East-West trade, but it did not squeeze Western merchants. Their taxes were the same as those of domestic merchants. It was clearly those merchants who raised prices at will, so don't put the blame on them.

This sale of imported goods directly caused deflation in Central Europe. A large amount of currency was sent to Rome, and the locals could only use copper coins or barter. It seems there is still little gold.

The empire's gold source mainly comes from overseas trade, and gold coins imported from other places will be melted and recast into domestic currency. The leu has become the common currency of the Mediterranean along with the florin.

In addition, gold nuggets from Abyssinia and Southern Sahara were also sources of Roman gold. The gold obtained by Egypt from trade in the southern region also flowed into Rome. Together with the gold mines in Transylvania, the Balkans and other regions, Rome's gold was already the largest among European countries.

All countries envied Rome's finances and national strength, and with these they could not achieve financial freedom. It is a pity that they are still under the feudal system and have not yet figured out the more advanced centralized power and official selection system. The financial and economic capabilities are here, and the glory of Charlemagne seems to be far away at present.

Peter obtained a large number of books from the Eastern fleet, and combined them with the libraries of his country, he ordered the encyclopedia to compile some of them. The top scholars in the entire empire have joined this large-scale cultural event. They want to revive Roman culture. Those traitors in Italy are not really reviving, at best they are wearing the skin of Roman culture.

----Dividing line----

To the north of Rome, Michael also fortified the city of Salai. The Golden Horde has prepared its army and is heading straight for him.

This is easy to understand. The city of Salai is located in the center of the Volga River and is close to the Don River. Business travelers traveling from south to north will pass through here. It is also the barrier of the capital. If you fail here, the opponent will come to New Salai City. (Astrakhan)

Various tribes also contributed troops, but news of the Ottoman army had also reached their ears. Therefore, I dare not stud, and giving half of it is already the most benevolent thing.

After Bulahan gave orders for a while, 22,000 people got it. This number is less than one-third of the previous number, but for the empire, which is currently in decline, it is already the largest number of troops it can produce.

But before setting off, Bulakhan received a declaration from the Grand Duke of Moscow. They no longer paid tribute to the Golden Horde, and thirty years after Donskoi first broke the yoke of the Golden Horde, Moscow roared once again.

Vasily understood the importance of military speed and speed, and ordered the army to advance quickly. Aim to arrive within a week.

The Volga River was covered with ships, and the lives of people around the entire river were affected. But as soon as they heard that they were going to fight against the Golden Horde, they all expressed their support.

Hurrying slowly, Bu Lahan's army finally arrived at Sarai City. At first, he wanted to imitate the tactics used by his ancestors to besiege Moscow, and deceive the city gates into opening by saying that as long as they opened the door, they would not suffer any harm. But the other party was not fooled. Instead, he wrote a letter to him, saying that as long as they retreated, they could keep the whole body.

This makes me so angry that I can no longer hold on to my face. Directly ordered the siege.

The Mongols were indeed good at learning, but they became increasingly conservative after gaining power. The siege skills that I was proud of before have been completely lost. If I hadn't brought a ladder with me, I might still have rushed in all at once.

However, the current situation is probably the only way to move forward. The Mongols are indeed good at cavalry, but there is still the Volga River in front of them. Mihai has ordered the destruction of the bridge in advance. If they want to cross, they can only build a bridge on the spot.

Just as the Mongolian soldiers were building the bridge, the artillery showed its power. A large number of artillery shells fell on the opponent's construction site, and many people fell into the river and drowned. Moreover, one of the cannonballs directly hit Bu Lahan's camp and killed three dancing girls. The sudden mutilation of flesh and blood fell in front of him, and he was going crazy without sweating.

How did he know that the other party had become so powerful? They were still weak two hundred years ago. It must be the fault of heretics.

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