eastern european eagle

Chapter 142 Reforming the Region and the Army

The war was over, so it was natural to take a good rest, but Peter couldn't rest. He received a letter from Constantine, which described a series of problems encountered by the new army in the battle, which made Peter realize that even with the arquebus and The Spanish phalanx, the army is not 100% successful in defense, especially the musket formation, the time for three shots is simply not enough.

Peter also knew that the arquebus had a lot of shooting movements, but it was already the best firearm in this era, otherwise, it could be changed to nine-stage shooting.

However, the power of the artillery is good.Whether it is a bronze cannon or a cast iron cannon, it can exert its due power, especially the cast iron cannon, which fires faster than the bronze cannon, and does not soften after a few shots like the bronze cannon.

The advantages of cast iron guns are already obvious, the only problem that needs to be overcome is the bombing problem.Part of the explosive chamber is fired too frequently, and part of it is because the materials are not up to standard. Both of these are easy to solve. After all, Wallachia is also at the forefront of iron smelting technology.

The ironworks Peter built at Constanta and Sofia were capable of producing 40 Roman pounds of pig and cast iron a year.These things are enough for artillery manufacturing. If the raw materials are not restricted, the output will be higher. (1 Roman pound = 328 grams)
Artillery is important, but so is ammunition.All current shells are non-explosive and rely on momentum to damage or destroy individual targets.Explosive shells appeared, but their performance was poor.The Venetians used this shell at Jadra in 1376.The use of such detonating cord shells is extremely risky for the gunner: First, the copper or iron shell case is loaded with explosives, then the fuse is installed, ignited, and then carefully placed in the barrel .As a result, many barrels exploded, killing the gunner instantly.

Most of the shells currently in use are stone shells, and a small part are made of other materials. As for the gunpowder shells, there is no such thing.Who would risk their lives to light the fuse?

Peter decided to fill up the artillery technology of the technology tree. Osman also relied on powerful artillery to kill the opposing army in the early stage.For this reason, Peter decided to expand the research and manufacture of firearms, and this expansion will inevitably lead to the expansion of the industrial chain, which is also good for the economy.

Mircea also took an interest in firearms, which were used to great effect in the battle against the Ottomans.He still wants to add more artillery.

After that, it's time for farming, and as the territory increases, new administrative planning begins.The original province was no longer suitable, so Peter decided to adopt the provincial system.Note that the provincial system is adopted in places directly under the central government, and it does not conflict with the county-state parallel system.

Decentralization and centralization are contradictions, and how to deal with them is a headache for all countries.When the centralization of power is excessive, the local administrative enthusiasm will be reduced, and the administrative efficiency will be greatly reduced.At the same time, the number of local officials will increase substantially, and the local bureaucracy will be complicated, which will increase the financial burden on the state.Excessive centralization of power will also lead to a decline in the local ability to deal with foreign aggression, making it difficult to resist the intrusion of surrounding ethnic groups.The Northern Song Dynasty is an example of excessive centralization.At the end of the dynasty, in order to suppress peasant uprisings, the imperial court would decentralize power to the local governments, but it also made the local separatist forces stronger, leading to the collapse of the country. This is how the Eastern Han and Tang dynasties fell apart.

Therefore, how to improve administrative efficiency under the condition of guaranteeing centralization has become a thorny issue.However, the Kingdom of Jin from the Northeast provided a new way of thinking.At the beginning of the Jin Dynasty's destruction of the Northern Song Dynasty, the Xingtai Shangshu Province was set up in Yanjing as a branch of the Shangshu Province.The Xingtai Shangshu Province was sent by the Shangshu Province, and had greater military and political autonomy in the local area, which was conducive to Jin's control of the Central Plains.After King Hailing moved his capital to Yanjing, Xingtai Shangshu Province was abolished, but this model has been handed down.It was formally established during the Yuan Dynasty.

The provinces often hold the local administrative, military, financial and other powers, and have strong autonomy, adapting to the needs of the expansion of the Yuan Dynasty.Compared with the roads in the Song Dynasty, the jurisdiction of the provinces is very large, the power is also increased, and the administrative enthusiasm is enhanced.At the same time, the provinces are dispatched agencies of the central government, and their main officials are from the central government rather than selected from the local government.Therefore, the power of the province comes from the center, and he is controlled by the highest administrative agency of the center.From this point of view, the provincial system solves the contradiction between centralization and efficiency.

The provincial system guarantees the centralization of power, improves the efficiency of local administration, and helps prevent local separatism. However, the system is still improving, but overall it is still dominated by centralization.

Local reform is a long process, and the territory of Wallachia is no bigger than that of the Yuan Dynasty, so everything should be done slowly.It can be said that the best way is to transform through the local planning of the Roman Empire.

The original province is changed to a county, and the above is a province.Aside from the newly added territory, this administrative plan divides the original land into 10 provinces and a governor's district, and all officials are appointed by the central government. If it is not suitable, reform will be carried out.After all, he has plenty of time.

Reforms have never been smooth sailing. Although Peter's reforms in the past few years have had remarkable effects, the side effects are also somewhat obvious.For example, land rent in money and land in kind has damaged the interests of some landlords, and the burden on farmers has increased.Some sporadic resistance occurred from time to time.

However, the benefits of the reform outweigh the disadvantages.In just five years, the whole of Wallachia has taken on a new look, the power of the people has been fully mobilized, and the establishment of a national institution can let the ruler know how much money he has and how many troops he has recruited.This is the benefit of centralization.

In terms of diplomacy, there are a few more envoys this time, Bohemia, Brandenburg, Teutonic Knights, Denmark, Burgundy, and even England, France, Aragon, Castile , Florence and other countries, it can be said that the popularity of Wallachia has increased again.

Wallachia attaches great importance to the relationship between neighboring countries and major trading countries, and the others are just a formality, but apart from these, maintaining a good relationship with the Grand Duchy of Moscow is also Wallachia's foreign policy.Moscow wants access to the sea, and Wallachia wants Ukraine. These are all related to Lithuania. Whether it is territory or religion, they have a common enemy.

Merchants from other countries fell in love with this place, because it is not only a necessary place on the northern Silk Road, but also has a large number of products that can be traded.Silk, spices, wine, beeswax, etc. can all be found here, although some goods are not as good as in Egypt, but there are.

Wallachia supported the merchant groups in its own country, worked hard to protect its own economy and income, and raised some tariffs, which made other countries, especially Venice, very angry. Why should they pay more taxes? One day they will Will open the gates of Wallachia as completely as the Fourth Crusade.

(End of this chapter)