eastern european eagle

Chapter 174 Heading East

On the right bank of the Dnieper River, a town stands here.This was established by the Cossack tribe and Wallachia for better trade, and at the same time controlled the estuary of the Dnieper River, its strategic position is very important.

Recently, a kind of wine called fire water became popular in the tribe.The strong taste and endless aftertaste have won unanimous praise from the Cossacks, and a large number of orders flooded to Wallachia. In order to expand trade, the tribe decided to build a town at the mouth of the Dnieper River for fixed transactions.This is indeed convenient for merchants, and trade gradually expands.

The gradual growth of the Cossacks has affected the interests of Lithuania and the local Tatar tribes, and the local nobles are preparing to exterminate these Cossacks.But the Cossacks are not easy to mess with. They fought with the Lithuanian army and the Tatars, and this is where they live today. Even if Vytautas leads the army himself, it will not change anything.

Of course, Peter also intends to buy some land in the Ross area.Even if the Grand Duke of Lithuania disagrees, there is still the Grand Council.

The Ukrainian region is the southern border region in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and is not taken seriously.Although the climate is warm there, most people are not willing to cultivate there because of the threat of the Tatars.Because, after you have reclaimed the land, the gang of robbers may come to rob you.

Because of this, the Ukrainian region has never recovered after the Mongolian conquest.After Lithuania conquered here, it only entrusted the nobility, and it was enough to pay some money every year.

Less than [-]% of the vast Ukrainian Great Plains can be developed. The vast grasslands and underground resources make Peter a little greedy. Lithuania does not cherish such a good land if it does not develop it.If only it could be given to him.

The current colonial activities in Crimea are progressing smoothly, with Veruga as the center, and the surrounding lands belong to Wallachia.The local iron mines and grasslands supply Wallachia's industry and cavalry, and the land near the mouth of the Dnieper River is also very fertile. If it can be managed well, it will be a cornucopia.

The local Tatar tribes are a hidden danger, although the Golden Horde has withdrawn from most of Ukraine, they have not left.They would also plunder the surroundings from time to time, and the Cossacks were forced out by them.There is still a long way to go before actual control is achieved.

The Wallachian envoy appeared at the Great Council in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, and he came to express friendship.

The members of the parliament are all of distinguished backgrounds. Which family has not taken root in Lithuania for dozens or even hundreds of years. Facing the upstart Wallachia, they naturally dismiss it.

The envoy expressed the friendly relationship between Wallachia and Lithuania, and proposed to jointly fight against the Ottomans and the Golden Horde, but these congressmen didn't care about it here. They just wanted to get back their own Samogitia and treat Russia The area sent troops.

Seeing that the persuasion was ineffective, the envoy also left Lithuania. Anyway, Wallachia was just testing their attitude.Since their eyes are still on the north, the south can also do something.

Wladyslaw and Vytautas fought in the early years. Although they have subsided now, the two are only at peace on the surface. Their common enemy Teutonic is sharpening their knives in order to retake Pomerania and Samogitia. , they unite for the time being, and they have no interest in Wallachia, so let them stare at Ottoman.

Wallachia colonized the East not only to expand its land, but also to find gold and spices.The Arabs invented many advanced methods of extracting essential oils from spices, which can be used to make medicine and treat diseases.They also used spices to refine elixirs and syrups, including herbal drinks. The knowledge about spices spread from Arabia to the whole of Western Europe. European pharmacists used cloves, pepper, nutmeg and dried nutmeg to make medicinal ingredients, and the drug trade was vigorously developed. .Although Europe was hungry for gold at that time (most of the gold was in the hands of Arabs), in the eyes of most Europeans, spices were more important than gold, and it became an important part of the European economy.Spices were vital to the European economy, and Europeans still depended on Arab traders for supplies because the European climate was not suitable for growing these exotic spices.

Under the traditional trade system, spices, brocades, diamonds, opium, pearls, and other goods from Asia would have taken a long time and costly to get to Europe, traveling by land and sea across China, via the Indian Ocean, the Middle East, and Persia Gulf, and finally to Europe.Usually European merchants will receive the goods in Italy or the south of France, and then arrive at their destination by overland.Along the way, the spice changed hands 12 times, sending its price soaring each time.It is undeniable that spices were the most profitable economic crops at that time.European hunger for spices fueled the rise of trade in the Italian city-states.City republics such as Venice, Genoa, and Florence seized business opportunities and acted as middlemen between Arabs and Europeans.They bought spices transshipped by Arabs from India and Southeast Asia from the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea and Alexandria, Egypt, and then sold them to European ports on the northern shore of the Mediterranean Sea or transported them across the Alps to the European inland, thus becoming a traditional east-west trade. The key link.

In Castile and Aragon, the common reason for people to venture out to sea is to find the Spice Islands and make a fortune, which may be the only reason they dare to take risks.If a sailor spends years of his life traveling to the Spice Islands and bringing back, legally or illegally, a small bag of spices like cloves and nutmeg, the money from selling the spices is not only enough to buy him a small house, but also to keep him safe. Live the rest of your life.The captain's wealth will far exceed that of ordinary sailors.The captain gains both fame and fortune, as well as hereditary titles and overseas territories.

Marco Polo's description of the East created a three-dimensional "Oriental Dream" for Europeans. The words "passionate sweat", "gold everywhere", "hundreds of cities", "luxurious palaces" outline the outline of dreams, when Europeans caress the smooth and delicate silk and exquisite silk that Arabs trafficked from China This dream becomes real again when you find the stunning ceramics.Generation after generation of Europeans have eulogized and shared the "Oriental Dream".Peter also understood that the Eastern Dream was real.

Peter also wants to join the great voyage, but the New World is impossible. The next best thing is the Indian subcontinent and East Asia should be possible, but the premise is that Anatolia and Iraq need to be taken, so that you can get Basra. The port makes it easier to trade to the east.

(End of this chapter)