eastern european eagle

Chapter 183 Colonial Experiment

Taxes in Wallachia are much lower compared to other countries, but still more for farmers, because a fixed annual tax replaces a large number of temporary taxes.Each peasant pays 80 barneys, citizens pay 1 lei and 20 barneys, and nobles pay taxes in a fixed proportion according to their income and output.

In addition to these taxes, there are salt monopoly, mineral tax, beekeeping tax, hotel tax, customs duties, etc., which together constitute the tax system of Wallachia.

And Peter also pays taxes to the government every year. His income is composed as follows: 33 gold coins from the annual salt trade, 17 ducats from the Hanseatic League’s buyout of maltose, 100 gold coins from the Chamber of Commerce and Ross Company’s dividends, and the bank It will also earn a lot of handling fees and interest, plus the income of the Dobroga fief.Calculated, Peter's small treasury has more than [-] million gold coins in recent years.

This kind of income has surpassed that of any other country, and even Mircea has to admit that Peter's earning power is unrivaled in Europe.Moreover, after obtaining access to the Mediterranean Sea, Peter non-stop organized the South China Sea Chamber of Commerce by several Jews and Vlachs, and was responsible for competing for trade volume with Italian city-states such as Venice and Genoa.

In addition to this, they have another mission, which is to explore North Africa and Iberia, preferably to establish a permanent settlement.

That's right, although Peter was not interested in the New World on the surface, in fact he still wanted a share of the pie in his heart.Who made the New World so rich in resources, even if you spend ten lifetimes, you won't be able to use them up.So after gaining access to the Adriatic Sea, Peter sent a team of chambers of commerce and religious orders to head west.

They used Sicily as a springboard to Tunisia.The city destroyed by Rome prospered again because of its geographical location. After inspection, it is suitable for establishing a permanent settlement, but the local religious situation may not be so optimistic.

Continuing westward, they came to Sardinia and Algiers, and finally reached the furthest place they thought-the port of Ceuta.

Since the reign of the Carthaginians in the fifth century BC, Ceuta's geographical location has made it an important town on the commercial road and a military location.But after the Roman Empire captured Ceuta in AD 42, the impoverished city had only a military role.About 400 years later, the Vandals drove out the Romans, and then the Visigoths in Spain and the Eastern Roman Empire successively occupied this place.

In 710, a Muslim army approached Ceuta, but under the persuasion of Julian, the ruler of the Visigoth kingdom of Ceuta, the army turned to attack Spain.Therefore, Ceuta became the base for the Berber army to attack the Iberian Peninsula.

After 1249, Ceuta was in a state of instability.It was then occupied by the Marin Dynasty, and then became the most important port city in North Africa, and it was also the base of Muslim pirates.

The team arrived here. After investigation, one end of the place is connected to the gold mines and salt mines in the south of the Sahara, and the other end has extensive connections with Egypt, Mecca and other places.It is a rare and good place, and they learned from the local businessmen that there is an ancient and busy commercial road that can pass through the Sahara Desert, and after 20 days, they can reach the "green country" with lush forests and fertile land. From there African pepper, gold, ivory can be obtained.So it was decided to colonize here.

Peter approved them a budget of 12 gold coins, and they established commercial stations in Sicily, Tunisia, and Sardinia. In Ceuta, they finally spent 35 gold coins to persuade the local administrator to grant them [-] gold coins. Acres of land for doing business.This was the beginning of Wallachia in North Africa.

For Wallachia's immature shipbuilding industry, Peter tried every means to support it.The newly established shipyard was tax-free for five years, and the high price attracted shipbuilders from various countries. He founded a nautical academy in Varna to train sailors from his country to improve their navigation skills; he set up an observatory to attract geoscientists, cartographers, Mathematicians and astronomers worked together to formulate plans and plans; widely collected geography, meteorology, trade winds, ocean currents, shipbuilding, navigation and other documents and materials to analyze and organize for their own use; established a travel library, among which was "Marco "Polo's Travels", also collected a lot of maps, and draw new maps.

In addition, Peter also paid for mathematicians and craftsmen to improve and make new navigation instruments.For example, the compass, quadrant, and horizontal scale introduced from the east.As a land-sea complex country, Wallachia's current bulk is still on land, and the navy, shipbuilding industry, and colonization are all supported by Peter.

In order to support the communities and colonies that were being extended overseas by the Church and the Chamber of Commerce, Peter had to find new sources of income.He encouraged the industrial development of the colonies, reduced and exempted taxes for three years, including the development of industries such as textiles, printing and dyeing, and fishing, and actively developed the tenant farming system to reduce the cost of colonization.

In addition to the New World, Peter also knew that there was a trans-Sahara trade, and a large amount of gold was transported from here to Egypt and then to Europe.He doesn't know if he can participate in this trade route that has lasted for hundreds of years. Before the discovery of the New World, a large amount of gold was shipped here to Europe.

In addition, every place where a business station goes, a bank will be opened. This is because countries with strong finances will colonize faster and more. Why the colonies of the German Empire with a strong industry cannot compete with France is because its financial strength is worse than that of the other side. Also got the title of usury imperialism.

Banks in Wallachia are mainly managed by Jews and some Wallachians. With their help, the Bank of Wallachia has accumulated a lot of wealth. Most of their loans are given to businessmen, so don’t worry about not paying back , unless Peter approves, no loan will be given to a certain monarch.

Among Sicily, Anatolia, and Rus, Wallachia expanded most rapidly.Expansion with government support is easiest, and the population is also moving to Wallachia, who makes the quality of life here better than other places.A steady stream of population is the basis for the growth of a country's strength.

Looking at it now, Peter and Wallachia spent a lot of money to encourage expansion, which is somewhat beyond their means, but the combination of the abbey and the chamber of commerce for colonization can make Wallachia's control stronger.Instead of expanding colonies, they expanded territory.Even the colonization funded by Peter will be under the direct control of the province after he succeeds to the throne.He has to keep the colonies afloat so he can squeeze out more money to spend on the army and other things.

(End of this chapter)