eastern european eagle

Chapter 198
The transformation of nomads is a long process. Under Peter’s policy, some pastures were returned to farming, farmers were protected, and water conservancy facilities were also built. He set up agricultural officials in various places to supervise local agricultural production.

In business, Peter abolished some exorbitant taxes and exempted them for two years.He began to repair roads and city walls, revived dilapidated cities such as Kizikus, and began to check household registration. These tasks were not something he could do alone. A group of officials came to Anatolia from the Balkans and initially established a administrative system.

Mircea returned to Bukuriesti, where he was adored and cheered by the people.Wallachia had never been so beautiful.

And in the capital, there are still some people waiting to meet the grand duke who brought victory.They were from Constantinople, and were noblemen in the capital and surrounding places.

As I said before, the Roman Empire was divided into three parts.The pro-Ottoman faction, the pro-Western European faction and the Orthodox faction, the pro-Ottoman faction lost the market after Timur’s Western Expedition, the pro-Western European faction and the Orthodox Church were evenly divided, and the rise of Wallachia gave the Orthodox Church hope, so they sent aristocratic representatives Go to negotiate with Mircea.

Because the Western Europeans still have great power in the Balkans, Greece, and some islands in the Aegean Sea, many people in the Roman Empire are indeed most worried about the comeback of the Latin Empire.They regarded the restoration of the Latin Empire as more dangerous than a Turkic invasion.And Wallachia, belonging to the same religion, is undoubtedly the best hope.

At the same time, they also received the support of the Orthodox Church.The convening of the Ecumenical Council proved Wallachia's loyalty to the Orthodox Church, so the patriarch also sent a bishop as a deputy envoy to discuss Mircea's entry into the King's Castle.

Mircea received them, and he also knew that if he wanted to enter Constantinople, he must have a good relationship with them, especially the recognition of the Patriarch.Moreover, most of the nobles of the Orthodox Church belong to the small and medium nobles, which is very important for breaking the influence of the great nobles of King Castle.

In addition to this matter, Mircea's family affairs also fluctuated.Lady Maria had a big fight with the Grand Duke because the Grand Duke transferred Peter to Anatolia as governor without consulting her.If you are unfamiliar with the place, what should you do if something happens?
But Mircea will not be worried, Peter has completed his transformation through years of experience.For Anatolia, it was just a new test.

But Maria didn't think so much. In her opinion, Anatolia was a land full of heretics and dangers. Wouldn't it be bad luck for her son to go here?

The two have different ideas and can only fight coldly.Mary went to church to pray every day, hoping that her son would return safely, and the Grand Duke was in the capital to provide support for Peter's actions in Anatolia.

In order to take root in Anatolia, Peter took out one-third of his private money, which was barely enough.The income from the commercial tax has to wait for a few months, but the expenses of these days have to be figured out.

In addition, all kinds of construction and military expansion cost money, although assistance has been requested from the capital.But it takes time to transfer, and Peter needs to realize it immediately.

"Good news, Your Highness."

Peter was worrying in his office when suddenly one of his officials came in with good news.

"What, you found a gold mine?"

"Your Highness, it's better than a gold mine. Look at what this is."

The official opened the cloth bag in his hand, and inside were several transparent solids, as crystal clear as crystal agate.

"Have you found the crystal mine?"

Peter asked, the official shook his head and said with a smile. "Your Highness, this is alum. We found a particularly large alum mine with a lot of content in it."

Peter was a little disappointed when he heard that he was an alum. This is not gold and silver, so how to cash it out.But his wife Sophia, who was delivering food to him, heard that there was an alum, and quickly asked if it was true.

The officer looked distressed, but Peter said not to worry, it was his wife.The official immediately changed his expression and quickly ensured that it was true.

"Oh, my husband, a huge fortune is in front of your eyes, and you don't even know it."

Peter was baffled by these words. Only after Sophia's introduction did he realize that the thing in front of him had such a great effect.

Since the 14th and 15th centuries, alum has been widely used in glass manufacturing, tanning and textile industries in Europe, as a purifying agent for removing grease and impurities from wool, or as a mordant for fixing dyes on fabrics.Before the emergence of synthetic chemical raw material substitutes in later generations, alum was an industrial raw material that was in short supply.

The finest quality potassium alum stone is found near the town of Kalaisar in Asia Minor, not far from Trabzon, but the production is very small, so this commodity is very rare.The apparently richest deposits of alum are found at Phocia on the coast of Asia Minor, next to Smyrna.The quality of this alum is sub-optimal.

From 1275, the alum mines of Phocia were under the control of the Genoese until they were driven out by the Turks.All other kinds of alum, whether from the Barbary coast or elsewhere, were of inferior quality, and their use was often prohibited by guild statutes.

Now in the area controlled by Wallachia, the discovery of such a large alum mine means that a steady stream of wealth is coming.The more Sophia talked, the happier Peter was.

"In that case, what are you waiting for?"

Peter sent people to protect the place, and the Chamber of Commerce took over. At the same time, the news of the discovery of the alum mine was released. After hearing this, some wealthy businessmen came to buy it non-stop.

The most fearful thing should be Genoa. Once Wallachia's alum is allowed to flow into the market, the price will definitely drop.No, they must be stopped.

Francisco got the task again, to go to Anatolia and get Wallachia's alum monopoly.

Isn't this a problem for him?Although the trade volume between Genoa and Wallachia has exceeded 100 million lei in recent years, coupled with the unique local election system, many Genoese are in the homes of Constanta and Bukurjeshtian. The relationship between the two countries makes Genoa Seeing the hope of revitalization, he accepted the protection of the suzerain of France on the one hand, and established a good relationship with Wallachia on the other hand.

For the negotiation of the alum mine, Francisco did not have much confidence.He just knew that if there wasn't enough money, the alum was someone else's.To this end, he asked the Genoese merchants in Wallachia for help, and at the same time wrote to the Genoese Parliament, asking them to send an official envoy to negotiate, and Venice must not take it away.

In addition, he also found Italian cities such as Pisa, and pulled them together to stop Venice, but he didn't know how effective it would be.

(End of this chapter)