eastern european eagle

Chapter 566 Diplomatic Conference
Recently, the relationship between Britain and France has begun to deteriorate again. With the help of England, the power of the Duke of Normandy has greatly increased, which makes the Duke of Burgundy and Orleans worried.

In order to prevent Britain from intervening, both of them sent envoys to bribe the Earl of Salisbury with a large sum of money. The man who was once imprisoned now became a key figure in maintaining peace between the two countries. But the Earl did not look kindly upon the French and directly handed over the bribe and letter to the king. Stephen recognized his loyalty and made his son a baron.

Like his brother Vlad, Stefan also sought support from his eldest brother. He also knew that it was unrealistic for Rome to send troops directly, so he asked his eldest brother to make a promise that as long as he conquered France, the emperor would recognize his title as the King of the Franks.

Peter naturally agreed. History has changed a lot now. It remains to be seen whether Stephen can replicate the glory of Henry V, but it should be no problem to inflict a heavy blow on France.

In addition to England and Berlin, Switzerland also played an important role. Rome provided Switzerland with a batch of food every year, and a group of Swiss mercenaries also became the Roman guards. Because they gained independence with the help of Rome, Switzerland has a strong pro-Roman tendency, and even their head of state was inaugurated under the witness of the emperor.

In response to Rome's advantage in the Alps, Milan, Savoy and Genoa began to unite. The three countries signed a treaty in Turin and obtained the support of France and the Holy Roman Empire. Aragon also supported the Triple Alliance and developed a route from Barcelona through Genoa and Milan to the Holy Roman Empire and France. This route was particularly important to them and was the key to whether they could maintain their defense line.

"The focus of the empire now is on the three Milanese countries. If we take down these three countries, the empire can rely on the Alps to resist the enemy's attack."

As for the western border, Peter was still inclined to restore the situation during the Justinian period. In this era, mountains and rivers were natural lines of defense. This was why France was committed to pushing the border to the Rhine.

"Your Majesty, Sigismund and Aragon have provided a lot of support to Milan. They have also signed an alliance treaty with them. If the Empire attacks, it will encounter greater difficulties."

Luca knew what the emperor was thinking, but as the foreign minister, he could not watch the empire fall into diplomatic isolation. At this time, the military minister Christian began to make suggestions to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, it is not too late to solve the problem in the east first and then come back to solve the problem here. According to the news from Yerevan, Tabriz and Baghdad have been in close contact recently, and it seems that they are plotting something."

After the Qara Qoyunlu and Jalair were forced to hand over a large amount of gold and silver treasures to Rome to ensure peace between the two countries, the Sultan was unwilling to give up. To the west, their expansion was blocked by Rome; to the east, the empire ruled by Shah Rukh again thwarted their attempts. They were caught between the two countries and had to please both sides to survive.

At this time, Ahmed, the ruler of Jalayir, had died. After a brief succession crisis, Ahmed's grandson Mahmud succeeded to the throne. The two countries re-formed an alliance and asked Mecca for the legitimacy of attacking Rome.

"Your Majesty, previous Roman emperors all failed because of the Empire's attacks from both the east and west. Only by completely solving one of the two sides can the other side be freed up. Otherwise, if we continue to attack from both sides, even if we can achieve a short-term victory, we will not be able to sustain it in the long run.

At present, the empire has already stockpiled supplies in Aleppo, Damascus, Jerusalem and other places. Once completed, Your Majesty will lead the army to Mecca, and the enemy of hundreds of years will be eliminated. "

This policy once again shifted Peter's attention to the Arabian Peninsula. Every year, the empire stored a large amount of supplies purchased for the war in the east, and also purchased a large number of camels and hired people to manage them. In order to increase the number of camels as a means of transportation in the desert, the imperial government ordered to encourage people to raise camels. The number of camel breeders in Syria and Palestine increased significantly, and the government was able to requisition enough camels to replace horses for transportation.

Compared to Rome, which was fully prepared for the conquest, Mecca seemed less united. The loss of Jerusalem should have sounded the alarm for them, and the attack on Jeddah further depressed the fragile local economy.

The agriculture in the Arabian Peninsula was weak, and most people could only rely on dates to fill their stomachs. Eating dates a few times was fine, but if you kept doing it for a long time, your health would suffer. The decline in overseas trade also led to a sharp drop in commercial income, and the Mecca rulers, who had been able to maintain stability, showed signs of division.

Some radicals wanted to replicate the great conquest of the seventh century and launch an attack on Rome with the whole country. In this way, they could not only recapture the holy city, but also start the second Arab conquest era. But my lord, times have changed.

The Arab conquest was not only due to the Arabs’ bravery and good fighting skills, but also because they came at a good time. Rome and the Sassanid Empire had been fighting for decades and both sides had suffered losses. They had not rested well before they went into war again, and their fighting capacity was not good at all. Even Rome, which survived, was unable to recapture Jerusalem and Egypt, not to mention Persia, which had already been destroyed.

But now, Rome has recaptured Jerusalem, which shows that their strength is greater than any previous dynasty. Moreover, without the Crusaders, the local government has unified its command, which has accelerated the construction of defense facilities and economic recovery. The wooing of Shiites has split the Crescent Church, and the expansion in Yemen has restrained Mecca from another direction. Rome now has the upper hand, and Mecca has no way to stop it.

Other rulers wanted to attack Yemen first, open up their trade routes, increase revenue, and then attack Jerusalem. Their reasons were also very good. Why go to war without money?

Even with the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties, tribal politics was still strong here. With tribal interests as the basis, even religion had to take a back seat. Originally, religion and trade were the glue that held together, but now that trade has shrunk, the political landscape is naturally broken.

Moreover, the other side began to absorb a large number of heretics, constantly using benefits to bribe small tribes, and providing them with maps and intelligence. Mecca was still arguing about the plan. What should it do if it continues like this?

Peter thought about it carefully and still believed that the East was the most important. However, if Zalayer and the Black Sheep were itching for skin, he would not mind peeling off a layer of skin for them.

"We can't let down our guard against threats from the west, and we can't take the pagans from the east lightly. It's time to put an end to the seven hundred years of fighting."

After Peter said this, he adjourned the meeting. The ministers understood that the future emperor must enter Mecca, just like the other side’s prophet.

(End of this chapter)