eastern european eagle

Chapter 646 Going out again
The streets of Constantinople, where the game had just ended, were crowded with people, from children to the elderly, all waiting for the next person to appear.

Just as everyone was looking forward to it, cheers of "Here they come! Here they come!" came from the front. The people immediately became excited, pushing and shoving each other. If there were no soldiers maintaining order on the side of the road, there would probably be quite a commotion.

After a while, teams of palace cavalry appeared in the middle of the road, and behind them, Peter appeared in front of everyone. Unlike the clothes he wore in the competition, Peter was wearing armor, and his eyes were sharp, and he looked energetic.

Alexander was beside him, and he was recognized for his role as regent in the emperor's absence. He also successfully maintained peace in the Mediterranean, and his ability to govern was fully recognized by the people.

"Long live His Majesty, long live the Empire!"

Peter looked around with a smile on his face and waved to the cheering people on the roadside, but the horse under his crotch did not slow down at all, and soon the traveling team arrived at the dock.

Important officials from various departments and parliamentarians had been waiting here for a long time. When they saw His Majesty the Emperor coming, they came forward in an orderly manner and bowed respectfully.

Peter dismounted and looked at the Prime Minister and other ministers approaching him. He said solemnly, "After I go to Jerusalem, I will leave the affairs of the empire to you to assist the Crown Prince!"

"Your Majesty, don't worry. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is very capable and we will definitely assist him with all our strength," said Batista.

"Your Majesty, we will do our best to ensure the logistical supply of the army, you can attack with confidence!" Mason also said immediately.

Peter nodded, smiled and greeted the minister who came forward to greet him, and slowly walked towards the pier.

Peter looked at his son and said in a deep voice: "Take good care of your mother and brothers and sisters. After I leave, the empire will be handed over to you. Do a good job!"

Alexander took a deep breath and answered with an unprecedented seriousness: "Yes, father!"

Amid cheers and farewells, the emperor's ship slowly sailed away from the dock, and the people at the dock excitedly waved and shouted at this one-of-a-kind warship in the kingdom.

"Your Majesty, it seems that the people are very enthusiastic about this war!" said the Minister of War happily.

The huge fleet sailed out of the Golden Horn, crossed the Sea of ​​Marmara, passed many coastal islands, and entered Smyrna, which was the last stop in Asia Minor. Then they would go to Jerusalem, where the army would gather.

Five days later, Peter bid farewell to the people who came to see him off, and the fleet sailed southeast, passing through Crete. After replenishing sufficient water, it sailed straight south.

The next long sea voyage is a little risky, but under the leadership of Romania in recent years, it has become one of the most prosperous routes between the western Mediterranean and Cyrenaica and Egypt.

The fleet sailed smoothly without any trouble and arrived at the port of Ashkelon. During the Crusades, Ashkelon was an important city due to its proximity to the coast and its location between the Crusader States and Egypt. After the Battle of Hattin in 1187, Saladin captured Ashkelon during his conquest of the Crusader States. In 1191, during the Third Crusade, Saladin destroyed the city because of its potential strategic value to the Christians.

As the ship slowly entered the port, the Egyptian people who came to greet him gave a thunderous cheer. After he stepped onto the dock, the Governor of Jerusalem and others immediately came forward and bowed respectfully.

"You have worked hard during this period. I thank you for your contribution to the empire!" Peter looked around at the densely packed people outside and asked curiously, "Did you arrange this?"

"We did not publicize it. It was all their own spontaneous behavior," the governor explained.

"Oh!" Peter looked at the excited faces in the distance and asked with interest, "Are they from all over Jerusalem?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Most of them come from this city and the surrounding towns and villages."

After Rome recaptured Ashkelon, the local economy started to develop again. Many Romans settled there. There were also some pilgrims in the city.

The Patriarch of Jerusalem also followed Peter back here. As the most influential bishop in the Middle East, he expressed his willingness to go to the battlefield to bless the soldiers, despite repeated persuasion.

The army this time will not be too large. Excluding the logistics personnel, no more than 100,000 can fight. Natural factors account for a considerable part of this. The size of the army should not be too large, otherwise it will fall into a disadvantage.

"At present, Jerusalem has stored enough supplies for the army to use for three months. There are also stores in Aleppo, Damascus, Antioch and other places. Sufficient supplies can be guaranteed for at least a year."

The governor explained the storage situation to the emperor and the generals who had arrived, and told them about his investigations in the Arab region in recent years.

"In recent years, we have observed that, apart from some oases, Arabs simply cannot have a stable agricultural source. Unless they are willing to drink camel milk and eat dates every day. They also need trade to obtain other goods, and the current trade blockade imposed by our country has dealt a heavy blow to them, which is why they attacked Mesopotamia.

If we occupy Mecca in the future, in addition to stationing troops in some cities, I am afraid we will have to find a way to solve the military expenses and other expenses incurred by ruling. Otherwise, this place will become a bottomless pit. "

Peter looked at the Governor with approval. It seemed that he knew a lot about Mecca. Then he said.

"I know the governor's idea for the empire, but the Arabs have never been monolithic. Since there are rebels, there must be tribes that support the empire. We just need to find them and hand over the land to them to rule. However, in return, we need them to provide troops and property during the war, and they can also have mansions and noble titles in Constantinople."

Nomadic tribes would never unite, which gave them an opportunity to exploit loopholes. Peter was confident that he could solve this problem in his lifetime, but it would only mean that the Arabs would have to pay a blood tax.

(End of this chapter)