Chapter 304: The Attitudes of Various Countries Changed by Rome's Changes

The Roman Empire did not have too many restrictions on the level of officials selected. As long as you believed in the Orthodox Church and spoke Romanian, you would be valued.

Mircea and Peter were both eclectic in selecting talents. For example, when Peter was the lord of Dobruja, Alexander was a businessman on the verge of bankruptcy, and Constantine was just a mercenary living in Wallachia.

Peter recommended Baptiste to the emperor with the intention of inserting his own power. Mircea also knew that the two factions were fighting within the government. Inserting the prince's power could not only temporarily suppress the struggle, but also pave the way for Peter's future succession.

Baptiste had the power to control finances and a position second only to the prime minister. He knew that this was all obtained by relying on Peter, so he would not participate in political struggles.

"My lord, this is the current treasury situation and fiscal expenditures for the next year."

Rome's finances have returned to the values ​​of the Komnenos dynasty. Because there were too many spoils of war obtained from the West, Mircea has announced that the whole country will be tax-free for one year and the Anatolia region will be tax-free for two years.

This means that Rome will not get a penny from its subjects for at least one year, but there will still be tariffs and other income. In the first two years, due to the impact of the war, the tariffs were 2 million lei and 2.6 million respectively.

In addition to tariffs, salt and other material monopolies are also important income, with an annual income of about 3 million. There are also some one-time incomes such as compensation. Now there are 2.9 million florins in the treasury, and because of the victory in the war, the exchange rate between gold coin lei and florin has reached 1:1. That is 2.9 million gold lei and 28 million silver lei.

The comparison of gold and silver prices has also been adjusted with the market, but it is still within a reasonable range overall.

Baptiste looked at the total expenditure this year. Excluding the military salaries that have been paid, another 7 million silver lei will need to be spent next.

"Apart from these ordinary expenses, is there anything else to add?"

"Sir, His Majesty has requested to expand the army to 100,000, and to build 19 fortresses in Anatolia, and to build 300 naval warships of various types."

"In addition, there are the costs of rebuilding the library and cathedral in Constantinople, the costs of building churches and roads in Anatolia, and the costs of land reclamation and settlement of immigrants in Anatolia... a total of 9 million silver lei."

Such a large expenditure surprised Baptiste, but fortunately the treasury had money and could hold on. And it is said that Caesar has obtained more gold coins from Italy, which will be delivered soon.

Baptiste still has experience in opening up sources of income. In addition to the traditional encouragement of farming, it can also promote overseas trade and carry out economic colonization with trade stations.

The East India Company government must strongly support it. In the first year, 3,700 gold coins were handed over, which was not easy to combine with governance and expansion in the East. But the items shipped from the East also made a lot of money. Without Venice, the trade volume will definitely be greater.

As a major tax, the agricultural situation in various places is also different. Wallachia and Moldova relied on their geographical conditions to become the granary of the Roman Empire. Specialties such as grain, wine and beeswax produced here were important export products in the early stage.

Bulgaria, Serbia and Morea are mountainous, so agriculture and animal husbandry are mixed, growing grain, cotton, grapes, and raising cattle and sheep. The wool and cotton produced are important raw materials for the textile industry.

There are many cultivated lands in Western Anatolia occupied by Rome, but most of them are scattered. In the inland area, only Ancela has a small amount of cultivated land, and other places are already pastures.

Different agricultural production methods also bring different systems. Self-employed farmers, tenant farmers, serfs, and slaves cultivate. Mircea repeatedly reiterated the importance of protecting self-employed farmers, but the noble landlords under his command did not seem to listen to the emperor. They always find loopholes in the law to control more land if they want more land. But now it is still in the expansion stage, and the land conflict is not so intense.

Even if Mircea attaches great importance to self-employed farmers, he will not completely attack the landlords, because the royal family is the largest landlord. The royal land only needs to pay a symbolic tax, but Mircea and Peter are still relatively restrained in land distribution and will not be distributed on a large scale.

Moreover, both the Eastern and Western empires will encounter an embarrassing situation, that is, the imperial power does not go to the countryside. The current administrative reforms can already reach the county, but the most basic rural areas still have to rely on the landlord church to maintain rule. So unless conflicts are inevitable, this situation can still be maintained, at least during Mircea's reign.

The roads of the ancient Roman Empire have been repaired, and several new avenues have been built. It has promoted trade and prospered the economy. Baptiste still needs to continue to expand roads and encourage trade so that he can continue to obtain more income.

At the same time, Rome has also made great improvements in the trade environment in the Mediterranean. In particular, Genoa, which was originally a vassal of France, spent a lot of money and mercenaries to get rid of France, the sovereign country, after heavy bleeding. At the same time, it contacted Peter through Andreas, saying that Genoa is willing to become a vassal state of Rome, and is willing to pay 10% of its income to Rome every year, and even intends to convert to Orthodoxy. If it weren't for the fact that several of the surrounding countries were stronger than them, this proposal would have been passed.

Although Genoa was declining, its naval power was still very important in the western Mediterranean after Venice was gone. In addition, Aragon and France were really not in line with the ideal, which made Genoa feel that only Rome could help them revive. As long as they could make money, they would accept any conditions.

Whatever Rome wants, whether it is Merino sheep in Iberia or fine grapes in Burgundy, or the situation of Aragon and French vassals, Genoa can find it for the emperor. They can explore the way for the emperor as the pioneers of the Western Mediterranean, or they can take advantage of the trade route in the East to gain benefits.

As a token of allegiance, Genoa began to help Naples, an ally of Rome. Despite the decline and financial difficulties, 100,000 florins were squeezed out to give to Laszlo. This was not only to show the attitude, but also because Genoa had no grain production locally, so Genoa had to rely on Sicilian grain to support its population.

Regarding Provence, another fief of Laszlo, Genoa also took the initiative to pass the news to the King of Naples and the Roman Caesar. Such a change in attitude made Peter feel that Italian merchants changed their faces quickly, and it would be a pity not to go to the show.

Duke Gian of Milan signed a peace treaty with Constantine, Peter's representative, in Pavia. The Duchy of Milan withdrew from the war, and the engagement between his son Filippo and Princess Elena was annulled.