The Eagle of Eastern Europe

The war was over, and it was natural to take a good rest, but Peter could not rest. He received a letter from Constantine, which wrote about a series of problems encountered by the new army in the battle. This made Peter realize that even with matchlock guns and The Spanish phalanx and the army were not 100% successful in defending, especially the musket formation, where the three-stage shooting time was simply not enough.

Peter also knew that the matchlock had many shooting actions, but it was already the best firearm of this era. Otherwise, it could be changed to nine-stage shooting.

However, the power of the artillery is pretty good. Both bronze cannons and cast-iron cannons can exert their due power, especially cast-iron cannons, which have a faster firing frequency than bronze cannons, and unlike bronze cannons, the shells will not soften after firing a few rounds.

The advantages of cast iron cannons are already obvious. The only thing that needs to be overcome is the problem of chamber explosion. Part of the reason for exploding the chamber is too frequent firing, and part is due to insufficient materials. Both of these are easy to solve. After all, Wallachia is also at the forefront of iron smelting technology.

The iron smelting plants built by Peter in places such as Constanta and Sofia could produce 400,000 Roman pounds of pig iron and cast iron blocks each year. These things are sufficient for artillery manufacturing. If the raw materials were not restricted, the output would be higher. (1 Roman pound = 328 grams)

Artillery is important, but ammunition is equally important. All current artillery shells cannot explode, but rely on momentum to damage or destroy individual targets. Although explosive shells appeared, their performance was very poor. The Venetians used this cannonball at Giarda in 1376. Using such artillery shells with detonating cords is extremely risky for the gunner: first, the copper or iron shell casing must be filled with explosives, then the fuse must be installed, ignited, and then carefully placed into the gun bore. . As a result, many gun barrels exploded and the gunners were killed instantly.

Most of the artillery shells currently in use are stone shells, and a small number are made of other materials. As for gunpowder shells, there is no such thing. Who would risk their lives to light a fuse?

Peter decided to maximize the artillery technology in the technology tree. In the early stage, the Ottomans also relied on powerful artillery to kill the opposing army without leaving any trace behind. For this reason, Peter decided to expand the research and manufacturing of firearms. This expansion will definitely lead to the expansion of the industrial chain and is also good for the economy.

Mircea also became interested in firearms, and artillery proved powerful in the battle against the Ottomans. He still wants to add more artillery.

After this it was time to farm, and as the territory increased, new administrative planning began. The original provinces were no longer suitable, so Peter decided to adopt a provincial system. Note that the provincial system is adopted in places under direct jurisdiction, and does not conflict with the parallel system of prefectures and states.

Decentralization and centralization are contradictions, and how to deal with them is a headache for all countries. When centralization is excessive, local administrative enthusiasm will be reduced and administrative efficiency will be greatly reduced. At the same time, the number of local officials will increase significantly, and local bureaucracies will become redundant, which will increase the financial burden on the country. Excessive centralization of power will also lead to a decrease in the local ability to respond to foreign invasions, making it difficult to resist the intrusions of neighboring ethnic groups. The Northern Song Dynasty is an example of excessive centralization. At the end of the dynasty, in order to suppress peasant uprisings, the court would delegate power to the local governments. However, this allowed local separatist forces to gain strength, leading to the collapse of the country. This is how the Eastern Han and Tang dynasties fell apart.

Therefore, how to improve administrative efficiency while ensuring centralization has become a thorny issue. However, Jin Guo, who came from the northeast, provided a new way of thinking. At the beginning of the Jin Dynasty's destruction of the Northern Song Dynasty, the Xingtai Shangshu Province was established in Yanjing as a branch of the Shangshu Province. The Xingtai Shangshu Province was dispatched by the Shangshu Province and had greater local military and political autonomy, which was beneficial to the Jin State's control of the Central Plains. After King Hailing moved the capital to Yanjing, the Xingtai Shangshu Province was abolished, but this model was passed down. It was formally established in the Yuan Dynasty.

Provinces often controlled local administrative, military, financial and other powers and had strong autonomy, adapting to the expansion needs of the Yuan Dynasty. Compared with the Lu of the Song Dynasty, the province's jurisdiction was very large, its power was also increased, and its administrative enthusiasm was enhanced. At the same time, provinces are agencies dispatched by central agencies, and their main officials come from the central government rather than being elected from the local areas. Therefore, the power of the province comes from the central government, and it is controlled by the highest administrative agency of the central government. From this point of view, the provincial system solved the contradiction between centralization and efficiency.

The provincial system ensures centralization of power, improves local administrative efficiency, and helps prevent local separatism. However, the system is still being improved, but overall centralization still dominates.

Local reform is a long process, and the territory of Wallachia is no larger than that of the Yuan Dynasty, so everything should be done slowly. Transformation through local planning of the Roman Empire can be said to be the best way.

The original province was changed to a county, and above it was a province. Regardless of the newly added territory, this administrative plan divided the original land into 10 provinces and a governor-general. All officials were appointed by the central government. If it was not suitable, reforms would be carried out. After all, he has plenty of time.

Reform has never been smooth sailing. Although Peter's reforms in recent years have achieved remarkable results, they have also had some obvious side effects. For example, monetary land rent and physical land rent have harmed the interests of some landowners, and the burden on farmers has increased. Sporadic resistance occurred from time to time.

However, the benefits of reform often outweigh the disadvantages. However, in five years, the whole of Wallachia was completely new, the people's power was completely mobilized, and a national institution was established to let the rulers know how much money they had left and how many troops they had to recruit. This is the benefit of centralization.

Diplomatically, there were several more envoys coming this time, from Bohemia, Brandenburg, the Teutonic Knights, Denmark, Burgundy, and even England, France, Aragon, and Castile. , Florence and other countries, it can be said that Wallachia's popularity has increased again.

Wallachia attaches great importance to relations with neighboring countries and trading powers, and other things are just a formality, but in addition to these, maintaining good relations with the Grand Duchy of Muscovy is also Wallachia's diplomatic policy. Moscow wants access to the sea, and Wallachia wants Ukraine. These are all related to Lithuania. Whether it is territory or religion, they have a common enemy.

Businessmen from other countries fell in love with this place because it was not only a must-pass for the Northern Silk Road, but also had a large number of products that could be traded. Silk, spices, wine, beeswax, etc. can all be found here, and while some of the goods are not as good as in Egypt, they are certainly available.

Wallachia supports its own business groups, strives to protect its own economy and income, and also raises some tariffs. This makes other countries, especially Venice, very angry. Why should they pay more taxes? One day they will It would open Wallachia as completely as the Fourth Crusade did.