The Eagle of Eastern Europe

"One, two, pull; one, two, pull."

Thousands of men pulled the rope forward, and at the other end was a large ship. They had to pull the ship for more than 100 kilometers until they finally reached the mouth of the Red Sea.

There were still many tribes nearby, and a lot of labor was exchanged for silver coins and other things. Mason worked with local guides and map surveyors to perfect the new map.

Mason decided to avoid places where pagan intolerance was concerned, especially Mecca and Medina. Get a place in Yemen or East Africa to build a supply depot and a trading post, and then enter the Indian Ocean.

The excavation of the canal was also on track. In order to obtain labor, they directly approached the Arab slave traders and purchased a group of dark-clad people from them to be responsible for the excavation. They said that there were many such people, and if they were purchased in large quantities, the price would be low. Discounts available.

It is impossible to open the canal with private investment alone; the project must also receive government support. But now Mircea is more interested in land and has few ideas for projects across the Mediterranean.

Mircea received new guests at the palace. Count Lajos, the envoy from the Kingdom of Hungary, came to Constantinople with a letter from Queen Mary. He came to ask for help.

A series of measures taken by Mary after she took over Buda made Lajosh see that she was ready to surrender to Rome. Although Rome has now survived the most difficult period, the union of the two countries has confused his mind. You must know that Mary has no children yet, and Sigismund already has a daughter. There is a high probability that the throne will be taken by that person. If the Germans take it away and annex it to Romania, that would be a good idea.

Moreover, Hungary's transformation is now underway, and a large number of Romanization measures have made Hungary closer and closer to Rome. She herself had converted to Orthodox Christianity because Rome had given her too much.

Now Hungary's economic recovery is largely due to Romania. Thanks to the many excellent ports and markets in Romania's hands, Hungarian products can easily find exports here. Their main export products are beef cattle, wool, grain, copper, wine, rawhide, etc., of which nearly 70% are shipped to Romania; the main products imported from Romania include luxury goods, textiles, and spices.

Mary even announced a tariff schedule and announced high tariffs on goods imported from the Shinra. Austria's tariffs were even as high as 70%. This was done to completely strangle trade with HRE.

The population of Belgrade and Cluj has increased due to the prosperity of trade, and merchant ships in the middle and lower reaches of the Danube River have frequent traffic, making it a veritable golden waterway.

However, because the division of Hungary continues and there is no danger to defend Budaxi, the current situation is still very dangerous. This is why they came to Romania for support.

"The enemies in the west are watching, and Hungary will be invaded at any time. His Majesty the King hopes to receive assistance from your country."

Lajos told Hungary's plight and request. Mircea would not let go of this ally that he had finally obtained with great difficulty.

"The threat to Hungary is very great, and I will not just watch it be occupied by other countries."

Mircea decided to first order some troops to gather in Belgrade and support Sigismund as long as he made an offensive move. However, this could only slightly relieve the pressure on Hungary.

The king's cronies who came with the diplomatic team also wanted to find Caesar, but after hearing that he had visited Naples, they hurriedly took another ship to southern Italy. He was the only one in Rome who could send troops without the emperor's approval.

----Dividing line----

After half a month of sailing, the Roman fleet arrived in Naples. This city, founded by the Greeks and ruled by Rome and other countries for thousands of years, is welcoming guests from afar.

As soon as the fleet entered the port, the team was greeted with cheers. Whether intentional or not, at least it showed respect for Rome.

However, the ships used by the fleet on this visit are all the best, even better than those of the average merchant fleet. This made some Latin merchants who once lived in Constantinople feel that the once powerful Rome was back.

Caesar was greeted by Laszlo's confidant Antonio, Count of Bari. Because most of the nobles were unwilling to come, they had to use merchants and citizens as the excuse.

"Welcome to Naples the Roman Caesar."

After a brief greeting, Antonio took the Caesars to the Royal Palace of Naples.

There were welcoming people all along the way, and the arrival of Caesar from the East aroused everyone's curiosity. According to some people's descriptions, Eastern people's long robes, long sleeves, and their long beards made them curious. But there was no factor at all in Peter.

Peter started shaving as soon as he started growing a beard. He felt that growing a beard was not only a symbol of backwardness and conservatism, but also a breeding ground for bacteria. He could easily get sick if he kept it for a long time. Therefore, he started not to grow a beard. As he gets older, he can grow a short beard, but he will not grow a long beard.

As for the clothes, they should be cut shorter to facilitate movement. They must show vitality to other countries, otherwise they will be lifeless and easy to steal property.

At this time, Laszlo was still wrangling with the nobles because the king wanted to form a standing army, pay fixed salaries, and extract troops and taxes from the lords, which made the nobles protest.

"Your Majesty, this is against the law. You cannot destroy it like this."

A nobleman told Laszlo that he owned a large area of ​​land in the south of Naples, and his annual grain exports brought him nearly 400,000 silver coins in income.

The original feudal obligations only accounted for a small part of his income, but what Laszlo did now was to dig out his heart with a knife, which was not allowed.

The same applies to other nobles. Whether they support or oppose it, they can unite as long as their own interests are touched. But Laszlo is not a person who gives up halfway. After contacting his uncle, he discovered that Peter's army was not a conscription force at all, but a mixture of standing troops and mercenaries. The salary was fixed, and the weapons and equipment were purchased personally. There were even Uniform uniform, combat effectiveness in battle is also amazing. This kind of army is what he wants.

In recent years, relying on the support of his father-in-law's family and the Orthodox Church, he began to take back the lord's land, strengthen his power, and successfully formed a standing army of 1,200 people using the output and income of his land. Now, his goal is 10,000 people , for this reason, arguing with the nobles is inevitable.

"I formed the army to better protect Naples. Do you think Naples is safe?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, as long as we ensure the relationship with Rome and the safety of the sea, Naples will be safe." said a noble.