Chapter 239 Communication

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

Thousands of men pulled the rope forward, and there was a big ship at the other end. They had to pull the ship for more than 100 kilometers and finally reach 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 cartographers to improve the new map.

Mason decided to try to bypass those places where pagans were paranoid, especially Mecca and Medina. Get a place in Yemen or East Africa to build a supply station and a business station, and then enter the Indian Ocean.

The excavation of the canal was also on track. In order to obtain labor, they directly found Arab slave traders and bought a group of black people from them to be responsible for excavation. They said that there were still many such people, and the price could be discounted if they bought in large quantities.

It is impossible to open the canal with private investment alone. This project still needs government support. But now Mircea is more interested in land and has no idea about the project across the Mediterranean.

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

Mary's series of measures after entering Buda made Lajos see that she was ready to surrender to Rome. Although Rome has survived the most difficult period, the union of the two countries made his mind very confused. You know, Mary has no heirs yet, and Sigismund already has a daughter. The throne will most likely be taken away by the Germanic man. If it is incorporated into Romania, it will not be a bad 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 has converted to Orthodoxy because Rome has given too much.

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

Mary even announced a tariff list, announcing that high tariffs would be imposed on goods imported from the Holy Roman Empire, with Austria's tariffs as high as 70%. This was done to completely strangle trade with the Holy Roman Empire.

Belgrade and Cluj, because of the prosperous trade and population growth, and the frequent commercial ships in the middle and lower reaches of the Danube, are a veritable golden waterway.

However, due to the continued division of Hungary and the lack of defense to the west of Buda, the current situation is still very dangerous, which is why they came to Romania for support.

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

Lajos spoke of Hungary's predicament and request. Mircea could not let go of this ally that he had finally obtained.

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

Mircea decided to order a part of the army to gather in Belgrade first, and to support Sigismund as long as he had an offensive move, but this would only slightly relieve the pressure on Hungary.

The king's confidant who came with the diplomatic team wanted to find Caesar, but after hearing that he had visited Naples, he hurriedly boarded another ship to southern Italy. He was the only one in Rome who did not need the emperor's approval to send troops.

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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, it was cheered by the welcoming team. Whether it was intentional or unintentional, at least it expressed respect for Rome.

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

The one who greeted Caesar was Laszlo's confidant, Count Antonio of Bari. Because most of the nobles were unwilling to come, they had to use merchants and citizens to make up the numbers.

"Welcome Roman Caesar to Naples."

After a simple greeting, Antonio took Caesar and his wife to the Royal Palace of Naples.

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

Peter began to shave after he began to grow a beard. He felt that a long beard was not only a symbol of backwardness and conservatism, but also a breeding ground for bacteria. It was easy to get sick if he kept it for a long time. Therefore, he began to not grow a beard. He could grow a short beard when he was older, but he would not grow a long one.

As for clothes, they were cut shorter to facilitate movement. They had to show vitality to other countries, otherwise it would be easy to rob property if they were dead.

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

"Your Majesty, this is not in accordance with the law. You can't destroy it like this."

A noble said to Laszlo. He had a large piece of land in the south of Naples, and the annual grain export brought him nearly 400,000 silver coins.

Originally, feudal obligations only accounted for a small part of his income. Now Laszlo's doing this is like digging his heart with a knife, which is not allowed.

The same is true for other nobles. Whether they support or oppose, they can unite as long as their interests are touched. But Laszlo is not a person who gives up halfway. When he contacted his brother-in-law, he found that Peter's army was not a conscripted army at all, but a mixture of standing army and mercenaries. The salary was fixed, the weapons were also purchased by himself, and there were even uniforms. The combat effectiveness during the battle was 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, it is inevitable to argue with the nobles.

"I formed an army to better defend Naples. Do you think Naples is safe?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, as long as we guarantee the relationship with Rome and the safety of the sea, Naples is safe." A noble said.