Chapter 242 Strategy

In the Croatian capital of Salageb, King Louis I walked around in his room. The application to join the Holy Roman Empire had been submitted for many days, but there was no response.

Croatia was now in danger, with Romania ready to annex it to the east and Hungary, Rome's ally, to the north. Can he sleep well when he is caught between these two behemoths?

He submitted applications to join the Holy Roman Empire to various electors, and even prepared to downgrade the kingdom to a duchy, but there was no response. This made him anxious.

"God, are you going to abandon Croatia?" Louis said angrily.

At this time, a fierce struggle was taking place within the Holy Roman Empire. The Luxembourg forces headed by Wenzel and the newly elected German King Rupert were at loggerheads, and Sigismund also made his own choice, that is, to tie up his brother and give him to the Habsburgs.

No one knows why Sigismund did this, but it was undoubtedly recognized by Rupert's faction, and the Luxembourg family also recognized Sigismund because he was the only male heir of the family. Only Wenzel's injured world was achieved.

Since his own brother abandoned him, he didn't have to care about family affection. He swore that he would not let Sigismund succeed even if he tried everything.

At this time, Bohemia had begun the Reformation. In the Bethlehem Church in Prague, John, a missionary who had just been promoted to the president of Charles University, was preaching.

"The church's termites are eroding the foundation, and Bohemia's wealth is used by them. We can't let them destroy our faith."

John strongly criticized the corrupt Catholic Church. He believed that the church's possession of a large amount of land was the source of all evil and demanded the confiscation of church property. This quickly won him a lot of support.

In addition to Protestantism, Orthodoxy also began to spread in Brno. They criticized the corruption of the Catholic Church, and also attacked the current division of the Catholic Church, believing that the current Roman Church could no longer represent God, and only Constantinople was God's only messenger.

The two religious sects squeezed the space of Catholicism. The archbishop called on supporters to resist Protestantism. The three parties competed for believers in Bohemia. The main princes in the Holy Roman Empire were also attracted by this struggle, and naturally ignored Croatia's application.

At this time, Peter had arrived in Milan and met the current Duke Gian Visconti. As soon as the two met, they discussed the marriage between the families, as well as the exchange of interests between the two sides after the alliance. Milan wanted to go to the sea, and Rome wanted revenge and Venice. The two sides hit it off.

Peter ceded part of the land of Genoa, Venice and the County of Savoy to Milan, and Milan had to send troops after the outbreak of the war between Rome and Venice and could not regret it.

And the two also signed an agreement that if the Duke of Visconti died, the title would be inherited by the Bartlan family. Like Naples, expansion to the west still depends on inheritance.

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After half a month's journey, the Queen of Bohemia finally brought Princess Anne to Constantinople. Mircea warmly received them.

Mircea quickly arranged a place for them to live, which was right next to Vlad's place. This was to better nurture their relationship and prepare for the marriage.

Wenzel married Bartland, Sigismund married Habsburg, and the two families competed for the inheritance of the Luxembourg family. This war was exciting. You should know that the Luxembourg family not only had Bohemia, but also part of the land of the Duchy of Lorraine and the Netherlands. The competition for these lands will become the future battle point of the two families.

Rome began to slowly expand its army, and the establishment of the new army was proceeding in an orderly manner. Various armies were stationed at the border, because it was easier to make meritorious deeds at the border and the opportunity for promotion was also greater, so soldiers liked to go to the border.

In order to obtain more income, Rome began to explore new trade routes. As a pioneer in trade route exploration, Mason had left Egypt and went south into the Red Sea.

After carefully bypassing Mecca and Medina, they established the first trade station and missionary point on the territory of the Beza people, which was located at the mouth of the Red Sea and separated from the Yemen region by the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

At this time, Mason began to show his diplomatic skills. He first found an interpreter to bring his peaceful wishes to the tribe and attached gifts. The local chiefs easily approved a piece of land for them to do business, and even if they disagreed, the guns in their hands would make them agree.

"Going forward, there is an endless sea. I heard from some merchants in Egypt that on the other side of the sea is India."

"Our goal is not only India. Marco Polo wrote that the golden East is also our goal."

Mason cheered up the people around him. Victory was in sight. After resting here, they would face this unknown risk.

They built basic docks, chapels and trading points on this land, leaving some merchants and missionaries to be responsible for local exchanges. He led 75 ships into the Indian Ocean (with 5 merchant ships temporarily joining).

Because the Red Sea route has been occupied by the Arabs for hundreds of years, it is not easy for these outsiders to gain a foothold. But if they give up easily, they will not come here.

Due to funding reasons, Rome's colonization of North Africa was limited to Egypt and Ceuta. Sicily was used as a link in the middle, but Ceuta, the westernmost, would be abandoned when necessary because it was too far away and its own navy was not strong enough to compete with the navies of Aragon or Castile.

However, there is still a lot of intelligence brought back from Ceuta in recent years, such as Portugal has already faced the sea, and Castile is preparing to attack the last pagan fortress in Iberia. This is very helpful for Rome to obtain news from the West.

The Southern Chamber of Commerce that was established was also reorganized, and its goal became the opening of new routes and the excavation of the Suez Canal. The establishment of trading posts in the Levant and Egypt, the expansion of trade, and the government's support, so Rome's trade will grow rapidly.

Population is also the foundation of the country. The latest conquest brought 600,000 new people to Rome, bringing the population of Rome to 6.2 million. The establishment of hospitals and the emphasis on medical care in various places have reduced the infant mortality rate year by year. The consequence of this is an increase in the population growth rate.

Rome under the rule of the Bartlan Dynasty has gradually restored its strength. He can take revenge on the Ottomans and the heretics, and is also ready to return to the top of the world. The pattern of strong west and weak east is gradually reversed, the car of the new era has caught up, and Constantinople has joined this feast of exploration and commerce.