Chapter 263 Western Expansion

After passing the Danube and the Black Sea, Peter quickly returned to Constantinople. Sophia was already resting in a manor near Constantinople. After seeing his wife, he went to the Great Palace of Constantinople to see Mircea.

The palace is located at the southeast end of the peninsula, between the Hippodrome of Constantinople and the Hagia Sophia. The total area is 20,000 square meters. When the Great Palace of Constantinople fell during the Fourth Crusade, the soldiers of Boniface I looted the Great Palace of Constantinople. The Latin Empire still used the Grand Palace, but lacked funds for maintenance. The last Latin emperor, Baldwin II, even dismantled the main roof of the palace and sold it.

After Mircea took over, he took out money to renovate the place. Although it cannot be compared with the Justinian period, it is much better than before, and normal living and government affairs can be handled. When Peter arrived, Mircea was tasting snacks from Genoa.

"My dear child, come and try this, this is a snack from Genoa."

"Good father"

Peter took a piece of cake to taste. The Genoese were really willing to use sugar. It was so sweet that it hurt my teeth. Who would dare to be so extravagant if they were not rich?

"I heard that you sponsored a fleet to the East?"

Mircea asked about the Eastern Fleet. Peter knew that he could not hide it, so he simply told it all.

"Yes, father. Most of the trade in the Eastern Mediterranean is occupied by Venice. If the empire wants to gain a foothold, it must explore new trade routes, so..."

"So you sponsored a fleet. It's a good idea. Let's see what surprises he can bring back."

Mircea praised Peter's move. Rome cannot be strangled by Venice. The navy and fleet must be developed.

"Ancyra has been taken, Adrian is also progressing smoothly, and it will be a matter of time before Anatolia is taken."

"This is all my father's credit"

Peter complimented his father, which made Mircea very useful. Maybe he really thought too much. How could Peter rebel? Really.

"Father, Hungary is already our ally. We don't have to worry about those Western countries for the time being. Is it time to deal with the two disobedient ones now?"

"You mean..."

Mircea continued to listen to Peter's words. He dipped his hand in water and wrote two places: Croatia and Bosnia.

"Our war in the East is not over yet. Is it really okay to do this in the West now?" Mircea hesitated.

"Hungary and we are allies, they won't say it. Venice... is a little troublesome, but it's not a big problem. The only resistance is the people and nobles of the country."

Peter analyzed it for Mircea. At present, Venice, the Pope and the nobles of their country are the three major obstacles to deal with Croatia and Bosnia. However, Venice is not interested in territory. The Pope doesn't know whether it belongs to Rome or Avignon. As for the nobles, they will be cut off. In this way, the three major obstacles will be gone.

"These two are jumping a lot. It's a good choice to take this opportunity to deal with them."

Mircea acknowledged Peter's idea, but he also hinted that the imperial government is currently focusing on dealing with the Ottomans in the East, and its support for him is very limited, so the main force still has to be him. This was exactly what Peter wanted. This was what he needed, so that he would have a reason to transfer his Anatolian army to the Balkans.

After thanking Mircea, Peter left the room. In the corridor, he met his good friend.

"Hello, Your Highness"

"Stanisa, long time no see, how have you been recently?"

As a hostage sent to Constantine by Duke Castelliotti, Peter has always regarded the eldest son of the Duke as a good friend. They learned together and studied together, and now he has become an officer.

Duke Castelliotti is also a loyal subordinate of Mircea. He led the way in many battles and was rewarded with a lot of property by Mircea. The whole family also worked for the emperor and became a famous nobleman.

"God is merciful. Everything is good at home, but I can't go to kill pagans and lose the opportunity to gain experience."

Seeing that he was a little disappointed, Peter couldn't bear it, so he asked him if he could go to his legion for experience. Stanitsa agreed very readily.

"May I ask, Your Highness, are we going to attack Karaman or Lithuania this time?"

"Neither, but the two small countries in the west."

"West? Small countries?"

Stanisa searched for coordinates in his mind, and there were only two that fit the description, so he said it immediately.

"Well, very smart, we are going there, and it's not too late for you to regret it now."

Peter used provocation to stimulate Stanitsa, but the young man still couldn't hold his temper, and he came out immediately after being provoked, saying that he could take Croatia immediately if he was given 10,000 people.

"Get ready, and set off as soon as the army arrives."

Peter smiled and left, leaving Stanitsa standing there.

Since it has been decided to solve the two countries in one go, a careful plan should be made. The terrain of the two countries is high in the south and low in the north, and more than 70% of the land is mainly mountainous, so it is difficult to move artillery and supplies. Once they hide in the mountains, it will take some effort to pacify them.

Bosnia might be a little more obedient, but Croatia is a complete rebel. They believe in Catholicism, and their former kings often had heated exchanges with the Eastern Roman Empire. It can be said that they are born rebellious. Even the powerful Hungary only formed a personal union with Croatia. They also have their own parliament, currency and army. What is the difference between Hungary and Austria-Hungary?

In order to turn Croatia into a Roman province, its superstructure must be completely destroyed. The nobles, citizens, merchants, culture, and religion must be reshuffled, and then the Roman culture must be re-implanted, so that it can be considered stable.

Peter sent a letter to Constantine in Anatolia, saying that all the troops needed to withdraw from Anatolia and come to the Balkans, and that they were completely prepared to continue to expand the army, expanding 18,000 people to 30,000. The military factory also needed to be expanded, otherwise the weapons and ammunition produced would not keep up with the consumption.

Perhaps some people questioned whether Peter wanted to be like Manuel I, who was not pleasing to both sides and causing trouble to both sides. But the current situation was also something Manuel did not have. First of all, Hungary was an ally of Rome, and then the various countries in the East had no time to take care of it for various reasons of their own. Such an interregnum was a good time for expansion.

The newly reformed military system also adapted to the continuous wars. A large amount of land and property were fought over by soldiers and officers, potential believers were exclusively enjoyed by the church, and commodities and markets made merchants jealous. The enthusiasm of all classes was mobilized and joined Rome in recovering lost territory.