Chapter 453 Faction

Peter had no choice but to expand the Boyar Conference. After all, the strengthened monarchy would easily lead to the loss of lives in the future, and if the economy developed further, people would come to demand rights. What if the monarch did not give them? The economy was constantly developing. If you blocked it, you might be the reincarnation of Charles I.

So while strengthening the monarch's power, he also appeased the growing merchant and citizen class, trying to appease and control them. You can ask for rights, but you can't make trouble.

At this time, in the House of Commons, there were still factions within the two largest blue and green parties. The Green Party was the strongest in Wallachia and Moldova, while the Blue Party was the strongest in Athens. One of them produced the most food in the country, and the other dominated the empire's trade in the eastern Mediterranean. Their strength should not be underestimated.

The two factions had different economic sources, so naturally they had differences in the empire's future policies. The Greens wanted to continue to expand northward and seize the land of Lithuania and Mongolia, so they supported reclamation in Ukraine. Nearly one-third of the arable land in the Zaporizhia region was reclaimed by Wallachian landlords. They supported landlords in Donetsk, Luhansk and other places, and also invested in the local textile and mining industries, and were very strong.

At the same time, relying on the shipping of Constanta, these landlords controlled half of the country's grain exports. It can be said that they are the core of the Green Party.

Their opponents, the Blue Party, started with maritime trade. From Constantinople to Smyrna, Cyprus, Alexandria, and the Levant, they can be found.

Relying on the growth of Mediterranean trade, Greek merchants have become active again. Especially after their mortal enemy Venice was completely destroyed, no one in the entire Eastern Mediterranean could shake their position. Genoa had to act according to their faces.

Because the consequences of Venice and other maritime republics were too serious before, the maritime merchants of the Roman Empire acted in groups, and even if they needed merchants from other countries, they would let them be in a secondary position. What's more murderous is that some Venetians became slaves and were bought by these Greek merchants. They did the lowest-level work, suffered the most severe beatings, and tortured them desperately. It can be regarded as revenge for their ancestors, right?

They also got inspiration from northern Italy and the East India Company. Several merchants jointly formed a shipping company. Due to the high profits in the shipping industry, marine insurance also came into being.

The profits brought by exploring the East also drove them to continue to expand their colonization. After the canal was opened, their merchant ships could transport directly to the East without sailing on dry land. Sugarcane and cotton were the main goods they transported.

The Green Party and the Blue Party would always argue in the House of Commons, but sometimes they would cooperate to exchange interests. For example, the Green Party supported the development of the Dnieper River and the Don River in exchange for the Green Party's support for the Blue Party's protection and investment in the Jerusalem area.

As for Anatolia, it was very flexible. The coastal areas belonged to the Blue Party, and the inland areas belonged to the Green Party. Anyway, they all worked for the emperor, and everything was for the empire. However, at present, they are still in a state of you and me. The Green Party can invest in the shipping industry and the Black Sea trade, and the Blue Party will also buy land and invest in the construction of workshops and plantations.

Since colonization, no matter which party, it is understood that the East can increase profits. Therefore, they invested in land, ports, and mines, and did everything possible to increase their income. Of course, the empire also had to get a share. After all, they still had to rely on the imperial government to protect them.

The number of representatives selected by the Senate from the House of Commons increased to 6, responsible for reporting the situation and suggestions of various parts of the empire to the emperor. And facing the inevitable issue of imperial expansion, their directions were also different. The Blue Party advocated overseas colonization, and the Green Party advocated going north to occupy large tracts of Lithuanian and Mongolian lands, or unifying the Apennines with Rome and Dalmatia as the starting point.

But no matter what, expansion became the basic melody. When the number of ships transporting supplies to Antioch suddenly increased, they knew that the empire had begun to take action in the Syrian region.

However, the Emir of Syria did not let the empire worry. He directly wrote a letter to Wojcick, expressing his willingness to change his faith and submit to the empire.

This was really unexpected. I thought they were all stubborn, but I didn't expect them to be so flexible.

The Emir didn't want this to happen, but what could he do. Syria and the Mamluks were cut off by the Roman canal and Ashkelon, and the native areas had not yet recovered. What was even more terrifying was that Rome actually promoted a policy among the civilians in their territory, saying that anyone who converted to Islam would be exempted from taxes for two years and given arable land to cultivate.

This person had run away, so why did he still have the title of Emir? The resurgence of Rome in the past decade simply overturned his three views. First, the overlord of Anatolia, Osman, was destroyed, and then the overlord of Egypt actually negotiated with Rome to reach peace. Even their fellow tribesmen kept asking for peace. What a waste of time, hoping that the empire would see his surrender and save his family and property.

In his words: "Except for Jerusalem and the Two Holy Places, he, the Emir of Damascus, has no connection with Cairo."

However, if you surrender to Rome, don't expect them to treat pagans well. How can you expect anything else if they don't even tolerate their fellow tribesmen? What's more, Rome is particularly tolerant of heretics such as the Alawites, which makes them feel that if they don't convert, their status may be lower than theirs.

Now that Rome has reestablished its authority in the eastern Mediterranean, the surrounding countries have to consider whether they are qualified to challenge it. Not to mention a Myriokephalon, the Ottoman army was killed by Rome without a single piece of armor left, and the Turkic tribes were forced to convert and settle down, and their tents, Turkic language, and living habits were all lost. In addition, in order to gain the attention of the emperor, local officials also kept promoting policies, and those who disobeyed were directly sold to the slave market. Do they still have the courage to resist?

The Emir gave a demonstration to other castle owners. Rome at this time is no longer the same as before. If you can't surrender, you can only pack up and leave here.

These people also know that Rome is preparing to attack, because their new emperor has been crowned, and this is a monarch who is keen on expansion. They are definitely the emperor's target. Instead of waiting to die, it is better to surrender actively. As for Allah, will he care about him even if he loses his life?

However, it is better to say that it is a negotiation than a surrender. They still control most of Syria, including Beirut, an important port in the Levant. Damascus is also an important city in Syria. They should be able to negotiate with Rome with these.

As for the Sultan in Cairo, I'm sorry. The canal divides Egypt and here in half. If you want to rescue, it depends on whether your navy is capable and whether Rome will let you pass. We are doing this for ourselves. As for religion, it depends on you. After all, the Caliph is in your hands.