Chapter 473 Sacrilegious Alliance

In Damascus in the south, Wojcick came to the city with a new decree. The city that was difficult to attack hundreds of years ago was now so easily recaptured.

"The emperor ordered that all pagans must pay a head tax."

The decree directly brought considerable changes to this place. First, most of the mosques were demolished and converted into churches, and then a large number of immigrants from Rome came back here. Changing the society here for hundreds of years.

Rome re-established the Syrian province here, with Damascus as its capital. At the same time, it sent troops to garrison and gradually moved to the Golan Heights.

The Golan Heights is located in the southwest of the Syrian province, east to the Rukad River, south to the Yarmoko River, and north to the eastern slope of Mount Hermon. Its southwest is adjacent to the Sea of ​​Galilee in the upper reaches of the Jordan River, with abundant water resources. It is also one of the few agricultural production areas. Wojcick ordered the army to build fortresses and settlements on the Golan Heights to compress the other side's living space.

This made Jerusalem even more terrified. The patriarch wrote to Cairo continuously, but no one replied, and the Sultan was talking to friends from the West at this time.

"Dear Sultan, we believe that Syria and Ashkelon belong to your country, and your country has the strength to take them back."

Umansk went to Egypt on behalf of Castile and Aragon to persuade the Sultan to send troops north to cause some trouble to Rome. If Rome can deal with one direction, then it must be impossible to deal with both directions.

"Syria has always been a gift from Allah, but it is temporarily kept by Rome. It will be returned soon."

Even the Sultan himself did not believe this. If the canal had not been opened, he could have gone north to recover it as soon as possible, but now that the canal has been opened, not only the land channel is cut off, but the sea channel must also be monitored by the Roman navy.

Umansk also knew that the Sultan did not dare, so he opened the gifts from the two countries to Egypt.

"The King of Castile and the King of Aragon believe that your country is a friend worth associating with, so these 30,000 gold coins are for you."

The current Sultan is indeed short of money, so he accepted it, but he also played Tai Chi for the other party's request to attack north. What army needs to be prepared and the navy is insufficiently supplied are actually excuses. He really dare not go north, doesn't this give Rome an excuse?

Moreover, the opening of the canal pays a lot of tolls every year. You can make money lying at home, so why offend the other party?

"No future", this is the evaluation given by Umansk. In fact, he not only went to this country as an envoy, but also to the Hafs Dynasty of Tunisia, and also went to the coast of Algiers, paying a lot of money to let local pirates plunder the Italian coast. As long as it can prevent Rome from sending troops, he is willing to do it.

Now the three Iberian countries have united and are ready to go to war against heresy. Hundreds of years of fighting have made them understand that God is on their side.

Joao of Portugal also took out some troops to join in the fun. Now the exploration of the ocean has just begun. A large number of noble heirs have no land enfeoffment, so letting them go to the East to obtain fiefdoms is also an option.

————Dividing line————

Khritonov brought the two little princes to Constantinople. The different prosperity here stunned Muhammad and Yusuf. But at this time, the two of them were hostages of Granada and could only move around in the palace of Constantinople.

Even so, they were curious about everything here, different decorations, black people, different clothes, and people who were about their age.

Alexander looked at the two people with great curiosity. Usually, there were no other people of the same age except his younger brother and sister. Today, two of them came, so he naturally had to observe them carefully.

"Your Highness, these are Muhammad and Yusuf from Granada. They have been in the palace for some time." The chief eunuch explained to Alexander.

"Can I take them out to play?"

"This..." When they were brought here, they were treated as hostages. They could not leave the palace at will, and their daily schedules were arranged.

"Your Highness, they are just hostages and cannot move around the palace at will. If you feel bored, you can go to the queen."

But it is natural to feel bored when you go to the same place for a long time. It is not easy to have new people, and Alexander just wants to see them.

In the end, he could not beat Alexander, and the two hostages were brought to him by the eunuchs.

Muhammad saluted respectfully. He knew that he and his brother were hostages, and they had to survive carefully here.

"Who are you?"

"I'm here for the friendship between Constantinople and Granada, Your Highness."

This aroused Alexander's curiosity, and Kharitonov next to him said: "Your Highness, Granada is from the other side of the ocean. The relationship between the two countries has been very warm since Emperor Justinian, but some countries have been invading, and the relationship between the two countries has become cold."

Alexander also knew that on the other side of the Mediterranean, first it was the land of the Roman Empire, then the pagans, and then the heretics, but this Granada is an interesting one. And he also has a new playmate. The youngest son of the Duke of Argao is only five years old now, but he plays well with Theodore. And recently his grandfather was angry because he failed to find a wife for himself, and he was also confused. He had no shortcomings and looked good, so why didn't the other party like him?

"Well," Alexander nodded and left. Since he was a child, his teacher taught him to maintain etiquette, and the future king needed to remain calm and not let the other party see anything on his face.

Mohammed was relieved to see Alexander go. In a foreign country, one must be careful, otherwise it is easy to cause bloodshed.

"You two, this is Constantinople now. Your words and deeds are related to Granada. You are also an important factor in whether the two countries can maintain the agreement."

Khritonov talked about the importance of the alliance between the two countries. How could they not understand. Castile asked for tribute every year, and Aragon was ready to go south at any time. Granada no longer had the ability to fight back and could only seek foreign aid. He and his brother were Granada's sincerity.

The emperor's will to Granada was passed to the Senate. Since troops were to be sent, some troops would be transferred to Rome first. Moreover, according to the news received in the past few days, the three Iberian countries had formed an aristocratic army, and the target was Rome.

At the same time, Naples also asked Rome to send troops to garrison in Sicily, and the Roman navy also needed to support through the Strait of Messina, so the request was agreed.