Chapter 533 Activities

This winter, all countries have ceased fighting because the weather is not suitable for marching. Moreover, the war in the past two years seems to have finished the war in the next twenty years, and Rome can fight for another five years, which they can't afford.

Therefore, diplomacy has become very active, and ambassadors originating from Italy are also used by each country. The ambassador to the Roman Empire has become the most common diplomatic position, and the land in Constantinople has appreciated a lot.

The prime minister's residence is the busiest, with at least a dozen people coming every day. In addition to handling official business, Listerlin also has to deal with these special envoys, parliamentarians and nobles, which is simply too busy.

For these envoys, funds have become what they need most. Envoys like Burgundy and the Hanseatic League spend nearly 45,000 lei here every year, and even the Palatinate spends 12,000 lei. Everything here is the best, with the best food, the best clothes, and the best accommodation, so of course the consumption is also the highest.

And these expenses are not just daily consumption, giving gifts to various officials and holding salons all cost money. Of course, if you can't bear the consumption in Constantinople, you can also go to Adrian or Nicomedia, but the transportation fee is higher.

The ambassadors of Milan, Savoy and Genoa gathered together. The consumption in Constantinople is higher than that in Genoa. In order to save money, the three of them basically shared a table for lunch.

The three countries have experienced wars and other things, and they don't have enough money to act alone for the time being. They are also next to each other, so they act together.

"Have you heard about the recent events?" Ambassador Milan asked his two friends.

"I heard that Lithuania has to spit out a lot of things."

The news of Rome's victory over Lithuania has reached Constantinople. Everyone has been numb. Why is it always news of victory? Peter is really better than Hannibal.

"Don't act rashly recently. The emperor is like this, and we must prevent him from continuing to act in Italy. Otherwise, Venice's fate will be our fate."

After the signing of the treaty, the three countries began to unite, Milan and Savoy provided people, and Genoa provided money to jointly form an army to defend their territory. But in the face of Rome's aggressive attitude, they could only continue to increase their investment, but this had an impact on their finances.

Because of the Po River Plain, Milan's agricultural output should be fine. But because of the previous political turmoil and the Roman invasion, agricultural income has declined. And Savoy, not to mention, most of the land in the country is mountainous, and farming can hardly meet the income, so industry and commerce have become their main source of income.

Genoa's maritime trade has been encroached upon by Rome. In order to continue to maintain trade, they can only pay a tribute every year and take a little business from them. The history of the Maritime Republic is over. If you want to survive, you can only follow Rome carefully.

In order to boost the economy, the three countries began to discuss a free trade agreement. But because they are between Rome and France, there are many differences between them, so there is no progress.

"The current situation is that we rely on Constantinople for trade, but also rely on Paris for protection. Both countries are very obsessed with territory. It's hard to survive."

The words of the Savoy ambassador discouraged the other two, which was really right. They had no way to deal with this behemoth, so they could only wait respectfully.

Look at Aragon, which lost Sardinia; look at the Holy Roman Empire, which lost Switzerland; they are blessed by God for being able to keep it now, how can they expect anything else?

"These few years are really confusing."

The changes are really too fast. They lost power and regional hegemony inexplicably. Rome dominated the Mediterranean again, and the Bartland family also dominated the major European countries. If they want to continue to live, they must either overthrow the Roman Empire or cling to Rome's thighs.

The three of them started to eat lunch, and it's not to mention that the dishes in Rome are better than theirs.

Compared with these three, the Burgundian envoy Charles is much better. He was recommended by the Count of the Netherlands and was selected by John to become an envoy to Rome. He also did a lot of activities in Constantinople and successfully made some parliamentarians as friends.

Today, Charles is going to meet Prime Minister Listerling. This is an opportunity he has finally sought. He prepared a gift, which cost him a lot of lei.

"The Prime Minister wants to see you, envoy, please!"

Charlie hurried in. The Prime Minister's residence was much better decorated than theirs. Although they lived in a castle, it was actually cold and damp. If it weren't for the furniture, they would have liked to live in the city every day.

The Roman residence not only had exquisite decorations, but also well-kept gardens and countless servants. After walking through the garden, he finally saw Listerine.

"Welcome, envoy." Listerine welcomed the other party's arrival, not only for diplomacy, but also for the gifts they brought. The emperor acquiesced to the gifts given by these officials and diplomatic envoys, as long as they did not harm the interests of the empire.

"What is the matter with the envoy today?"

Charlie hurriedly took out the gifts he had prepared, which were some gems. Listerine accepted them as they looked good.

"My Lord, please take care of Burgundy. The evil Orleans committed unimaginable evil deeds against the people of Burgundy. Please persuade His Majesty to mediate."

Listerine looked at these gifts and was very happy. "Okay, okay, but your Majesty hasn't come back yet. I will definitely persuade your Majesty when you come back."

The envoy left with satisfaction, and the prime minister asked people to put these things in the warehouse and record what he requested. Every day, there were envoys asking for things or inquiring about news, and he received a lot of gifts. But some of them were sent to the palace, only in this way could he be safe and keep his position as prime minister.

In addition to the special envoys, the number of spies in Constantinople also increased. Genoa, Aragon, Burgundy and other countries also began to use these people to inquire about the news of the empire.

Some people wanted to sneak into the palace, but the defense there was very strict, and the eunuchs who served were all black eunuchs. In addition, after the last incident, every eunuch had to be searched at night. Under such circumstances, no one dared to sneak in.

So they changed their method and decided to go to the homes of ministers or parliamentarians. They could always steal one or two documents, such as who decided to condemn, the report of today's meeting of the parliament, etc. The empire also maxed out its skill points to prevent spies, for fear that confidential documents would be lost. These are the life of the empire, and the consequences of losing them are unpredictable.