Chapter 534 Year-End Meeting (I)

This winter was the most difficult for Poland and Lithuania. Although the enemy stopped attacking, the sudden increase in hunting teams caused heavy losses in their population.

A large number of cavalry rushed into the countryside and captured people on sight. The nobles suffered heavy losses, which were the basis of their tax revenue. They began to ask Władysław to send troops to solve the problem.

But the king who had returned to Warsaw would not go out to expel them. What he was thinking about now was how to keep the land of Lithuania.

The southern part of Kiev was definitely not going to work, and it seemed that the area around Minsk could not be kept either. This was directly beaten back to its original form.

These were the lands that their fathers had conquered, and they just gave them away. He was really unwilling to accept it.

What could he do if he was unwilling? Could he still defeat Rome? Wake up.

Fortunately, Lithuania's roots were near Samogitia and Vilnius. Even if these lands were lost, Lithuania had not lost anything at all. But he was still ready to negotiate, and maybe he could force the other side to spit out some.

But it is worth celebrating that Poland was the last country to surrender to Rome. Castile, Aragon and Portugal have surrendered, and the envoy is currently going to Minsk to ask the emperor to sign and confirm.

According to the treaty negotiated between the Duke of Argau and them, the three Iberian countries must recognize Rome's occupation of Andalusia and pay a compensation of 1.5 million lei.

How can this be justified? Not only did they lose their land, but they also had to pay a large sum of money. The Reconquista can be ended early, because now they are not pagans, but heretics.

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The Senate at the end of the year is very busy, because the summary of this year and the planning of the next year must be completed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this year, the Empire has won one victory after another under the leadership of Your Majesty, and brought Switzerland as an ally to the Empire. Let us cheer for Your Majesty and the Empire."

"Long live Your Majesty! Long live the Empire!"

After cheering, everyone began to report on the things in their respective areas of responsibility.

Baptiste started by saying that as the Minister of Finance, he was in charge of the economic lifeline of the Empire. Every year's treasury expenditures must be discussed with him before they can be passed.

"This year, the empire's fiscal revenue reached 4.08 million lei. This is only the revenue of the empire itself. If the colonies and compensation are added, it will reach 6.89 million lei."

Everyone was very surprised to hear this number. This is a historical high. The previous financial tension has disappeared, and the empire can do more things.

The integration of money and service has been smoothly implemented in the Balkans, and most people choose to pay more money so that they can devote their energy to work.

In Asia Minor, most local people choose to serve, so that they can get salaries and military merits, and they can also be promoted. Especially the people in the central plateau area, they prefer to be in the army rather than in the fields.

"In addition to the efforts of the people of our country, we should also thank the colonial officials abroad. The taxes they pay to the empire prove that they are still loyal citizens of the empire. We should reward them."

Baptiste talked about the support of the colonies to the empire's finances. Everyone agreed with this resolution, rewarded the colonial officials, and increased their support.

"At present, Ceylon has met the requirements of the province and can be upgraded."

"Well, the progress in India is still good. We are going to discuss with the East India Company to integrate the Indian colonies into one, called the Indian Free State."

The Minister of the Eastern Department told everyone that in the arrangement of colonies in the East, except for key channels such as Ceylon and Temasek, which are directly governed by the empire, other large colonies adopt indirect rule. Use immigration, missionary work, education and other methods to transform the opposite side into loyal slaves of the empire.

In order not to attract the attention of the Ming Dynasty, the expansion of Roman colonies in Southeast Asia is mainly based on trade. They set up trading stations in Java and reviewed the local people to see if they could rule. If not, they would use the Seres to assist.

In the Champa region, Roman rule used a large number of Seres to assist. With their help, Rome began to collect taxes and persuade Cambodia to pay tribute to Rome. In exchange, Rome could protect him together with the Ming Dynasty.

Zheng He and Chen Cheng saw Rome everywhere on their way to Rome. Rome respected the tribute system of the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty also recognized Rome's trade in these countries. Because the Ming Dynasty was also a beneficiary of this trade.

Ningbo and Guangzhou's Maritime Customs Offices became two ports for foreign trade, and a large number of goods were exported from Rome to all parts of the world. Without the Romans, the entire East Asian trade would not work. The trade between the Ming Dynasty, Japan, Ryukyu, and Korea all needed Rome as an intermediary. And Rome extracted its own profits from it, which was enough for them to live for a lifetime.

"Our progress in colonies surpassed every country. Europe's wealth continued to concentrate in Constantinople. We must protect these places. Therefore, the system of colonies must be carried out quickly."

Everyone agreed, and the proposal was passed. Then the two ministers of agriculture and industry and commerce made reports.

During this year, Rome's military industry developed rapidly, and the production of armaments such as artillery, muskets, gunpowder, armor, and swords increased, which in turn led to the development of industries such as iron smelting and textiles. In order to transport materials and greatly improve transportation, the local small market of farmers was broken, and the entire empire became a big market.

"We plan to expand the shipyard in Smyrna and build an arsenal in Damascus, which is expected to cost 600,000 lei."

This is the largest investment in industry, not to mention the long wall built on the border between Rome and Timur. The emperor's will must persist and these investments must continue.

The East became an important investment place for the imperial government because the local population was sparse, which triggered another wave of immigration.

In addition to industry, there is agriculture. The agricultural facilities in the Syrian region were severely damaged, and Rome had to invest in water conservancy facilities. At the same time, they built a steel plant in Damascus to specialize in the production of Damascus steel.

Since Syria borders Zaragier, foreign trade is also an important part of the local economy. Vegetables produced in Syria are exported to the Arabian Peninsula and Baghdad, and some other goods are imported.

Shah Rukh of the Timurid Empire attaches great importance to trade, so he encouraged doing business with Rome. The raw silk produced in Persia was exported to Rome in large quantities, and passed through local workshops to become pieces of silk, which were exported to Europe and sold back to Herat. The booming trade in the local area made many people jealous, but they did not dare to plunder at will, as the combat effectiveness of the local cavalry was already comparable to theirs.