Chapter 80 National Size

As for why Bulgaria has such a small population, the main reason is the fighting between Serbia, the Ottomans, and the lords of all sizes. The entire Balkans has a maximum of 3 million people. Northern Bulgaria accounts for one-sixth, which is still the best result.

To prevent the emergence of warlords, it is necessary to cut off the possibility of their emergence. Especially military power and finance.

In terms of the army, Peter has built an army that obeys his orders. Although it is still not a completely full-time soldier, the extensive use of firearms is also a great improvement. At the same time, Peter has continuously improved the military organization, including the Ministry of Finance, hospitals, and the spoils distribution office. This is very good at the moment.

As for finance, Peter directly handed it over to the Grand Duke. The financial department of the Senate directly assigned tax collectors to various places to establish a vertical financial system.

It is crucial to cut off the emergence of nobles, especially great military nobles. After all, there are countless examples of military coups in the Eastern Roman Empire, and Wallachia must not repeat the same mistakes.

"My lord, there is a situation."

Petkov reported foreign news to Peter, and this news came from Serbia.

"At present, Brankovich has an absolute advantage, and other lords have also expressed their surrender. And they have received the support of the Ottomans."

"In other words, this is the new lord of Serbia?"

"Yes"

Peter looked at the map of the Balkans. Except for the three major powers of Wallachia, Serbia and the Ottomans, the others were all debris. Especially the part near the Adriatic Sea, which was broken into pieces.

"Currently, the Ottomans occupy most of the Aegean coast, forming a semi-encirclement of Athens and other places. Venice is in danger."

Peter laughed as he listened to Petkov's report.

"No, no, no, the Ottomans will not let them suffer."

Peter remembered clearly that the Ottomans collected 2% tax from Venice. And there were also preferential treatments for commercial countries such as Genoa, so the reason why the Ottomans blocked the Silk Road and led to the opening of new routes was completely wrong. It was simply that countries such as Venice asked for too high a price.

"Now that we are here, are there any possible allies?"

Petkov shook his head, "It's difficult, sir. In front of the Ottomans, all the allies here can be crushed."

Now the Balkans are all acting independently, and facing the same enemy, they have their own ideas, just like the six countries united. How can such an alliance not lose the war?

Peter turned his attention to Morea, who shared the Peloponnese with the Principality of Achaea. The population is small and there is almost no army. But this is already a possible ally of Wallachia.

"Walachia has no friends in the Balkans, just like this crumbling Constantinople."

The main task should still be to develop productivity. After all, if the strength is strong, the other party will have some concerns about attacking you.

————Dividing line————

In the blink of an eye, it was the autumn harvest, and the taxes paid by civilians and nobles had basically been completed. As estimated, Wallachia's tax revenue this year is 1.73 million lei. 55% of it is tariffs, 35% is civilian taxes, and the rest is the monopoly income from salt, etc.

In terms of expenditure, because the war against the Ottomans had exhausted the surplus, they had to increase the revenue from domestic finances, increase the price of salt, and increase tariffs. Although it was cancelled because of the victory in the war, there were still some complaints from the domestic people.

Of course, borrowing from domestic merchants in an emergency is also an option. Before and after the Battle of Sofia, Grand Duke Mircea borrowed a batch of 10,000 lei from the Chamber of Commerce, and then borrowed several times, finally reaching 85,000 lei. Mircea quickly repaid the loan, but borrowing from the Chamber of Commerce is also an option in the short term.

Subsequently, the increase in land and people expanded domestic trade. Mircea and Peter welcomed merchants to do business because there was more income. At the same time, a series of major projects were also started. Infrastructure construction such as dredging rivers and building roads made the trade routes safer and more convenient, and merchants had more transactions.

The policy of supporting small farmers is still in progress. Mircea allows residents of new territories to pay taxes in the form of in-kind land rent. And these things will be exchanged for coins in the form of transactions, which also promotes the development of the market.

In foreign trade, Wallachia also began to get involved in the Silk Road trade. Commodities from the East, including pepper and livestock, could be resold for several times the profit. This was because Wallachia occupied the northern route of the Silk Road, so these things could also be bought, but the price was not as cheap as in Egypt.

The trade between Wallachia and the Hanseatic League deepened. In July, Grand Duke Mircea issued a commercial decree: it stipulated that merchants from the Hanseatic League enjoyed special preferences and they could pay half the trade tax than other foreign merchants. This made the Italian city-states very angry.

Peter could also trade some things through the Hanseatic League. Most of his trade was exported through this alliance, so both sides helped each other.

Under Peter's promotion, the first batch of handicraft workshops appeared in Constanta. These workshops had 20 to 120 people, covering industries such as textiles and shipbuilding. Hire markets and permanent helpers began to appear.

Peter used his money to invest in land and industry and commerce, and he had a share in minerals and workshops. Iron smelting sites, weapons sites, gunpowder sites, etc. were all established to provide weapons for the Wallachian army and tools for the people.

The ceramic and glass industries were established in Moldova, and the craftsmen recruited from Venice and Bohemia really showed their prowess. The products produced quickly snatched away some of Venice's market, and the profits obtained exceeded many industries. Especially for ceramics, although they also have aesthetic tastes, they are naturally willing to pay more than ten times the price for patterns that are almost the same as those in the East.

The silk industry is also a rapidly developing industry in Wallachia. The largest silk processing industry is Italy, and Wallachia's share is also increasing. Giurgiu has become a silk trading center, and Wallachia has earned more than 150,000 lei from it this year. According to the 8% tax rate on silk, the value of silk produced in Wallachia this year is nearly 1.9 million lei. (Silver coin)