The Eagle of Eastern Europe

Rome's influence in other countries was increasing, and as the empire was going through its zenith like the Macedonian dynasty, the economy, culture and creativity were once again bursting at the seams.

The glory of Constantinople seemed to have returned, and with it came some new government institutions.

As a new type of department, the Eastern Department is responsible for managing the empire's colonial and trade affairs in the east. Prince Peter set up this agency against all odds because he wanted to be at the forefront of Europe, because Portugal and Castile had begun to explore the ocean, and Rome Don’t fall behind the team either.

On the wall of the institution's conference room is a huge map of the Eastern Route. It clearly describes how many colonies and ports the empire opened up in the east, as well as how many native immigrants and naturalized natives there were in the colonies. Of course, the Seris are given a separate table as an acceptable people.

Kolbaru was the builder of the Indian city of Kamil (Bombay) and had a good understanding of the situation in the East, especially India. When the East India Company divested its functions, he was also transferred to the India Department to take charge of the local affairs. Command and expand.

"India is rich in products. Most of the spices needed by the empire come from here. Commodities such as cotton and cotton cloth are transported by the company. There are 490 imperial immigrants, 3807 converts, and two kings who surrendered at the emperor's feet. This This is the current situation in India.”

As a representative of the India Hall, Korbaru reported to Telcatu, the director of the Eastern Department, that among all the colonies, India, Ceylon, Aden and Formosa had the most profits, mainly from the local trade of spices and other luxury goods.

"Sir, we have made great progress in the east in the past few years. If we want to firmly control these places, we need more people."

Representatives from the Household Registration Department reported the population report to Telcatu. The total population they control in the east is more than 4,000 Romans, 7,000 Seris, and 23,000 indigenous people who have converted to Orthodoxy. These people look quite large, but It is too small compared to the area controlled.

It is not easy for local missionaries to spread like this, because the local residents also have their own local religions. In India alone, there are hundreds of gods worshiped by the local people. The East is better, but they do not worship Those who are called Buddha or Bodhisattva worship someone named Confucius. I heard that this is their god in charge of education, and disrespecting him will result in retribution.

"This time when the Eastern envoy came to Constantinople, I learned a saying that everything is difficult at the beginning. As long as we survive this period, we will gain more benefits."

Telcatu inspired everyone, they will not be discouraged by a little difficulty, as long as they survive this period.

Tolerance to the Seris was an order given by Prince Peter. Just like the Armenians in Rome, the empire needed their farming talents in the east. Half of the land in Formosa was cultivated by the Seris. The local area cannot do without these people.

Of all the colonies, Formosa had the most promising prospects. Thanks to its geographical location, the local transit port status has been stabilized. Coupled with the fertile land, it has become a key place of concern for the empire.

The local aborigines were not very friendly. Madou Society and other organizations launched attacks on the local ports. The locals were familiar with the geography, so they just drove them away. However, the Seris recruited from the Eastern Empire began to reclaim land on a large scale, which undermined the interests of the indigenous people and the relationship between the two sides became tense.

"Next we should focus on India and Ceylon, where immigration preferences can be increased. The land in Androniko is too barren, and immigrants always want fertile land."

The only valuable thing about the port of Androniko is its geographical location. The local climate and land are not suitable for growing crops. Immigrants prefer to go to India or Ceylon, or to cultivate in Zanzibar. This also gives other places the opportunity to increase their population.

The immigration activities organized by the Household Registration Department increased from 600 people per year by the East India Company to 1,100 people per year, and most of them came with their families. Some prisoners produced in the war were also sent to the East to work. This labor force was an important basis for colonial rule.

In the colonies, sugar and cotton became the most important local exports. The sugar production in Ceylon accounted for three-quarters of the entire East, while cotton was produced in India and shipped back to Rome along with textiles. With the development of the sugar trade, more than 400 Romans lived in Colombo, second only to Aden.

"Okay, that's it for today, let's go and do our own thing."

Telcatu adjourned the meeting. In fact, colonization could only happen slowly, but the company predicted that as long as the canal was reopened, immigration and trade could double. The local foreman has vowed to open it before the Roman Emperor's birthday, which is less than five months away.

Since the foreman vowed, he was ready. I don't have to worry about this anymore.

This department looks very idle on the surface, but in fact it is not idle at all. Various Eastern affairs required solutions, and there were also external threats to deal with. The emperor had approved the construction of a navy to maintain the trade routes to the East, but the colonies would have to pay for half of the cost.

This also put the colonies into financial difficulties. After all, most colonies had just balanced their expenditures, and there was no money left to pay for the navy. Therefore, this burden still falls on Aden, Ceylon, Temasek, India and Formosa. Four places worked together, and finally collected the cost of fifteen ships and sailors, and the Eastern Navy was officially established. (The previous fleet was the property of the East India Company)

In addition, there were two other countries that paid tribute to provide funds for the colonies. For example, in the Sultanate of Malacca, Parameswara was canonized by the Ming Dynasty and converted to Orthodox Christianity and received protection from Rome. This behavior brought many benefits to Malacca. There were more and more people doing business in the area. By collecting commercial taxes, the Malacca Sultanate soon had the capital to fight against Siam in the north, and was ready to completely drive him out of the Malay Peninsula.

The profits from the two trade routes in the east were equally divided between the company and the government. Excluding the part that had to be handed over to each other, the income generated from the trade between Ming Dynasty, North Korea and Japan amounted to 2.2 million taels of silver in one year. This is because after contracting trade with a third party, merchants from the two countries no longer have to travel across the ocean to buy goods. They can buy anything here. Therefore, the business stores in Osaka, Ningbo and Busan are very popular. The company also sells goods produced in the country to make more money from it, and because the officials have been silenced, they don't say how bad this is. Instead, they instruct their servants to engage in transactions and make money from it. .