The Eagle of Eastern Europe

Recently, the relationship between Britain and France has begun to deteriorate again. With England, the Duke of Normandy has become more powerful, which has made the Dukes of Burgundy and Orleans worried.

In order to prevent Britain from intervening, both of them sent envoys to bribe the Earl of Salisbury with a large sum of money. The man who was once imprisoned has now become a key figure in maintaining peace between the two countries. But the Earl did not look good to the French and directly handed over the bribes and letters to the king. Stefan commended his loyalty and made his son a baron.

Like his brother Vlad, Stefan also sought support from his eldest brother. He also knew that it was unrealistic for Rome to send troops directly, so he asked his eldest brother to make a promise that as long as he conquered France, the emperor would recognize his title of King of the Franks.

Peter naturally agreed. Now history has changed a lot. It is still questionable whether Stefan can replicate the glory of Henry V, but it should be no problem to hit France hard.

In addition to England and Berlin, Switzerland also plays an important role. Rome provides Switzerland with a batch of food every year, and a group of Swiss mercenaries also become the Roman guards. Because they gained independence with the help of Rome, Switzerland has a strong pro-Roman tendency, and even their head of state was inaugurated under the witness of the emperor.

In view of Rome's advantage in the Alps, Milan, Savoy and Genoa began to form a group. The three countries signed a treaty in Turin and obtained the support of France and the Holy Roman Empire. Aragon also supported the Triple Alliance and developed a route from Barcelona through Genoa and Milan to the Holy Roman Empire and France. This route is particularly important to them and is the key to whether they can maintain the defense line.

"Now the focus of the empire is on the three countries of Milan. If we take down these three countries, the empire can rely on the Alps to resist the enemy's attack."

For the western border, Peter still tends to restore the situation during the Justinian period. In this era, mountains and rivers are natural defense lines. This is why France is committed to pushing the border to the Rhine.

"Your Majesty, Sigismund and Aragon have provided a lot of support to Milan. They have also signed an alliance treaty with them. If the empire attacks, it will encounter greater difficulties."

Luka naturally knew what the emperor was thinking, but as a foreign minister, he could not watch the empire fall into a diplomatic isolation. At this time, the Minister of Military Affairs Christian began to make suggestions to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, it is not too late to solve the problem in the east first and then come back to solve it here. According to the news from Yerevan, Tabriz and Baghdad have been in close contact recently, and it seems that they are plotting something."

After the Black Sheep Dynasty and Zalair were forced to hand over a large amount of gold and silver treasures to Rome to ensure peace between the two countries, the Sultan's heart has been unwilling. To the west, their expansion was blocked by Rome; to the east, the empire ruled by Shah Rukh once again thwarted their attempts. They were sandwiched between the two countries and had to get along with both sides to survive.

At this time, Zalair's ruler Ahmed had died. After a brief succession crisis, Ahmed's grandson Mahmud succeeded to the throne. The two countries re-formed an alliance and asked Mecca for the legitimacy of attacking Rome.

"Your Majesty, the previous Roman emperors all failed because of the Empire's attacks from the east and west. Only by completely solving one side can the other side be freed up. Otherwise, if it continues to attack from both sides, even if it can achieve a short-term victory, it will not be able to sustain it in the long run.

At present, the Empire has already stockpiled supplies in Aleppo, Damascus, Jerusalem and other places. As long as Your Majesty leads the army to Mecca after the completion, the enemy of hundreds of years will be eliminated."

This policy once again shifted Peter's mind to the Arabian Peninsula. Every year, the Empire purchased a large amount of supplies for the war in the east, and also purchased a large number of camels and hired people to manage them.

In order to increase the number of camels as a desert transportation tool, the imperial government ordered to encourage people to raise camels. The number of camel breeders in Syria and Palestine increased greatly, and the government could also requisition enough camels to replace horses for transportation.

Compared with Rome, which was fully prepared for the conquest, Mecca seemed less united. The loss of Jerusalem should have sounded the alarm for them, and the attack on Jeddah further suppressed the fragile local economy.

Agriculture in the Arabian Peninsula was weak, and most people could only rely on dates to fill their stomachs. Eating this thing a few times is fine, but if you keep doing it for a long time, your body will have problems. The shrinking overseas trade has also caused a sharp drop in commercial income, and now the rulers of Mecca, who were originally stable, have shown signs of division.

Some radicals want to replicate the great conquest in the seventh century and launch an attack on Rome with the whole country. In this way, they can not only recapture the holy city, but also start the second era of the Arab conquest. But my lord, times have changed.

In addition to the Arabs being brave and good at fighting, the Arab conquest also caught up with a good time. Rome and the Sassanid Empire were both injured in decades of war, and they entered the war again before they had a good rest. Their combat effectiveness was not a little bit worse. Even the surviving Rome was unable to recapture Jerusalem and Egypt, not to mention the Persian country that had been destroyed.

But now, Rome has recaptured Jerusalem, which shows that their strength is greater than any previous dynasty. Moreover, without the Crusaders, the local government orders are unified and commanded, which speeds up the construction of defense facilities and economic recovery. The wooing of Shia split the Crescent, and the expansion in Yemen contained Mecca from another direction. Rome now had the upper hand, and Mecca had no way to stop it.

Other rulers thought of attacking Yemen in the south first, opening up their trade routes, and then attacking Jerusalem in the north after increasing their income. Their reasons were also very sufficient. Why fight a war without money?

Even with the Umayyad Dynasty and the Abbasid Dynasty, tribal politics here is still strong. With the interests of the tribe as the foundation, even religion has to be sidelined. Originally, religion and trade were the glue, but now trade is shrinking, and the political map is naturally broken.

In addition, the other side began to absorb a large number of heretics to join, constantly using interests to bribe small tribes and provide them with maps and intelligence. And Mecca is still arguing about the plan. What should it do if it goes on like this?

Peter thought about it carefully and still believed that the East was the most important. However, if Zarayier and the Black Sheep were itchy, he would not mind peeling a layer of skin off them.

"The threat from the west cannot be assured, and the pagans in the east cannot be taken lightly. The seven hundred years of fighting should come to an end."

After Peter said this, he announced the adjournment of the meeting. The ministers understood that the future emperor must enter Mecca, just like the prophet of the other side.