Chapter 324 Exploration Colonization Profit

Rome is very attractive to people from other countries, and the exploration activities led by Peter also made some people feel that they have a place to use their talents. Some people feel that they have been treated unfairly and want to gain glory in the East.

"Are you De La Salle?"

"Yes, Your Highness"

Peter looked at the gray-haired old man in front of him. He was older than his father. Why did he ask him to let him explore?

This De La Salle is not a simple person. He participated in the Anglo-French War and made great achievements in this war. He came to the fore. More than a decade ago, he went to fight against Tunisian pirates. During this period, he met a Frenchman named Jean de Betancourt. Betancourt introduced him to the Canary Islands, which had not been conquered by Europeans in the Atlantic Ocean. And tried to persuade him to sponsor and participate in the conquest of the Canary Islands he was preparing. After being guaranteed that he could obtain his own territory after the conquest, he joined Betancourt's expedition and provided financial support.

Later, according to the aid contract signed between Betancourt and King Enrique III of Castile, Betancourt was awarded the title of "King of the Canary Islands", but he got nothing. He felt unfair about this and returned to Europe to protest to the Castilian royal family and demanded an apology and compensation. But in the end, his protest had no effect, so he had to give up. Hearing that the Roman Empire in the East was also exploring, he thought of going for the last gamble.

Peter naturally accepted everyone who came, but this person was a little too old. It's not that he was reluctant to spend money, but he was worried that this person was a liar.

"Your Highness, I have a map of the Canary Islands and letters with other people as evidence. What I said is true. Please give me a chance."

Peter saw that this person was so sincere, and the map he took didn't look fake, so he decided to give him a chance.

"If you can really bring land to the empire, I will give you the title and land, and I will never regret it."

De La Salle had hope in his heart after hearing Peter's words. Peter gave him some money, and the next step was to explore. Fortunately, he had bought a travel record of Ibn Battuta from a Crescent merchant before. With the current map, going to the East African Plateau might be a good choice.

There are many adventurers like De La Salle. They were all sent to the East by Peter. Some died there, some became successful, and some became officials like Mason.

Herbert Henry was a Roman diplomat in Abyssinia. He was responsible for negotiating with the king and maximizing Roman interests. Many conversations with David ended with his victory because no country could be a substitute for Rome.

David obtained some obsolete artillery and muskets from Andronikos Port, and used them to form a guard that was invincible on the battlefield. Most of the separatist regimes were eliminated, and the country tended to be unified.

At the same time, Abyssinia's foreign trade and commerce must rely on Roman merchants. Coffee, ivory, slaves, gold nuggets, and grain are their main exports. Imports include textiles, glass, etc. A road is being built from Andronikos Port to David's palace to make trade smoother.

In the new capital, Roman merchants have planned famous trading houses and invested in blacksmith shops. This is what King David asked for. He hopes that Rome can provide more weapons, and he will also grant part of the land to the other party.

This also needs to be approved by the governor. If it is something else, they have ways. This is also the reason for investing in blacksmith shops, because the local technology is too backward, and investing in this can quickly make money back.

Henry also bought some land here, but he didn't grow coffee, but sugarcane. The local climate is also suitable for sugarcane planting, and sugarcane plantations have also developed.

The first batch of loans has been in place, and David decided to go a step further and take out half to build the army, which is to suppress those pagans.

Compared with later countries with strong financial strength such as Britain and France, Rome's finance is relatively backward, but it is advanced in this era.

The current Roman colonization actually learns the set of Genoese and Venetians in the Mediterranean. One of the core elements of this model is the trading house, that is, to establish small-scale trading bases in coastal areas to control the minimum cost and gain the maximum profit.

Even the later Spain was the same. More than 20 years after the discovery of America, the Spanish had always positioned America in an African way. It was okay to trade on the coast, but the interior was full of jungles, mosquitoes and savages. Going in was asking for trouble and self-destruction.

The most typical case is Cuba. Until three hundred years later, Cuba was an island with a very low level of development. Except for the port and administrative center Havana, the interior was basically jungle.

Rome now has no ability to colonize inland areas on a large scale, so it can only use port colonies + vassal states. Relying on the current colonial ports, Rome can monopolize the spice trade and make a lot of money.

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The wealth brought by colonization made up for a large amount of expenses in this year of national tax exemption. The empire also launched many major projects, such as the large road from Constanta to Constanta, the horse racing arena in Constanta, the Orthodox Cathedral in Ancyra, etc. In addition, the training, recruitment and armament of the army all cost money, and mercenaries were no longer needed.

Baptiste was also a financial genius. With real enthusiasm for work, a clear and steady mind, and a spirit of loyalty and patriotism, he worked hard to increase fiscal revenue to make the country self-sufficient. He proposed to build a canal in Constanta and a series of roads and post stations across the country to rectify transportation. These were approved and implemented.

Of course, some of his policies also offended the church and the nobility. For example, he prohibited the construction of too many monasteries, believing that too many monasteries would reduce the human resources of the empire. He also proposed to introduce a law prohibiting land annexation, which offended some nobles. But because he was appointed by the emperor, they couldn't do anything to him.

He also monopolized some important industries in the empire, including military industry and iron ore, which must be controlled by the state, and private hands would be in big trouble.

As for the others, it is still necessary to increase the population by means of land reclamation and encouraging foreign immigration. Population is the greatest wealth. Whether it is immigrants or slaves, they can play their greatest value.

Isn't the Holy Roman Empire engaged in eastward immigration? Then immigrants will do it, but their own language and beliefs must be changed to theirs. The great heresy of God cannot exist in the pure kingdom of Orthodoxy.