The Eagle of Eastern Europe

Chapter 188 Army + Religion = Expansion

Regarding the Hungarian Civil War, neither Peter nor Mircea had any ambitions to expand, but if they were sent by themselves, they would have to think about it before making a decision.

Wallachia almost unified the Balkans in seven years. If you put this speed in the game, the stability will be reduced by 3. Now it takes time to digest such a large area of ​​land.

After conquering Serbia, Peter executed and exiled those disobedient nobles, adopted a relocation policy for obedient nobles, and at the same time sent religious orders and churches to preach. Sometimes he had to expand and assimilate at the same time.

I have to admit that Serbia is too rich in minerals. Three silver mines were found alone, and a lot of iron ore was found in Bulgaria and Macedonia, as well as copper, coal, tin and other minerals. Wallachia contracted out some of the minerals and made a lot of money.

Using these funds, local administrative planning will be more complete. Even if those nobles want to play tricks, they won't succeed.

Peter personally went to Smederevo to stabilize the situation, expelled many Catholic nobles, and established a local government with a high concentration of Orthodox Christianity. Peter was also more wary of Croatia and Bosnia.

Recruitment offices have been established all over Wallachia. Recruited soldiers generally undergo military training, and the recruitment dates are usually more than half a year. In order to allow them to fight with peace of mind, some military pay will be paid in advance to support the living expenses of the soldiers' families.

The levies in Wallachia generally recruit some people for military training starting at the age of seventeen. Basically, one soldier is sent out for every 20 households. After training, they will be stationed at the border or other places. After three years, they will You will become a reserve force and will come back to fight in the war. If you run away, your family will be exiled and your property will be confiscated. If you are not afraid, you can give it a try.

Foreigners could also join the Wallachian army, but started in lower-level positions. This was to ensure fairness, and the military academy established by Peter had also been expanded. Officers began to join the army continuously, and the quality of the army was also improving.

Wallachia currently has 70 recruitment offices across the country, which can recruit up to 50,000 people. This ratio is the highest in Europe. Including the standing army, a total of 90,000 troops can be raised. Excluding the defensive ones, there are about 50,000 usable ones.

The number of such armies has exceeded that of most European countries, and while the armies of most countries use cold weapons, the Wallachian army has begun to equip matchlocks and artillery on a large scale. The two rulers attached great importance to the power of firearms in battle, so they adopted various policies to support the military industry. Now Wallachia's firearms can be said to be the first in Europe.

In addition, the government of Wallachia has adopted a policy of recruiting some people who are engaged in the mercenary industry. Integrate them into a mercenary group and let them take the lead when the war starts. Their treatment will be the same as that of the standing army. The purpose is to reduce the chance of them causing trouble and to be laid off and re-employed.

Peter placed the mercenary group on the border of Bosnia. These mercenaries soon fell into the old habit of plundering. They frequently harassed the Bosnian border, and Croatia was still asking the Pope for support. , so Bosnia will have a hard time for a long time.

After so many years of reforms, the framework of centralization was finally built by Peter and Mircea. The newly-emerged military landlords and yeoman farmers, the business class and the church were all filling it with various things. The political influence of the local nobles was restricted and divided. The signs are strangled, and there is no need to spend as much time as in Spain to glue them together.

At the same time, the development of centralized power also means that all classes have common demands. Farmers need more land, the army needs more military honors and rewards, and merchants and craftsmen need more markets. These all require a stable domestic environment and This can only be achieved through external expansion. Peter also complied with their wishes, stabilizing the country while gradually unifying the Balkans. The territory continued to expand. Everyone was very satisfied, and their support for the Bartland family became increasingly solid.

In terms of military rewards, Peter adopted the official rank list and military rank system, which inspired the enthusiasm of the people at the bottom to join the army. In the three conquests of the Ottomans, more than 2,000 people obtained different military ranks, and more than 20,000 people obtained land. Half of them are from farmers and citizens. At the officer level, although nobles still account for the majority, the proportion is declining year by year, and more enthusiastic lower-class people are taking their place.

Even though the nobles gradually lost their political and military dominance, their economic position remained stable. In order to compensate the nobles, Mircea granted the nobles some economic privileges, including tax incentives, preferential investment in workshops, etc. Peter also gave the nobles preferential treatment and privileges in the shipbuilding and shipping industries in the newly promulgated decree. Relying on the preferential treatment provided by the Grand Duke and in order to earn more money to support expenses, the nobles began to invest in industry and commerce on a large scale.

Weaving, flour, silk, printing and dyeing, shipbuilding, as long as they can make money, they are involved, and they only have discounts. In the market, they have to compete with the public, and the final winner will be determined after the survival of the best.

Industrial and commercial people can also enter the upper class society by making money and marrying nobles. This is nothing new in northern Italy. Therefore, in Wallachia, there are gradually more and more new nobles. The traditional aristocrats who rely on land as their main income are gradually decreasing. This is what the Grand Duke wants to see. These landed aristocrats are the base of the conservatives, and the reform must reduce resistance.

Among all economic factors, the church is a very special entity. They expanded their assets by annexing Crescent Church lands and enslaved Turks to work for them. In addition to food, they also ran industries such as winemaking, textiles, and mills. Some temples also acted as banks.

The growth of the church economy brought about the demand for power and the erosion of the national economy. More than 10 monasteries started construction every year, some funded by the church, and some funded by princes and nobles. Most of the monasteries became the treasury of the church and there was a struggle for power.

Although Peter supported the expansion of the church, he was not able to gain access to the power he had finally concentrated. As early as four years ago, the Archduke issued a decree that no one could donate land to the Church without the Archduke's approval. At the same time, the church is guided to spread the gospel to pagan places and tightly holds the power to appoint and remove bishops, so that the church does not cross the line.

The church also played its role honestly. They had rebuilt the first monastery in Nicomedia and gathered a group of Orthodox Christians. The monastery also formed a guard for protection. Ottoman cracked down hard, but to no avail. Years later, it became clear to some that the landing of the Orthodox Church in Anatolia was only a prelude to the fall of the Ottomans.