novelSusiti Chapter 142 Reunion with Robert
Chapter 142 Reunion with Robert
Chapter 142 Reunion with Robert (Part Two)
Robert continued, "I was among the crowd when Dandolo's fleet arrived in Venice. He was short, slightly hunched, with a full head of silver hair, and blind, I heard, because he had suffered persecution at the hands of the Romans in Constantinople many years ago. When he raised his hand, the entire harbor fell silent instantly!"
His first words were: "Venetians, I'm taking your children home."
Robert mimicked Dandolo's voice: "Then he said, 'But this is not a gift, it is a debt. Every Venetian owes these children a debt of dignity. And dignity must be defended with gold and power.'"
Jacob interjected softly, "He's quite shrewd; he cleverly transformed his personal achievements into a collective responsibility for the Venetians."
"Too shrewd!" Robert almost gritted his teeth. "For the next month, he swept through every corner of Venice like a whirlwind. First, he reorganized the Senate, replacing several important officials, then enacted the New Maritime Law to tighten control over private fleets, and even announced the establishment of a national trade registry, requiring all overseas transactions exceeding five hundred pence to be registered and subject to escort taxes, ostensibly to raise funds for the Venetian fleet!"
"In his first week in office, the new governor froze all ongoing major asset auctions," Robert said dejectedly. "The fleet, warehouses, shops, and debt instruments left behind by Daniel—all were placed on the national review list." Of the three judges I'd bribed beforehand, two were reassigned to sinecure positions, and one was simply thrown into the governor's jail for accepting bribes. All the gold coins we'd spent, the promises we'd made, and the network of relationships we'd woven in Venice over the past six months—all of it has become worthless!"
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself: "The most frightening thing is that Dandolo seems to have been aware of me all along. Before I left Venice, the port inspector subtly reminded me: 'Friends from the Kingdom of Jerusalem' would be best off focusing on matters of the Holy Land. The Mediterranean is too vast, with high waves and strong winds; it's easy to capsize."
"All my efforts, my plans, my arrangements, have vanished under the new governor's new policies!" Robert wailed. "Almost six months of work, all for nothing!"
The courtyard fell into a brief silence.
Lyon's hands trembled slightly as he gripped the horse's reins tightly.
This was the first time since he had traveled through time that he had felt a deep-seated fear of anyone. Even the brilliant Saladin, and even the ruthless Assassin Atayal he had met in Alexandria, could at least be understood through his experience and historical knowledge.
But just how deep is Enrico Dandolo's cunning, a man in his seventies or eighties?
Honestly, can I truly see through him?
"Your Highness?"
Lyon finally snapped out of his fear and looked at Robert, who also looked surprised and frightened.
"The money lost can be earned back, and the time lost can be made up for." Leon calmed himself down and comforted Robert. "It's good that he's back safe and sound, and I also need you to continue to personally implement your project."
"I imagine you've already heard about our victories in the Bekaa Valley and Beirut since you returned to Jerusalem from Jaffa," Lyon said. "I suspect Saladin will focus his military efforts on northern Syria next, and there should be a period of peace with the Kingdom. It's February now, spring planting is approaching, and we need to get things done as soon as possible, such as clearing land, digging irrigation ditches, and promoting new agricultural products."
Robert stroked his beard, looking troubled. "Well—Your Highness, generally speaking, there's no problem, but I have some unfortunate news to tell you."
"What?" Leon raised an eyebrow.
"The Redbeard is actively working to improve relations with Sicily. Since his break with Heinrich the Lion, he has been looking for new allies," Robert said. "Although King William of Sicily has not made a direct statement, he has begun to intentionally restrict the business activities of northern Italian merchants in Sicily by raising taxes in order not to offend the Redbeard."
Robert sighed, "Your Highness, we can no longer buy up Sicilian grain and seeds on such a large scale as before! We must either find another trade route, or temporarily only cultivate the seeds we have on hand, and consider expanding the scale after the storm has passed."
"I see—" Leon pondered, his gaze turning westward. "Robert, besides Sicily, what other granaries are there in the Mediterranean?"
Robert was clearly prepared; he pulled a roll of parchment from his pocket.
"The four major granaries," he pointed with his finger. "We'll set Sicily aside for now. Next is Egypt, which we'll eliminate immediately. Third is the Roman Empire's Asia Minor coast, especially the provinces of Pafragnia and Bithynia. The former has recently suffered from Turkic incursions, making its production unstable. The latter is too far from us, and its priority is supplying Constantinople, so we won't consider it either."
"And the fourth one?"
"Cyprus," Robert uttered, a glint of light in his eyes. "An island of the Roman Empire, fertile land, yielding two harvests a year. More importantly—"
Robert lowered his voice and said, "The governor of the island is Isaac Komnenos, the current uncle of Basilius, but he is said to have ulterior motives and a delicate relationship with Constantinople."
"It's him?" Leon's memory was instantly awakened. So it was that island soldier.
“Exactly.” Robert nodded. “Moreover, Cyprus is only a four or five-day voyage from Jaffa, much closer than Sicily. But the problem is that Governor Isaac has extremely strict control over trade. All exported grains must go through his chartered merchants, and the price will be taken away by more than 30%. We didn’t take this route before because the cost was too high.”
"Thirty percent—" Leon pondered, "If we have to pay this price, what will we gain?"
"Stable supply. Cyprus will not be affected by the Italian political situation for at least the next year."
Lyon shook his head; he couldn't accept such a deal.
Historically, Isaac would have rebelled and declared independence a year later, but due to the butterfly effect, this number is very likely to change.
A few days later? A month later? Or maybe it won't even rebound at all?
Lyon dared not gamble.
At that time, every deal Lyon made with Cyprus would be like an arrow shot at Alexius.
He pondered, "Robert, besides buying, how much can we produce ourselves?"
Robert scratched his beard, rummaging through his memory for numbers: "Your Highness, as you know, the Kingdom of Jerusalem has very little arable land. It is mainly concentrated around the Sea of Galilee, scattered oases in the Jordan Valley, and some alluvial plains along the coast. Even if all is included, in the best of years with favorable weather, the output is only enough to feed 30% of the country's population. The remaining 70% has always relied on imports."
"Thirty percent—" Lyon repeated the number, feeling a suffocating pressure.
This means that the kingdom is like a patient walking on crutches; once trade routes are cut off, hunger will sweep across the country within months.
Is his farming plan going to collapse before it even officially begins?