Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 817 Arrival in the largest city on the Mediterranean – Dadu!
The ports of Dadu were busier than ever, with ships carrying goods continuously setting sail for the south. These cargo ships, belonging to different groups and of different sizes, would be assembled at sea before setting off together.

The fleet would sail south from the Aegean Sea, passing through waters between numerous islands. However, this time they would not change to larger ships, but would instead sail around the Peloponnese under the escort of the naval fleet, heading towards southern Italy.

This sea route is quite ancient, having flourished since classical times. The Greeks used this route to sail their galleys to Sicily and the "Magna Hellenic" region in southern Italy. Compared to this well-established route, the overland route to western Balkans followed by a direct sea crossing seemed shorter, but it was actually slower and more expensive. Therefore, after the westward expansion began, the vast majority of supplies were transported along this route.

In this war, the Purple Horde directly raised the slogan of "Restore Rome." Therefore, everyone knew that something big was coming.

Of course, which aspect is more important depends on one's own perspective and needs. For example, for owners of cargo ships and warships, the main focus is on "high profits."

To ensure the safety of the shipping route and the smooth transport of supplies, the central government of the Purple Horde mobilized almost all available personnel. However, the khanate's navy was a late starter and not very large, and now, with the need to support both Egypt and Italy, it was completely insufficient. Nevertheless, for this enormous goal, which could almost be considered a source of legitimacy, the khanate directly used its reserves, offering high prices to recruit any usable ships to participate in the operation of the shipping route.

Now, as long as you can reach a few major ports and prove your seafaring ability, whether you're a rower or sailor selling your physical labor, or a seasoned captain or fleet commander, you can get a deposit. Of course, if you bring your own boat, that's even better—as long as you make a round trip, bring back an acceptance certificate issued by the port officials of Brindisi or Taranto, and return here, you'll receive a generous payment on the spot.

As a result, ships from all over flocked to the port, making it feel like a festival every day. The extremely frequent flow of people led to a shortage of berths, and some ships even fought each other over the chance to pick up cargo first.

Even before the troop transport to Egypt, the court issued proclamations to various regions, and almost all movable ships from Crete to Georgia were mobilized. Furthermore, the court dispatched envoys to Asia Minor and Syria. Coastal city-states, whether directly under Roman control, nominally vassals, or controlled by local Turkic warlords, enthusiastically joined in, attempting to contract a share of the business and earn as much as possible.

Military-related transportation, due to its special nature, is undoubtedly a highly profitable industry despite its high risks. In those days, anyone who became a maritime merchant was a risk-taker; who was afraid of risk? Therefore, whether it was wealthy Syrian merchants, Turkmen pirates from Asia Minor, or Italian fleets, they were all eager to seize business. The profits were so high that Venetians and Genoese even formed fleets to jointly bid for contracts, increasing their chances of winning.

Moreover, besides legal means, everyone was also eager to resort to underhanded tactics. Because the government paid far more for transporting goods than the goods themselves, some people who couldn't get orders would ambush passing cargo ships, steal the goods and authorization documents, and then impersonate the shippers to complete the transport mission and reap huge profits.

This piracy was once rampant. However, the navy was already operating beyond its capacity and simply couldn't spare the manpower to maintain the shipping lanes. Left with no other option, the government expanded the quota and opened ports like Thessaloniki and Athens to recruit fleets, eventually bringing these pirates under its wing and temporarily stabilizing the situation.

Later, a plague broke out in Egypt, and all transportation was halted by provincial order, instantly ruining the thriving business. However, not long after, the court began preparing for war against Italy. This time, everyone's enthusiasm soared, and they threw themselves into transportation with even greater dedication.

Apart from the port, the atmosphere in the city was almost like a festival.

Many sailors went ashore, took their money, and began to squander it, making the city extremely lively during this period.

Most sailors did not actually have local residency, and in principle, they should not be allowed to freely enter and leave the city. However, due to the special circumstances, the government lifted the ban, allowing them to rest and spend money within designated areas, and lifted the curfew.

This order allowed the imperial court to recoup a considerable amount of money from the rapidly expanding commercial taxes. However, in those days, the imperial court's management capabilities were limited, and in practice, it was impossible to enforce the order so strictly, especially in areas where the "entertainment industry" was already concentrated, which were already overcrowded.

In particular, with the influx of people, all sorts of trouble arose. The city residents already looked down on these outsiders, and now with so many suddenly pouring in, conflicts were inevitable. Every day, people would get drunk and start fighting; especially at night, at the places where song, dance, and drama performances were held, as soon as a few actresses appeared, the audience would start a disturbance.

The sailors felt they had paid for the service, so why shouldn't they receive it? The city's residents, on the other hand, thought, "Where did these country bumpkins come from, daring to steal from us?" As a result, fights broke out daily in the city. Even the specially reinforced city guards were overwhelmed.

Although the Greek citizens of the city were frequently involved in brawls and even armed fights, and seemed quite experienced, they consistently suffered losses when fighting these sailors. Moreover, while the citizens were not strong fighters, they were very loud. When they lost a fight, they would shout everywhere, saying that outsiders were bullying the locals, and they would also try to find connections and exert pressure to demand that the government uphold justice.

These were mostly the centers of the Roman Empire, and the relationships between them were indeed intricate and complex. A local tyrant who could rise to a position of power in the city, with his connections to the government, could scare many people away in the provinces. Therefore, when they caused trouble, the government was completely unable to stop them, finding it extremely troublesome.

However, recruiting outsiders to contract the transportation was a top priority task assigned by the imperial court. If they favored the locals and drove away the sailors, it would affect the transportation at the front lines, and the officials in charge would likely suffer. Even simply restricting them from entering the city would hinder consumption and thwart the government's plan to recoup some of the rewards, at which point the Ministry of Revenue would also cause trouble.

People in the East have always said that being an official in a subordinate city is the most difficult job. Things like this are truly unmanageable. So, the government offices in the capital simply gave up and started to slack off. No matter who came to cause trouble, they just pretended not to see anything. Although everyone was dissatisfied, doing nothing prevented them from making a serious mistake and giving others leverage against them.

Later, a plague broke out in Egypt, forcing Tuohuan and the others to leave, and the situation improved.

When Tuohuan returned this time, he wasn't alone; he brought a group of Mamluk representatives. Not only in Egypt, but also in Syria, representatives from various factions along the way formed this "Khan's Mamluks." Their political climate was peculiar. For those in the court, ordinary officials might not wield sufficient authority; conversely, being a slave of the Sultan was a guarantee of closeness and trust.

These slaves weren't all doing hard labor. Many were actually their lord's bodyguards, personal guards, or even close advisors managing his affairs. Nominally servants, they enjoyed considerable status and income, something ordinary people could only dream of.

Therefore, many people actually take pride in being slaves. If you don't make them slaves, they will become suspicious and wonder if there's something wrong with them that makes you look down on them. They might even get angry or turn against you over this.

Tuohuan didn't know how this custom came about, because although scholars in Persia and Egypt said it was a custom brought from the steppe people, even the Mongols didn't necessarily think so.

In the late Yuan Dynasty, there was a famous powerful minister named Bayan, known for his long service, overwhelming power, and unconventional behavior. As a veteran of seven reigns, after the death of another famous powerful minister, Yan Temur, who served eleven reigns, he gradually seized control of the court through a coup and gained absolute power.

Bayan's family originated from the Merkit tribe, enemies of Genghis Khan. During the land distribution, he was given as a household slave to Möngke Khan. Before his rise to power, Bayan was a slave of Möngke's great-grandson, Prince Shan, Chechetu.

Before he rose to power, Bayan had received help from Chechetu and had been saved by him once. But later, as Bayan's power grew, he became very uncomfortable with this relationship.

In the fourth year of the Zhiyuan era of Emperor Shun of Yuan, Chechetu, who was highly respected among the imperial clan, was sent to court as a representative. Bayan went to meet him. According to the custom at the time, servants should address their masters as "envoy leader". However, Bayan disliked this custom and was unhappy with the etiquette. So he said to everyone, "I am the Grand Tutor, the highest-ranking official. How can I still have an envoy leader!" and publicly rejected the request.

Later, perhaps to save face and further consolidate his authority, Bayan approached Chechetu to propose marriage, hoping his son could marry Chechetu's daughter, thus forming an alliance with the Golden Family. However, Chechetu refused the proposal, which greatly angered Bayan. He then organized his followers to impeach Chechetu for plotting rebellion, accusing him of entering Dadu (Beijing) with the intention of treason.

Emperor Shun of Yuan did not believe these abrupt accusations and refused Bayan and others' demands to execute Chechetu. Bayan then drafted an edict himself, forcibly issuing it to have Chechetu arrested and executed. This incident further destabilized the political situation of the Yuan Dynasty, plunging it into greater chaos.

Despite such severe side effects, they persisted in their revenge, demonstrating that in the minds of people like Bayan, being a servant was absolutely not a matter of prestige. It's unclear who these Egyptians learned this from…

However, since they have this custom, one can only do as the Romans do. Therefore, Tuohuan specially brought a large group of people back this time to show goodwill to the local forces and indicate that he would still consider them as his own people.

After the Black Death situation stabilized, Tuohuan, who was stationed in Cyprus, breathed a sigh of relief and led everyone to Dadu, bringing Theodora back with him. Not long after, news came that something had happened in the Kingdom of Naples.

In his later years, Basil III launched two campaigns against Italy and intervened in the Neapolitan succession dispute, hoping to pave the way for the reconquest of Rome. However, he ultimately failed to fully achieve his goals before his death. Afterwards, the Khanate focused its main efforts on the Hungarian front and did not continue to commit troops to the more sensitive Italian region.

However, Basil's conquest did leave some groundwork. According to the treaty signed at the time, the Purple Horde, under the pretext of maintaining shipping lanes, allied with the Venetians to control several ports on the western coast of the Adriatic. Therefore, they already had some troops stationed in Brindisi. Seeing this opportunity, the Khanate decisively convened a meeting to discuss whether to launch a military campaign against Italy.

Some senators were concerned about the current situation, believing that Rome's biggest problem had always been its numerous surrounding enemies. The power dynamics in Italy were complex, and another military intervention could easily lead to a quagmire of fighting on multiple fronts. Others were hesitant, feeling that they couldn't leave no room for maneuver. In Egypt, an unexpected event had occurred, causing considerable delays; they should at least wait for the situation to stabilize before taking action.

But at this moment, Tuohuan stepped forward and said that there was no need to worry about Egypt, because he knew his good brother Guo Kang very well. With Guo Kang there, the Mishir province wouldn't need the court to invest more resources and troops. The legions working there couldn't be said to be tied down, because their current work was part of the plan—to reorganize and assimilate the local population. On the contrary, he estimated that once the situation in Egypt stabilized, they could provide the court with new legions.

As for the north, there's no need to worry. The conflict caused by the Hussites is escalating, and tensions are running high. After news of Hus's assassination spread, Zhu Wenkui, under constant persuasion from his men, led his troops north. Although the group doesn't seem large, he knows his good brother well. Once their group goes north, the Alemanni Kingdom will be lucky to even protect itself, let alone launch an attack on the Purple Horde or intervene in Italy.

So, there's no need to overthink it now. Although the timing is quite opportune, since the opportunity has presented itself and I have the capability to seize it, I don't need to worry about my previous plans.

At his urging, the Khanate quickly reached an agreement and began mobilizing troops westward. This, of course, triggered a second surge in transport.

This time, the city was thrown into turmoil as well. When Tuohuan discovered that the local officials were unwilling to intervene, he simply sent out the Mamluks.

These people had just arrived and had no prior dealings with the Greek citizens, so they didn't hold back when managing the city. Whether you were a Turkmen pirate or a Greek citizen, you were all beaten with sticks. Under their management, the city's order was restored somewhat.

(End of this chapter)