It all started 30 years ago.

At that time, the old king John III had a son named Alexios.

At this time, the old king John III awarded Alexios the title of "**** monarch", but the country has been in turmoil. Because ****** people and their war has never ended. It was not until 1418 that the two sides signed a contract. Fortunately, the Venetian stirred up the, otherwise this contract would not have been good.

Then came the pleasant part. Alexios IV had three sons, John, Alexander, and David.

In accordance with tradition, Alexios IV granted his eldest son the title of "**** monarch" as the heir. Then John is involved in killing the Imperial Treasurer (who is in charge of the money store) who had an affair with his mother Diodora, and his father is at odds with him. Then he ran to Georgia and came back with a princess.

And then things are very routine. John IV, the same John who ran to Georgia, ran to Kaffa, yes, but the governor at that time was not Conrado. They took advantage of this opportunity to get involved in Trabzon politics and put John IV on the throne.

Alexios III was murdered by John IV, and his younger brother, the new crown prince Alexander, also fled to Constantinople.

Originally, John IV should have reconciled with the ******, right? No.

John IV was an old rascal who refused to pay back the ******'s debts, and the two sides were again at odds with each other.

There's no talk about it after that. Alexios V Jr., the son of John IV, is minus two this year. That's right, it was two years before John IV had his first son, and John Sr. should have been in his fifties by this time. (So I seriously doubt that this little Alexios V is a product of the green steppe)

As mentioned earlier, Trabzon was the terminus of the entire Silk Road. Merchants from ******, Venice and other city-states gathered here to wait for various goods from the Far East, including Qin Cang's court, and bought hundreds of gold coins of spices every month to make a living.

Qin Cang was really unbearable, and every day he soaked bread in the thick broth. Although Qin Cang always wanted to exchange spices, Qin Cang, who knew that most spices were produced in the subtropics and tropics, still gave up. That's nothing but self-deception.

So, salt saves humanity. With the help of olive oil and salt, Qin Cang barely ate the food of his hometown.

Trabzon sent news that John IV wanted to be able to reach a direct trade agreement and an agreement on trade expansion with the Han Kingdom, and they needed enough goods to satisfy the frenzied market. The lower city of Trabzon is already on the verge of exploding. Countless merchants and civilians demanded that the monarch of Trabzon open the warehouses and take out all the surplus goods.

However, John IV had run out of ammunition and food. Although he opened his warehouse and showed the empty grounds, the residents and merchants were obviously not going to believe it. They need goods, they need trade, even ordinary, low-margin goods.

"Help?"

"Try it. Let Chen Jia personally lead the team to bring 500 barrels of olive oil, 1,000 iron pots, 1,000 shovels, and salt, as well as 5,000 catties of wheat and barley. If we open the market in Trabzon, we will take a solid step to dominate the Black Sea~! ”

All the officials mobilized. It's not just a product that Qin Cang said. A large number of goods such as belts, leather bags, cured meats, and bacon have also been raced to the cargo box with the expansion of the fleet. This wave went to more than 20 big businessmen who had registered in the Dahan Chamber of Commerce and were worth tens of thousands of Haiperun.

The most profitable is always what the public needs. The luxury trade is only to meet the needs of a small number of people. Spices, on the other hand, have become the darlings of Europe.

"Do you need me to go and see it myself?" Sophia looked worriedly at the fleet.

"No, no, no, my dear wife, you must know that the family of Trabzon is known for being vile and treacherous, and I want to see us triumphant, but I don't want to lose your treasure." Qin Cang hugged her and said.

Indeed, the 'great' Komnenos who fled Trabzon have been doing so for more than two hundred years.

The mighty caravan set off, and Yang Xiugao, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, who was lucky enough to become the head of the Grass Creation Rite Department, went to Trabzon with the team. If he could, Qin Cang hoped that Yang Xiugao would be able to win more benefits. For example, trade tariff reduction or something.

February 27.

The lower districts are already on the verge of rioting. A large number of merchants demanded that the monarch of the empire open the trade routes and let those goods flow in.

"Aren't you the emperor of the empire?"

"Why compromise on the war between the two Turkmen chiefdoms!"

.......

So said the proud Greeks of Pontus. Although never looked at the tribute of three thousand kheperuns that the king gave to the Ottoman Turks every year.

Trabzon's finances are still exploding this year. After paying the three thousand Happeron, John III was able to go and live in the storehouse on his own. Because there are no rats, I'm afraid I can't afford to raise insects.

This is also the norm in most countries in Europe, which go bankrupt every year, bankrupt every year. Only a country like the Ottomans, which gained room by driving out their original vested interests and massacring parts of their population, would remain financially sound under such circumstances. However, when the pressure of survival comes, the Ottoman rooster will also explode.

The anxious John III stood by the tower of the dock every day and watched the north.

He promised his people that all sorts of goods from the northern Cyrias would arrive by March.

Although it was unclear to the merchants and locals how these Cyrias had crossed thousands of miles to the distant Black Sea.

And on February 27, they finally arrived.

The fleet is much larger than last time. The arrival of the very heavy ships made the locals very happy. And when the Cyrithians lined up their wares, the whole city went crazy!

"I want that kitchen knife!"

"Nope! This shovel is mine! ”

"Wheat!"

"Oh God! Snow white salt! ”

......

Looking at the frenzied market, the sweat thrown from the forehead of the busy cyrias seemed to be the pressure pressing on John IV. Finally settled the people of this city.

And now, the sound of footsteps made John IV suddenly realize that the huge pressure was still on his back.

"Dear Trabzon **** Monarch John IV, I am the plenipotentiary envoy of the Han Kingdom. My king, your Caesar asks you why we have given you so much help and have not received any benefit. ”

Yang Xiugao's words made John IV feel like he was in an ice cave.