Alexios put down the blue and white porcelain that he was still admiring, which was a special offering to the imperial family.

The Emperor almost thought he would never see them again in his life, but he was surprised to find these treasures during an inspection of the treasurer's warehouse.

It is said that in the far east, a powerful empire called the Song was engaged in thriving maritime trade.

Merchants from both the East and the West took pride in having access to the goods of the country.

It seems that even if the land Silk Road is blocked, it will not be able to stop the pursuit of wealth by merchants!

The glaze is white and blue, white in the green, smooth as jade, and the underglaze porcelain is engraved with a variety of fine patterns, the three are combined with each other, complement each other, and complement each other.

"Blue and white porcelain, this is synonymous with wealth."

The emperor put down these precious objects with a smile, here in the West, this is a rare item that can be encountered but not sought.

Haimao is very good for someone like Alexios who has a grand vision.

For a moment, the Supreme of the Empire wanted to send a fleet around the Cape of Good Hope to the far east to try to form an alliance with the great Eastern Empire.

But after discussing the feasibility, the emperor gave up this hope with a wry smile.

Even sending a fleet from Egypt was a difficult task, it was necessary to cross the oceans, and the ships had to withstand terrible storms, and it was too early to be envoys.

"What happened to our Lord Theocleidus?" Alexios laughed at the villain who didn't know that death was imminent.

"Your Majesty!"

"Probably he thought he would be able to get away with just handing over a few scapegoats, but what he didn't expect was that our target was the entire tax department in the first place."

"Tell me the truth, can those tax collectors down there still use it?" The Imperial Supreme suddenly asked in a low tone, probably having thought of what might happen, but with a glimmer of hope, the last expectation of the Imperial bureaucracy.

The emperor's secretary general shook his head: "If the report brought back by our people is true and sentenced according to the laws of the empire, then all the guys who wavered in the previous supreme period will probably not escape death this time!" ”

Alexios knew who those people were, and the emperor's purpose in fighting corruption naturally included the elimination of dissidents.

Whether it is the nobles who are independent of the Komnenos or the Komnenos who do not submit to the supreme rule of the Empire, those who are attached to them are on the list.

"The moment my father ascended the throne, our family was divided."

The emperor sighed, but who made him the son of Manuel, and while inheriting the throne, he also inherited the enemies left behind by his father.

"I can't compromise like my father!"

The benevolence of the former emperor left Andronica alive, and the Grand Duke, who was hunted for incest, could only hide in the Rus' court, fearing that the Empire's assassins might take her life at any time.

However, Emperor Manuel forgave his cousin after all, and death did not befall the rebellious and wicked man.

But what Manuel never expected was that Andronica's grace would take revenge and finally cause his son to die in the sea, and his poor soul could only wander lonely on the seashore, waiting for the next salvation of the Holy Angel.

"Your grandfather is the best role model!"

"Your Majesty!"

"There is no need to hesitate, after the newly selected imperial official examination is over, we will select a group of truly talented cadres to replace these useless wasters."

Bertak comforted Alexios, who seemed to him nothing more than the sentimentality of a teenager.

In a few more years, the emperor will become ruthless and ruthless, and even the last bit of mercy will be extinguished, and Basil II, who is like steel, will only spend his life as his companion.

Emperor Alexios I appointed the Komnenos as commanders of the army to strengthen the centralization of power, exclude all dissenting powers, strike at any great nobles independent of the emperor, and strengthen his rule by seizing their armies and confiscating their estates.

Effective!

But with Emperor Alexios, the situation was even more complicated.

The Imperial Supreme can only use his own prudent eye to select talents, and try to avoid those so-called relatives, because they are the first people who want Alexios to die.

The Komnenos are no longer the Emperor's helpers but his enemies, enemies he must destroy!

Some of the courtiers who would have been mistaken also suggested that the emperor should strengthen his ties with his uncles and uncles after the rebellion ended, and that it would be better to appoint military authority to them, or even let them take the place of the imperial supremacy.

The emperor scoffed at the ideas of these people, nonsense!

Who will entrust their enemies with a heavy responsibility, it is completely impossible!

"Try to start with the imperial capital of Constantinople and the surrounding suburbs, as well as Thessaloniki, Moria, Thessaly and the island of Lemnos near the Thracian coast."

These places were central areas of royal control, representing the core interests of the Komnenos and fiefdoms of the Grand Dukes of Komnenos.

Alexios made no secret of his desire to take over power, and these lands were rich agricultural areas that had once served as the barns of the Empire.

Now most of Anatolia fell to the Seljuks and could not be recovered, and the empire's food-producing regions could only rely on these places.

However, in the civil war and foreign invasions, some of the small tax-paying peasants under the direct control of the imperial government broke out of control, and they became serfs who did not need to pay taxes at all.

This is something that no state regime will allow!

You must know that every taxpayer is the foundation of the country, and it is indispensable!

The invasion of the Sultan of Rûm caused a certain amount of panic, and a large number of Greeks crossed west to the Balkans, and the western lands of Anatolia became a desolate land.

Although a large number of Bulgarians were migrated, the return of the Greeks was not found in the return received by the emperor after the war.

So where did they go?

It can only be a noble fief around the imperial capital!

The result was a shrinking empire's finances, unsustainable court spending, an empty treasury, and a mutiny in the army!

Alexios seemed to have seen the hidden worries of the future from afar.

Don't worry!

This is the true portrayal of the future Palaioleg dynasty.

The foundation of the dynasty was controlled by the people, there were no taxes, no army of national soldiers, and not even land.

Such an empire can no longer be called an empire!

But thankfully, there is no such family in Rome anymore, and they were directly wiped out by the emperor.

"Your Majesty!"

"We will screen without any cover, there will definitely be news leaks, and the reaction of those tax collectors is worth our vigilance!"

Alexios was indifferent: "I really want to know what kind of expression Theocridus will have now?" ”

"It's probably going to be fun!" Betak laughed.

Like an old cat that catches a mouse, the Emperor and his courtiers quietly watch the corrupt elements, and they are already at a loss at the slightest pressure.

The end that awaits them is already doomed, but the emperor still wants to see their struggles.