Chapter 43: Saving the world is also a great business

Early summer 1348, the water city of Venice.

In this era, Venice, perched on lagoons and reefs, was the most splendid city in all of Europe:

The glorious victory of conquering the Byzantine Empire, the legend of Marco Polo's eastward journey...... It is the supreme lord of the Mediterranean, the immortal legend of the Western world.

Venice has a population of only about 200,000 people, but its business empire is so vast. From Spain to Jerusalem, from London to Constantinople, there are traces of Venetian merchants everywhere. So much so that it is often said, "Where there is water flowing, there are Venetians." ”

The Venetians formed the first modern company in the West, created the first new banks in the West, and formulated the Law of the Sea. Commerce became the cause of the whole people, and almost all Venetians threw themselves into it. Eventually, wealth poured in like a tidal wave. The annual revenue of such a small Venetian Republic is as high as one million ducats, which is a dizzying figure, which is more than the financial revenues of France, Britain and other Western powers. It is almost comparable to the income of the Ming court in the same era, and the population of the Ming Dynasty was at least several hundred times that of Venice

In Renaissance Europe, Venice was one of the best governed cities. Its republican government was very stable, with only one attempted coup d'état in a millennium. It is religiously and ethnically open-minded, and both Arabs and Jews can live in fairly safe places here. The streets are clean and well-organized, with a full set of facilities such as libraries, public hospitals, and welfare homes. It has established pensions for retired civil servants, pensions for widows and orphans, and scholarships for scholars. In short, Venice may not be much in terms of population or area. But if you want to find the most modern city in the world in the 14th century, it has to be Venice – which seems to have outlived that era

Venice in the 14th century was at the peak of its prosperity and power. On its more than 100 islands, there are many bridges, painted boats, and mansions. Piazza San Marco circles with pigeons, ladies and gentlemen. In the dark 14th century, the Venetians were still enjoying life. It is not like Beijing or Delhi, where it relies on the power of the emperor in exchange for a life of luxury. All its prosperity depends on its own hundreds of years of blood, sweat and adventure.

Unfortunately, the prosperity and sophistication of this qiē did not prevent the Black Death from coming

For the Venetians, who call themselves the "bride of the god of the sea", the sea is both their home and a source of wealth. For hundreds of years, it was thanks to the countless ships that traveled back and forth day and night, transporting the wealth of the entire Mediterranean world into the region, and the rounds of decisive naval battles with the Eastern Roman Empire, the Arabs and the Renayse that made this small city-state the supreme hegemon of the Mediterranean.

But wealth flows from the sea, and threats come from the sea.

In January 1348, just as the fleet of death ships entered the port of Marseille, the Grim Reaper also arrived in Venice.

As the first galleon, carrying germs, docked at the quayside of Venice, a terrible plague flooded the city like a tsunami, pouring into every street - first fever, vomiting, coughing and abscesses, then silence and death.

Medieval European doctors were unable to treat these plagues, and the densely populated city of Venice quickly fell. Historians have commented that the Republic of Venice became a republic of the dead - and in this short comment lies a bottomless horror.

In just a few months, almost half of the people in Venice died

But Venice did not collapse. Unlike other cities in Italy that have collapsed, life goes on. There were no wild dogs and crows in the streets, no rotting corpses in the houses, and no flight from its rulers. Venice in 1348 was indeed a hell, but even in this hell the Venetians retained their dignity - the city would never lose its courage in the face of death.

In the face of the crisis, the Doge of Venice and the Assembly jointly appointed an emergency committee with full authority to deal with the disaster. The measures it has taken are both detailed and reasonable. It is also beyond reproach today.

-- The committee strictly manages the port, and all ships are carefully searched. If there is a body on board, the ship will be burned on the spot. Any vessel coming from the affected area must be quarantined for 40 days.

-- In order to prevent the social order from getting out of control, Venice imposed a ban on alcohol. Alcohol imports were banned, and all hotels were ordered to close. Anyone who sells alcohol without permission will be punished heavily, and his wine will be poured into the sea.

-- It was already known at the time that prisons were particularly prone to the spread of plague. Accordingly, the Commission provided that a person imprisoned for debt would be freed if he paid one-fifth of the debt.

Two desolate islands in the lagoon, designated by the Venice Emergency Committee as a mass cemetery in times of plague. Every morning, many small boats row through the waterways of Venice. In the vast water, the boatman's shouts echoed: rnImatt!rnImatt! Dead bodies!) Hearing the shouts, some people came out of the house and threw the bodies of their loved ones onto the boat. Wait for the ship to be filled with corpses. Paddle into the depths of the lagoon. The bodies will be buried there. The Venice Council stipulated that all cemeteries must be five feet deep. The priest presides over the funeral in front of the cemetery and prays for the souls of the deceased. It was a bleak scene, but it was also a dignified one. Compared to countless other cities, this cemetery and this funeral ceremony are unimaginable luxuries.

The members of the Venice Emergency Committee also kept dying, but they never abandoned their duties until the moment before they died. Thousands of Venetians died, but it was not their fault. They have done what they can. Ordinary people also show amazing courage. Countless people fall every day, but those who are alive continue to work. There is no war here, but every boatman, every craftsman, every civil servant is like a brave warrior. They were like an army marching silently against a rain of arrows - dead and wounded every day, every moment, but still holding the line.

This is Venice in 1348, a city that held on to hope in the face of despair.

You know, a murderous enemy may be able to unite bravely, but an unpredictable illness can only make people fearful and distracted. In the face of the irresistible, preventable, and unpredictable Black Death, it is already remarkable that the Venetians were able to do this.

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However, despite the Holocaust of the authorities of the Republic of Venice, the plague has exceeded the limits of mortal power. The emergency committee in Venice was also unable to save the sick and at best stopped the spread of famine and violence. With the passage of time and the advent of death, this great city is irretrievably slipping into the abyss - shops and bazaars are closing one by one, shipyards and docks are rubbish heaps, and the authorities of the Venice Emergency Committee are only trying to hold out in the darkness of despair.

More and more residents are fleeing to remote villages for refuge. Only the most stubborn citizens, like lonely ghosts, stuck to the city that was gradually turning into ruins, silently waiting for the day when the disaster would end...... Or the end of this world

Then, in the midst of the horror of the faction's destruction, the dawn of hope rose on the horizon - rumors of "angels coming to put an end to the plague" had been circulating from France and Rome since about two months earlier. The self-proclaimed rational Venetians initially scoffed. However, when the miracle of the "angel descending" finally appeared in Florence, not far from the Apennines, the Venetians finally could not sit still and began to try to send envoys to Florence, trying to pray for the good angels to exert their divine power to save their city.

- And then the Venetians appeared, and the angels' salvation for the world did exist, but it was not free.

In fact, it can even be said to be appallingly expensive.

“…… A million ducats? Asking us for so much money? Are they angels or demons? ”

In the meeting room of the Doge's Palace in Venice, a middle-aged man knocked on the table angrily, "...... This is simply the most despicable extortion"

“…… Calm down, sir, and I wonder if you admit the truth that no amount of money can buy our lives. ”

His Excellency the White Governor coughed and stopped the other party's roar, "...... By now, half of our city's population has died, and all of your families have lost their lives. Look out the window, in such a situation, do we have any room for bargaining? ”

After hearing this, everyone couldn't help but be silent for a while, and turned their heads to look out through the window of the conference room, the bronze statue of the horse in St. Mark's Square was still standing proudly, but the chaotic stalls and vendors in the past had disappeared completely, and even beggars could not be found, only the bleak wind blew the fallen leaves on the ground from time to time. In the canal next to the square, there are not a few Venetian "gondola" boats, which seem to be extremely empty and lonely...... An atmosphere of gloom, oppression, desolation, despair, fear and sadness emerges in this familiar and strange empty city. It's hard to believe that this is the great Venice, the jewel of the Adriatic Sea

Seeing such a bleak and silent city like ruins, even the most stingy people have to admit that Venice can no longer afford to wait. Even the harshest conditions can only be endured by gritting their teeth - otherwise, what is the use of keeping more money when the Venetians are dead?

But the question is...... "Can we really get that much gold?" Your Excellency the Governor"

Although it is true that the annual revenue of the Republic of Venice is as high as one million ducats, it does not mean that there is so much money in the treasury of the Doge's Palace. In fact, the total mintage of Ducats in the world today is about a little more than a million, so this income is only a book figure for a large extent, and is actually deposited in the form of all kinds of goods, real estate, and even debts.

So, even if the wealthy people of Venice were willing to go bankrupt, they might not be able to scavenge so many gold and silver coins from the city.

“…… You can rest assured that the angels are willing to accept the vast majority of their possessions for cash, not necessarily in coins. What's more, according to our previous confidential conversations with the angels, as long as the process works well, we may not have to go bankrupt, but we can still make a lot of money."

The Governor smiled cunningly, "...... In fact, saving the world is also a great business......"

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E: I have a high cold and fever today, and my mind is dizzy, so I will write this first, please understand.

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