ALL NOVEL
Chapter 58: Subservience
“O’ great emperor, the one chosen by the Lord, the esteemed Augustus who rules over all land and seas, the ruler of Europe and Asia…”
“…”
This was the long string of pleasantries respectfully spoken by the Venetian envoy.
“…your humble servant offers you his deepest admiration…”
There was the weirdest expression on Constantin XI’s face.
It was still fresh in his memories how, not long ago, a Venetian envoy had arrogantly trampled on his pride while coercing him to submit to Venice’s demands. Who could have thought that the new Venetian envoy would take such a respectful and even subservient attitude?
This further drove in for him how important it was to have the strongest fist.
Had it not been for Shu Yichao’s aggressive invasion, he would have never known that it was possible for the Venetians to take on such an amicable attitude.
What swiftly followed the pleasantries were the Venetian envoy’s agenda—peace negotiation.
Venice’s terms of surrender were so shockingly generous that Constantin XI actually wondered if the envoy was a fraud out to scam him, or that they had lost their minds.
Venice had promised to return all the land and ports it had taken from the Romain Empire, invalidate all contracts with unequal terms, cancel all debts, and generously compensate the Romain emperor for the war.
To put it in layman terms, they were saying: Your Majesty, please pity us and tell your Caesar to stop screwing us over. We have lost, and we’re willing to compensate you for your losses.
Despite the old Venetian envoy’s humble and respectful attitude that evoked pity, Constantin XI had no intention of accepting Venice’s terms of surrender. He hadn’t forgotten how, in the history of the Romain Empire, Venice had colluded with the Crusaders to sack Constantinope.
He also hadn’t forgotten how the Venetians had arrogantly taken whatever they wanted from the Romain Empire, thus pushing them deeper and deeper into the abyss.
Neither had he forgotten how his younger brother was cornered to his deathbed by this bunch of cold-blooded merchants.
With such a deep-seated grudge between us, how can I let you off with just these conditions?
Besides, Constantin XI had no doubt that this bunch of ingrates wouldn’t hesitate to get back at him if an opportunity came their way in the future. He wasn’t about to give his enemies a chance to turn the tables on him.
Above all, Constantin XI understood his current position.
Officially, he was the Augustus, whereas Shu Yichao was the Caesar. That would make the Khitans his aides.
But in truth, the Khitans were his big brother, whereas he was the little brother here.
The big brother hadn’t even said a word yet. How could the little brother haphazardly negotiate terms with others on his own accord?
But considering how tiring it must have been for this old Venetian envoy to travel here, Constantin XI decided to help him relax a little by giving him free therapy.
“I understand your country’s intentions now, and I lament the current circumstances too. However…” Constantin XI took out a bunch of letters with a troubled expression, “I also have to consider the bigger picture.”
The Venetian envoy looked at the letters and nearly spewed blood.
These were the letters from Milan and Genoa. They wrote a lot in their letters, but in summary, what they were trying to relay was…
All hail the Caesar!
All hail the Augustus!
You are such a huge inspiration to us, especially when you trampled those despicable merchants. If you intend to continue dealing with the Venetians, we would be more than happy to lend a helping hand to your cause!
In particular, the Genoese were exceptionally passionate.
Unlike the Venetians, who had only offered a tiny bit of resources and manpower to support Constantinope during the Ottomains’ encirclement, the Genoese had offered much greater help, so they were even thinking of forging an alliance.
Your Majesty, we are a bunch of Genoese who don’t want to reveal our identities.
May I know if your Caesar requires logistical support from our fleet? We can supply our manpower to aid in the transport of rations and other necessities.
You’re asking how much does it cost?
Oh no, Your Majesty. You’re being too courteous with us! Talking about money only makes us look distant. We’re more than happy to use our money to support your cause!
Instead, let’s screw Venice over together!
The Venetian envoy looked shaken when he left the palace. He knew that there was no way to stop the war anymore.
“Hmph!” Constantin XI harrumphed at the Venetian envoy’s departing silhouette before continuing to look through his documents.
All kinds of letters had recently been flying his way like snowflakes.
In half a year’s time, the Caesar’s overwhelming victory over the Ottomains had already spread far and wide. His consecutive, swift victories in the Balkans also shocked many.
Most of the northern countries had halted their armies’ advancement, as the refugees that had escaped northward provided them with firsthand news about the Caesar’s deeds.
Be it Hungary or Transylvania, they realized there were no low-hanging fruit for easy picking here. Instead, there was a dangerous lion here that they should never mess with. Thus, they quickly wrote letters in to clear up the air.
It’s a misunderstanding, Your Majesty! We heard that the Ottomains have encircled Constantinope, so we dispatched our army to aid you. We didn’t expect your Caesar to be so valiant as to have already defeated them.
Since Constantinope is now safe, we shall return first so as to not disturb you.
Your Majesty, we hope you can explain the situation to the Caesar lest unnecessary misunderstanding arise out of this…
The Muslim countries from East Asia also wrote letters over. Constantin XI could tell from their indirect words that they were mocking them.
Hahaha! This bunch of West Europe barbarians!
You mocked us for being devastated by the Scourge of God, but now the scourge is on you! Hurts, doesn’t it?
Amidst their gloating, they subtly expressed their intention too.
Your Majesty, those Ottomains have been an eyesore to us for the longest time. Even though we subscribe to the same religion, we don’t see those barbarians as one of us. We’d be grateful if you could relay that to the Caesar.
“They are afraid of becoming the next target,” Constantin XI remarked.
The Muslim countries were located close to the Khitans, so they were usually the first ones to suffer whenever the Khitans made a move.
Whether the Khitans won a major war and wanted to venture outward to test their mettle, or that they had lost a war and were plundering for resources for survival, these Muslim countries were the ones to suffer.
It would be a disaster if the Khitans who suddenly appeared in the west picked on them too.
Even powerhouses like the Holy Romain Empire wrote to Constantin XI too.
If little Venice is causing problems, you could have written to us, and we would have taught it a lesson. There’s no need for you to do it yourself.
“My beloved brother,” Constantin XI frowned, “I previously requested aid from you, only for you to call me the mayor of Constantinope. What a quick change of stance.”
Interestingly, there was one country that persisted in its tough stance.
“Stinky bugs!
“Trash of the world!
“Useless earthworms!
“Downright Idiots!
“You better withdraw your soldiers right now, or else our crusaders will punish you in the name of the Lord!”
Constantin XI was rendered speechless by the letter coming from the Polish-Lithuania Commonwealth.
“Have these people always been so brave? Also, why do they insist on sending me letters even though we’re so far from each other?”
—
Starve’s Trivia:
For those who might be confused, there are actually two Roman Empires in this era—the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire), and the Holy Roman Empire.
The Eastern Roman Empire is located more in proximity to Greece, whereas the Holy Roman Empire is located around Germany.