1453: Revival of Byzantium

Chapter 439: It Might Be True

"Big industry has brought all the people of the Earth into contact with each other, has merged all local markets into one world market, has spread civilization and progress everywhere and has thus ensured that whatever happens in civilized countries will have repercussions in all other countries"

-        Friedrich Engels

"I call that process.. an early form of industrialisation." The Holy Emissary, now saying some thing that has got nothing similar to a priest in his speeches, pondered for a while staring at the leaf floating on his cup of drink, and continued speaking to himself. "And once you finish your progress, your state shall become a force that no one can ever face on direct front, but sadly speaking, you got to need some thing to significantly boost the efficiency and productivity of your workshops, oh and there is another thing, you remember that I just praised you for being brave for giving the peasants the right to get educated earlier on?"

"Aye I do." Antonius' face dimmed as he seems to have realised some thing.

"When the peasants and civilians get their hands on the higher forms of productivity, technology and most importantly, organisation being stuck in an enclosed environment of a work shop being treated like slaves by the corporate owners, and the fact that most of them have the ability to understand the writings, I cannot imagine what shall happen if a belief start spreading among these workers through propaganda, I cannot imagine what kind of impact shall this cause, I cannot imagine what kind of consequence that might come with the up roar What do you think, Caesar?"

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As the Holy Emissary Leon Battista Alberti is speaking, he kept a scrutinising scowl at Antonius' face as if he is going to eat the later up in fury. But Antonius did not notice it at all, or pretended to not notice it, as he has his head lowered all the while staring at the chickens and hens running pass his feet. He understands what this man is trying to say, and too knows the supposed disaster he is trying to hint, the memories of the greatest event of the century that happened two decades ago in Europe, the Hussite wars, are not that far yet. Though he vaguely knows that this crisis as mentioned by the emissary is probably a completely different thing from the Hussites.

"Your Holiness, I might not understand that much knowledge and principles of this world as you do, and neither do I have that much life experience as you do to see through the nature of things, I got to admit that." Antonius sighed and looked towards the door, where his guards and followers are still waiting for him carrying the banner of the lion, which attracted a hell lot of passers by here forming up in circles to take a look of what is going on here, inside them there are women, men, children and elderlies from various backgrounds. "I do knows what you mean by the threat of giving the population the right to get educated, the ability to read and think freely, indeed it can cause a form of instability and potential danger to my rule, but I do not regret it."

Antonius stopped for a while, looked at the Holy Emissary who also happened to be looking at him, and smiled. "Your Holiness, have you ever went to the city of Genova?"

"Yes I have, a busy and prosperous port city that has accumulated a wealth rivalling that of Venezia."

"You have not went to the district of Boca d'ze in the East of Genova." Antonius sighed, like he has recalled some thing that has already been sealed away in the deepest spot of his memories. "That is the place I grew up, I would not say that it is a slum but still, it is still the home and residence for the working classes of Genoa with many of the residents there being sailors, labourers, tenders or carpenters, basically all the people that live a life as a humble worker forming the foundation of the prosperity of Genova, but yet at the same time gets ignored by the upper classes when making policies, it is a place where the people who are forgotten by the main stream population of Genova lives in, it is a place where I grew up in."

"What you might know, is that just a short distance away there is another place of Genova called San Francesco d'Albaro where all the lavish estates, opulent churches and regal garden sits in, actually just a few hundreds away. Can you imagine the contrast we felt as kids back then, watching the kids from the riches and clergies in the gardens and churches getting educated, while we, the children of workers are forced to start working for the family's survival? Because of the lack of opportunities in that region, most people living in my neighbourhood either became workers following the same professions working days and nights for Genova, or be like me, going out in to the hugs of the Mediterranean become a sailor or a recruit of the navy."

"Because of the environment I grew up in, I longed to have a proper form of education when I was young, so I had this habit of collecting writings, letters and illustrations since young, this habit lasted until one turn of event which made me become a pirate. You see, I, the Caesar of Thessaloniki, the Strategois of Thessaly and the Isles of the Roman Empire, was once a back ground. Listen here, your Holiness, you and I, are different, you are raised with a silver, no, golden spoon while I grew up with out a spoon; We have never been the same kind of person."

"With all the years I had on the sea and army with all my comrades, I have realised that the main 'difference' between my kind of people and your kind of people is our back ground. We all have two eyes, one nose, one head, four limbs and a brain to think. We can all become esteemed monarchs, scholars, cardinals, rich, is just that you people have much more opportunities as much as you want, with multiple paths you can choose along the way, while we are stuck with only one path to go."

The Holy Emissary maintained his sight on Antonius all the while as his audience is there ranting about his past, critising him in the process, looking just like a responsible priest listening to the complaints and stress in a church during a confession. Antonius stopped his mouth and looked towards the outside, where more and more people have started gathering up in circles, some climbed up the walls of the hostel to listen to the words of their supreme leader; This place is pretty near to the port district, and thus many of these people find themselves associated in the tales that the Caesar has just presented to them. Many cheered, some sighed as the Caesar is speaking, and after Antonius has finished, his audience broke in to a round of applause commending him for being able to understand and also speaking out their situation.

Leon Battista Alberti poured Antonius a cup of drink, which the later gulped down with out giving a thought. The two people sat there in silence for a while, and then the Holy Emissary asked his audience. "So, your majesty After all these years, you have gotten all the things you have dreamed for in the past, you got your title, your prestige, a formidable sum of wealth and a family, shouldn't you be already satisfied? What are you still fighting? Is it for population, or for wealth, or for land, or is it for prestige? Why are you still expanding?"

Antonius gave him a look and did not answer this question.

More and more people started gathering on the outside, just from the noise along Leon Battista Alberti can assume that there are probably more than half a thousand people crowded together, with those who are here earlier than the others telling the later comers about what their Caesar has just spoken in an exaggerated manner loudly, with more whistling and cheering coming up for their Caesars occasionally.

"Your people truly love you from their heart." Leon Battista Alberti grinned and pointed towards the crowd. "If the old Charles of the Capetians have seen this he would surely be jealous of you."

"Charles of the Captiens? You mean the king of the Franks who died last year?"

"Yes, the king of the Franks." Leon Battista Alberti nodded. "Although he did commit quite a few sins and mistakes, especially near the end of his life, but still he is indeed a remarkable person, a well served king, and I had the opportunity to come in to him for a few times, when I was younger, and he is surprisingly fluent in Latin You know why did I ask you that question earlier? It is because of this king."