Chapter 133 The War Begins

Constantine led his army forward, sweeping through Ottoman villages and fiefdoms along the way. Everywhere he went, there was no vegetation. But the Ottomans were sad, and the Bulgarians, Wallachians, and Serbs were happy. They were finally liberated.

Suleiman also hurriedly handed the information to Bayezid and asked his father to send troops to support him. And a massive levy was necessary to keep the enemy out of Edirne.

The news of Wallachia's revolt first reached Serbia. Branković was like a bolt from the blue. It had not been two years and he was going to fight again. He couldn't bear it. You must know that the tributes from Ottoman and Wallachia will drain his treasury dry. If there is another war, then what is the point of him getting the throne? It is better to be a comfortable lord.

Castriotti of Albania also abided by the covenant and summoned an army. A total of 7,000 troops began to march towards Ottoman territory. The Ottoman city of Berat was soon surrounded, and Serbia, the only vassal state, had to send troops to relieve the siege.

The originally peaceful Balkan Peninsula became lively again. After the peace period created by various countries after 1392, Bayezid of Bursa also received Suleiman's request for help, and then he exploded, just like his nickname.

"How could I have such a son? I originally thought he could have more experience, but in the end he set such a big trap for me in just a short time."

The Sultan was incompetent and furious in the palace. Although he hated the trick that Suleiman had brought, he was his eldest son and had to deal with this. He ordered Anatolian troops to move toward the Balkans and wrote to Serbia asking him to send troops to distract Wallachia.

The Balkans were turbulent, and anti-Ottoman forces such as Karaman, who had just been suppressed in Anatolia, became active again. The Knights Hospitaller of Smyrna also attacked the Ottomans, and Venice even raised prices. For a time, the value of ships passing here reached sky-high prices.

It was the beginning of spring, and while the farmers were busy sowing seeds, the Wallachian army had already arrived in Sofia. Mircea's small force also came to help, and this was the Archduke's limited counterattack.

Wallachia also spread the news that Suleiman led his army into Wallachia and plundered it. Taking the initiative in international public opinion, there is no need to look at aid, and I don't expect much.

After the last lesson, Osman has learned well. They are ready to gather 50,000 troops in one go and then go directly. In this way, Wallachia can only surrender, and then the glory of the Ottomans can be restored.

For Wallachia, solving Serbia first to relieve its worries is the first element. Mircea sent Adrian to lead the army to guard Serbia in Nis, and sent a large number of spies to conduct reconnaissance. Mircea personally led the troops to Sofia, leaving Peter to take charge of the overall situation in Bukul Yesti.

The army was vast. Different from the one two years ago, this time the army was not only an elite army, but also an army with a large number of firearms. Although it did not have the bonus of the phalanx, it was still a force that should not be underestimated.

Bayezid also met with the Wallachian envoy in Bursa. I don't know what the Sultan thought. As soon as they met, Bayezid killed the envoy.

Killing the envoy is directly equivalent to declaring war. It's impossible for Bayezid not to know, but he probably has no way out.

The Sultan issued an order, except for the troops staying in the east, all other troops were sent to the Balkans. It was expected that there would be 48,000 people, including Suleiman's army, there would be 55,000 people.

"I'm going to be a soldier and fight the infidels."

"You're still too young, you still have several years to go."

Peter, who visited privately incognito, watched the residents of Bukur Yesti contribute food and join the army. They had no fear of war at all, but only enthusiasm and expectations for rewards.

As long as you obtain a military rank, you will be superior to civilians, and you can also get a lot of rewards. Not only that, anyone who contributed during the war could receive some reward.

In the past, people were afraid of going to war, but now they are eager to join the army. This is the difference brought by the Rank List.

"In a few years, the citizens of Wallachia will become weapons against the enemy, and their bravery will frighten the enemy."

"Your Highness, there are currently more than 20,000 people joining the army, and some people have come from Transylvania, Serbia, Lithuania and other places."

"They were all good, for driving the heathen out of the land."

Peter returned to the mansion, and he still had a lot to do. He is busy transporting supplies and deploying troops. Of course, he also has an unprecedented reform measure. If successful, productivity will increase greatly, but if it fails, everything he and his family have done before will be lost.

"Your Highness, I'm afraid this situation won't work."

"I know, that's why I want to give them hope."

There was a document in front of Peter. There was a lot written on it, but it boiled down to four words: liberate the serfs.

Wallachia is an Eastern European country and a country that practices serfdom. In order to extract maximum income from their fiefdoms, the landlords and aristocrats must have enough labor manpower, so they tried their best to keep the dependent peasants on the land. and pay servitude rent.

Peter began to gradually solve the serf problem after returning from his trip. He implemented monetary land rent and physical land rent in Dobroga, and restricted labor rent. The effect was not bad.

With the development of commodity economy, many serfs in Dobruja saved enough money to redeem themselves and became rich farmers in reclamation. But the situation in different parts of Wallachia is different. Some are already in monetary rent, while others are in kind or labor rent. Overall, it shows an unbalanced development trend.

Peter originally wanted to liberate the serfs directly, but this would push all landlords and nobles to the opposite side. Moreover, the feudalization process of Wallachia had just been completed at this time, and it was inappropriate to liberate the serfs in a blink of an eye.

But restricting labor and encouraging substitute labor is still possible. To stimulate the productivity of farmers and serfs, give them some benefits, and the small peasant economy is very fragile. It is also necessary to limit the power of large land nobles and build water conservancy to irrigate farmland.

Just one week after Mircea went to war, Peter issued a code amendment, stipulating the time for farmers and serfs to serve the nobles, not more than two days a week, or serfs can pay to buy these two days. At the same time, it is stipulated that the rent that serfs and tenants ask for from the nobles can be in money or in kind, but it cannot be labor.

Serfs could buy their freedom with money or continue to cultivate the landlord's land. The cost of purchasing the land could not exceed one tenth of its actual value.