Empire of India: Rise of the Ruthless Prince

Pietro Tribuno, a well-known merchant from Venice. He often visited the Vijayanagara Empire due to the lucrative trade. He was a regular customer in the busy port city of Goa. He had been visiting for a while now. He was always astonished by the roads of the Empire. They were much better than the ones back home.

Once Pietro visited during the Civil War time. He returned home and tried to talk with the Doge about it but he was turned away because of the problems in the state.

It was hard to get an audience with the Doge. On the surface it may seem like the Doge wielded much power. In reality, his role was pretty minimal and limited by the council and Senate that overlooked Venice.

The city-state was a pretty influential and powerful entity. They controlled northern Italy, Cyprus, and several islands. They also had a quite powerful naval structure and military.

Pietro Tribuno had been trying to get an audience for several months now. He was finally allowed the audience tomorrow. He was pretty ecstatic about it. He wanted to recommend to the Doge making a deal with the empire for their road method and some exclusive trade deals.

He deemed himself a good source of information about the Empire. Pietro noticed many changes and reforms during his stays at the Empire. Every time he visited, something noticeable would have changed.

There were considerable reforms going on in the Empire. He managed to uncover some information by hiring some investigators. He learned about the feudal reforms and some basic info about the military structure but not much due to its secrecy.

He also got some information about the recent annexation of the Qutb Sultanate without the loss of many soldiers. It was one of the biggest annexations where the victor didn't shed any blood. There were only a handful of casualties and the costs of the supplies weren't even borne by the Empire.

It was the tactical masterclass.

The head of the Empire was definitely a dangerous individual. To do such a move just 2 months into his reign would be considered crazy by some people. But the Emperor succeeded and there lies the problem.

That's why Pietro wanted to be on either a neutral side or a friendly side against the Empire. It would help his state and also, at the same time, his business would be booming.

He leaned back, seated in his mansion, looking out at the beautiful Venice city. He smiled.

'Tomorrow's a big day.'

The day was finally here to meet the Doge at the Palace. Pietro set out to visit. He was well-dressed and took some courtesy gifts from the Empire to present to the Doge.

He was very nervous but it was for the good of the state. He wanted to voice his vision for the state.

Reaching the palace, he talked to the guards and finally was let in. A servant came and checked his house emblem and finished the formalities of the visit.

"The Doge awaits you. Lord Pietro," bowed the servant with his outstretched hand. "Please follow me. I shall be your guide."

"Oh… Right." Pietro replied, almost stuttering.

Pietro brought one servant to carry the goods to show the Doge. He was guiding through the vast palace to the royal court where the doge was seated.

Upon reaching, the soldiers opened the large door, revealing a large room with tall ceilings. Luxurious items placed on the walls and it was filled with plush carpeting and curtains.

At the end of the room was a throne, atop was a man in his late 40s seated. A tall, lanky man with brown hair and eyes. He was dressed well and beside him stood a man, presumably his assistant.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The doge was a man named Giovanni Contarini. Usually a doge was selected for life and allowed to rule the state. It might look good on the outside, but their power was very limited due to the council of noble families and Senate.

They usually had to rely on the council to get some things done.

Pietro nervously walked forward and greeted the Doge with a bow.

"Greetings to the Doge, the sun of the state."

"And you are?" Asked the Doge.

"My humble name is Pietro Tribuno, a merchant."

The doge nodded and acknowledged him.

"You may raise your head." He said with a fake smile. "What does a merchant want from me?"

"Your Majesty, I am a merchant that trades in the Subcontinent." He began. "I request the audience to discuss some things that I have found."

The doge looked at him with no hint of curiosity. It was like he was fed up with the job of the Doge and wanted to go into eternal rest.

"Was it important that you wanted to personally meet me? Instead of giving the suggestions to my assistants."

Pietro looked nervous and was sweating like crazy but he composed himself nicely and replied with a smile. "I thought Your Majesty would like the idea much more than others. So I decided to tell you about it first."

"I think these would help the state, Your Majesty."

"Hmm... help, eh?" Doge sighed and leaned back. "Are you sure about it?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," he said, stiff as a rock.

"I see. Continue. What's the great idea you have?"

Pietro took a deep breath. "The roads."

"Roads? What about it?"

"I noticed that the road network in the Vijayanagara Empire was much better than ours." He told. "I hate to admit it, though, compared to our roads, it was at least three times better."

The doge looked confused for a second. "Explain more."

Pietro began to explain the structure of their road and their extensive patrolling. The roads were much smoother for the carriage and there were directions etched using stone tablets. Rests for pedestrians and the horses. It was a much better experience in general than here.

"Hmm…I see that's certainly something to look into." The doge replied. "You are a merchant so you do know the importance of roads."

"Yes, Your Majesty. They are the lifeline of trade." He said. "So I ask of you to explore the option of retrieving this road-making method from the Empire."

"In my opinion, we would stand to gain from that method."

Pietro was pretty ecstatic about his performance. He managed to properly convey the first part of his intention to the Doge.

The hurdle wasn't over. Pietro knew the workings of the state. The council has to agree for this plan to work. If the Doge personally recommends this in the council. There was a chance of implementation. Even if it's a minor chance, he would take it.

He gulped his saliva in anticipation, his gaze fixed on the Doge.

"Very well." He sighed. "I shall present this at the council meeting. tomorrow."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The doge was about to dismiss him with a wave. Pietro still had another agenda.

"Your Majesty, Take a look at these goods."

It was the spices from the Empire and their high-quality paper. He managed to acquire these from the merchants at an exorbitant price to present it to the Doge.

He waved at his servant to present them to the Doge by his seat. His seat held the items in a platter and presented them.

The Doge glanced at the items, scratching his chin. He took the paper and rubbed it against his thumb. There were two types of paper he acquired—low-quality and high-quality ones.

Doge turned to his assistant and inspected their own paper and his eyes widened. Both papers from the paper were of superior quality than their own produced paper and it came as a shock to him that a nation in the subcontinent was able to make such high-quality paper.

"This paper." He said.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I found this in the Empire."

"It's much smoother than the paper from our mills."

"Lord Pietro, what are you suggesting right now?"

The doge wanted a clear answer for presenting these goods to him.

"I think we should sign a trade deal with the Empire for goods."

"Hmmm…It's not a bad opportunity." He scratched his chin. "What is the cost of this high-quality paper?"

"Unfortunately, it's expensive." Pietro sighed.

"I suppose, what of this lesser-quality one?"

"Cheap, Your Majesty."

"Hmmmm... It seems like a good opportunity." The doge said. "But an exclusive trade agreement would need some approvals from the council."

Pietro smiled.

"Your Majesty can suggest this deal to the Council."

"I am sure this will benefit our state greatly."

The Doge smiled at him. He didn't expect a merchant to persuade him so far for a deal. He could already see the greed in the eyes of Pietro. He deserved it as well if this deal goes through.

"I shall present these two suggestions of yours to the Council."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"You will be informed if the deal is finalized. You can join the delegation for negotiations of the deal."