"The holy fire disease, Saint Anthony's fire?" Manuel was first surprised upon learning of the outbreak of holy fire disease in the area, then quickly calmed down, feeling no other panic or fear besides a sigh for the farmers in his heart. "What is the extent of the disaster? Will it affect this year's harvest? How many places and how many people are suffering?"
"Caesar, while holy fire disease sometimes correlates with poor harvests, is there a necessary connection between the two?" The old man was stunned by Caesar's question.
Hearing this question, Manuel realized something and sighed deeply to himself. He had almost forgotten that in the enlightened Middle Ages, people did not know that the true nature of holy fire disease was a fungal infection; they all believed it to be a natural disaster and divine punishment, let alone tracing its roots to connect it with famine. The most absurd situation was when farmers, having just contracted holy fire disease, would then take the ergot-infested rye to pay taxes or sell, creating the illusion that poor harvests and holy fire disease were unrelated.
Are these ergot-infested grains edible, you commoners!?
Thinking of this, Manuel immediately wanted to seriously explain it to his subordinates. But his mind quickly had a flash of inspiration, and he withdrew his intention to explain, instead vaguely stating:
"I suspect they might be related, and dealing with the disaster also requires relevant intelligence." At this point, Caesar's tone clearly became resolute.
Facing Caesar's insistence, the loyal and trustworthy Megaslogothetēs / Grand Secretary chose to report according to his instructions, "Reporting, Caesar, by the grace of the Holy Father, this disaster was detected in its early stages by grassroots officials and thus has been contained, but as of yesterday, nearly a hundred farmers have fallen ill, several of whom are severely ill and have already experienced hallucinations and necrosis of their fingers; their lives are likely short. Based on historical records of holy fire disease and its precursors, I believe that if not prevented in time, it could even spread throughout the entire Pontus, similar to the great plague on the Occitania coast several centuries ago. As for whether the rye harvest will be poor, according to the regular report from Lord Michael Gavras, the Water Secretary, if this year continues to maintain the humid climate of the spring plowing period, then this year's autumn harvest should not be poor. Of course, if holy fire disease infects the entire region, causing farmers to be unable to work, that would be another matter."
Humid climate, no wonder holy fire disease appeared. Hearing the above briefing, Manuel had a general idea.
After half a second of contemplation, he immediately made a decision, "Let's do this: send people to inspect several rye-dominated agricultural areas in the country, and have the officials responsible for agriculture harvest and collect the ergot from the diseased rye there. Burn them all in a safe, open wasteland, and try to avoid contact with the infected farmers during this process. Those who perform outstandingly in this operation will be rewarded with performance bonuses and an increase in their monthly wages. If necessary, they can bring tax collectors and militiamen to assist with the work. Also, remember to warn them not to directly touch the rye ergot, but to wear gloves as much as possible. And they must act discreetly, keeping a low profile, even secretly."
"Ergot? Isn't that… never mind, yes, Caesar." After hearing Caesar's command, Serenus and Anagnostes immediately stood up after a brief hesitation, ready to implement the decree. However, before they officially left the room, Manuel called out to them again,
"Oh, and one more thing: don't burn all the collected rye ergot. Keep a few ounces and transport them to Trabzon. I will find a way to strictly supervise them later. In the future, they will have a great use."
"?"
Although they were unclear about the fundamental reason for Caesar's command, out of their trust and loyalty to their monarch, the two Chief Ministers quickly organized officials at all levels to prepare for the disaster as Caesar requested.
More than half a month later, to the pleasant surprise of the relevant officials, acting on Caesar's instructions truly averted the impending plague. Initially, some farmers, superstitious that rye ergot was a blessing from God, refused to let officials cut them, forcing the officials to use coercive administrative power. But after personally moving away from the ergot and gradually recovering, they in turn began to express gratitude to the monarch and his officials. However, these stubborn Roman old farmers still stubbornly insisted that ergot was still an auspicious sign, which made the relevant officials somewhat exasperated…
Thus, the holy fire disease, which could have developed into a plague, was almost perfectly controlled. In fact, except for those severely ill, most other patients were eventually saved, at the cost of losing several fingers due to gangrene. And because this holy fire disease was nipped in the bud, almost no one, except the farmers in the affected area and the high-ranking officials of the Autocratic State, knew that they had fortunately averted a plague.
However, when Serenus expressed his hope at the court assembly that Caesar would issue an edict to promote this prevention method throughout the country and to friendly nations, he was unexpectedly refused. When asked for the reason, he only received this response from his monarch: "This is, for now, merely a clever trick; it is too early to promote it."
Is it? Serenus was greatly puzzled, but just as he was about to press further, Caesar timely diverted his attention, "Let's not talk about this small matter for now, Serenus. The Autocratic State has recently launched a batch of locally produced warships. As Chief Minister, I hope you will fulfill your duty, accompany me, and keep this in mind."
"Holy Father above, it is my honor."
Thus, a week later, Caesar arrived with his cabinet members at Afrita Port in Mangup as promised. Here, by Caesar's order, nearly thirty percent of the Autocratic State's warships were anchored, and almost all of them were produced by Bosporus's own shipyards.
"However, Caesar, it is somewhat regrettable that most of them still imitate the structural design of Venetian and other Italian oar-sail warships, rather than being entirely designed by our country," Falero, the Autocratic State's naval admiral responsible for design improvements and introducing them today, lamented at the end. In response, Manuel gently stroked his chin for a moment before reassuring him, "No, imitating the ships of the Latin Republics is the right path for a small country like ours, which lacks a foundation for large-scale shipbuilding. If we do not learn from the advanced experience of the Latins, but only nitpick over old books and ancient texts, I fear that the warships eventually built will become a huge joke in the Mediterranean."
"Speaking of which, none of Bosporus's warships have ever had a code name, have they?" After turning the conversation to this, Manuel, attended by his subordinates and sailors, had already boarded a caravel that looked like its wood had some age but its ship facilities were almost brand new, and he reached out to caress its mast.
"Yes, Caesar, I am quite ashamed," Falero, who had taught Manuel naval knowledge when he was Crown Prince, felt guilty when this was mentioned.
"Then this situation should end," Manuel said with a slight smile, without any hint of blame, "This warship, was it a modified oar-sail ship bought from the Venetians by Theodoro Principality back then to resist Genoa's hegemony in the Black Sea?"
"Yes, Caesar," Falero replied.
At this moment, Manuel couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia: So many years have passed, is this old ship still here…
"Then let's call it 'Theodoro'," This was the name he finally decided for it.