After finishing his thoughts, Manuel immediately snapped out of the jumbled mix of knowledge and memories, and continued to seriously face the Mamluks before him. The Mamluk envoys, however, were oblivious to this, as Manuel's thoughts had only occupied a few seconds in his mind.
Over the next period, he meticulously and earnestly explained to the Mamluk envoys the benefits that an expanded trade route would bring to both parties. Although his words were now more detailed, their main meaning was no different from what he had written in his letter to Cairo.
"So, gentlemen, as I know and as I have said, if a trade agreement can be reached, then overall, it will be extremely beneficial to both of us. In terms of commerce, your country can obtain a more stable supply of military slaves and corresponding channels, and later, many other goods can also be circulated through this trade route; in terms of economy, if the Black Sea trade route is expanded, it will inevitably enhance your country's control over Eastern Mediterranean trade and Red Sea trade, so that even the Venetians or Genoese will bow to the Sultan's methods; and in the diplomatic field, this trade expansion will certainly enhance the relationship between our two sides, and can even transcend religious barriers."
After listening to Manuel's statement, all these Mamluk dignitaries showed the expressions he had anticipated: Jaqmaq, as a military officer, was still somewhat confused, but his real duty was basically to monitor whether any unexpected situations would arise during these negotiations or whether Bosporus was truly sincere about this trade negotiation. Coupled with his personal friendship with Manuel, he had no objections. Abdul Ma'mun, the Ustadar of Sultan Barsbay and the core figure of the delegation, after careful and rigorous consideration, finally agreed to the proposal of the Christian monarch before him. As for the Qadi named Muhdi, although his status in this delegation was not low, his real role was to act as a mouthpiece for the religious community, and since the accompanying Ustadar had no objections, he naturally had no dissent either.
Finally, after further detailed discussions during that afternoon, the Bosporus and Mamluk sides reached a consensus: both parties unanimously agreed to expand their trade relations and enlarge the trade route over the Black Sea. Bosporus would also prepare some unique goods exclusively operated by Tauris for the Mamluks, such as strong Circassian slaves, which were one such category.
At the same time, the Black Sea trade route advocated and expanded by Bosporus would also become part of the Eastern Mediterranean trade that the Mamluks intended to control. For example, after this trade route is expanded, Tauris and Pontus will both receive direct supplies of spices and sugar from the Mamluks. Although these goods are still considered "second-hand goods" originally from elsewhere, since they are not "third-hand goods" or even "fourth-hand goods" resold by Venice, theoretically, this can greatly reduce the unnecessary costs of transit. In simple terms, there are no middlemen earning the price difference.
However, this would certainly anger the Venetians, so Manuel did not immediately decide to blindly expand the additional commodity trade between the two sides. Instead, he focused on strategic materials such as sulfur and saltpeter, and "luxury goods" like sugar, which Bosporus usually found difficult to obtain in large quantities. Other types of goods would still be traded through the old trade routes dominated by Venice. But to be safe, he still needed to gain the tolerance of Venice. Therefore, he would have to personally travel to their Black Sea consulate territory next.
And this was what he had to do after he and the Mamluks finished expanding the Black Sea trade route.
Half a week later, in the afternoon, the capital of the Venetian Black Sea Consulate, Tana, welcomed a rare guest—
"So, Manuel, do you think we Venetians should also join the Black Sea trade you are leading?" Pietro Lando, the Venetian Black Sea Consul, narrowed his dim blue-green pupils, subtly looking at the humble and polite Roman monarch before him and the two Bosporus cabinet members accompanying him.
"Not at all, you misunderstand. For trade, how dare a small country like our Bosporus presume to 'lead'?" Manuel, neither servile nor overbearing, responded with a smile, easily denying any commercial ambitions of his own.
"Then there's no need for you to go to such trouble to come here, after all, aren't we Venetians and Bosporus close strategic partners?" After receiving the other party's reply, Lando waved his hand, indicating that he didn't care.
"May you burn in your dreams, you cunning merchants, can you not be any more shameless?" Manuel cursed in his heart, laughing. Close partners? He hadn't forgotten how Venice had quickly withdrawn from the war and reaped all the benefits the moment they heard that the Ottomans might intervene.
But he currently had neither the confidence nor the ability to fall out with Venice, so he could only cooperate by smiling gently before slowly explaining the purpose of his visit today, "A few days ago, my country and the Mamluks agreed on an insignificant trade agreement. Although the goods circulated in this project are not major, I still believe we should consult with our most trustworthy and reliable allies for advice."
This made Lando's brain begin to operate at high speed. After a while, having figured something out, he smiled and said to the young Caesar before him, "By the Holy Mother, there's no need to dwell on details. After all, we Black Sea consuls don't obey every command from the mainland. You know, the mainland is far away in the northern Apennine, and its understanding of the Black Sea is not very comprehensive."
"So, what is your opinion, Mr. Lando?" Manuel also asked him with a smile.
"My opinion is that your country and the Mamluks can conduct trade as freely as you wish, and it doesn't matter if you expand it a bit more," Lando smiled and presented his, and even the Black Sea consulate's, "opinion," "As a gesture of friendship to an ally, I will naturally persuade the mainland to accept. However, successfully lobbying the stubborn Senate and even the Council of Ten is no easy task, so I ask for your support, Manuel."
"Of course, how about half a percent or one percent of our country's commercial gains as a commission?" Manuel had anticipated this, so he unhesitatingly offered terms that the other party could accept.
The Bosporus Caesar's quick agreement caught Lando and his companions off guard. To prevent him from backing out, they quickly accepted. Such a swift response even surprised Manuel; did these merchant nobles just sell off part of their homeland's interests like that? For a moment, he even believed that if he offered enough profit, these greedy merchants would even send their own mothers to prostitution.
"All in all, it really fits my stereotype of Venetians," Manuel shook his head in his heart, laughing and cursing.