[size=+1]Senator Anastasios IV Salamis:[/size]
My fellow Senators, Doux Maximos Komnenos, President of the Imperial Senate and Prefect of Konstantinoupolis.
We gathered here to decide an important decision- what will the Imperium reform.
As you all may know, I'm a great supporter of Exploration. Exploration will give us powerful benefits- our trade will flourish as we find new trading partners in Sinea and Hindustan, our strength will be greater with new lands subjugated to the benelovent Imperium, and we may even get new allies in form of barbarians seeing the light of Iesus Kristos.
Indeed, we may find friends with common enemies- for example, we all know, from the voyages of Zheng He, that the Sineans got independent from the horde and may not co-operate against it- and we all heard the rumours of nations opposing the Xenoi in the far west...
However...Our wise Emperor, regent of god on earth, has suggested that we wait.
And indeed, as we agreed before when we chose the faction leaders, there are still preperations needed before we begin the Exploration- it is required that we reconquer Aegyptus from the filthy Timurids, and for that a sort of an administrative or military reform is required. Thus, I will devote this speech not to try and persuade members of other factions to vote for Exploration but to suggest our wise faction leader, Hadrianos Raoul, a course of action.
I propose that we make a deal with the red demes, and if they decide to stop beign fanatics, the white demes too.
I believe that we should all agree to vote for what the red demes decide- but with a promise that they will vote for Exploration next time.
That way, we will be completley assured that the Imperium will explore new lands- but also, hopefuly, get a good reform that will allow us to reconquer Aegyptus.
What say you, fellow blue demes?