Q: The Genoese held the colony of Galata on the Golden Horn across from the city of Constantinople since 1261 as part of the Treaty of Nymphaeum, a trade agreement between the Byzantines and Genoese. However, the dilapidated state of the Byzantine Empire following the civil war of 1341-1347 was easily shown in the control of custom duties through the strategic straights of the Bosphorus. Even though Constantinople was the Imperial seat of power with its cultural and military center on the shores of the Bosphorus, only thirteen percent of custom dues passing through the strait were going to the Empire. The remaining 87 percent was collected by the Genoese from their colony of Galata. Genoa collected 200,000 hyperpyra from annual custom revenues from Galata, while Constantinople collected a mere 30,000. The Byzantine navy, a notable force in the Aegean during the reign of Andronikos III Palaiologos, was completely destroyed during the civil war. Thrace, the main imperial possession besides the Despotate of the Morea, was still recovering following the destruction of marauding Turkish mercenaries during the civil war. Byzantine trade was ruined and there were few other financial reserves for the Empire other than the duties and tariffs from the Bosphorus.
Where did the Byzantine Empire get most of its financial reserves?
A: duties

Q: On the morning of April 21, 1914, warships of the United States Atlantic Fleet under the command of Rear Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher, began preparations for the seizure of the Veracruz waterfront. At 11:12 hrs, consul William Canada watched from the roof of the American Consulate as the first boatload of Marines left the auxiliary vessel USSPrairie. By 11:30, with whaleboats swung over the side, 502 U.S. Marines from the 2nd Advanced Base Regiment, 285 armed Navy sailors, known as "Bluejackets," from the battleship USSFlorida and a provisional battalion composed of the Marine detachments from Florida and her sister ship USSUtah also began landing operations. As the landing party moved toward pier 4, Veracruz's main wharf, a large crowd of Mexican and American citizens gathered to watch the spectacle. The invaders encountered no resistance as they exited the whaleboats, formed ranks into a Marine and a seaman regiment, and began marching toward their objectives. This initial show of force was enough to prompt the retreat of the Mexican forces led by General Gustavo Maass. In the face of this, Commodore Manuel Azueta encouraged cadets of the Veracruz Naval Academy to take up the defense of the port for themselves. Also, about 200 line soldiers of the Mexican Army remained behind to fight the invaders along with the citizens of Veracruz.
From what USS ships did American servicemen attack Veracruz?
A: Prairie

Q: The war began in late 1534 when a landlocked Toungoo led by Tabinshwehti and his deputy Bayinnaung, tried to break out of its increasingly narrow zone by launching a preemptive war against a weakly led Hanthawaddy. In the beginning, Toungoo's maneuvers amounted to a mere raids of Hanthawaddy territory, and its initial dry-season raids in 1534-1535, 1535-1536, and 1536-1537 all failed against Pegu's fortified defenses aided by foreign mercenaries and firearms. In each campaign, Toungoo armies had only 6000 to 7000 men, a few hundred cavalry and a few dozen war elephants and did not yet have access to foreign troops and firearms. Unlike his father Binnya Ran II, King Takayutpi of Hanthawaddy could not organize any retaliatory action. His nominal subordinates in the Irrawaddy delta and Martaban did not send any help. Nonetheless, Pegu's defenses led by two leading ministers of the court, Binnya Law and Binnya Kyan withstood the raids.
What happened second: preemptive war launched under Hanthawaddy or Binnya Law and Kyan withstood the raids?
A: Binnya Law and Kyan withstood the raids

Q: In 1752, a new dynasty called Konbaung rose to challenge Restored Hanthawaddy, and went on to reunite much of the kingdom by 1758. In 1758-59, King Alaungpaya, the founder of the dynasty, sent an expedition to the farther Shan States , which had been annexed by the Qing over two decades earlier, to reestablish Burmese authority. . Three of the ten farther Shan state sawbwas and their militias reportedly ran away into Yunnan and tried to persuade Qing officials to invade Burma. The nephew of Kengtung sawbwa and his followers also fled. The Yunnan government reported the news to the Emperor in 1759, and the Qing court promptly issued an imperial edict ordering reconquest. At first, the Yunnan officials, who believed that "barbarians must be conquered using barbarians", tried to resolve the matter by supporting the defected sawbwas. But the strategy did not work. In 1764, a Burmese army, which was on its way to Siam, was increasing its grip of the borderlands, and the sawbwas complained to China. In response, the Emperor appointed Liu Zao, a respected scholarly minister from the capital to sort out the matters. At Kunming, Liu assessed that the use of Tai-Shan militias alone was not working, and that he needed to commit regular Green Standard Army troops.
How many years had passed from when the Yunnan government reported the news to the Emperor until a Burmese army was increasing its grip of the borderlands?
A:
5