Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Sanjar shook his head repeatedly: "No. If you leave, who will write poems praising my greatness?"

Anwari said, "Your Majesty has many intelligent poets by your side, and you do not need me."

"When I arrive in the Ming Dynasty, I can bring back more Eastern works for His Majesty."

Sanjar thought about it carefully and agreed, "Alright then."

Anwari wanted to go to China because the previous envoy, Abu, had lavishly praised the Ming Dynasty in his "Travels at Peach Blossom Stone".

The Ming Dynasty had schools everywhere, allowing even commoners to receive an education.

What talk of scholars governing the country? Even a farmer's son can pass the exams and become an official as long as he studies hard.

In the Ming Dynasty, officials who embezzled even a single silver coin were executed, which is why all officials were very honest.

The emperor of the Ming Dynasty was chosen by the people. If the emperor was too cruel, he would lose divine protection, and the people would elect a wise new emperor.

All of this had long captivated Anwari.

Not only him, but many scholars also yearned for the Ming Dynasty.

Because the Seljuks were so chaotic and corrupt, the local lords, after the establishment of the hereditary system, had the power of life and death over the people.

The nobles, both high and low, could also be called sultans, and their territories were like states within a state, often levying heavy taxes within their jurisdictions.

There are wars every year, either suppressing this or conquering that.

In comparison, how prosperous, peaceful, and civilized the Ming Dynasty was in the land of Peach Blossom Stone...

Abu's book, "The Peach Blossom Stone Journey," has circulated in many major cities in Seljuk, spreading through handwritten copies by scholars.

Even Sanjar himself had read "The Peach Blossom Stone Journey".

But his focus was different; he asked, "Is your emperor still at war with Zhongtaohuashi?"

Cheng Yu replied, "Our country has already recovered its lost territory and has long since conquered Zhongtaohuashi."

Sanjar was quite shocked.

The Ming Dynasty already possesses Upper Qin and Middle Qin. If it continues to advance westward, wouldn't it be to unify Taohuashi?

Abu said, "I have written a long poem about the achievements of the Ming emperor and set it to music."

Sanjar laughed and said, "Go ahead and perform."

A Persian woman stepped forward and, accompanied by music, began to recite a long poem about Zhao Yuan.

After the performance, Cheng Yu quickly expressed his gratitude.

Sanjar then said with a smile, "Next is my hymn."

It's so long and tedious!

Chapter 3641 Top-Quality Horse

This long poem details the Seljuk division, how Sanjar fought for the Sultanate, how the Seljuks were reunified, and how they continued to expand outwards.

They sang for a full twenty minutes, without missing a single battle.

Sanjar loved the poem very much, and every time he won a new battle, he would ask scholars to lengthen the poem.

The translator knelt beside the Ming Dynasty's chief and deputy envoys, continuously translating the poem into Chinese.

After the long poem was finished, Cheng Yu flattered, "Your Majesty's greatness is unmatched by many monarchs throughout history."

"Hahahaha!" Sanjar laughed triumphantly.

The following day, Zhu Xiaozhong led a group to the Sudanese horse farm to select the finest horses from Seljuk.

Cheng Yu, meanwhile, led officials and scholars to the Sudanese library to select books.

Chief Medical Officer Yan Xiuqing also went there and asked the administrator where the medical books were, only to find several bookshelves filled with them.

He then asked which medical books were the most famous and eventually discovered the works of Ibn Sina.

Although I can't read the Persian script, the book has a lot of illustrations.

Yan Xiuqing even discovered a perspective drawing of the fetus, which detailed how the mother's blood vessels connect to the fetus.

Seriously, he didn't even need to read the text; he was already excited just by flipping through the accompanying pictures.

The greatest gain of this Ming Dynasty envoy's voyage was neither the acquisition of wealth nor the acquisition of superior horse breeds.

Instead, they began to draw nautical charts and produced a vast collection of Persian academic works!

.....

The Ming Dynasty fleet that set sail this time consisted of 25 transport ships with a displacement between 660 and 825 tons.

These transport ships, besides carrying supplies, were mainly used to store cargo.

In addition, merchant ships from the Ming Dynasty, Seljuk, and Arab countries accompanied them.

With so many goods coming from the East, the ports around the Persian Gulf naturally couldn't handle them all.

Half of it continued south, passing through the Gulf of Aden and entering the Red Sea.

The clientele there consisted mainly of two groups: the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt and the Kingdom of Jerusalem established by the Crusaders.

The Middle East region is currently operating under an excellent matching system.

The Crusaders established four states: the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Principality of Antioch, the County of Edessa, and the County of Tripoli.

In name, the two counties and one duchy were all loyal to that kingdom.

But this rule lacked legal basis and was maintained solely by the king's charisma and connections.

A few years ago, the king died, and his son-in-law succeeded him.

The son-in-law was short and old, but the princess preferred her handsome cousin.

My cousin, however, got involved with a noble widow, who was only a few years older than her son.

The widow's son, unwilling to relinquish his inheritance of the two cities, reported her to the new king.

The domestic nobility was also divided into two factions: one supporting the new king (the prince consort) and the other supporting the new queen (the princess).

All of this was already chaotic enough, and the other three vassal states were not quiet either.

The Duke of Antioch also died, leaving behind a widow and a young daughter.

The other two counties joined forces with Antioch and sought to secede from the Kingdom of Jerusalem and become independent.

The count of Edessa was an idiot, and the widow of Antioch was a troublemaker, plunging the four Crusader states into infighting.

The Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt was equally remarkable, with the new king taking pleasure in killing, which provoked numerous rebellions among the country's nobles.

Meanwhile, the Emir of Damascus, which belonged to the Seljuk Empire, was also ruled by a young sultan who was equally cruel and tyrannical, even driving his own mother to revolt in alliance with the nobles.

In the north, Zangi was badly beaten by the Seljuk Sultan, but Sultan Sanjar was too lazy to cause too much trouble and appointed Zangi as the governor of the area.

Zangi, the defeated general who was completely wiped out by Sanjar, turned out to be the only normal person among the many monarchs in the Middle East!

……

Fulke, who succeeded to the throne as a prince consort, was actually quite famous in Europe, which is why the old king married his daughter to him.

He was short and stocky, and not particularly handsome.

He loved his young wife very much, so he chose to forgive her, and even forgave her lover, her cousin.

This is how Fulke handled it.

He first challenged his lover to a duel, saying that life and death were preordained and whoever won would be in the right.

Although her lover cousin was tall and handsome, he was a coward who disappeared after accepting the duel.

Fearing that the king would kill him, he fled to Egypt and led the Egyptian army to plunder the border regions of Jerusalem.

To avoid upsetting his wife, Fulke, despite capturing her traitorous lover, only exiled him for three years.

"Your Majesty, an Eastern merchant ship has arrived at the port of Hailim (Aqaba),"

The palace treasurer came to report.

"They brought a large quantity of silk and porcelain, as well as many other treasures."

Even if local nobles used all their money, they could only buy a very small portion of it.

Fulke said, "We are not in Jerusalem to enjoy ourselves; there is no need to squander the national treasury for such a little treasure."

The treasurer said, "Perhaps His Majesty could purchase some to please the Queen."

Chapter 3642 It's All Business

Fulke began to seriously consider it.

He was a rough and uncultured man who inherited the kingdom entirely thanks to his father-in-law.

His wife was so young and beautiful; it was such a disservice for her to marry him. He could understand even if she had an affair.

Even if it's just to repay his deceased father-in-law, he should treat his wife well.

Moreover, this is no longer just a marital issue; it concerns the harmony of the entire nation.

If a nobleman can please his wife, the conflict between the two factions can be eased.

Fulke asked, "Is it a merchant ship from India?"

The finance officer said, "Further to the East, there is a country called the Great Ming."

"They have many warships, but I heard only a portion of them have arrived."

"There are also more warships and merchant ships trading with the Seljuks and Fatima."

"What kind of country is the Ming Dynasty? Is it even further away than India?" Fulke couldn't understand it.

The CFO replied, "I don't know."

Fulke said, "I'll go and see for myself."

This king was very bold. Two years ago, after quelling the rebellion of three kingdoms, he bypassed the County of Tripoli and led a small army by boat to Antioch.

Victory in one battle.

However, due to the small number of soldiers, they could only forgive the rebellious nobles and order the Principality of Antioch to submit again.

The other two rebellious counties also chose to outwardly submit.

Fulke took only a small number of soldiers and prepared to head south.

No sooner had they set off than Queen Mélisande rode up in pursuit.

Facing his beautiful wife, Fulke seemed somewhat tongue-tied: "What are you doing here?"

Melissant said, "I've heard that there are caravans in the south bringing many mysterious treasures, and I want to go and select some myself."

“Then… let’s go together,” Fulke said.

The route passes through mostly desert areas, with occasional oases and valleys.

Only one day after they set out, defeated soldiers from the south fled back: "Helim Fortress has fallen! Helim Fortress has fallen!"

Fulke asked in surprise, "But is it the army of Fatima (Egypt)?"

"It's the army of the Ming Dynasty,"

The minor nobleman who had escaped said,

"They have too much treasure and too few troops, while we don't have enough gold and silver coins."

"So...so we left the fortress, intending to launch a surprise attack on the port camp, but we were utterly defeated and forced to flee!"

Fulke asked, "How did you lose?"

The minor nobleman said, "I don't know."

"You don't even know how you lost?" Fulke grew increasingly furious.

The minor nobleman said, "I really don't know. Our soldiers rushed over, only to hear a loud noise, and smoke was still rising from the camp opposite."

"Then the enemy ships also made a sound, like thunder. But it was a clear day, and there was no thunder at all."

"Many iron balls fell from the sky, and if they hit a knight, he and his horse would be crushed to death."