In the summer of the sixteenth year of the emperor's reign, the border of the Western Regions.

The vast mountains seem to spread to the horizon, the mountains are covered with snow, the poplar forests at the foot of the mountains, the wind-swept meadows, and the small towns standing by the winding streams, making this distant western region seem to come out of an oil painting.

The State of Qi pacified the Western Regions and turned these millions of square meters of land into its own territory by forceful means.

Although they couldn't invest much for a while, after governing the local tribes, they reluctantly made the natives here accept the fact that they became Qi people.

In addition to the jade and cashmere trade, the unique melons and fruits also appeared in the cities of the Central Plains.

Although the train is relatively primitive, it also pulls the distance between the Western Regions and the Central Plains infinitely.

The indigenous people of the Western Regions, especially the village tribes along the railway, have seen a great improvement in their lives compared to hope.

Less exploitation, one full meal a day, constantly weakened the local resistance, and until now, the local defenders have rarely received news of a rebellion by a certain tribe.

The border pass also began an extremely peaceful time, until a convoy of 100 people appeared at the foot of the mountain in the distance, which broke this peaceful day.

This is the westernmost small city of Qi Kingdom, and further west is the barren land.

As for the country further west, it has only been heard from some indigenous people.

The Qi people of this era have pride in their country.

In their hearts, there is no place in this world that is richer and more powerful than their own country, and they naturally sneer at the country to the west that the natives boast about.

When this convoy appeared in Qi Jun's field of vision, it was more of a puzzle.

The wildlings in the west are all futuristic races of Rumao blood-drinking, and they simply cannot afford to build such a convoy.

Just in case, the guards here still excluded fifty cavalry from going out of the city to check the situation.

In the telescope, I saw that the convoy was surrounded by the siege of the soldier city.

After a brief panic in the convoy, I saw a person with the appearance of an indigenous person, saying something to the officer of the Qi State.

Then a light cavalry rode back.

"General, these people are from the country in the west, it seems that they want to enter the city, they can't understand the language, I don't know what they mean, one of them can speak the tribal vernacular."

The guard general said: "Let Feng Lang take a good look at them, come here, go to the city to find a native who can speak official words." ”

Half a day later, a native translator was found in the city, and in this extremely unprofessional translator, Qi Jun roughly understood the meaning of these people.

These people were indeed from countries further west, and they wanted to meet the leader of the Qi state, that is, Yang Hao, the emperor of Qi, and carried their emperor's credentials and a large number of tributes.

Such a major matter is not something that a small border guard can decide.

Let these people find a place to live near the city, and then send fast horses to the station hundreds of miles away to send the news to Chang'an by rail.

Ten days later, Yang Hao, who was far away in Chang'an, had received news of the visit of the Romans.

This surprised him a little, he originally thought that the civilization that had developed for an unknown number of years before himself would attack him without saying a word, but he never thought that they had sent envoys first and brought the so-called tribute.

Just after thinking about it, I understood what was going on, it was not that the Romans gave up the conquest, but they just saw that the Qi State was not a weak force.

Although the Wusun people were wiped out in the blink of an eye, this does not mean that their strength is vulnerable.

If they had the support of the weapons provided by Rome, the Wusun people would attack the rest of the forces, and it would be a one-sided slaughter, but in front of the behemoth of the Qi State, such a force would seem so insignificant.

The Romans obviously understood that it was a little difficult for them to gnaw on the hard bone of the Qi State.

In the face of a force whose territory, population, and technology are not much different from their own, even if they are arrogant, they must lower their heads and understand their opponents in another way.

And Yang Hao also has great curiosity about this civilization that should not appear on the normal timeline.

It's just that he understands in his heart that one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers, and there must always be a separation and priority between Qi and Rome.

It's just that at present, Qi is not ready to go to war with such a country, so after a little thought, he made a decision and agreed to the request of the Roman envoy to go to Chang'an.

In the sixteenth year of the emperor's reign, in August.

When the train that the Romans were riding appeared outside the city of Chang'an.

They were all stunned by this huge city, they thought that their great capital was the most prosperous place in the world, and only here did they know what was outside the sky.

Trains are not a novelty in their eyes, they are also found in their own countries, and even some ships have steam-powered machines.

But although Rome is big, it can't find a city as prosperous as Chang'an.

The busy train station and the flow of people reflect the vitality of the country.

The Roman emissary Quintus was somewhat glad that his emperor did not make an impulsive decision, otherwise he did not know what the fate of Rome would be.

The officials who came to greet him looked at these aliens who looked different from the Qi people, even if they were well disguised, but in Quintus's eyes, they still saw contempt.

endured a little unhappiness in his heart, and expressed his goodwill with solemn etiquette to the officials of Qi State.

Yang Hao did not immediately receive these people, but placed them in the Lifan Courtyard and did not allow them to move around at will.

Quintus, who wanted to know the real situation of Qi State, was very depressed.

And for five days in a row, the Emperor of Qi did not mean to receive him, which made him feel humiliated.

In short, when a man claiming to be an official of the Ministry of Rites informed them that His Majesty the Emperor was going to see them tomorrow, they were in a slightly better mood, and decided that they must find an opportunity to make such an Oriental realize that they are from a powerful empire, and to give themselves enough respect.

At the court meeting the next day, Quintus and several of his lieutenants, after an extremely rigorous search, were taken to the magnificent palace.

The majestic palace made Quintus nervous for no reason.

To be honest, Rome has been established for more than a hundred years, but it has never faced an opponent of the same level as it does today, let alone the experience of communication.

In the past, in the face of other forces, they only gave orders, and the envoys sent out did not regard the other party as an equal negotiator.

When I entered the main hall, I felt the gazes of the people who came over and tried to calm my mood.

You don't need to be introduced by anyone else, but you know that the man sitting at the top is the supreme ruler of the country.

Shen Shi bowed and said, "Quintus, the messenger from the great kingdom, has come to meet the Eastern Monarch on the orders of the Sun King. ”