"What, the envoy is leaving? How can it be so fast? But is there anything we don't entertain? ”

"Where, the foreign minister has other tasks on this trip. It is precisely because of Your Majesty in the Sand that you have entertained you so well. That's why we don't go. But in any case, it cannot be delayed any longer. Otherwise, if we miss the return date, our family's eldest Sima will severely punish us. ”

"Well, okay. It's a shame that I can't communicate more with the sages and warriors of the Great Han. Well, the envoy said you have other tasks? ”

"Yes, Your Majesty Sha Zhongsha, on the orders of our Great Sima, the foreign ministers still need to continue to the west and visit the Roman Empire."

As soon as these words came out, the main hall of the Persian royal palace, which was still very warm just now, suddenly became cold. Shapur and many princes and ministers had smiling faces at first, as if they were being manipulated by a strong will, and their faces changed uniformly.

This is normal. It's as if more than 400 years ago, Zhang Qian's first mission to the Western Regions, the Huns were unwilling to let Zhang Qian contact the Dayue clan through their own territory. In today's situation, if Persia wants to cross Ji Han and make friends with Jin and Wu, it is estimated that Guan Yi is not very happy.

"Why did the envoy go to Rome? It was a barbaric, shameless, fornicating, wicked country. And to get to Rome, you have to cross the sea. There are all kinds of monsters on the sea, and hurricanes often hang up, and if you lose your way, you don't know when you will be able to return to land. ”

"Hehe...... "Old horseman, you can't deceive me about this, before this mission, I was urgently summoned to Chang'an by my family's big Sima, and I made up for half a month's knowledge of West Asian geography." Where do you need to cross the sea to Rome? I'm not going to Rome, I'm going to Byzantium at most. Besides, it's more convenient to go by sea. My family's big Sima said that if you get on a boat in Palestine, you can go directly along the east coast of the Mediterranean. This Mediterranean Sea is wrapped by land, even if there are wind and waves, how big is it?

"Huh...... Your Majesty Sha Zhongsha, the foreign minister is a subordinate of Guan Da Sima. The commander has an order, and his subordinates must resolutely carry it out even if they must die. As a monarch, don't you ask of your subordinates in the same way? ”

"This ......"

"So that Your Majesty Sha Zhongsha knows that there are still two huge rebels to be defeated in the east of my Han Dynasty. This war has been going on for almost fifty years, and it is estimated that we will not see the end of this war in a hundred years. And the foreign minister set out from Chang'an, the capital of our Han Dynasty, and walked for a full nine months before coming to your country...... Therefore, our country has no intention of participating in the conquest of your country with Rome. The foreign minister only followed the order of my family's great Sima and went all the way west to see the major countries in this world with my great Han. Then trade with each other and strengthen exchanges. That's all. Besides, if Rome wants to trade with my Han Dynasty, isn't this trade route from your country's territory? ”

"Well, your envoy insists on going to Rome, and we in Persia will not stop you. But we have a feud with Rome, so this escort ......"

"We have been bothering you in your country for too long, and we have caused you a lot of trouble. So I don't dare to bother Sha Zhongsha and you anymore. ”

"Well, well, feast, send off our distinguished guests!"

……

In the Persian Empire, both agrarian and nomadic were emphasized. So this country, whether it was the Achaemenid dynasty in the past, or the Sabbatical Empire, and the Sassanid today. The king's residence was mobile. As a result, the Persian Empire had an inherent system of two or more capitals.

As far as Sassanid is concerned, in the more than 400 years of history of this country, Susa, Ctesiphon, Posis, Babylon, etc., have all been the capitals of Sasanian.

It was late December in the year 269, the coldest time of the year. Therefore, Shapur at this time was the winter capital of Sassanid - Ctesiphon. The city is also located in the valley of the two rivers. It is only about 30 kilometers away from today's Baghdad.

From Ctesiphon, head northwest, across the plains of Mesopotamia, the Syrian plateau, and as far as Antioch on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean. When you get there, you can really enter the effective rule of the Romans.

"Huh~~~" Walking out of the city gate, Long Yu breathed a long sigh of relief: "Uncle Ling, this old boy from Shapur is still very happy." He let us out so happily. I thought it would take days to squirm. ”

"Hmm. It's not a good thing to be so refreshing. ”

"What? He dares to send troops to chase and kill? Hehe, that's not good. Just now, this old boy himself was very bold and gave us all the things he promised us. Now, three thousand horses! I've just taken a closer look. There were indeed more than a thousand stallions, all of whom had never been gelding. At this time, if he sends someone to chase and kill us, then dare to be kind, so many good horses, when the time comes, I will lead the army to stay behind, and you will flee on horseback. ”

"This majesty is a hero, although he is a little faint when he is old. But I can see that this is a very face-oriented person. Therefore, he will not directly send the country's army to hunt us down. ”

"So, you want to send officers and soldiers to pretend to be horse bandits? No, it's not good to push it on a bandit. How could there be a horse bandit in this country who would dare to attack such a large mission as ours? As long as one of our team escapes, he will bear the boundless wrath of my family's great Sima. Also, does he still want papermaking? He was not interested in soap, porcelain, or silk, but the princes and ministers liked it very much. So ......"

"So most likely, he's going to incite some stupid pig prince to rob us. Well, he doesn't have to kill us all, he can send a force to rescue us in a pinch. Then, if we don't make it to Rome, we have to be grateful to him. As for him, he exterminated that prince by giving us a good reputation, so that the territory and population directly under the central government were more ......"

"Oh, that's so complicated. Hey, I'm too lazy to think about that. In short, if you want to fight, I'm here. Well, don't say, this Persian date is really good, I fell in love with this thing after living for more than ten days. ”

This time, Ji Han's gift to Persia was nothing in Guan Yi's eyes. But in the eyes of Persia, it was extremely valuable. Therefore, Shapur, who claims to be the ruler of a great power in the world and loves face very much, is also very generous when he gives Li Mi and others a gift in return: Persian carpets, saffron, turquoise, dates, caviar, etc., and gives a lot of them. As for snacks like pistachios, it was a bag on each of the Ji Han missions.

So many things, plus three thousand tall horses. The entire Li Mi mission suddenly became extremely bloated, and its speed had to slow down. And this slowing down mission, in the eyes of some, is the prey.

Shortly after the departure of the Lymic mission, Ctesiphon, the palace of the Persian kings.

"Shamir, send light cavalry, bypass the Han mission, go to Palmyra, and send a message to that slut in Zanubia, well, don't say it's the Han mission. Let's just say that this is a caravan with countless silks and porcelain, and three thousand war horses. ”

Palmyra is a bustling oasis city in the Syrian desert. Due to its critical location, it was a must-stop on the trade route from Persia to Rome. That's why commerce is booming.

The city was originally a Roman annex. In 260 AD, Shapur defeated the Roman legions, and Palmyra took the opportunity to become independent. The leader of the country, Usina, took advantage of Shapur's triumphant return to his army, and took the opportunity to attack and defeat Shapur, forcing Shapur to recognize Palmyra's independence.

Shortly thereafter, Ucina was assassinated by the Assassins. His queen, Zanubia, who is known in the history of the Middle East as beautiful as Cleopatra VII, is in charge of the city-state. And pushed it to the very top of history.

(The city-state survived until 273 AD, when Rome regained its vitality and went on another crusade to the east, starting with the country.) How is it possible for a small country in such a critical geographical gateway to survive independently among two large countries? ）

"Father, are you trying to kill this mission by that slut's hand?"

"Hehehe, Hormuz, you're wrong. Han has a lot of what we need. In recent days, I have read their history books and also learned that this is a great country. Therefore, the word killing is not accurate. It might be more precise to block it. ”

"Ah, I see. Father, that slut has been desperately building fortifications in recent years in preparation for future attacks from us or Rome, so she is short of money. When she heard such a large caravan pass by her ground, she would inevitably stretch out her hand. If we come to our aid when part of the Han Chinese mission is intercepted and killed, but not all of them are destroyed......."

"Yes, in that case, the Han mission would have to be converted. And there are no complaints about us. Hum! Although the Han envoys said that their main goal in the near future was to crusade against the two rebels further east, how do I know if those two rebel countries really exist when we are so far apart? Besides, although Rome needed the goods of the Han Chinese more than we did, after the two countries reached a commercial agreement, it stands to reason that more merchants should pass through our country. But I know that there is an old saying in Rome: 'All roads lead to Rome'. If the need had been met, Rome and Han China could have opened a new trade route that would have bypassed our territory altogether...... So, don't leave anything to chance. There must be no direct contact between the Han Chinese and the Romans. ”

"I see, Father. Please send me a cavalry, and I will accomplish this mission perfectly. ”

"Well, Hormuz, you are the heir to this empire. This time, let's show you what you're capable of! ”