"Well, that's good. Zhang Qing's family, this time I want to personally conquer the country of Zhuluo. "Zhao Ji has been thinking about this matter, and it is not a matter to always nest in Lingya.

"This." Zhang Qi hesitated, not knowing what to say.

"Don't worry, I'm at the mercy of the military cabinet. You can use me as a general. Zhao Ji said with a smile.

"Weichen didn't dare. The Holy Majesty is in person, and the military cabinet still has to discuss it. For the sake of the safety of the saints, the specific duties and powers must be properly arranged. Zhang Qi stood up and arched his hand and said.

Although Zhang Qi was not very willing, he still agreed. Zhao Ji's temper is now known to most of the officials of the Great Song Dynasty.

"Good. I didn't attend the military cabinet meeting. so as not to influence your arrangements. Zhao Ji took a step back, in fact, he didn't have time, he had to have a meeting in the evening, but Zhao Ji wanted to accompany Sun Shangfang to go shopping.

"That's right. Holy. There is a fleet, replenished in the port of Lingya, and they are asking around, where is the emperor of the Chinese Empire? The United Defence Force received a report from the civilian population and detained them. They proclaimed themselves emissaries of the Holy Roman Empire. He Ti didn't know how to judge them. Zhang Kai suddenly remembered such a thing.

This matter is not big or small. The Chinese Empire was a Union Empire with nine emperors and one pope, but no Chinese Emperor. That group of envoys wanted to see the emperor of the Chinese Empire, didn't this instigate the contradictions between the member states of the Chinese Empire? It's no wonder if it's not seized. However, after all, there is a pope in the Chinese Empire, so counting them as a slip of the tongue, it is not a big deal.

The point is, now that the Chinese Empire and the Chola Kingdom are at war, and the Xilan Sea has been blocked by the Chola State, how did they come over? Is it a spy of the Chola Kingdom?

"Oh, what do you mean, let me be the emperor of the Chinese Empire and meet them." Zhao Ji responded.

"See you soon. The Holy Roman Empire is here. We know almost nothing about the western part of the continent. Zhang Qi turned around, picked up a bamboo pole, pointed to the world map and said.

"Hmm. Then we'll see. Zhao Ji said happily.

On the one hand, Zhao was pleased that the scholars of the Great Song Dynasty were more and more recognizable to the world map he had drawn, and on the other hand, he was also pleased to be able to establish contact with Christendom.

After Zhao Ji confessed, Zhang Ji ordered the release of those people and placed them in Lingya Station. Imprisoned for a while, this group of Westerners became very honest. Mainly because they finally knew how big the Chinese Empire really was, which was beyond their imagination. After crossing the Lingya Strait, they knew that they had reached the territory of the Chinese Empire, but they also interestingly thought that Lingya Prefecture was the capital of the Chinese Empire.

Although Lingya is a small island, it has a million people, including the army. The largest city in Western Europe would never have a population of more than 50,000 at this time, and Lingya Prefecture alone had a size of 50,000 merchants coming in and out every day.

When they first arrived here, the ordinary streets of Lingya Prefecture could make them ponder for a long time. The streets are wide and clean, which they find incredible. The streets are divided into lanes and sidewalks, with a dizzying stream of horse-drawn carriages shuttling back and forth in the middle of the road, while crowds of people rub shoulders on both sides of the road.

The shops here are very large, and some of the large ones even cover an area of more than one acre. In particular, they were amazed by the variety of goods in the store, and the wealth of the Chinese Empire was like heaven in their eyes. Expensive spices, frostings in Europe, here everyone can afford them. And what they were puzzled about was that the people of the empire were actually buying things with paper. No one asked for their gold coins, and they were reported and arrested for two crimes: asking around for the Chinese emperor's whereabouts and using metal currency.

After the envoys were arranged at the post station, the military cabinet sent officials to teach them the etiquette of the Great Song Dynasty. While Zhao Ji was accompanying Sun Shangfang to go shopping, these envoys were busy learning the etiquette of the Great Song Dynasty. Because tomorrow the emperor will receive them, and they also know from the officials who teach etiquette: The emperor is not so easy to see, if you don't learn etiquette well, tomorrow you will be rude, just wait to be killed!

The next day, the envoys were taken to the state yamen. Zhao Ji wore a crown dress that he hadn't worn for more than half a year, and brought this group of envoys in the Yamen Hall Realm. The hall was covered with a red carpet, and the emissaries of the Holy Roman Empire took off their shoes and socks at the door, bowed their heads, arched their bodies, followed the ceremonial officer into the hall, knelt on the ground, and after three kneels and nine bows, shouted: "Long live my emperor, long live, long live." ”

Zhao Ji held back a smile and said, "You are all in peace. ”

They couldn't understand Chinese, and when they saw the ceremonial officer standing up, they stood up one after another, looking at the emperor of the Chinese Empire with a little unscrupulousness.

"Your Majesty the Emperor, you are a great Eastern monarch, and your army is the most powerful in the world. The Holy See heard of the anger of His Majesty the Emperor against the Celestial Sect, and sent troops to the west to conquer the countries of the Celestial Sect. The abominable Celestial Cultists have seized our holy place, Jerusalem, and prevented us from making a pilgrimage. The Holy See sent us to establish an alliance with the Chinese Empire. Together, we will deal with our common enemies, the hateful Celestials. A red-robed Roman bishop first complimented, and then hurried to say what he meant.

After hearing the translation, Zhao Ji understood. Feelings, this group of people is going to see Li Bingchang, the lord of Western Xia. Only Li Bingchang had previously attacked Gaochang Huifu, who believed in the Heavenly Sect. And this year, Li Bingchang launched a large-scale westward expedition alone, at this time the 200,000 troops of Western Xia were besieging Gaochang, and Gaochang's return to destroy the country was imminent. The Black Khanate became nervous and sent envoys to the Seljuk Empire for help, asking for a holy war to support the Black Khan. It was this incident that alarmed the Pope of Rome, who was preparing for the Eastern Crusade.

In fact, the Holy Roman Empire was neither Rome, nor an empire, nor was it sacred. Just a loose alliance of states, like the current Chinese Empire. However, the countries of the Holy Roman Empire were not as calm as the Chinese Empire, and their countries were constantly at war. Therefore, the Pope called on them to stop the war, unite with the outside world, and launch a crusade under the slogan of supporting the Byzantine Empire.

Seeing the wrong person made Zhao Ji laugh out loud, which made the cardinal at a loss. Zhao Ji laughed like this, which was very rude. For the cardinal, it meant insult. However, it is not Zhao Ji who has a request for help.

Zhao Ji motioned to let the ceremonial officer explain the Chinese Empire first. The ceremonial officer understood, and a table was brought in, and a map of the world was spread out on the table.

The ceremonial officer explained in a not very fluent German language. Soon, the cardinal understood. The Chinese Empire is so similar to the Holy Roman Empire! I also know that at this time he met the emperor of the Song State, the most powerful and wealthy emperor in the Chinese Empire.

The cardinal listened to the ceremonial officer's explanation in great surprise, while Zhao Ji sat upright and looked at the cardinal's surprised look with a smile on his face. The cardinal finally understood that it was only the emperor of the Western Xia Kingdom who led hundreds of thousands of troops to the west on the mainland.

The cardinal slowly learned that the emperor in front of him was the initiator of the Chinese Empire, and the pope of the Chinese Empire did not have as much power as the Pope of Rome, because the pope of the Chinese Empire was loyal to the emperor in front of him.

When the ceremonial officer had almost finished explaining, Zhao Ji slowly stood up, walked to the table, pointed to the map on the table and said, "I know what your pope wants to do. Isn't it just that they hope to cooperate with the Chinese Empire against the Seljuks, and then establish trade directly on this route? ”

The route Zhao mentioned is the route through the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. As long as the Holy See could recover the eastern frontiers of the Seljuk-occupied Byzantine Empire, and then the Chinese Empire would seize the Khorasan region of the Seljuk Empire, it would be possible to avoid the celestial world and directly establish a direct Silk Road to Christendom.

There are three main reasons for the papacy's crusade: First, the countries of the Western world are at war internally, and the papacy hopes to expand externally with the help of secular forces. Second, the Seljuk Empire invaded, occupying half of Byzantium's territory, and its troops were directed towards Central Europe, which made the Pope panic. Third, the Celestial World has a monopoly on trade between the East and the West.

The cardinal nodded and said, "That's true." I beg His Majesty the Emperor to allow us to go to Tianjing. His Majesty the Emperor initiated and created the Chinese Empire, didn't he always want to open up the Silk Road? ”

"Of course, I won't stop you from going to Tianjing. The Emperor of Northern Liao will personally lead an army of 100,000 to the west next year, and your wishes will definitely be fulfilled. However, I have a proposal that you should consider. Speaking of this, Zhao Ji stopped, looked at the cardinal and did not speak.

"I am willing to serve His Majesty the Emperor." The cardinal knelt on the ground and prostrate.

Zhao Ji happily pulled up the cardinal, pointed and continued, "Very good. Come and see, I led an army of 800,000 to the south to conquer India. In a few days, the Chola kingdom and even the whole of India will be pacified. At that time, whether it is the Sea of Fine Orchid, or the Great Food Sea, or the Indian Ocean, they will all be under my control. Perhaps we can join forces against the Fatimids. The Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea could easily become part of the Maritime Silk Road. ”

"It's a really good plan. It's just that I'm just a cardinal, and it's up to the Pope to decide. My mission to the Chinese Empire this time was to deal with the Seljuk Empire and open up the overland Silk Road. The slogan of the Papal Crusade was to help Byzantium against the Seljuk invasion. The Holy Roman Empire was not as large as the Chinese Empire, and it was not possible to send nearly a million troops each to fight on two fronts at the same time. In this crusade, the Pope was able to summon 100,000 knights, which was a gift from God. The cardinal said gloomily.

"Haha. I'm not reluctant. Zhao Ji said with a smile.

Historically, it was true that after the failure of the First Crusade against the Seljuk Empire, the Holy See pointed the finger mainly at Egypt. Now Zhao Ji is attacking the Indian region, and he is not in a hurry. After the capture of India and the rapid development of the Great Song Dynasty, that trade route will be needed. If the trade route had been built, the Suez Canal would have been built ahead of schedule. At that time, the sailors of the Great Song Dynasty would be able to reach the Mediterranean and Europe without bypassing Africa.

Although they couldn't talk about it, Zhao still got a lot of information about Europe from them. After a short meeting, Zhao Ji began to prepare, releasing a text on the crusade against the Chola Kingdom, presiding over the departure ceremony, and boosting morale.

The Holy See's mission, with Zhao Ji's permission, set off for Tianjing (Youzhou). Zhao Ji knew more about Western Europe, and was a Christian in later generations, so he was more friendly to them. However, when they arrived in Tianjing, they hit a wall. The Pope of the Chinese Empire refused to receive them for reasons that are not clear. Yeluhonki met with them, but no agreement was reached. Yeluhongki even said rudely: "Alliance? You barbarians who don't know that little country in that small place should learn to give up all the wealth and beauty in your territory, and then surrender to my feet. ”