"Yes, we are going to dig a canal in Suez that will connect the Red Sea directly with the Mediterranean! In this way, the importance of the Red Sea shipping route will be much greater than that of the Persian Gulf, which will be harmful to the kingdom of Himyar! King Shermer's eyes lit up, and he very much agreed with the proposal to dig a canal.

Looking at the monarchs and ministers of the Ximuye Kingdom who were gradually taking the bait, Wen Qiao and the others were excited, but they didn't reveal anything on the surface. He quietly complimented, "Yes, if the Suez Canal is opened, the most beneficial thing will be your country guarding the Red Sea waterway, but I am more worried about the huge Suez project, I'm afraid it will not be easy to build, right?" ”

"Well, don't worry, ambassadors, in fact, as early as ancient Egypt, Pharaoh Sinusel III ordered the digging of an 'east-west' canal to connect the Red Sea with the Nile in order to conduct direct trade by overland punts. Later, the Persian king Darius I continued to excavate on the basis of the Egyptians. ”

The canal was later reacquired by Ptolemy II. In the centuries that followed, it was continuously improved, destroyed, and rebuilt. With your country's technology and our human resources, we can work together to reopen that canal on the basis of the ancients. Shermel said eagerly.

But not everyone was in favor of digging the Suez Canal, but a gray-haired elder in the kingdom of Bushimuye rejected the canal's suggestion, "Your Majesty, guests from the East, you are all too much to take for granted. Not to mention that the ancient canal on the Isthmus of Suez has been abandoned for many years, and not even a trace of it can be found, in case we cannot find the exact location of the ancient canal. Then our project to re-excavate the canal will be too big! ”

"Adding that the Red Sea is higher than the Mediterranean, which means that it is impossible to build a canal without locks. However, with our current technical reserves, it would be impossible to build such a huge project. ”

"No, no, no, it's not a fantasy. The claim that the Red Sea is higher than the Mediterranean Sea has not been confirmed by any accurate data. Authoritative conclusions can be drawn only after real exploration of the Isthmus of Suez. Not to be outdone, a young Arab aristocrat retorted.

Faced with the argument between his two subordinates, King Shimair immediately felt that he could not cry or laugh. It was not easy for him to persuade the envoys of the Great Jin Dynasty to join the huge canal project. Who knew that he had just cut to the point, but his own people first argued in front of the other party.

Seeing the embarrassed King Shermer, he hurriedly opened his mouth to dissuade him: "Okay, the two of us have come here today to discuss the trade issues between the two countries with His Excellency the Ambassador. As for the technology, I think we'll have a conversation another day. Don't waste Your Excellency the Ambassador's precious time here. ”

Wen Qiao didn't think that the other party's discussion about the Suez Canal was a waste of his time, in fact, when the Suez Canal was discussed in the Great Jin Dynasty. Due to the lack of sufficient information support. The monarchs and ministers of the Great Jin Dynasty can only make some ideas such as talking on paper. Now he has not only heard about the ancient canals, but also learned that the Red Sea is higher than the Mediterranean, which has benefited him greatly.

However, as the Arab aristocrat said, there was no field exploration. All claims are just assumptions. As soon as I think of the problem of field surveys. Look at the Ximuye monarch in front of him, with a look of ambition.

Wen Qiao couldn't help but splash a basin of cold water and said, "Your Majesty." If I remember correctly. The Isthmus of Suez was the territory of the Roman Empire. Without the approval of the Romans, I believe we would not have been able to ship even half a piece of porcelain to the Mediterranean. I also heard that the Arabs had been in constant dispute with the Roman Empire over the years. I don't know in this case. Will your many plans still work out? ”

"This ...... In recent years, the Romans have indeed invaded the Arabian Peninsula many times, and there have been many frictions between the two sides over the question of the right to rule the peninsula. Shemer graciously admitted that he did not have a good relationship with the Romans, and it seems that the other party was well aware of the filthy relationship between the Great Jin and the Romans.

In fact, in order to unify the Arabian Peninsula, Shammel fought several battles not only with the Romans, but also with the Persians. During this period, the Roman Empire launched many wars of conquest against the Arabian Peninsula, but it was only forced by the strong resistance of the Arabs that the other party's conspiracy did not succeed, which also made the two sides form a mortal enmity.

It is precisely for this reason that the Himyar Kingdom has consumed a lot of national strength due to the perennial wars, and it has been unable to complete the important task of unifying the Arabian Peninsula for a long time, and even the Saibai Kingdom, which is still struggling, has been given a chance to breathe.

If the Arabs had unilaterally negotiated the matter with the Romans, the excavation of the canal would have been in vain. But in the eyes of Shemaier and others, this matter can be brought forward by Da Jin.

Therefore, King Shemer further suggested to Wen Qiao with a smile on his face: "Your Excellency, the Great Jin Empire and the Roman Empire are both great empires in the world, and you have close trade relations with each other. If this matter had been negotiated by the Great Jin Empire, I believe that Emperor Constantine would have agreed to this great plan. ”

"Hehe, Your Excellency, although the Roman Empire is our trading partner, the two sides are even more competitive. Therefore, we are also a little unable to convince the Roman Empire. Wen Qiao spread his hands and said with a wry smile, he had served as a 'secretary' by the side of Emperor Sima Shu for a period of time and knew some confidential information.

Although the Roman Empire appeared to be a trading partner of the Great Jin Dynasty, he knew that the relationship between the two was not as close as the outside world thought. The Romans were wary of the Great Jin, and they were very worried about being conquered by the Great Jin in the future. Originally, the existence of the Isthmus of Suez directly cut off the connection between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, and the powerful naval power of the Great Jin Dynasty was never able to threaten the hinterland of Rome.

However, once the Suez Canal was opened, although it could bring huge economic benefits to the Romans, they also had to face a military threat from the Jin navy. The Romans clearly valued military interests more than economic ones. Originally, their army was inferior to the Great Jin, and if the Great Jin navy was allowed to enter the Mediterranean, it would be a disaster for the Romans.

"Your Excellency, we also know that the Roman Empire has always been arrogant. The weight of our kingdom of Himyar is not worth mentioning at all in the eyes of the Romans. But the Great Jin Empire was different, and the Great Jin Empire was the great ruler of the Eastern world. No matter how unwilling the Romans were, I am afraid that they would not be able to ignore the proposal of the Great Jin Empire, right? Seeing Wen Qiao retreating, King Shermer hurriedly sent a high hat to the other party.

After last year's series of wars, Europeans, Africans, and Asians in this era have all broadened their horizons, and it has also brought the Great Jin Empire to the world. After the end of the war, the three major military empires recognized by various forces in the world were the Great Jin Empire, the Roman Empire, and the Persian Empire.

In particular, the Great Jin Empire, whose territory and territorial waters span the three continents of Asia, Australia, and the United States, coupled with its possession of most of the Asian territory and the digestion of a large number of barbarian populations, make it have a population of nearly 40 million, and the total number of standing armies is as much as more than 600,000, such a huge empire is enough to make any country panic.

At this moment, King Shimair firmly believed that as long as the Great Jin Empire officially opened its mouth, the Roman Empire would never refuse. But he didn't know Wen Qiao's difficulties, although the Romans needed the assistance of the Great Jin for the time being, they were not very afraid of the Great Jin Empire. If the Suez Canal is opened, once the Jin navy enters the Mediterranean, then the Romans will really have to look up to the Jin people.

I saw Wen Qiao put on a look of embarrassment and flickered: "The Great Jin Empire very much hopes to cooperate with Arab friends, and we will try our best to convince the Romans within our ability, of course, this also needs the help of Arab friends." After all, you are more familiar with the Mediterranean and Red Sea regions than we are. In addition, if the Great Jin Empire could have one or two commercial halls in the Red Sea Route, it would be more conducive to further cooperation between our two countries, wouldn't it? ”

"That's fine. We would like to welcome your country to set up a business hall in our capital. King Shemer readily agreed.

"It is a great honor to set up a business hall in the capital city of Himrayar. However, His Majesty the Emperor also wishes to set up a business hall in an area close to the eastern shore of the Red Sea. It would be advisable to get as close as possible to the Isthmus of Suez so that we can pass through the Mediterranean Sea in the future. Wen Qiao drew a circle on the east coast of the Red Sea, near the Suez Canal.

Hearing that Da Jin wanted to set up a business hall in the depths of the Mediterranean, the Arabs present couldn't help but pause, and then whispered again. The Mediterranean Sea has always been regarded as the inner lake of the Romans, and now the Jin people dare to stretch out their hands to the Roman confinement, which cannot but make the Arabs feel a little shocked.

They didn't know whether the relationship between Rome and the Great Jin was too good or too bad for the Romans to agree to the Jin meddling in their hinterland, apparently the Arabs thought that the Jin dared to lay out the Mediterranean in advance and must have been allowed by the Romans, but they didn't know that this was just a unilateral action of the Great Jin.

If the relationship between the two is good, then why did the Jin people not even show confidence in convincing the Romans to agree to dig the canal just now! Could it be that the relationship between Rome and the Great Jin is not as close as the outside world thinks, and if this is the case, the opportunity for the Arabs has come!

In Shermer's view, no matter how strong the Great Jin is, it cannot be compared with the Arabs who occupy the home advantage, as long as they defeat the Romans in the future, the Arabs led by him can not only unify the Arabian Peninsula, but also maybe take the cornucopia of the Suez Canal!

King Shermer believed that the most headache for the Great Jin into the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea should be the Romans and Persians, and after careful thinking, he immediately swore to Wen Qiaodao, "Your Excellency, please rest assured, we will definitely support the development of the Great Jin in the Arabian Peninsula!" (To be continued......)