"Your Excellency, you want the captives of the Knights Hospitaller, but you don't want the trophy of Rhodes. We feel you're too generous. ”

"Don't worry, I want the Knights Hospitaller's name. Although the Knights Hospitaller will inevitably have those who are outcast, those people will consider themselves orthodox to the Knights Hospitaller. But isn't that how the competition for a name is, and many people revolve around a name. No one can take it all at once. I don't really care a lot on my side, after all, the Holy See is with us. ”

"How are you going to distribute the spoils of Rhodes?"

……

The envoys of the Department of East European Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Great Song Dynasty were professionally trained diplomats, while Marshal Boyan was a big man who was not pretentious. The two sides calmly talked about the interests, and most of the time passed quickly. The two sides have gradually reached a consensus.

The first consensus is naturally that not only the Egyptian army and the navy of the Great Song and Eastern European Divisions participated in the attack on Rhodes, but Hao Ren of the Yuan State also needed to send a certain number of troops to participate in the battle.

The second is that the battle did not need to alarm the Mongol court, it was a cooperation between local forces.

After the war, Rhode Island was controlled by the Eastern European Division of the Great Song Dynasty, but it could not be used as a base for active attacks on Mongolia. In addition, Boyan and Hao Ren could not take the initiative to attack Rhode Island first.

The agreement is very sincere, and on the basis of the scum-like naval strength of the Egyptian navy, these sincerity are more trustworthy. The envoy of the Eastern European Department returned to Constantinople with this agreement, and Yang Congrong, the director of the Eastern European Department, couldn't help but ask: "Is Boyan going to rebel?" ”

"Does he not want to mess around in Egypt?" Immediately there was a sign of approval.

Just when the direction of the discussion seemed to be developing along the route of Boyan's rebellion, a sharp voice remembered, "Our family thinks that this Boyan will definitely not rebel." But he was afraid that he really didn't want to do it in Egypt. If Boyan goes to Italy, it will make sense. ”

Naturally, the official of the Eastern European Division, the former chamberlain Dong Zhongsong, has this voice. This Dong Zhong Song is the son of Dong Song Chen's family, a favorite minister of Song Lizong, although the Zhao official family canceled the internal servants, and also ordered the Great Song Dynasty to never use eunuchs again, but they treated the former eunuchs more favorably. In Zhao Jiaren's words, 'the eunuchs are quite loyal to the official family, and this section cannot be erased'. Therefore, Dong Zhongsong was mixed with a deputy director of the East European Division, and he was not a petty official. But what allowed Dong Zhongsong to gain a foothold here was his insight.

Someone immediately asked, "Lao Dong, what is the basis for what you say?" ”

"We all know the same information, what other basis can I have. From a logical point of view, it is easy to say that it is man-made. This Boyan really wants to rebel, what can he do? It was nothing but the seizure of Egypt and the seizure of Jerusalem. These places are flat and flat, and there are also freshwater canals. Boyan is not a local, so why should he divide this place. Dong Zhongsong replied quite calmly. Eunuchs can exist because they are useful to the official family. Eunuchs are easily attacked by civil officials, so they don't learn much from Confucianism. If the interests cannot be analyzed clearly, the eunuchs will die very quickly.

The guys in the Eastern European Division felt that this logic was very clear, and they were all waiting for Dong Zhongsong to continue to decompose downward. As a result, Dong Zhongsong was silent. After waiting for a while, Yang said calmly: "Go on, Lao Dong." ”

Generally speaking, there was never equality between eunuchs and civil officials. Either the civil officials scolded the eunuchs, or the civil officials 'stinky feet' in the face of powerful eunuchs like Tong Guan. Yang calmly spoke in a sincere tone, and his attitude was also very sincere, and Dong Zhongsong felt very comfortable in his heart. He laughed, "I can only guess about such things." Boyan was the prime minister of Mongolia in the past, and if he wanted to stay with Kublai Khan, he would definitely have a place for him. Now this Boyan is going to the east and the west to expand the territory. A few days ago, he also entered Italy and abducted the Holy See. He didn't want to get promoted in the Mongol court, but to accumulate his own strength. Now he wants to take the name of the Knights Hospitaller, and he wants to go to Italy. ”

"It's a good sentence to gather like things." The officials who questioned Dong Zhongsong have already applauded the case.

Those diplomats who are more senior and experienced also applauded. Although those diplomats who had little experience and could only think blindly did not agree with Dong Zhongsong's ideas, they did not dare to oppose them.

Yang Congrong was very concerned about this matter, and hurriedly continued to ask Dong Zhongsong, "If this is the case, will Boyan go directly to Italy?" ”

"I don't know. At least judging by the current agreement, the only remaining Crusader-loyal fleet in the Eastern Mediterranean was the Knights Hospitaller on Rhodes. Take out the Knights Hospitaller, and even Egypt's tattered fleet will probably be able to sail freely on the seas. Isn't Italy to the west of the East and West Sea? ”

The group of diplomats looked at the map for a moment, and immediately grinned. Weakly located in the Mediterranean, the people in the Eastern Europe Division found themselves too focused on diplomacy and apparently not on geography.

With the fleet of the Great Song Dynasty, from Egypt to Kiev, the news could reach in ten days. Twenty days later, an envoy sent by Boyan of Egypt and Hao Ren of Yuan met with the Eastern European Division of the Great Song Dynasty in Constantinople. After listening to the advice brought by Hao Ren's envoy, the envoy from Boyan's side said with satisfaction: "Let's gather our forces and prepare to attack." ”

Rhodes Island is located south of the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Strait, west of what is now occupied by the Great Song Dynasty. It is located in the southwest of the Asian part of the Eastern Roman Empire. If forces on both sides are assembled, the offensive can be launched by mid-July at the most.

"We will start again in mid-August. A few days ago, one of our ships brought news that a fleet of Great Song was coming this way, and when the fleet joined our sequence, the chances of winning were greater. "The Eastern European Division expressed a different view.

"The marshal has already said that he will do it in July." Boyan's envoy did not support the views of the Great Song Dynasty.

"It's good in August. At that time, the weather was cool, suitable for war. There was a war in July, and it was still too hot. Hao Ren's envoy immediately supported the views of the Eastern European Division of the Great Song Dynasty. Before they set off, Hao Ren specifically explained that as long as there was no obvious deception of Yuan Guo, he would support the views of the Eastern European Division. As for the envoy himself, he knew the main points that Hao Ren was concerned about at this time. If he can get the news of the Great Song official family, Hao Ren will also be able to continue the next plan.

Although the Great Song official family may have rejected Hao Ren's request, it is also possible that they agreed to Hao Ren's request for cooperation. If the Great Song Dynasty had given up trade with Europa, they probably wouldn't have sent a new fleet to the Mediterranean.

Two of the three parties agreed with the Song Dynasty to start in August, and the envoy of the handsome Boyan felt very disappointed. In the envoy's view, the military action launched by Marshal Boyan should naturally be led by Marshal Boyan's side. But at this time, I can't care so much, and if August starts, it's too late to rush back now to inform Marshal Boyan of the latest results.

As soon as the envoy of Marshal Boyan left, Constantinople came to invite the envoy of the Yuan Kingdom. The Eastern Romans first inquired about the personal information of the lord of Hao Ren, and then said to the messenger: "We hope to be able to marry our princess to the son of the lord of Hao Ren. ”

The sudden news shocked Hao Ren's envoy, and he hurriedly asked, "Why?" ”

"We hope to be able to build a closer relationship with Lord Hao Ren." The Eastern Roman ministers expressed their views bluntly.

After the Mongol Empire's Golden Horde moved westward, the Mongol power swept through the Arab region like a flood. Famous cities occupied by the Arabs were conquered by the Mongols, and even the Mamluks were driven out of Egypt and fled to the southwest of Egypt. Marshal Boyan conquered Tunisia again, entered Italy and abducted the Holy See.

As far as the eye can see, the expansion of Mongolia is like a big open hand, and in the palm of the hand is the Eastern Roman Empire. If the Mongols wanted to take the straightest route of march that day, the annexation of the Eastern Roman Empire was inevitable. Things have come to this point, and getting married is the best option. Princess Maria's previous marriage to the Great Khan of the Ilkhanate ensured friendship between the two countries. The widowed princess Maria married Boyan Dashuai, a princess, and used it twice, which made the Eastern Roman Empire feel very happy.

There was one Mongol power bordering Eastern Rome, and that was the Mongols directly under Kublai Khan. There were three Mongol powers connected by water to Eastern Rome: Egypt under the command of Marshal Boyan, the Yuan state under Hao Ren, and the Kipchak Khanate. The strength of the Kipchak Khanate was not good, and the Grand Marshal of Boyan went to Princess Maria, and their son was the heir of the Grand Marshal of Boyan and the imperial nephew of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Now the Great Khan of Mongolia and the Khan of the Kipchak Khanate are too old, and only Hao Ren, the lord of the Yuan State, is suitable for marriage.

Hao Ren's envoy hurriedly said, "This matter is not something that our subordinates can intervene in. ”

"We just want to send someone to ask Lord Hao Ren what he means. Can I go with the messenger? The minister of Eastern Rome hurriedly explained.

Soon, the Eastern Roman proposers boarded the ships of the Great Song Dynasty and headed for the Yuan Kingdom. The Eastern Roman envoy was also amazed at this kind of sail-steam mixture, and he was even more surprised that this ship could not get lost in the dim clouds.

In just a few days, the ships arrived in Kyiv. After talking about the proposal, Hao Ren was not excited. He felt that this was a good request, and that marrying the Eastern Roman Empire was not a bad choice. Hao Ren replied, "I'll think about this matter again." ”

"King Hao Ren, we have one more request. Want to establish an Orthodox diocese here. The messenger continued his mission.

"Can I appoint a bishop for this ......?" Hao Ren asked. The biggest difference between the Orthodox Church and the Holy See is that the Holy See is located at the apex of the Catholic world, and no matter how the popes are influenced by various forces, this supremacy is there. The monarchs of all countries must bow to the pope, and the pope can only become legitimate monarchs after the pope is crowned.

This system of divine monarchy angered Kublai Khan, who sent Marshal Boyan to Rome to abduct the pope.

The Orthodox Holy See was a kind of civil unit of the Roman Empire, with the Patriarch appointed by the Emperor and to be loyal to the Emperor. However, this was the situation in the heyday of Rome, which is now much smaller than the scope of the Church, and there are inevitably other problems at this time.

"What does the king mean?" The emissaries of the Eastern Rome became nervous.

"All the bishops on my territory have to be appointed by me." Hao Ren replied calmly. This is the spirit of the meeting that he learned from the report of the meeting of the Great Song Society published in the "Great Song Daily", and the Great Song Society has gradually formed the view of the theocratic monarchy. Because the Great Song Society is an institution that never accepts religious believers, their attitude towards religion is so refreshing.

"Your ......, the king, are you...... Do you want to be the Patriarch ...... this? The Eastern Roman envoy was puzzled.

Hao Ren calmly gave an answer, "In my Yuan Kingdom, only those who have been tested and loyal are allowed to hold power. I can't be sure which outsiders are loyal to the Yuan Kingdom, and those people just come to take advantage. ”

"This is not in accordance with the doctrine, the king."

"My country was not built on religion. Why should I care what the doctrine says. ”

“…… You will blaspheme, King. ”

"Can you point out that anything about religion is transmitted through something other than human? If so, you can find out and let me know. ”

"God exists!" The Eastern Roman envoy said reverently.

But all who say God exists are human beings. If the gods really exist, then let the gods come out and take two steps. As soon as the gods appeared, I, as a materialist, would immediately admit that the gods really existed. ”

"It is because we do not see the miracles of the gods, not that the gods do not exist."

"Aren't people who say that?" Hao Ren replied coldly.

The meeting was very unhappy as a result. The Eastern Roman envoy didn't dare to really anger Hao Ren, so he changed the subject, "King Hao Ren, when can I get your reply." ”

"You don't have to wait. I'll let you know when I make a decision. Hao Ren said coldly.

After sending off the envoy from Eastern Rome, Hao Ren was also a little worried in his heart. There were also some Crusaders in his territory, and if he couldn't get these people to convert, there were only two ways left, one was to eradicate them, and the other was to establish a Holy See under the full control of Hao Ren.

If it weren't for the fact that Eastern Rome represented the orthodox Orthodox Holy See, the Orthodox Church's organizational model would have been desirable. A civil service that was directly under the administration of the imperial court was the best means of religious management. But in contrast, Hao Ren still hopes to build a materialist state.

The Eastern Roman envoy had just been sent away, and a new envoy arrived. The Ministry of Rites of the Yuan Kingdom received an envoy wearing a white cloak with a black cross on the cloak. The envoy spoke a Mongolian dialect that God knows where he learned it, and there was a shortage of Mongolian speakers with local accents in the Yuan State Rite Ministry. There is simply no way for the two sides to communicate carefully.

Soon, several employees of the Ministry of Rites of different colors appeared in the conference room, and they stepped forward to speak one by one. Finally, the interpreter, who could speak Italian, finally became fluent with the messenger. Translator translates Italian directly into Chinese, and communication can finally be achieved.

"We are envoys of the Teutonic Knights. This time I came to protest against the atrocities of the Mongols who abducted the Holy See! The envoy in the white cloak expressed his diplomatic mission with a serious face.

The Yuan Guo Rite Department was also a little confused. Kublai Khan's abduction of the Holy See was a matter for the Mongol court. Running to protest to the Yuan State, did these envoys of the Teutonic Knights really think that the Yuan State would take the effort to convey these to Kublai Khan?

Since he was a little confused, the officials of the Yuan State Rite Department continued to listen. After expressing his opposition and indignation, the envoy of the Teutonic knighthood continued: "If we do not release the Holy See, we will go to war against the Yuan Kingdom. ”

"Tsk!" The officials of the Ministry of Rites couldn't help but be speechless. They had heard of the Teutonic Knights, which had established their own territory on the Baltic coast. It is two or three thousand miles away from the Yuan Kingdom. In the future plans of the Yuan Kingdom, the Teutonic Knights were the third country to be eliminated after Poland and Lithuania.

Even when he first came into contact with the Yuan Rite Ministry, the envoy of the Teutonic Knights could feel a kind of opposition and disdain. They were unhappy and asked, "Do you want to object?" ”

"We'll give you six words. If you want to fight, I will fight! The officials of the Ministry of Rites of the Yuan Kingdom expressed their views happily.

Three hours later, the envoys of the Teutonic Knights were entertained with a meal, after which they were chased away by the Yuan Ministry of Rites. The officials of the Ministry of Rites immediately went to King Hao Ren to report the incident. Hao Ren was first surprised when he heard this, and then couldn't help laughing. It was also the first time he had encountered such an interesting thing, the Teutonic Knights were simply fed, and they actually declared war on the Yuan Kingdom. Hao Ren didn't mean to underestimate the enemy, he felt that the knight country could conquer such a large territory, and he was definitely not a fool. Running out for 3,000 miles, crossing the territory of Poland, an enemy country, to attack the Yuan State, there is no such battle that can be won.

"If you have any news, just let me know." Hao Ren sent a message to the military department, asking them to pay attention to whether there were any people from the Knights Kingdom among the enemies coming from the west. Their kind of white cloak, black cross, very conspicuous good people.

After that, Hao Ren went down to inspect the circle, and when he set off, he brought many gifts. It contains spices, salt, and sugar, and is given to families who have had children everywhere they go. For the current Yuan Kingdom, the two things that are ultimately needed, the first thing is to have more children. The Yuan Kingdom, with a population of two million, is really just a small country, and the population of the Teutonic Knights must be three or five million, which is twice as much as the Yuan Kingdom.

Another thing is education.,That is, among these two million people,,Han people are only 700,000.,Want to make this country ensure sinicization.,Comprehensive education like the Great Song Dynasty is the driving force to ensure the continuous promotion of sinicization.。

When Hao Ren came back from a non-stop run around his main residence, it was the end of August. At this time, the latest news just came. The fleet of the Great Song finally passed through the canal and arrived at Constantinople. Part of this fleet would first arrive in Odessa, the most important port city of the Yuan Kingdom on the Black Sea, because the ships carried a lot of equipment. The fleet brought news from the official family of the Great Song Dynasty and was willing to cooperate fully with the Yuan Kingdom. The Great Song Dynasty even provided cable telegraph technology to the Yuan Kingdom.

"Good! That's great! Hao Ren slammed his hands on the table excitedly. With this kind of communication tool, he no longer has to worry about situations in his own land that are difficult for him to grasp.