Chapter 12: "Mongol Crusaders"?!

Amid the cheers of the soldiers and civilians of Constantinople, an elegant white sailing ship split through the calm sea and sailed into the harbor of the Golden Horn.

The warm winter sun, shining on the golden winged swan bow statue, reflects a wonderful and gorgeous halo in people's field of vision.

A flag of a cross with red letters on a white background, at the top of the mast of this white sailboat, fluttered high in the refreshing sea breeze.

It has been a long time since the Turkish-built fort blocked the Bosphorus last year, and no ships have come from the north.

Since a long time ago, the Eastern Roman Empire was only the city of Constantinople, so the food and clothing of 100,000 soldiers and civilians were almost entirely dependent on sea. Once the life-and-death sea route is interrupted, everyone huddled in this lonely city will have a desperate feeling of being choked by the throat.

For many years, the Turks have besieged again and again, leaving this small empire that is still struggling on the brink of apocalypse.

As for the glory and majesty of the double-headed eagle of the Eastern Roman Empire, it has long been consumed in the turbulent waves of this new era.

Back at the end of the last century, when the Eastern Roman Empire had just been reduced to a city-state by the Turks, the citizens of Constantinople knew that the city was hopeless. After many years of surviving, by 1453, all those who had the conditions and means in the city had already fled, and almost all those who had relatives in Western Europe had fled with their families. Even the emperor was no exception – Emperor John VII, half a century earlier, openly peddled his crown in Western Europe. The price is just one castle and twenty-five thousand florins!

You know, this is the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire, the orthodoxy of Roman civilization inherited for thousands of years, with the glory and glory of Caesar and Augustus, and the throne for which countless lives were buried. But even such a tearful sale, the monarchs of Western Europe are not interested in anything.

As a result, the Palaiologos dynasty could only continue to survive within the walls of Constantinople. And miraculously persevered to this day.

In short, for the Romans in Zuihou in the city, the present time is full of decay and disaster. and gradually towards the sad age of destruction.

——Mellow and sweet wine, hearty and delicious food, and a proud speech. Bloody and fierce gladiatorial battles, war heroes who intoxicated young ladies and noblewomen, and degenerate and erosive all-night revelry...... In the distant past, many years ago, all this was a paradise of luxury and conviviality, and was an important spice in the daily lives of Roman citizens, even after the fall of the Western Empire, leaving only the Eastern Empire alone.

However, with the passage of time and the shrinking of the empire's territory, coupled with the dwindling wealth of the royal family, these exciting thrills, luxuries, and entertainments. But it has disappeared from Constantinople for centuries. Countless people sighed and were depressed about this, but there was nothing they could do.

- Triumph of victory, glory of the emperor, lavish celebrations...... These things that would have excited the Romans had not been seen in Constantinople at this time for a long time. Even a peaceful life undisturbed by the flames of war has become a luxury.

For most people, when they are at the end of their rope. Either silence in despair, or search for excitement in despair. Therefore, in this moment of crisis, even the reinforcements of only one ship were enough to excite the soldiers and civilians of Constantinople, who were in despair.

- The first ship has already arrived here, will there be a second or a third ship? Arriving full of reinforcements and food?

And the black bread that Emperor Bixia deliberately distributed free of charge at the dock in order to whitewash the peace hit the G-spot of the citizens who had been trapped in hunger for a long time.

————————————————————————————

On the sailing ship "White Bird", which was pinned on by the military and civilians of Constantinople, Wang Qiu was wrapped in a set of Mongolian-style leather robes that did not fit well, and used a telescope to observe the majestic city wall standing above the sea in front of him - although he had made up for the variety tourism festival about Istanbul before, Constantinople in 1453 was really different from Istanbul in the 21st century.

In addition, to be honest, the 21st-century advanced jishu design and manufacture with a lavishly decorated exterior and a displacement of about 150 tons of sailing yacht "Shiratori" has never crossed the Bosphorus at all, not even the Golden Horn from the beginning.

Last night, with the cooperation and cover of the emperor himself, the agile political commissar Sonia left the royal prayer room of the palace for the first time with a wormhole, and the emperor himself took him out of the city to the seaside, and then quietly used the inflatable raft he carried with him to row to a secluded sea somewhere in the Golden Horn. Only then did he take out the wormhole on the sea and let Wang Qiu transfer a sailboat from the dock in Tokyo Bay at the other end of this space-time channel.

- Due to the rush of preparation time, the commander-in-chief of the operation, former Prime Minister Kotori Yu Mashiro, directly took her father's yacht to make up the number.

Next, dozens of members of the entire crossing team were transferred from Tokyo, Japan, to the deck of the small ship through the wormhole one after another. Then, drop anchor and wait for the sunrise to dawn, and then let the local pilots tow the boat into the harbor of Constantinople using a small hand-rowed boat.

This time, the whole process of action can be called uneventful, and with the cooperation of the emperor, the supreme internal response, it is not any challenging.

The only thing that makes everyone quarrel is what flag should be hung on the mast of this ship - the Russians want to fly the flag of St. Andrew, the Japanese want to fly the flag of the rising sun, and Chinese naturally want to hang the flag of August 1...... Zuihou compromised that the United Nations flag was too advanced for medieval Europeans to understand, so he made a red cross flag - so that all three parties could accept it, and the Christians in the city could understand that it was their own.

As for the cover identity that this group of people chose for themselves, it is also interesting - Tatars from the Golden Horde. Or rather, the Mongols!

“…… Miss Birdie, do you think we can pretend to be Mongolians? I don't even speak a word of Mongolian! ”

Looking at the city that was getting closer and closer in front of him, Wang Qiu asked with some concern, "...... In the commercial district of Constantinople, there must have been quite a few Genoese and Venetian merchants who had done business in the Golden Horde. If they come and try to talk about it, we can't figure it out as soon as we open our mouths. ”

“…… Alas, this is also something that there is really no way to do! It is 1453. The Age of Discovery had not yet arrived, and it would take another half century for the east-west route around the Cape of Good Hope to be opened. In Europe in this era, if we yellow people don't choose to dress up as Mongols. What else can you find for yourself? Anyway, you just need to keep your mouth shut and don't open your mouth at all when you meet outsiders! ”

Wearing a gorgeous glass on his head, the former prime minister Yu Zhenbai admires his new outfit full of grassland style in front of the small mirror. He replied casually, "...... When someone comes to tempt him, let Mr. Mamat stand in the way - he is the only one here who can speak Mongolian! ”

In order to conform to this temporary new identity in terms of clothing and appearance, the Chinese and Japanese yellow people in the entire team all changed into Mongolian-style leather robes and hats, wore colorful ornaments, and carried bows and arrows that were purely ornaments.

In other words. Wang Qiu is now wearing the costume of an actress...... Fortunately, he has always lacked discipline, and this little embarrassment is nothing at all.

Although there was actually a big difference in physique and appearance between the Japanese, Chinese and the Mongols in Central Asia, in the eyes of white Europeans at that time, the appearance of the Oriental yellow race was estimated to be similar...... In a word. With the cooperation of the Traveler Emperor, it shouldn't be a big problem to fool the past.

The rest of the Russian hairy people, either blonde or red-haired, could not pretend to be Mongols in leather robes, so Miss Mahaku let them continue to wear military coats and carry sickles, hammers, and red flags—anyway, for the citizens of Constantinople in this era, they were all foreigners' fancy dresses.

As for the disguise of the identity of the Russian Maozi, it is not a problem - the Russian Empire has not yet been born. Muscovy and the Golden Horde were still engaged in a tug-of-war on the steppes of Eastern Europe, with the remaining little shili serving as a wallhead and swaying from side to side between the two hegemons. In fact, there were many nomads who took refuge in the Grand Duke of Moscow, and there were also many old Maozi who were loyal to the Mongol Khan...... Just think of them as "Russian traitors" who have taken refuge in the Mongols.

————————————————————————————————

After the initial solution to the problem of cover identity, there is the next question that needs to be given a reasonable explanation to the military and civilians of Constantinople - what did these Mongols and Russians, who lived thousands of miles away, cross the vast Black Sea to this precarious Constantinople?

With the conspiracy of the Emperor and the Commander of the Little Bird Tour, they concocted a very good and powerful reason - "Crusaders in Defense of the Faith"!

In the impression of modern Chinese, Mongolians all seem to reverence for living Buddha and Lamaism. However, hundreds of years before the rise of Lamaism, the religious beliefs in the steppes of Mongolia and Central Asia were mixed, with Buddhism, Taoism, shamanism, Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism all flourishing among the nomads of the steppes, and Christianity can even be said to be a relatively successful mission.

The Christians of the Mongolian steppe were the first to come from the Nestorian religion of the Tang Dynasty in China, although the Nestorian religion did not flourish for long in the Central Plains, and had declined in the Song Dynasty, but the momentum of development in the steppe has been good. As early as the time when Genghis Khan unified Mongolia, it is said that about 200,000 people in the Mongolian steppe had converted to God. For example, one of Genghis Khan's early opponents, Wang Han of the Nabarian tribe, was a devout Christian.

After Genghis Khan came to power, in order to suppress the traditional shamanic shamans of the steppe, strengthen the centralized power of the Khan's court, and absorb advanced culture, he and his successors also adopted a policy of religious tolerance and connived at the spread of other religions in the country. For example, Quanzhen Sect, which is a branch of Taoism, as well as Buddhism and Christianity, was favored and supported by Genghis Khan, providing a lot of support for the establishment and stability of the Mongol Empire.

As one of the successors of Genghis Khan's western expedition. The Golden Horde, founded by Genghis Khan's eldest son Jochi, in the steppes of Eastern Europe, has also been repeated in terms of faith, and has generally adopted a policy of tolerance towards religion. The first Khan Jochi seems to have been a follower of shamanism, while the middle Khan was mostly Muslim, but far from religious. By the end of the period, the Golden Horde was torn apart and the state of the faith was extremely confused. Although the country as a whole was generally inclined towards Islam, there were also many Mongols who embraced Christianity, and even several khans were baptized and converted themselves. Christianity was made the state religion (later abandoned), and a cathedral was built in the capital, Belgosary (later Stalingrad).

As for the Mongolian steppes in the future, Tibetan Buddhism or Lamaism dominated the world, and the nomadic herders had men in every household to become lamas. The situation that the Great Living Buddha speaks more effectively than the Khan...... That was something that would only begin to appear in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, that is, in the next century.

In short, in Constantinople in 1453, a Mongol crusader army crossed the Black Sea to help, which is theoretically reasonable.

But the problem is that there is not even a single Mongol in the Chinese, Japanese, and Russian crossing teams on this side of the space-time gate. As a result, the only comrade in the ranks, who could speak Turkish, Arabic and Mongolian at the same time, was elected as the leader of the "Mongol crusaders" on the surface, and was named Arslen (Mongolian). meaning lion), posing as a prince of a large tribe, who came to Constantinople to fight for the sake of faith.

- So, on February 5, 1453, in a parallel time and space, Constantinople welcomed a "Mongol crusader" from the east.

In fact. After hearing that the Crusaders who crossed the sea to help were actually Mongols, the people of Constantinople also felt a little embarrassed.

- You know, for the Europeans of this era, the Mongol expedition to the west was only "modern history" two hundred years ago. Over the next two centuries, the Tatar cavalry of the Golden Horde (officially known as the Ulus of Jochi) continued to invade Eastern Europe and Western Asia on a large scale. The inhabitants of Poland and the Balkans have suffered from it on many occasions. As for the bloody massacres committed by Timurid Khan in Syria and Asia Minor, especially the giant skull tower made of corpses in the city of Damascus, it is still fresh in the memory of many old people who witnessed it.

Therefore, in Europe in this era, the so-called "Yellow Peril" and "Tatar Storm" are not propaganda slogans deliberately concocted by politicians with ulterior motives, but horrific facts that have been fully proved by the death, blood and ruins of the Mongol army.

Obviously, in the face of the legendary fierce uncivilized Mongolian barbarians who claimed to be able to eat human flesh and drink human blood, and the subjects of the Eastern Roman Empire, who had been huddled behind high walls and been otaku for 80 years, there was some anxiety in their hearts.

However, now the Eastern Roman Empire, which is still alive and dying, has really fallen completely to the point of being sick and rushing to the doctor. Not to mention the Mongols, who had only heard of the brutality and murder, but had never directly invaded the territory of the Eastern Roman Empire, even if it was the reinforcements of the Arabs, the old enemy, the soldiers and civilians of Constantinople could only welcome it...... In short, as long as you can beat the Turks!

Therefore, after a brief period of silent consternation, the soldiers and civilians of Constantinople gave a warm welcome to this "Mongol crusader".

——————————————————————————————

Dragged by the pilot's dinghy, the scissor-style bow of the "Shiratori" slowly ploughed through the dark green water and leaned against the wooden trestle.

And the scenery of Constantinople on the shore, as well as the citizens gathered at the port to watch and welcome, gradually became clear.

The traversers on board were all lying on the side of the ship, looking intently at the walls, towers, and harbors of Constantinople.

For the Russians who took part in the operation, in particular, the city was of extraordinary significance: almost throughout the Russian Empire, the capture of Constantinople was regarded by successive tsars as the ultimate goal, even as an almost religious existence.

- This great city, located at the intersection of Europe and Asia, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, has condensed the blood, tears and sorrows of many Orthodox believers in the centuries of history after its fall by the Ottoman Turks, just like Jerusalem in the eyes of the Jews.

Therefore, since the Orthodox Christianity of the Muscovy Grand Duke Ivan III married Sophia, the last princess of the Eastern Roman Empire, and regarded himself as the rightful successor of the Eastern Roman Empire, the Russian Empire, which called itself the Third Rome, waged a long war with Turkey that lasted for more than 250 years. In order to seize the ancient city, which controlled the access to the Black Sea, the Russian soldiers almost bled out, but in the end they fell short.

Of course, Ivan III is still just a child, and Princess Sophia has not yet been born (the daughter of Constantine XI's younger brother, and the emperor himself is the last one), and the fall of the "Second Rome" and the establishment of the "Third Rome" may not continue to follow the trajectory of the history books. But the memories of the Russians buried deep in their blood still fill them with all kinds of longing for this legendary great holy city.

However, no matter how beautiful the Russian Maozi have a longing for this city, after actually stepping on the pier, they have to admit that this city, which was originally named "New Rome", was laid by Constantine the Great, and the emperors of Eastern Rome continued to expand, and experienced thousands of years of vicissitudes, and claimed to be a great city blessed by God, is indeed at the end of its historical life, and has lost its glory......)

!