One day in June, when Egil finally bowed to reality for money reasons and drastically curtailed the military reform regulations, the Norman Empire welcomed a very special group of guests.

They are not from Ohon, nor from North Africa and the Middle East, nor from the icy landscapes and steppe deserts of Siberia or Central Asia, nor even from India, the fabled land of spices.

They called themselves the Dons, declared themselves from the East, and their horse caravan crossed Central Asia, after which they went to Constantinople with a team of horses. Most of them went back after entering Constantinople. A small number of them continued northward and westward, entering the Balkans, Eastern Europe, and Crimea. Of course, those who chose the route to Eastern Europe were basically cut down by horse bandits or something. This group of Tang people passed through the relative safety of Italy, and then Germany went all the way north, and heard that there was a strong country in the north, so they continued to advance......

"Originally, when these Orientals arrived in North Saxony and Jutland, they saw the dilapidated appearance, so it didn't seem like they were going to move on. They thought that this was just the case, but at that time the Saxon garrison general Sulla persuaded them to continue north, and they arrived here by ship. ”

When Talleyrand, a scribe who was part-time Minister of Foreign Affairs, told the news that he was accompanying Artoria to the forest to "hunt" Egil, who was physically and mentally exhausted. Egil visibly stunned for a few seconds. After that, it was rare to say a few more words to this very deep scruff scribe in the city.

"What kind of people are they?" asked Egil.

"Well, the clothes on their bodies are said to have been changed many times. And now they are wearing Persian-style clothing. Of course, a few people of higher status still seem to maintain their own national costumes. They have very wide sleeves and a very large hem. Not suitable for combat. Of course, there were some samurai among them. Although it is not as strong as the empire in terms of equipment. But according to the Knights of the Guard, they should all be good hands. Other than that, the most common ones are the merchants, although most of their goods are sold along the way. ”

"And what is their country like, according to their description?" Egil then asked.

"That's your majesty. Sir Talleyrand reached out and lifted his monocle. "In their description, their country seems to occupy the whole of the East...... That was, of course, a long time ago. These Tang dynasties now occupy some of the western parts of the East. Of course, they still have a lot of territory, a lot of troops, and a lot of wealth. ”

"Nonsense. Egil snorted lightly and said with a little dissatisfaction: "What country doesn't say that when people brag to others?"

His Majesty was terrified. Having said that, Talleyrand didn't seem to be afraid, in fact, the guy was expressionless and businesslike throughout. Egil couldn't help but want to give him some small reports about Talleyrand, such as when and when he had taken bribes, or how many little wives he had raised somewhere on the outskirts of the city. We'll see if this bastard is still so expressionless.

Of course, Egil was just thinking about it. One of the reasons why Joan of Arc would not do such a faceless thing is because Talleyrand is still relatively measured. Generally matters that are important, or that Egil values, he will never dare to interfere with. Only some insignificant things will "slightly" reap a little benefit.

And the other reason is because this guy is so easy to use. No matter what it is, I just know a little bit. Usually able to give very useful advice to Egil.

At the same time, the memory is excellent, and he can remember what Egil threw away, and after a few days, he has the correct location of the documents he wants to find but can't find them, and his ability to observe words and colors is also first-class, although this guy has been expressionless, but the ability to slap the horse is really not low. And the expressionless look looks more believable than the average flattering person......

Therefore, generally speaking, such capable people, Egil will tolerate their little faults. Of course, if there is no fault, it is better. And for those who are incompetent but not flawed, Egil can also grant them some unimportant positions. And those who have no ability but have a lot of problems should not be discouraged, His Majesty the Emperor Egil will be very merciful to give them another chance, hurry up and ...... as soon as possible, "Your descendants still have a chance." If you can't be in power, you should be in power. ,

"And what is the purpose of their coming here?" asked Egil the last and most important question.

"They're looking for allies. "Their army is, well, it should be India, where they had a very fierce war with the Timurid Khanate," Talelang said. Therefore, their emperor hoped to be able to find some allies. Therefore, a very large number of envoys were sent around. It is hoped that an alliance of some countries will be found against Timur. ”

"Understood. Egil nodded. With Timur in the Indian ...... Don Egil rubbed his temples and sighed a little in his heart: what a mess, this world is ......

"Then your majesty retired. "I saw Egil begin to close his eyes and recuperate. Talleyrand nodded at the Emperor and turned to leave the room. And according to Egil's usual custom, he instructed the maid who was guarding the door to bring a cold drink to His Majesty the Emperor.

"Alexander set out from Macedonia and conquered all the way to defeat Greece, then Persia, and then the West Indies...... It was the largest expedition in the world today. And if the Union had been on an expedition from Northern Europe to Greece, then the distance and degree would have been comparable to that of Alexander. And if you continue to follow Alexander's route again, it will be twice as much as Alexander. But that only goes to India...... Oriental, Far Eastern, Cretaceous. It's a distant word...... In this life, will you have the opportunity to go there and have a look?"

Thinking of this, Egil sighed softly, knowing in his heart that this wish would most likely not be fulfilled. And even if I go back, what will I do? It's pointless...... This world isn't even what it is. And even if it is the one from Zisi, there is a difference of thousands of years in time. Nothing is the same......

"I'm a little homesick, uh...... Although the current situation is ten million times better than it was then. Man is really a creature who is not satisfied. ”

Thinking of this, Egil opened his eyes, and the maid standing beside him smiled, and handed over the lemon juice with ice cubes. This, along with the juice from the sweet and sour fruit found in the Azores and brought back by Marshal Carter's speedy sailing ship, aroused Egil's unusual interest, and soon took the place of wine as Egil's favorite drink.

However, due to the climate problems of the Norman Empire, lemons could not be grown in the country. And Egil didn't want it so easily, suitable for growing lemons in Italy, Spain, Greece and other places. So nowadays, these lovely little lemons, with only a very small amount, are transported thousands of miles from the Azores, and at least half a shipload of these lemons will go bad for every shipload of such lemons. In the end, only a very small amount ended up in Egil's hands, a very small amount. Not even enough for him to drink alone.

Thus lemons and things can only be used as royal specials. For Egil and Artoria (in fact, Joan of Arc and Maria could also drink it). Of course, Artoria was heartbroken with Egil, so in addition to drinking a little out of curiosity at first, he looked at Egil with a blank look at her. This usually sluggish woman gave all the lemon quota to Egil under the pretext of "not liking". And Joan of Arc is the same reason...... Only the little nun has a very low IQ and is extremely eyesightless:

The taste of the lemon is good for her taste, so she often asks Egil for ......

Of course, lemons and seeds or something, the offshore fleet that went to Malta Island before also brought a lot. Thinking about being able to carve out a lemon and plantation there. Although the distance to pay tribute to the emperor was not much closer than that of the Azores. But because of other countries. Therefore, it can be used as a cash crop to earn foreign exchange by exporting. Big and small can make Egil a family......

In this way, Egil continued to think with his eyes closed as he drank the chilled lemon juice. Then he stood up violently, walked out of his office, went to the wargame room next door, and stared at the Eastern European land with his baton for a long time. After that, he threw off the black baton and made up his mind: Eastern Europe. Whatever the reason, the United will get Eastern Europe in its hands!

Thirteen days after making up his mind, Egil again gave the order to go on an expedition. The eldest princess Aurora was officially appointed as the superintendent of the country. He took the 60,000 chalk army that had begun to take shape and went out with Artoria. Joan of Arc stayed in Scandinavia for physical reasons. She lives on the outskirts of the city, in a convent built especially for her. On the contrary, the little nun Maria was brought by Egir on the grounds that "the army needs someone to take care of the living and grooming the ......".

July 1, 1004. The Norman emperor and his army traveled south to "inspect" the empire's territory. At the same time, a circular was issued demanding that the nobles of Poland, Ukraine, and the various nomadic chieftains swear allegiance to him within the time limit, send hostages, and a sufficient share of the tribute! ）