……

Back in early March, on the eve of the confrontation between the Baiqi army and the main force of the noble widows, Zhuge Zhi led the envoys and his retinue through the vast desert, and after two months of galloping, he finally came to the rumored Great Food Country.

At this time, the Great Eclipse was in the Umayyad Dynasty founded by Aviyah, with its capital at Damascus.

After more than 60 years of development, the Umayyad Dynasty has been governed by six generations of rulers, and by the time of Marwan in power, the Great Food Empire has been pushed to the peak of its national power.

The dynasty made great efforts to govern the country, formed a strong navy to firmly control the waters of Mecca, and monopolized the trade routes between the east and the west, resulting in a very developed domestic commerce, and the cities of Damascus, Córdoba, Basra, and Fustat were world-class metropolises.

In addition to internal affairs, the Umayyad dynasty was also extremely strong militarily, conquering the Mecca Empire, Spain, the Visigoths, and the Saracens during the external expansion of successive caliphs.

At this point, the Great Food Culture affected the entire Zhongzhou and Zhuzhou regions, and expanded as far as the Frankish Dynasty, and was in a state of long-term confrontation with the Baisai Empire.

Its land area extends from the noble widow in the east to the Saracen in the west, and its religious and cultural influence spreads all over Zhongzhou and Zhuzhou, with a population of more than 300 million under its rule, and it is a well-deserved overlord of Zhongzhou.

Although the Umayyad expansion into the East was interrupted by the Monroesi Expedition, it did not cause much damage to the Great Eclipse, and the gold coins given to Monroe were no more than a few days of trading volume in Damascus.

However, the current caliph, Marwan succeeded to the caliphate, and in order to enhance his prestige and alleviate the deepening contradictions between the various sects in the country, he once again decided to expand abroad.

His first target was the Sassanid Empire.

In fact, at this time, the Sassanid Empire was already in the twilight, the country was corrupt, foreign trade was almost monopolized by big food, and the palace coup d'état was already in turmoil.

Merwan planned to raise 300,000 troops, destroy the Sassanids in one fell swoop, incorporate the last sea area of Zhongzhou into the territory of the Umayyad Dynasty, and completely consolidate the maritime trade between the East and the West.

But this move was opposed by countless ministers, and between this battle and no war, Zhuge Zhi crossed the vast desert of death and came to the city of Damascus under the guidance of his guide.

For the most mysterious country in the East, Merwan is also very interested, after all, the magical leaves and exquisite silk of the East were deeply loved by the aristocracy, and they also obtained immeasurable wealth from them.

It was only later that the western expedition of the Mengluo people completely severed the connection between the Central Plains and the Great Food, and the Great Food Merchants had not obtained a large number of goods such as silk, tea, and porcelain that could make huge profits for a long time.

After Zhuge Zhi arrived in Damascus, Malwan received him as a royal family, despite the current war between the noble widow and the Han Dynasty.

In the splendid palace, after the court meeting, Merwan warmly had dinner with Zhuge Zhi.

"Mr. Zhuge is from the rich Eastern Kingdom, I don't know the style of this Damascus, is Mr. still in the habit of looking?"

In the face of Merwang's inquiry, Zhuge Zhi replied: "The prosperity of Damascus is only seen in my next life, and I really admire it. ”

This is not a compliment, the prosperity of Damascus, to a certain extent, has surpassed the previous Central Plains dynasties, even the current Jiangnan and the Jingshi Chang'an, which is still under construction, cannot be compared.

It is also thanks to being seen by Zhuge Zhi today with his own eyes, otherwise I am afraid that I will really be deceived by those Confucian scholars who said that "overseas are all barbarians, and they cannot be generalized with my Central Plains".

"Your Majesty is true when he says, that any civilization is made up of brilliant splendour, and that we cannot refuse to accept new affairs with self-awareness,

No nation is excellent, and only by working hard and deliberately forging ahead can it survive. ”

Zhuge Zhi clenched his fists, and he just wanted to let the Han Dynasty unify the Central Plains as soon as possible, end the civil war, and then develop steadily and realize the civilized world in his heart.

Mai Erwang was very satisfied with Zhuge Zhi's answer, and couldn't help laughing: "Mr. is too modest, although I have never been to the Central Plains,

But I also heard that there are outstanding people in that remote and mysterious land, just like Mr., who are as talented as Mr., and do not hesitate to come to me to negotiate with me, this kind of courage is not something ordinary people can do. ”

Zhuge Zhi smiled slightly: "Your Majesty is too modest, and Weichen was ordered to come to negotiate with Dashi, just so that trade between the two countries can be restarted and the friendship will last forever." ”

Marwan nodded: "What Mr. said is also exactly what I want, but can Mr. say bluntly, is there a war between your country and your widow now?" ”

Zhuge Zhi replied calmly: "I don't dare to deceive Your Majesty, I am indeed in the midst of a war." ”

Merwang: "Thank you, sir, for speaking bluntly, but I don't know why your country wants to mobilize troops and use troops against your widows?" I have heard that your country is a country of etiquette, so if you treat a small country in the Western Regions like this, are you not afraid of being criticized? ”

Zhuge Zhi shook his head: "Your Majesty, etiquette is for friends and guests, and for those jackals, you can only use iron and blood to teach him how to be a person." ”

Marwan smiled: "Sir's temper is quite popular with me, okay, the widow toasts you, please." ”

"Please."

The two of them drank the wine in their glasses.

Then Mai Wang said in a deep voice: "However, how are the noble widows have been partners of the Great Food Trade for many years, and it is impossible for the widows to be indifferent to your country's prosperity.

Of course, if you can persuade your generals to withdraw their troops and widows, the widows will no longer interfere in this matter, and will renew their friendship with your country and reopen the road of trade, what do you think? ”

Zhuge Zhi smiled slightly: "Your Majesty, you don't understand, at present, my Han Dynasty is not as good as before, but if it harms the interests of the Han Dynasty, I will not give up.

The noble widow has repeatedly relied on the strength of the army and the strength of the horse to oppress my Han friends, as a protector, does Your Majesty think you can sit idly by? ”

Merwang: "It seems that this Han Empire is quite martial, you can see it by listening to Mr.'s words, yes, it is quite a little undesirable to be able to interact with such a country." ”

Speaking of this, he couldn't help but sigh lightly, looking like he wanted to say something and stopped.

Zhuge Zhi could see at a glance that Mai Erwang seemed to have something to say to himself, but he didn't know how to speak.

He resisted the urge to ask, so he sat quietly at the table and tasted the wine.

Since you don't speak, I pretend I don't know.

He had already guessed the reason for Merwang's general concern, and along the way he passed through the towns of the Great Eclipse, Zhuge Zhi also learned some news about the possible war between the Great Eclipse and the Sasanians.

But for various reasons, the big food side has not moved.

Malwan now desperately needs a new hard-line force to convince the courtiers to support his decision.

And Zhuge Zhi's identity, and the imperial background behind him, are undoubtedly the most suitable candidates.

It's just that how to tell Zhuge Zhi, and whether the "Han" empire behind him is really strong, still needs to be further verified.

Thinking of this, Mai Erwang put down the tableware and said to Zhuge Zhi: "It is very comfortable to be able to talk freely with Mr.

In this way, the widow prepares a room for the gentleman, and asks the gentleman to stay temporarily, and then discuss with the gentleman in detail after the widow finishes handling state affairs.

During this time, the gentleman can also go around the city, and the widow will arrange a guide for the gentleman to take you around Damascus. ”

Zhuge Zhi also wanted to know more about this magical city, so he directly agreed: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness, keep it in mind." ”

After sending Zhuge Zhi away, Mai Erwang got up and said to the attendant: "Take the widow to see Mr. Yan, and ask him for something important." ”