Three years after the establishment of the martial arts, the winter solstice has passed, and the New Year is approaching, which is the time for travelers to return to their hometowns and reunite with their families. Outside the east gate of Lin'an City, the Qiantang River Wharf is full of thousands of sails, and the flow of people on the shore is crowded, which is the busiest season of the year.

The wind came from the south, and sailing ships laden with gold, iron, skins, pepper, sulphur, saltpeter, etc., anchored in the harbor. The cargo ships also loaded with porcelain, pottery, silk, soap, glass, tea, and various Song Dynasty handicrafts and commodities were transported from the Qiantang River to various ports in Mingzhou and Quanzhou, and sailed to all parts of the world.

This is the era of the Great Song Dynasty, the merchant ships galloping on the ocean, the Great Song Dynasty accounted for the majority, it can also be said that the Great Song Dynasty warships and merchant ships, opened up the first era of exploration in history.

Black smoke billowed out, and a steam warship docked on the pier of the Qiantang River, surrounded by neatly dressed officials and sergeants of the Great Song Dynasty, and Best, dressed in a white robe, with a white scarf on his head, and a full beard, stepped on the pier.

"This is the world-famous Lin'an City!"

Although he had a general impression of the Great Song Kingdom in his mind, when he saw Lin'an City, Best was still stunned by the prosperity and liveliness in front of him.

People of all colors and appearances, all kinds of goods are piled up, people come and go, but they are orderly. The road is wide, clean and tidy, with trees on both sides of the road, and there are sidewalks, green grass beside the road, pavilions, small streams, and gurgling water.

It's a heavenly kingdom, and it's really ...... Unusual!

This is only outside the city, and what is inside the city, you can imagine.

On the concrete clearing on the side of the wharf, hundreds of four-wheeled carriages were neatly parked, and the accompanying officials handed over their official certificates, and the officials of the street department immediately arranged for several vehicles to come over.

"Envoy, please get in the car!"

Bessette nodded, walked to the side of the carriage with the accompanying officer, carefully observed the carriage, and asked in surprise.

"Does this four-wheeled carriage also use a steam engine?"

"Your Excellency, this is a carriage, of course it is horsepower. Steam engines are now only used on ships and in mines. Maybe in a few years it will replace the carriage. ”

The official said with a smile.

The steam engine has been studied for more than five years and has been popularized on warship merchant ships. As for whether it will be used on land or other places, he is also very much looking forward to it.

"I see!"

Best nodded.

You don't need to be drawn by people, you can move forward by just burning coal. If this is used on a sea boat, not to mention the speed, there is no need to pick any monsoon time, and you can travel at any time.

After getting into the car, the carriage drove briskly towards the city, and Best couldn't help but turn his head and look at the steamship a few more times, looking at what he saw along the way, dazzled.

"What's that? Why are you still queuing? It's a public toilet. ”

Best pointed to the cement house next to the road and couldn't help but ask.

"Your Excellency, you know that. Yes, this is a public toilet, easy to use! ”

"It turned out to be a public toilet! The Great Song Dynasty built a canal in my Egypt, and also built this kind of public toilet, so I know. ”

I think that the Song people dug canals in Egypt, they could not defecate in the open, they could only go to public toilets, they had to boil water to drink, they had to wash their hands before eating, and so on......

It seems tedious, but it is indeed necessary for the reduction of disease. It's just that in this way, those slaves seem to prefer the Song people to their local slave owners.

Entering the city, there are many shops along the street, the goods are dazzling, the merchants of Tiannan and Haibei can be seen everywhere, gold and silver jewelry, silk, tea, porcelain, etc., the restaurants are lined up, people come and go, and the bustle is abnormal.

Even the four-wheeled carriage in which a few people were riding had to slow down, which made Best more aware of everything on the way.

"Can I park my car? I'd like to go down and have a look. ”

Such an exotic and Chinese style, Best couldn't help but say it.

"Of course! Your Excellency, please! ”

It's not far from the inn, and besides, the official's job is to accompany the visiting envoys, and there is military protection, so nothing will happen if he thinks about it.

"What is this? Why does it keep swinging? ”

Seeing the pendulum clock in front of the store, Best's eyes widened.

"Your Excellency, this is a pendulum, which can be timed, 12 hours a day, 24 hours, very precisely. It is as precious as porcelain and tea. ”

"Pendulum! Sure enough, it's a good product in China! ”

Best couldn't put it down and couldn't help asking:

"Can you help me make a bid, I want to buy one."

This thing is so beautiful that it is worth a lot of money at first sight.

"Your honor, when you meet my Great Song Emperor, he should give you one. Therefore, it is better for you to make a decision later. ”

The official smiled and muttered secretly.

If the emperor sends the Best pendulum, won't he have to "send it to the end"?

Bessette nodded and reluctantly walked away.

"What is this? Is it soap for hand washing? Why is it so fragrant? ”

"It's called soap, and it's soap with spices added to it, so it's very expensive. On the African side, there should already be some sold. ”

The bass nodded.

The soap has been sold to Africa, and he has seen it. I didn't think that there was a more advanced soap now. The soap business must be good, but I'm afraid that the merchants of the Great Song Dynasty have shipped the soap to Africa.

Gold, silverware, ironware, porcelain, silk, tea, books, etc......

Best couldn't help but let out a sigh of emotion.

"Sure enough, it is the kingdom of the Heavenly Empire, prosperous and rich, comparable to heaven on earth!"

"Your Excellency, if you have been to Jinling, it is more prosperous than here. I'm afraid that after you've been there, you'll never want to go back to Egypt again. ”

The official said it with a smile.

"Jinling? No, no, no, it's Lin'an City, I don't want to go, I don't want to go! ”

Everyone simply gave up the carriage, and seeing that there seemed to be traces of burning houses on the side of the royal street, Best asked again.

"Was there a fire here?"

"To be honest, there was indeed a fire two months ago, which burned the temple and many surrounding houses to ashes. It's all just been built, so it looks a little different. ”

"Two months ago? Is this fixed? That's not true, is it? ”

Best couldn't help but ask.

If such a fire had occurred in Suez City, or even in Cairo, it would not have been a year and a half before it could have been built.

Da Song, sure enough, it is different inside and out.

The accompanying official shook his head secretly, you are a small country with slavery, and you dare to compare with the Huanghuang Great Song Dynasty?

In the distance, a group of young people wearing school uniforms walked over, all of them in high spirits, holding long cloth banners of "Northern Expedition" and "Restoration of the Central Plains" in their hands, shouting the same words in their mouths, and handing out leaflets to the people on the side of the road.

"What are these young people doing?"

Best asked like a curious baby. So many people gathered, all with swords hanging from their waists, do they want to rebel?

What's more, there were apparently several women in there. Can a woman also show her head and openly swagger through the market?

"These are all young people from various schools in Lin'an, and they are distributing leaflets, asking the imperial court to go on an early Northern Expedition and restore the Central Plains."

"They all wear swords, aren't you afraid that they will make trouble?"

Best asked in surprise.

In his Egypt, in his Ayyubid dynasty, only the upper echelons of slave owners were equipped with swords. If those slaves had knives, would they, the slave owners, be at ease?

"They are all patriotic young people and will not make trouble. They love their country, they know what they're doing. ”

The accompanying officer was quite calm, and the sergeant of the escort was also calm, as if nothing had happened, but his heart was proud.

A small slave Ayyubid dynasty, of course, could not understand the superiority of the Great Song Dynasty.

"Da Song is Da Song, and it can allow this kind of thing, it's really different!"

Best couldn't help but shake his head and sighed.

Compared with the Great Song Dynasty, his Ayyubid Dynasty was simply 108,000 miles behind, and he couldn't catch up with it by steamboat.

When I arrived at the post house, because it was not yet time to eat, the accompanying Song officials retired. Best walked out of the room and slipped into the front yard before he knew it.

There were many envoys from various countries in the post house, and many of them were Arabs dressed similarly, which made Best secretly frightened.

Fortunately, the Ayyubids also came. Otherwise, the opportunity to learn about this emerging hegemony will be lost.

"The Great Song Dynasty is now strong and strong, and it has opened up in the South Sea, the Indian Ocean and other places, I am a small country with a small mud projectile, and there is a Xinhe Shali country in the north that is aggressive, and now there is another big Song Dynasty that is in full swing, which is really unsettling!"

"Who says it isn't! Now the Great Song Dynasty has driven out the Pandia Sultan, capturing the islands of Ceylon, Mumbai, and the Bengal coast. My king is also restless, I don't know the meaning of the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty! ”

"The state of etiquette in the Great Song Dynasty, resisting the Tatar army, is an example for all countries in the world. I hope that the Great Song Sailor is just for the supply along the coast, and there will not be too much invasion. ”

Several envoys were talking in the courtyard, and the general matter was translated, and Best understood a little.

It seems that the Great Song warships crisscrossed the seas and captured many islands along the way, which has caused unease among the countries.

Fortunately, Camille was the master and sold that piece of desert to the Song people, otherwise the Song people would rob it, wouldn't the two sides have to fight each other?

Suddenly, without knowing what was going on, several people in the courtyard quarreled with each other and then started fighting, and the guards on duty hurriedly pulled them away.

"Dongxia envoy, you Dongxia deceived people too much, and when it comes to the early dynasty on New Year's Day, the emperor of the Great Song Dynasty has his own judgment!"

The robed messenger picked up the large round hat that had fallen to the ground, and said with a red face.

"Goryeo envoy, who is afraid of whom, let's wait and see!"

The bald Dongxia envoy still had a hard mouth, but his heart was empty.

Goryeo is a vassal state of the Great Song Dynasty, and the relationship between the two countries is extraordinary.

"Dongxia envoy, I Goryeo and the Great Song Dynasty are in the same vein, the etiquette is the same, the Great Song Dynasty gave me the title of "Little China" in Goryeo during the time of Wenzong, which is similar to a vassal, and the Great Song Dynasty is also stationed in my Goryeo. During the Great Dynasty, the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty had his own clear judgment! ”

Sure enough, the Goryeo envoy was indignant and justified.

"Shengming, the son of heaven in the Great Song Dynasty, knows that my Dongxia is forced by the Tatars, and he will definitely make a holy judgment and will not be partial!"

The envoys of the Eastern Xia knew that they were wrong, and they still argued with themselves.

The envoys from the surrounding countries persuaded one after another, and there were guards by their side, and the envoys of Eastern Xia and Goryeo left in a huff.

It seems that the Eastern Xia Kingdom and the Goryeo Kingdom have too deep grievances and want to sue the Song Emperor.

It's just that the Goryeo envoy calls himself a "Little China", which makes Best frightened.

"Dear Imam Best, I didn't expect you to come to the Great Song Dynasty too!"

A white-robed Arab envoy stepped forward and stroked his chest, interrupting Best's meditation.

"Dear Mutalib, you are here too!"

Best was pleasantly surprised and hurried back the gift.

This Muttalib was a great minister of the Abbasid dynasty and the younger brother of the Abbasid Sultan Mustansir. Unexpectedly, the Abbasids also sent emissaries, and they were the younger brothers of the Sultan.

In 751 AD, the Battle of Talas, the glory days of the Abbasid Dynasty, which defeated the powerful Tang Dynasty at that time, can be described as a glorious time.

The Abbasids dominated the Arabian Peninsula, while the Ayyubids dominated North Africa and Western Asia. The two are territorially adjacent to each other, and they have attacked each other from time to time, but both have been in decline recently, and they have been much more peaceful in recent years.

"Best, I heard that the Great Song Dynasty bought a piece of desert in the Red Sea and said that it was going to open a canal, is it true?"

There was a Roman Empire between the Abbasids and the Ayyubids, and Muttalib was pampered, unbeknownst to him, that the canal had been dug for several years.

"Muttalib, the desert is useless, the Song people go to dig and pay for food, and I, the Ayyubids, also have work to do and have something to eat. Besides, the Roman Emperor Frederick II, if he used troops against our Ayyub, the officials and troops of the Great Song Dynasty would be powerful, and they would also be able to come in handy. ”

Best is frank and doesn't hide it at all.

"The Mamluk guards of the Ayyubid kings are all brave and good at war, and you are not afraid of any Roman emperor at all!"

Muttalib laughed, but appreciated Best's words.

"If you can pull the Great Song Dynasty, you will have a better chance of winning. I'm an Abbasid dynasty, and there are a lot of bad things. ”

The Roman Emperor Frederick II led the Crusaders to occupy the Holy Land of Jerusalem and establish a court of influence adjacent to the Abbasids. Once the two sides engage in arms, the consequences will be unimaginable.

What's more, there was also a huge Mongol empire in the east, ready to invade westward at any time.

Bessette nodded, understanding Muttalib's distress.

"Muttalib, if you come to the Great Song Dynasty in person, it won't be a big deal, right?"

Although it is a desert, selling the territory is not a good thing after all.

"The last time the Tatar army went west, they almost reached the royal city of Baghdad. I heard that the Great Song Dynasty defeated the Tatar army, so I came to the Great Song Dynasty. The Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty has already promised to help when the time comes. ”

Muttalib shook his head and said, but there was a lot of joy in his eyes.

The Tatar army marched westward, passing through ruins, ruined cities, barren fields, and destructive power, and the Abbasids were terrified.

Historically, in 1258 AD, Genghis Khan's grandson Hulegu led an army to attack the Abbasids and besieged Baghdad.

"The ships of the Great Song Dynasty's sailors have all arrived in Africa, and it is natural that they will stop in Baghdad along the way."

The bass feature nodded, also relieved.

If the Tatar army really attacked the Abbasids, then the Ayyubids could go west. The Ayyubid dynasty could also benefit from this move of the Great Song Dynasty.

However, since the Great Song was willing to help the Abbasids, it would certainly not be white-haired and kind-hearted. But what the price is, he is not convenient to ask.

"Muttalib, what kind of person is that Great Song Emperor?"

Best couldn't help but ask.

"Dear Best, don't worry. In the early days of the New Year's Day, you won't see the emperor himself! ”

Muttalib said with a smile.

In fact, he didn't see Emperor Song either, and he also had some expectations in his heart.

"The Great Song Dynasty ships are strong and sharp, and even the steam ships have them, so for us, we don't know whether it is a blessing or a curse?"

Best couldn't help but mutter.