Cairo, the capital of the Ayyubid dynasty, is also the largest city in Africa and the Arab world. The city of Cairo is located at the southern end of the Nile Delta, across the Nile River. It is majestic and spectacular. It is the political, economic, cultural, commercial and transportation center of the entire Arab world.
Cairo is one of the oldest cities in the world. It is also one of the few ancient cities that suffered the least damage from war. After continuous construction and expansion through successive dynasties, especially since the establishment of the Ayyubid Dynasty, Cairo has further expanded in scale and has become a well-known trade and cultural center with a vast area and grandeur.
In Cairo, the buildings that can be seen everywhere are mosques and minarets. Starting from the 7th century, as Islam spread widely in West Asia and North Africa, the number of mosque buildings increased day by day, becoming a highlight of Cairo.
For the Ayyubid dynasty, which ruled Egypt in the early 13th century, it was in the midst of internal and external troubles. Just in the past few years, Sultan Kamil of the Ayyubid dynasty had to conclude a peace treaty with the Crusaders of the Sixth Crusade, ceding Jerusalem and the Acre Corridor to the Crusaders. Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II reestablished the Kingdom of Jerusalem and appointed himself king. Jerusalem, the dream place in the hearts of Christians, has finally returned.
The alliance under the city directly chose to cede the holy city of Jerusalem, which shows the decline of the Ayyubid dynasty.
Since the Crusades, in order to regain Jerusalem, which was originally a Roman Catholic holy land, and fell into the hands of Islam, the Roman Catholic Pope launched this military operation that lasted for more than 130 years. European feudal lords and knights came one after another, a total of six times. . The Crusaders established dozens of Crusader states in the areas they occupied, such as the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Principality of Antioch, and the County of Tripoli.
After hundreds of years of war, the Ayyubid dynasty and the European coalition forces came and went, and their vitality was severely damaged. The Ayyubid dynasty, which was powerful during Saladin's time, passed into the hands of his next generation. Due to frequent civil strife, the population of the territory dropped sharply, and the key areas of Acre Corridor and the Holy City of Jerusalem were lost. The economy was depressed, the people were in dire straits, and Christianity within the dynasty They and the Muslims attacked each other, and the country was extremely short of power.
"General, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty sent you here, what's the matter?"
On the throne, with his head wrapped in a white scarf and decorated with gems, Kamil, the Sultan of the Ayyubid Dynasty who was over fifty years old, gently stroked his beard and asked warmly to Liu Zheng and his party.
"Dear Sultan Kamil, I, the Navy Commander of the Song Dynasty, have come here under the great trust of the Emperor of the Song Dynasty. First, I want to establish a good relationship with your country, establish an embassy in Cairo, and communicate with your country. Second, I want to negotiate with your country and buy the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. This stretch of desert between them is used for trade.”
After Liu Zheng finished speaking, he waved his hands, and his followers carried several boxes of things up and opened them one by one.
"This is a gift from the Emperor of the Song Dynasty to you, the Sultan. Please take a look at it!"
Porcelain, tea, silk, gold and silverware, and pearls and agate were so dazzling that they aroused the exclamations of surprise from all the Ayyubid slave owners in the palace.
During the Song Dynasty, the Celestial Dynasty was indeed rich and powerful.
"Thank you very much, Emperor Song!"
Kamil's face glowed red, and he felt tremendous psychological satisfaction.
The majestic Emperor of the Song Dynasty, the emperor of a great eastern country, was so polite to him, which made him feel a little elated for a moment.
"General, what did you say just now, open an embassy, buy... the desert?"
Kamil waved his hand and the gift was carried down.
"Sultan, the embassy is just a post station. It is only used as a permanent station for envoys of the Song Dynasty."
Liu Zheng nodded and said without any secret.
"To be precise, it is to buy the nearly 200 kilometers long and 10 kilometers wide desert from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, and then dig it through to promote trade between the East and the West and collect tariffs. If the Sudan is willing, I, the Song Dynasty, will I am willing to pay 500,000 gold collars as the cost of purchasing the land."
"500,000 gold collars!"
"Just for a piece of desert!"
The slave owners in the main hall were all surprised and opened their eyes wide.
500,000 gold collars, equivalent to 50,000 taels of gold, bought a meaningless piece of desert. Are these Song people crazy?
"General, why do you want to buy this section? It will cost a lot to dig to the Mediterranean. I'm afraid 5 million gold collars are not enough!"
Shajala Duer, an important minister of the Ayyubid dynasty and a large slave owner, asked suspiciously.
"To dig through the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, we will need not only 5 million gold collars, but at least 10 million gold collars!"
"even more!"
The slave owners in the main hall shouted one after another.
Their ancestors had tried to dig through the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, but they no longer had this ambition or the ability.
"Dear Sultan, everyone, if my ship from the Song Dynasty goes to Europe, it must go south around the Cape of Storms. Not to mention the strong wind and waves, it will have to travel thousands of miles. The ships in recent times have been swallowed up by the wind and waves. Therefore, In comparison, connecting the Red Sea to the Mediterranean is not that expensive.”
Zhao Chongxuan explained softly.
"So that's it."
The slave owners suddenly understood and nodded.
The Cape of Storms is the Cape of Good Hope at the southwest tip of Africa. Stormy waves are constant all year round. In addition to the dangers of storms, there are often cliff-like "killer waves". Ships sailing here often suffer disasters. Therefore, the people of the Song Dynasty wanted to avoid the most dangerous waves in the world. The nautical area is not difficult to understand.
"General, I'm afraid not. If I sell this section, what will the people of Egypt think of me? I'm afraid that neither I, the Sultan, nor they can survive."
Kamil smiled slightly, not sure whether it was true or not.
The Song people occupied so much land in Africa that they probably had tens of thousands of troops stationed there. They want to buy this piece of desert again, aren't they plotting against Egypt?
"Dear Sultan, the Song Dynasty is sincere, and 500,000 gold collars are already a lot. Besides, this section is a desert, not a good place, and it is not the holy land of Jerusalem. No one should care about it."
Pu Shoucheng answered carefully and specifically mentioned the Holy Land Jerusalem.
Even the Corridor of Acre and the Holy Land Jerusalem were ceded to the Roman emperor, so why should we care about this barren desert?
"General, it's okay to rent. If you want to buy, I'm afraid it will be a little difficult."
"I'm afraid I won't be able to buy it. General, I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you."
"General, if you buy this desert, you won't use it to become our enemy, right?"
The slave owners shouted.
"Dear Sultan, everyone, it's a pity if we can't sell it. Then how about I rent it from the Song Dynasty? Is it okay to rent the desert that is about 200 kilometers long and 10 kilometers wide from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea?"
Liu Zheng kept advancing before retreating, and Pu Shouchen translated loudly, which made the slave owners in the hall stunned again.
"Rent it?"
Kamil was also stunned. Is there anything about renting other people’s land?
"Yes, rent it. This section of the desert still belongs to your country. I, the Song Dynasty, pay an annual rent of 20,000 guan to Egypt. What do you think?"
Pu Shoucheng continued what Liu Zheng said.
He has sensed that these slave owners, including Kamil, have been moved.
"General, are there no other options besides selling or renting?"
Finally, the leader of the Guards, Ai Baker, asked.
"If we don't sell or rent, then we can only take the last option, which is for the Song Dynasty and your country to cooperate with each other to jointly develop this section of the canal."
According to Liu Zheng's meaning, Pu Shoucheng translated loudly.
"Cooperate with each other?"
It was Ai Baker again, who couldn't help but ask.
"Yes, both parties will cooperate and dig the canal together. Once it is dug, it will be mutually beneficial."
"How to cooperate?"
This time, Kamil couldn't help but ask and became interested.
"Dear Sultan, your country provides part of the labor and is responsible for digging, and we are responsible for the exploration and providing food. After the canal is dug, tariffs will be charged on passing ships, and both parties will profit half. But the premise is that we must operate it."
Pu Shouchen paused and continued:
"However, excavation may take several years, or even more than ten years. During this period, the Sultan and everyone will have no income."
For these extravagant and lustful slave owners, as long as their inner greed is aroused, what can't they do?
Sure enough, the slave owners in the hall, including Kamil himself, were lost in thought.
Perhaps only a behemoth like the Song Dynasty could do this kind of pie-in-the-sky thing. After passing this village, it is very likely that there will be no such store.
And they couldn't even guess, even if the Song Dynasty opened the canal, what disadvantage would it have to them? On the contrary, maybe because the canal is connected, they can still get a share of the pie.
In other words, if the Song Dynasty wanted to use troops against them, there was no need to go through such trouble.
"Dear Sultan, the Ayyubid Dynasty has long been exhausted after a long war with the Crusaders. Digging the canal can at least solve the problem of feeding more than 100,000 or even hundreds of thousands of people in the country. After the canal is completed, merchant ships from the east and west will come and go. , which is good for Egypt and good for Egypt.”
Liu Zheng spoke, and Pu Shouchen continued to speak, killing people and killing people.
"Both the Roman Empire and you want to take back the Holy Land of Jerusalem, and a war between the two sides is inevitable. But the war is about money. Are you going to struggle with money? If the war restarts, will you have the money to fight it?"
Pu Shoucheng's words silenced the slave owners in the hall, and Kamil frowned thoughtfully.
"If there was a war between our Ayyubid Dynasty and the Roman Empire, would the Song Dynasty support Egypt?"
Finally, Kamil spoke and asked softly.
Jerusalem, the Roman Empire and the Egyptians, both sides have different beliefs, but there is only one Holy Land, and no one will give in. The war can only end with the victory of one of them.
"The Song Dynasty and Egypt trade with each other and are friendly trading countries. The Song Dynasty also respects the beliefs of the Ayyubid Dynasty and will never interfere. If there is a war between the Ayyubid Dynasty and the Roman Empire in Europe, I, the Song Dynasty, are willing to provide firearms , warships, and officers to help train Egyptian soldiers. I think the cooperation between us will be very pleasant."
Liu Zheng's words made Kamil and all the slave owners smile. Kamil nodded with satisfaction and said:
"The Song army can defeat the Tatar army, so its strength is certainly trustworthy."
He may not care about the strength of the Song army, but he also does not want to offend the Song court. After all, as a monarch of a dynasty, it is impossible to make enemies everywhere and become the target of public criticism.
The leader of the Guards, Aybeck, was still cautious and continued to ask:
"General, I thank the Song Dynasty for its help. If the Tatar army comes to attack Egypt, are you willing to help? Also, are you really renting this area just for business?"
"Dear friends, our Song Dynasty and Egypt are both ancient civilizations and have always been friendly to each other. Do we, the Song Dynasty, want to do evil to Egypt when we are so far away from each other? What benefit does this do to our Song Dynasty? If we want land, There is so much in Nanyang, why waste time on people and money to buy a stretch of desert? Isn’t this asking for trouble?”
There are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies, only eternal interests.
This sentence flashed through Liu Zheng's mind unconsciously.
"As for the Tatar army coming to attack, just like Europe, we, the Song Dynasty, are willing to provide firearms, warships, and officer training."
Ai Baker nodded, already excited.
The Song Dynasty had ferocious firearms, and it would be great if it could reinforce Egypt.
"Benevolent Sultan, after the canal is dug, the people of the dynasty under your leadership will also benefit. What the Song Dynasty wants is the benefits, not war. The Song Dynasty is a country of etiquette, and is willing to establish a national treaty and form an alliance with Egypt. For a country of brothers, help each other and support each other!”
Zhao Chongxuan found every opportunity and continued to give slave owners relief.
"General, if we rent, can the rent be increased? Is the width of 10 kilometers too wide?"
Kamil was obviously moved and asked directly.
"Dear Sultan, if it's for sale, I, the Song Dynasty, can raise the price a little more. If it's for rent, it's 20,000 a year, which is probably difficult to increase. After all, it will take many years to dig the canal, and I, the Song Dynasty, have been investing in it. .As for the width of 10 kilometers, the main purpose is to explore the canal, which is not necessarily a straight line from south to north."
Liu Zheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as we can reach cooperation with the Kamilers, whether it is buying or renting, we will finally have a reason to develop with peace of mind.
He actually didn't understand why the emperor was so polite to Egypt. If you want this area, just take it. On the contrary, the emperor hated all European countries, especially Britain.
"Sudan is just a section of desert. There is no difference between ten and thirty kilometers. Our Best family will not stand in the way. Only a big country like the Song Dynasty can have such national power."
Best said slowly, relieving Kamil's pressure.
"General, if we sell it, how much gold can the Song Dynasty get?"
The big slave owner Shajala Duer couldn't help but asked again.
"Dear Sultan, everyone, in view of the friendship between you and our two countries, I, the Song Dynasty, can only provide 700,000 gold collars at most, and no more."
"If the width reaches 30 kilometers, how many gold collars can you give?"
Kamil couldn't help himself and joined in.
Even if the Song Dynasty could dig the canal and occupy the canal, it would still be a small country with an area of less than 6,000 square kilometers. How could it defeat the powerful Ayyubid dynasty?
Besides, this is their territory, and they are not afraid of the Song people's intrigues.
