According to a report by Zhao Yang, the supreme commander of the Merchant Marine Fleet and deputy director of the World Liaison Department, one of the criteria for choosing a transit area along the way is that the area is relatively calm and politically stable.
Only countries with a calmer situation and more political stability can facilitate communication and negotiation. They hope to reduce risks through this political stability.
This is undoubtedly true.
But for now, the areas they chose along the way are indeed relatively stable, but the problem is that the final destination is a bit chaotic.
Su Yonglin's initial destination was Egypt.
Because the Su Yinshi Canal has not yet been opened, if you want to reach Europe, you can either take the African route, go south around the Cape of Good Hope, and then go north to Europe. This route is too long, and Su Yonglin does not want to choose it.
So he chose to take the Egyptian route, using Egypt as a transit point, and then directly from the Mediterranean to Europe, dumping Ming products there.
The Europeans at that time had no choice but to go to the Cape of Good Hope.
Due to religious reasons, many Crusades turned their relations with Egyptian countries into a blood feud. Jerusalem became a battlefield meat grinder for centuries. Followers of the two major religions fought for control of the city. Dried blood.
Although there was a Renaissance and a religious reform in Europe later, and they gradually woke up from their fanatical religious beliefs, their blood feud with the entire Arab world could not be resolved. It was still a little risky to explore the road eastward through Egypt.
This is not the case with the Ming Dynasty. Whether it is with Arabia or Europe, the Ming Dynasty has no historical baggage or historical entanglements. It is purely a foreigner.
In their eyes, Daming is a wealthy businessman who possesses a large number of goods they urgently need. He does not involve any political or religious entanglements, and he is naturally free from any trouble.
Therefore, Su Yonglin hopes to build a good relationship with the existing regime in Egypt, use Egypt's land as a transit point, and dump goods from the Mediterranean to Europe to further establish relations with Europeans.
Facts have proved that Su Yonglin's idea was correct.
Although it has gone through a small storm.
Egypt, known as the Kingdom of Besri, also experienced a large-scale mutiny while carrying out democratic and republican reforms in the Ming Dynasty.
A powerful official from the old dynasty betrayed his monarch, overthrew the old dynasty, and established a new dynasty.
When the Ming Dynasty Merchant Fleet arrived in the country of Besri, it happened to hit the period of civil strife in Besri. It was once in danger and relied entirely on the armed force of the merchant fleet to protect itself.
But the powerful man who established the new dynasty seemed to attach great importance to the merchant fleet from the Ming Dynasty.
After learning that they came from the porcelain country in the east and had official status, he immediately arranged heavy troops to protect the merchant fleet and placed them in a safe and quiet area. They were provided with very high food and treatment.
After spending about two months enjoying good food and drink in the country of Besri without paying for it, the person in power who established the new dynasty seemed to have solved all the troubles and came to see Zhao Yang in person with a relaxed look.
Through the translator of the Majiaguo businessman who was traveling with him, Zhao Yang informed him of his name and official identity, and the powerful person also informed him of his name and official identity.
"Swallowing the Starry Sky: Sign in to Become a God"
Then Su Yonglin learned that this man was Saladin, the famous emperor who represented the Arab world and the European Crusaders.
Saladin attached great importance to Zhao Yang and was very friendly. He personally hosted a banquet to invite Zhao Yang and his other official friends, apologized to them for not being able to see each other for two months, and gave them two full boxes of gold coins as an apology gift. .
Zhao Yang brought these two boxes of gold coins back and handed them over to the treasury. Su Yonglin took the time to look at them. It was said that these gold coins were called dinars and they were quite heavy.
The personal gifts given by Saladin in his private capacity were so valuable, which shows his magnanimity.
Of course, what concerned Su Yonglin most was not Saladin's wealth, but that on the third day after the banquet, Saladin took the initiative to invite Zhao Yang and others to visit his military parade.
He held a huge military parade near his capital, Cairo, with great fanfare.
Zhao Yang carefully counted and found that there were a total of one hundred and forty-seven military formations, including cavalry, crossbowmen, and melee troops. The military appearance was neat, the armor and flags were bright, and they were quite imposing. At least they looked like elite soldiers. .
According to Saladin's own statement, it probably meant that no monarch from the surrounding countries could compete with him in terms of military strength. Zhao Yang also carefully observed the faces of other high-ranking officials who came to participate in the military parade.
Some people were happy and proud, some looked shocked, and some looked slightly worried with their brows furrowed.
But when they faced Saladin, they all looked respectful. In front of Saladin, they had no other expressions.
So Zhao Yang judged that Saladin was indeed the strongest representative of power in the region. With such a large and elite army, he was indeed not a parallel import.
Zhao Yang described that the light cavalry of Saladin he saw were all skilled archers, mastered the tactics of bow and cavalry, and were well-organized in advancing and retreating. At first glance, they looked like they were strictly trained troops, and they were definitely capable of fighting. Good hands.
Not only that, they also had heavy cavalry.
The knights wore chainmail, neck and face protection, pot-shaped or conical helmets, and nose guards. They fought with swords and spears. They were armed to the teeth and looked very imposing.
Zhao Yang commented that if such an army launched a charge, it would definitely be a huge deterrent to the enemy. Generally, an army trained for less than two years would not be able to fight against such an army.
The materials consumed to train and maintain such a heavy cavalry can probably train and maintain an infantry force that is about ten times the size. From this, we can see that Saladin is indeed very rich, which further reflects his control over his own land and tax residence. Improvement of the system.
A powerful heavy cavalry unit can embody many things. Without an excellent tax household registration system and governance capabilities, he will never be able to support a heavy cavalry unit.
This means that the Besri Kingdom under Saladin's rule has strong national strength and can interact with the Ming Dynasty, and is regarded by the Ming Dynasty as the representative regime in this region.
Of course, in front of the Ming army, Zhao Yang was confident that the Ming army had more than a dozen ways to annihilate these elite soldiers. Even without using the most powerful firearms, the Ming army could defeat them.
Saladin didn't know what Zhao Yang was thinking at that time, so he proudly asked Zhao Yang what he thought of his army.
Zhao Yang politely praised the elite and powerful army as a friendly gesture.
Saladin seemed to hear the implication of Zhao Yang's words, and asked Zhao Yang what he thought of his country's army.
