Eagle Byzantium

"I, Zhao Zhao, have the nickname Mingyou and the official nickname Shen Yun. I have admired the magnificence of the emperor for a long time, and I have been humbled by the Ming Dynasty." Finally, this man introduced himself with words that no one could understand.

After the ship set sail and left the somewhat silted port of Alexandria, Zhao Zhao was still sitting upright on the deck, holding what he called a "bamboo tube pen" and writing "upside down" square and beautiful words on Seleucia paper. , which can be regarded as his "Jing Xing Man Ji":

"It has been more than four years since I traveled to Maraud (i.e. Cairo) in the fourth year of Shaosheng's reign...Wars broke out everywhere, people's hearts were desolate, and people were in ruins. Who is to blame? First of all, Potato, the great king of Fucheng (Roman) Emperor Heraclius) Guangyou The four seas led the land to surrender, and now it has been passed down to Alexius (of course Alexios) for more than ten generations. Fulu has declined greatly, the barbarians are at war with each other, and the rule of Botori has spread throughout the land. After the establishment of the dynasty, a military palace was set up to control the food. Each festival coveted the sacred weapon and rebelled frequently...Three centuries ago, there was another Turkic invasion. Alessai then asked for help from the barbarians in the west. The barbarians then invaded the territory north of Maloba and tired Fighting against the Turks, the fertile land turned into scorched earth. .....However, the Western Mansu have no etiquette and tradition, and do not care about family background, recommendation, or education. They rely solely on brute force and bravery to occupy the magpie's nest, in the name of controlling the Turks, and actually tear apart the land of Alesai. It’s not just a day since I took the title of the great king..."

After the ship docked at Malruth Port, Zhao Zhao's "Jingxing Manji" contained new content:

"We traveled hundreds of miles by sea from Maloba to Adana Prefecture. The governor of the prefecture was born in the Western Barbarians. His name was Bao. He was seven feet and five inches in length. He was beautiful and good at riding and shooting. His brother was called Ge (he wrote) Zhao Zhao here is a bit hard to explain), he is also good at shooting, and he likes to Joining the heroes of the world, the brothers were ordered by the great king of Alessai, Baima, to guard the capital of Adana. At this time, they were already on an expedition to the Turks in the east. He stayed behind as Bao's wife, named Bao Ge, and was granted the title of Bao Ge. Taijun of Mamis County (approximately Mamistra), regent of all general affairs , This is the custom of the Western Man. Because the Taijun of the Baoge family lived in the palace to avoid cold illness, it was a pity that he was not seen... Adana Prefecture is about 500 miles wide, with shrines and palaces. , battlements, temple buildings, and warehouses are all available. Compared with the Chinese soil, they are mostly made of bricks and stones. There are no ancestral temples and officialdom anymore, which shows that the Western Manchus have no proper father and ruler. They also argue with Fulu and Dashi about who the heavenly father is. Swords and weapons have caused disasters for the world. It seems that there is a difference between the Mahayana and the Hinayana. This is not true. Logic... The one who invites me is Tarsus (Tal Sousse City) is located in the west of Adana Prefecture, close to the west of Adana Prefecture. It is the birthplace of Saint Paul the Great, and there is still a shrine that enjoys endless incense all over the world. ...... Gao Gong stood up in the ranks of the Alese soldiers and appeared. His wife, the eldest daughter of Alesai, was the "defense envoy of the three cities" in addition to Tarsus, Sisi and Qiya. He was responsible for the important task of Fang Yue. He was more than eight feet tall, had a beautiful beard and beard, and had great strength and a big waist. Ten surroundings, they are skilled in bow and horse, and their sound is heard far away in the battle formation. They go out with a bow on their left and a hammer on their right. As they entered Rufei, the Turks all said, "It's easy to shake a mountain, but it's hard to shake a high-ranking army." Their army also boasted that it was elite in all directions - one of its troops was called the "Dead Soldier Army", with both men and horses wearing armor and arrayed like an iron wall. They regard death as if they are home; one of their troops is called the "Da Pi Army", and everyone is holding a big sword. In the face of battle, they advance like a forest and are indestructible. They are trapped like a sharp enemy who splits bamboos. There is also an army called the "Crow Fire Army". Burned to death..."

At this time, in the city of Tarsus, the deputy civil affairs chief of the fortress area, Ryan Stein, who hurriedly came from Cappadocia, was discussing "the production and marketing of lake salt" with Gao Wen and his wife.

"Your Excellency, how is the harvest of lake salt this year?" Anna behind the curtain asked happily.

"It went very smoothly. Originally I only planned to let four thousand salt households harvest, but later all six thousand salt households were invested in it. The border army also patrolled everywhere and prohibited all horse bandits from coveting these salt fields. But the only problem is, Now the white salt is piled as high as the Algaeus Mountains, but transportation and sales have become a big problem. "Reinstein has been studying Greek hard this year, and now he can finally speak it well.

"It was carried down by ships along the River Sidnus and sold separately in the ports of Tarsus, Seleucia, Adana and Malrus." Anna said.

"In that case, the cost of recruiting ships and sailors will be borne by us. Moreover, the Sidnus River and the Sanus River, the Philamis River, and the Zephiram River are not connected to each other, which is not very convenient and has many troubles. It will consume a lot of manpower, and the gain outweighs the loss." Gawain on the seat over there immediately replied, and Reinstein outside the curtain also nodded frequently to express his approval.

"Dig a canal?" But Anna later felt that what she said was inappropriate - what Tarsus urgently needs now is iron ore and road paving, and the canal issue is too early, and there is no spare time.

At this moment, Gawain simply stood up and said, "The solution to this problem is very simple. Set up a centralized salt farm in Tarsus City, then unify prices and taxes, and let local chambers of commerce and foreign caravans come to Tarsus for free purchasing and marketing. That’s fine. Although the price may be lower, our fleet and external caravans can both supply and sell it, and we can actually make a lot of profits.”

There was nothing wrong with this proposal, so everyone agreed to it, and Anna was even more happy, because once those white gold-like salts enter the tables of soldiers and farmers across the country, or are sold to other countries, they can withstand the salt of Venice. Using the country's fiscal and tax money can also make salt tax a pillar of the country's economy.

After the meeting, Anna's belly bulged slightly, and she looked happy. She took Gawain's arm and walked on the covered colonnade. "How should we deal with the situation in the Levant?"

"As you expected, Anna, Bohemond sent a secret envoy. But I am not going to receive him."

"Oh?"

Gawain smiled and looked at the morning glory blooming beside the colonnade. "Because I need to upgrade this secret meeting - the venue for the talks will continue to be set in Medensburg at the Syrian Gate, and Bohemond, Apsomatus and I will personally attend."

Then, he considerately asked Anna to sit down and rest. "What kind of exchange of interests will be carried out? Is it related to Latakia?"

"Yes, the port of Latakia is like an isolated island in the Levant. It now has a group of imperial soldiers. The soldiers stationed there were left by Taitsius, and the residents inside also leaned towards the empire. But Bohemond was eager to get this seaport. No, Bohemond's idea now was very naked. He not only wanted Latakia, but also wanted to seize Tartus (the area south of Latakia), and wanted to completely expel Raymond's forces from Antioch. As for Apsomatus, he also wanted to keep Cyprus. This is the basis for our cooperation among the three of us. "

"We have to deal with Raymond... He has now cut off relations with almost all pilgrims. It's a good time for us to draw our swords..." Anna stroked her belly and said with a smile, "No, we should completely drive Raymond out of the Levant." (To be continued ~^~)