The eldest grandson of Emperor Ming Dynasty!

middle East.

In less than two months, almost half of the Ottoman Empire had completely fallen.

The once mighty Ottoman Empire was now ravaged by Timur.

You must know that the current Ottoman Empire, even because the monarch Bayezid was captured, actually does not have much impact on its overall national strength.

Bayezid was captured because he was too careless and thought he was invincible, so he was directly ridiculed by Tamerlane.

The Ottoman Empire itself was in a period of rise. It could be said that it was at its peak in its own historical process, but it was forcibly interrupted by Timur.

The sons of Bayezid I fought for the throne, and civil war broke out, and Osman fell into civil strife.

The eldest son Suleiman Celebi ruled Macedonia, Bulgaria and Thrace.

The second son, Issa Celebi, ruled the western part of Asia Minor.

The third son, Muhammad Celebi, ruled the eastern part of Asia Minor.

As for the youngest son Musa Celebi, he was captured by Timur together with Bayezid I.

Eastern Asia Minor Peninsula.

Muhammad's face was gloomy: "Can't you guys come up with some ideas for me, how to save my brother, who is the brother I love the most?"

Musa and Muhammad are brothers. They share the same mother. The two brothers have been very close to each other since they were young.

This time Timur suddenly attacked the Ottoman Empire, and Muhammad had already received the news before.

Not only did he not carry out rescue, but he deliberately released water for Timur, allowing Timur's army to smoothly enter the central Ottoman Empire.

All this was just because of his negotiation with Timur, using his younger brother as a bargaining chip.

In fact, Muhammad also wanted to save his father. He believed that if his father had not been careless, he would never have been captured alive by Timur.

The continuous victories made my father too proud, but he did not expect Timur's army to be so powerful.

Now the Ottoman Empire is fragmented, and many of its vassal states have become independent and do not obey orders or pay tribute.

And if his father can come back, then with his father's prestige, he can quickly integrate the Ottoman Empire and become powerful again.

In fact, the core strength of the Ottoman Empire is still there, and 10,000+ troops is not a big deal for the powerful Ottoman Empire.

But Muhammad also understood that Timur would definitely not release his father, so he wanted to exchange for his younger brother at the cost of almost half of the Ottoman Empire.

Of course, many of the so-called half of the country were actually former vassal states and were not the core areas of the Ottoman Empire.

"Your Highness, the Mongols are greedy and they always want more."

"According to our agreement, the Mongols should send His Royal Highness the Fourth Prince back now, but the Mongols have not made any move."

"Perhaps they think that the great Ottoman Empire has fallen into despair. Their cavalry can easily trample us. Those barbaric Mongols will never abide by their so-called oaths."

"So, Your Highness, we should let them see our combat power instead of blindly giving in. Only by letting them know that the Ottoman Empire is not that easy to deal with will they keep their promise."

"The strong never unite with the weak. We must let them know that we are not sheep, but also wolves."

Soon a minister came out and said generously.

This is a staunch war faction. They believe that although their king was captured, it was just a mistake.

In terms of real strength, the Ottoman Empire was not much different from the Timurid Empire.

Soon, another minister stood up.

"Your Highness, the power of the Mongols can be seen by everyone. The failure of His Majesty the Sultan was also due to the direct involvement of their Sultan."

"If His Majesty the Sultan is still here and we are still the Ottoman Empire, then I definitely think we should have a fight with the Mongols to let them know how powerful our Ottoman Empire is."

"But things are different now. The insidious and cunning Sultan Timur divided the huge Ottoman Empire into several parts and divided them equally among several His Highnesses. Without His Majesty the Sultan, it would be absolutely impossible for the eldest prince and the second prince to unite with His Highness. "

"The vassals that were once loyal to us have now broken their oaths and become our enemies."

"It would be very unwise to confront Tamerlane at this time."

"Of course, the most important thing is that the eldest prince and the second prince will be happy to see this scene. Even if we win the final victory, it is impossible to defeat the eldest prince and the second prince."

This is the biggest headache for the leader of a force.

The two ministers, representing the conservative and war-minded ministers respectively, have their own reasons for what they say.

Muhammad frowned, he didn't know what the right choice was.

While Muhammad was thinking, the ministers from the two factions below were already quarreling, making Muhammad's headache even more headache.

"Quiet, quiet!"

At the signal from Muhammad's eyes, the guards made noise with their weapons to stop the ministers from continuing to argue.

At this time, a minister who had been silent stood up.

"Your Highness, maybe we can have a third option."

Muhammad immediately said: "Say."

The minister continued: "If we fight the Mongols, no matter what the outcome is, it will be considered a loss for us."

"And the Mongols are not that simple. With our military strength, we are more likely to lose, so it is impossible to fight."

"But if we don't fight, the Mongols will only make further progress."

"I heard some news from an ocean-going businessman, which may be of great use to us."

"The Mongols are indeed very powerful, but they are not without opponents. Farther east, there is a super powerful empire. They are called the Ming Dynasty."

"The Ming Dynasty was also ruled by the Mongols, but now they have driven away the Mongols from their territory and established a powerful empire."

"The driven Mongols were on the grasslands where they originated. Ming Dynasty sent a lot of troops to attack them, and Timur also sent a lot of troops to help the Mongols on the grasslands."

"But Ming Dynasty finally defeated many opponents and achieved the final victory."

"Sultan Timur originally wanted to fight the Ming Empire in the east, but he suffered a disastrous defeat, so he turned his head and continued to attack us."

"He has angered the powerful Ming Empire. Now the Ming Empire is sending a large army to attack Timur Sultan. I heard that their army has arrived in India."

"The enemy of our enemy is our friend. We can unite with the Ming Empire. This is something that Sultan Timur never wants to see." "And His Highness can also use this matter to ask Sultan Timur to release the four Your Highness, there is no need for war."

Muhammad's eyes lit up.

He felt that this plan had great feasibility and could really see the possibility of success.

"Very good, Awuli Khan, I am very satisfied with your suggestion. I have heard about the powerful Ming Empire. It is said that there is a person from the Ming Empire in Byzantium now."

"He seems to have a considerable status in the Ming Empire, and is now being treated as a guest by those Western nobles."

"Awuli Khan, maybe you can help me and go to the west first to meet the noble from the Ming Empire."

"With his help, I think things will go more smoothly."

Awli Khan immediately bowed and said, "It is my honor to serve His Highness."
-
Byzantium, Constantinople.

Zhao Yuanhong is thriving here, and his once gloomy face has now become much brighter.

In the past year or two, with the help of the Ming Dynasty's Eastern Empire, he borrowed a lot of money, which allowed Constantinople to gradually regain its popularity. At least the guards no longer ran away, and someone would pay them salaries. .

And just when many European nobles were wondering whether Zhao Yuanhong was a liar, a letter came from the distant Ming Empire.

The grandson who was said to be the heir to the ancient Eastern Empire expressed support for Zhao Yuanhong.

The letters in golden cloth demonstrate the majesty and heritage of the ancient oriental empire.

Zhao Yuanhong placed him in the palace of Constantinople and worshiped him respectfully.

And every European nobleman who comes here can watch this decree.

Zhao Yuanhong had no choice. Although such an approach seemed a bit blasphemous to His Highness, it was the only way to confirm his identity.

It is not that no one in Europe knows the writing of the Ming Dynasty. There are some scholars who can understand the writing of the Ming Dynasty.

Many European nobles took scholars to Constantinople to translate this letter. The translated content was basically the same as what Zhao Yuanhong told.

At this time, Zhao Yuanhong became a popular figure among the European nobles.

The reason for this situation is that Daming products are really popular in Europe.

Tea, porcelain, and silk are almost entirely symbols of luxury goods.

As for Zhao Yuanhong, whose identity has been proven, this means that he has the qualifications and power to purchase goods directly from Ming Dynasty.

Many big nobles are discussing organizing a huge fleet to go to the distant Eastern Empire and purchase a large amount of luxury goods.

Then you can definitely make a lot of money.

Therefore, although Zhao Yuanhong still carries the title of Imperial Minister and Finance Minister, he is actually in control of this castle.

Even the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II now relies on Zhao Yuanhong for the royal family's living expenses.

In the past two years, Zhao Yuanhong has been working on the construction of Constantinople.

I can't help it, it stinks too much.

Because there is no drainage facility, whenever it rains, the entire Constantinople is filled with water.

The reason why Constantinople smells so bad is not entirely because there are no toilets, but mainly because their toilets are weird.

Generally speaking, their toilets are built high up, such as two or three floors above.

The sewage drainage system of the toilet is also relatively simple and crude: it flows directly out of the wall through the hole.This resulted in the fact that there was no poop in the house, but the walls were covered with stimulating visuals.

You can imagine what the street smells like when the walls are covered with filth layer after layer.

The most interesting thing is that those aristocratic ladies look dignified and noble in their clothes, but they also need to urinate and defecate.

It's just that their skirts are too cumbersome and it's definitely not practical to take them off to urinate.So the servant put the bedpan directly into the skirt, thereby solving the three urgent problems.

What to do after peeing?The servant picked it up, shouted out the window a few times, and then poured the pot out.

The reason for shouting a few times is to avoid splashing on people's heads. After all, this kind of behavior is still very bad.

As a result, the street has been "cleaned" by filth over time, turning it into a natural toilet, with filth flowing everywhere. It is impossible to walk without stepping on something.

When Zhao Yuanhong first came here, he couldn't stand it at all. It was like living in a toilet.

So he wants to improve the entire city, including sewage, drainage, and the establishment of cesspools.

After almost a year of renovations, the stench that filled Constantinople finally began to fade away.

It must be said that Zhao Yuanhong's behavior may seem like a small step for Constantinople, but it is a giant step for the entire European civilization.

The early people were still accustomed to the same thing as before, so Zhao Yuanhong sent out all the guards from Constantine Bar to patrol the castle every day.

Whenever you see someone defecating in public, you will be fined and asked to clean up their toilet.

If there is no money, put him in a cell.

At first, the cells in Constantinople were almost full.

However, with such coercive behavior, more and more people gradually comply with its regulations.

In his third year in Constantinople, Zhao Yuanhong married the daughter of a great nobleman.

Before getting married, Zhao Yuanhong asked the noble daughter to take a bath and not to wear such cumbersome skirts.

Instead, a skirt made of Daming silk is used, which is more simple and elegant, and can also solve the problem of urination and defecation to a certain extent.

Half a month after their marriage, Zhao Yuanhong had sex with the nobleman's daughter.

"Darling, this time I am requesting support from the distant Eastern Empire. Will the great Grand Sun agree?"

Zhao Yuanhong sighed: "Alice, you also know the current situation in Constantinople. If we cannot request troops from His Highness, we will be completely engulfed sooner or later, and the Byzantine Empire will become a thing of the past."

"I heard that the Ottoman Empire is now being attacked by the Timurid Empire. Their sultan has been captured. It is almost impossible to stop the Timurid Empire's attack."

"And the defeated Turks will definitely invade us."

"Those great nobles will not send troops to help Constantinople for my sake. It just so happens that this time the combined fleet is heading to the Ming Dynasty, it is our opportunity."