I am Da Song

As the military commander of the suzerain country, Niu Gao was arranged to live directly in the palace area.

His address was in the Tree Palace, and even though he was from the Shang Kingdom of the Central Plains, the officers of the Great Song Dynasty praised the scenery of the Tree Palace.

This tree palace shows the prosperity and wealth of Dashi.Inside there is a tree with a silver trunk, golden leaves, ruby ​​​​fruits, and a mechanical bird that can sing.Silver trees were planted in tin pools.

The palace also used expensive woods such as cedar and ebony.The architectural style is a round dome supported by marble columns in the hall.The walls are decorated with scriptures, psalms and arabesques.It is full of exotic customs, all reminding that the Song Dynasty army has entered a foreign country.

After Niu Gao entered Baghdad, he didn't go to see Sanjar immediately, but met a businessman first.

After all, if you want to talk to the monarch of Dashi, you must first choose a reliable translator.

The exchanges between the two countries caused a series of problems due to misunderstandings caused by translation. This is too common in the history of the Central Plains.

Song Jun's efficiency was very high, and the selected businessman arrived at the tree palace very quickly.

This is a Central Plains man in his 30s. He is wearing the most popular Congsheng uniform in the Song Dynasty.It has to be said that the Song Dynasty is probably the highest peak of aesthetics in the Central Plains, and the beauty of clothing will not be outdated if it is directly put into later generations.

This kind of provincial clothing is characterized by curved collar and large sleeves, and a leather belt around the waist.As soon as the clothes are put on, one can immediately imagine the appearance of a handsome and elegant Central Plains talent with his hands on the leather belt.

So much so that when the businessman walked in, Niu Gao was stunned for a moment, he couldn't see the philistine aura on him at all, he was more like a gentleman of the Central Plains with a spring breeze and a handsome demeanor.

"Lin Luan, the head of the Food Department of the Royal Consortium, has met the envoy." Even his salute was full of the elegance and gentle demeanor of the Central Plains.

Niu Gao couldn't help being kind when he met his old friend from another country, and he immediately replied with a smile: "Excuse me. Has Mr. Lin been here for a long time?"

Lin Luan replied: "Three years since Jianye, before the official southern tour, I came here with a caravan. It has been more than five years now."

Niu Gao praised: "Seeing that your clothing, etiquette, and local accent have not changed, it is really valuable and worthy of praise."

Lin Luan said with a smile: "It's nothing. After all, I have accumulated qualifications here for a while, and I am about to return to the Central Plains to work. It is very likely that I will be sent to Xijing to be in charge of the consortium's land foreign trade affairs."

"If I go to Chang'an and wear Hu Feng, I'm afraid I will be laughed at by my colleagues in the Central Plains."

Niu Gao nodded: "Flying birds return to their hometowns, and foxes will die when they die. Returning to the Central Plains is what my Zhu Xia loves. Your idea is very good."

"Okay, let's get down to business. The imperial court recommended you as an interpreter. Do you know anything about Dashi's customs, situation, and language?"

Lin Luan said solemnly: "I have been in Dashi for five years, and I have been in Baghdad for three years. I am very familiar with the various situations here."

"I think that the current problem is first of all whether the envoy should live in the tree palace. This is the residence of the king of Dashi, and the place where non-human ministers should stay."

Niu Gao immediately stood up from his seat, and said in a little surprise: "How could this be the residence of the Great Food King? I asked specifically, but Sanjar is not here."

Lin Luan explained: "Dashi is different from our national conditions in the Central Plains."

"The Dashi is an independent country. The caliphate means the prophet, that is, the successor of the Prophet Muhammad. In history, the caliphate is the recognized leader of religious affairs and government affairs. He not only controls the political power, but also is the prophet of religion, and has the right to explain the teachings. .”

"But with the decline of the dynasty, a branch of the Turks, the Seljuks, marched westward to the hinterland of the empire, defeated the main force of the Dashi Dynasty, entered Baghdad, and put the Caliphate under their own control. The Turks The military chief, the sultan, became the invisible monarch of Dashi."

"Sanjar is now the sultan of Dashi, in charge of secular power."

"However, despite Sultan Sanjar's secular power, in the field of religion, the status of the caliph is still something he cannot easily shake. It may be difficult for the Turkic sultan to be as convincing as the caliph, so No matter how powerful the Turkic Sultan was, he still had to formally retain the supremacy of the Caliphate, which was determined by his conversion to Puritanism.”

"If the prime minister stays in the caliph's palace grandly, he will fall into the trap of Sanjar. The secular world welcomes this very much, while the religious circle, especially religious fanatics, will regard this as a blood feud and are very likely to launch an attack and assassination .”

Niu Gao was also well-informed, and quickly understood the situation of Dashi.This is similar to the fact that the Taoist leader Tianshi once took control of the state power.

Then I lived in the Taoist Temple on Tianshi Mountain, fearing that I would be hated by all Taoists.

Niu Gao is just a soldier, not interested in the political vortex here, so he immediately said: "I am only responsible for commanding the coalition forces to defeat the Crusaders, and I don't want to participate in the political struggle of the vassal state, so I will lead the army to withdraw from this place."

Lin Luan firmly stopped him, saying: "The Prime Minister is in full charge of the Persian Capital Protectorate and has the duty of supervising the vassal state. How can he ignore the Puritan disputes? And I can affirm that if the Prime Minister wants to solve the problem of the coalition forces, he must go to see Meet the present-day Caliph Mughtafi."

Niu Gao frowned, and asked, "I'm a general, why do I go to meet religious leaders?"

"Minister, the secular world is now in chaos, and countries are attacking each other. From the standpoint of the Central Plains, Dashi is undoubtedly caught in civil strife, just as the country loses its master and the feudal towns are divided."

"But as far as I know, this kind of war is the norm in Dashi. Even after the Seljuks invaded Baghdad, there were often wars between the Turks and the tribes in Dashi during its heyday."

"Sanjar is the great sultan of Dashi today, but the way the Turks manage Dashi is to conquer a place and set it as a small sultan by the local leaders without changing its political, economic, cultural, and religious structures."

"So, if the envoy wants to form a coalition army, he must go to see the Caliph."

Niu Gao thought for a while, and although it was difficult to accept, he still asked hesitantly: "You mean, the caliphate will gather the warring states from all over the country to form an army to fight against the Crusaders?"

Lin Luan nodded immediately and said, "That's right. It is normal in this land for religious leaders to call up the army. They claim to be a holy war initiated by the prophet."

"Even countries that are at war will send troops to respond."

"Initiating a jihad, if you win, will give you a very high reputation, which is of unparalleled significance for the envoy to resolve many matters of the Persian Protectorate."