Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 911 0906 [Bandits dare to rob the delegation? ]

After the fleet passed the Chalukya Empire, the Solange Empire was ahead.

The approximate area of ​​the Solange Kingdom is equivalent to the Indian state of Gujarat plus a small part of Rajasthan.

This country is at its peak.

Maritime trade prospered, handicrafts were developed, and religious culture was inclusive and prosperous.

Although Brahma was not very popular in the entire Indian region, the Solanki country built a temple for him.

The Solanki Kingdom was willing to take in the Jains who were driven into exile everywhere, so many Jains migrated here and created brilliant literature and art.

Even Zoroastrianism has a foothold in Solanki. Some Solanki silver coins have the king's head printed on the front and the Zoroastrian altar printed on the back.

After spending a few days strolling around Solanki's largest seaport, the Ming civil servants liked it very much.

Because this country is relatively different in India, it seems normal in the eyes of Chinese people.

For example, the Jain white-clad sect, which can be seen everywhere, advocates that both men and women can be saved, and even advocates equality among all castes. They are keen on handicrafts and commerce, advocate getting rich through hard work, and allow monks to marry and have children.

"This country should be able to prosper in India," Hu Quan commented.

Zhu Xiaozhong shook his head repeatedly: "Brahma is the creator, and Jainism is against violence. This country advocates these two things, just like a rich man who only knows how to make money, but there are countless robbers living around him. I am afraid that among all the Indian countries we have encountered along the way, the first to perish is this Solanki country."

Yu Yunwen also said: "Yes, Solanqi is too civilized. Civilization is a good thing, but it also needs swords to protect it. I heard from merchants that although this country is becoming more and more prosperous, and its culture and education are becoming more and more prosperous. But in the past hundred years, it has lost about one-fifth of its territory."

The royal family of this country is a branch of the Rajputs.

The blood composition is extremely complex, being a mixture of various Eastern and Western ethnic groups including Saka, Kushan, Hun, Parthia, Greek, and Hephthalite (from the Mongolian grasslands).

Upon hearing that a delegation of Ming envoys had arrived at the port, the king sent his prime minister on a fast horse to negotiate with them.

They donated large amounts of gold, silver, ivory and gems in exchange for Ming silk, porcelain, lacquerware and other items.

He also requested to send an envoy to accompany him to the Ming Dynasty to carry out cultural and artistic exchanges, hoping to obtain Ming Dynasty's paintings, sculptures, poems, etc.

The Ming envoys were very happy and liked dealing with such cultured people.

The fleet set off again, and Hu Quan took notes in the cabin.

He praised the Solanki country highly and believed that it was the most civilized, prosperous and wealthy foreign country from Champa to India.

Going further ahead is the Sindh Dynasty (Sindh Province, Pakistan).

This place is already in a semi-green state, with many high-caste nobles who are direct descendants of Arabs and Persians.

Maritime trade was also basically controlled by Arabs and Persians, and the lower classes were mostly Brahmins who advocated agricultural farming.

Further ahead is Makran (a coastal area on the border between Iran and Pakistan), which is very poor and has a tough people.

Pirates are rampant!

Many pirates from around the Persian Gulf also fled to the Makran region after being driven out by their own forces.

However, it was obvious that the Ming fleet was not easy to deal with, so these pirates chose to hide.

……

When they arrived in the Persian Gulf, the accompanying Seljuk and Arab merchants guided the official and private fleets of the Ming Dynasty to trade in various ports in the Persian Gulf.

Wherever it goes, it will definitely cause a sensation.

But the real top-quality goods were shipped to Isfahan and sold to the Seljuk Sultan Sanjar.

The delegation was allowed to bring 300 soldiers with them, landed at a port in the northern Persian Gulf, and headed north along the rugged valleys.

There were officials accompanying him throughout the trip, but the accompanying translator was a businessman.

Since 200 of the 300 soldiers protecting the Ming envoys were cavalry, the local officials were very considerate and even recruited civilians and fodder for them. They also arranged livestock for the Ming cavalry to help carry armor so that the horses could have enough rest.

Yu Yunwen looked at the conscripted laborers, each of whom was ragged, pale, and had a numb expression, like a walking corpse.

Yu Yunwen couldn't help but sigh: "The people of Seljuk are not as good as the former Song people."

Hu Quan said: "The people here are very poor, far worse than the Solanki country in India."

After walking for a day, we arrived at a village in the mountains.

During the break and meal, Cheng Yu took a walk near the village, pushed aside the weeds and took a look, and came back and said: "There are farmlands that have not been restored, and this village is also in ruins. I heard that the Seljuks fought for years and their territory is extremely vast. It seems that they gained it through militarism."

Yu Yunwen smiled and said, "It's normal, just like the Jin Kingdom."

After traveling overland for several days, we came across a large city.

Cheng Yu asked: "The city walls here are tall and strong, and there are many merchants and travelers coming and going. Why are some houses abandoned?"

The merchant glanced at the accompanying Seljuk official and explained in Chinese: "This place is called Shiraz. It was once the largest and richest city. Because of the war, the city became a ruin and has only begun to recover in the last twenty years."

The merchant's answer was obviously reserved.

Shiraz, the largest city in Persia, was destroyed by the Seljuks!
Even the Seljuk capital of Isfahan was razed to the ground by them a hundred years ago.

Wherever the Seljuk army went, there was ruin. They deliberately destroyed cities, villages, and farmland, letting their horses eat the farmers' crops so that their enemies could not resume production. The entire Persian region was set back hundreds of years by the Seljuk army.

Cheng Yu asked again: "Is the Seljuk feudal system, or is it a county system like the Ming Dynasty?"

The merchant replied: "The Seljuks were a nomadic Turkic tribe. After they came, they divided the land into noble lords. At first, the lords could not be hereditary and had to be replaced every two or three years. They were only allowed to collect taxes and could not arbitrarily conscript the people. Now it is no longer possible. The lords are completely hereditary, and the people in the territory are like their slaves. Including the merchants, they are also extorted by the nobles at will."

"That's the feudal system." Cheng Yu nodded.

The group left Shiraz and continued on their journey for a day when they suddenly heard the sound of a horn.

The accompanying officials were shocked and rushed to the valley ahead on horseback, shouting at the cavalrymen who were coming to kill them: "These are the guests of the Sultan, leave quickly!"

"Horsemen in armor, cavalrymen in armor!"

"Infantry, put on your armor and line up to protect and buy time!"

Zhu Xiaozhong never expected that he could be attacked even though he was accompanied by Seljuk officials.

There were as many as four or five hundred cavalrymen who attacked suddenly, but they didn't even have armor. Their weapons were swords, spears, and bows and arrows.

Cheng Yu asked the merchant, "What's the matter with the enemy?"

The merchant panicked and said, "They are Seljuks. They used to roam the north. After conquering the Persian Plateau, some Seljuks moved into cities and some learned to farm. But many Seljuks were unwilling to change. They camped near the cities and made a living by robbing merchants and farmers."

"They dare to rob a foreign delegation accompanied by officials?" Cheng Yu couldn't believe it.

The merchant said, "We didn't expect these people to be so bold!"

The Seljuk official who went to shout was shot to death by several arrows.

The Seljuk nomads who came to rob came from several nearby tribes. They heard that the Ming envoys were very wealthy, so they were willing to rob them even at the cost of offending the Sultan. This was something they often did.

One hundred unarmored Ming infantrymen lined up, holding up swords, shields and spears.

Four or five hundred Seljuk herdsmen rushed over, slowed down and prepared to shoot arrows, as if they were planning to shoot them down before charging again.

"Raise the gun!"

"Raise the crossbow!"

Flintlock rifles and crossbows fired in turn, and the opposite side also shot arrows.

On the Ming army side, two people were shot dead on the spot, and more than twenty others were shot and injured.

The enemy suffered greater casualties, with more dead and fewer wounded.

Firearms were difficult for the Seljuk herdsmen to understand. They subconsciously chose to retreat and then discuss what to do.

After a while, these guys came back again, intending to charge straight into the battle formation in one go.

The two hundred Ming warriors had already put on their armor. Zhu Xiaozhong personally led the charge and shouted, "Leave no one behind!"

How could the regular cavalry wearing medium armor take the unarmored light cavalry seriously?
The Seljuk herdsmen retreated while shooting arrows, but the Ming cavalry's horses were all covered with light vests and were not afraid of kite flying at all.

The Ming cavalry simply charged at full speed, and the enemy quickly closed the distance while shooting and retreating.

At the first encounter, the herdsmen cavalry were defeated. No one dared to shoot arrows anymore, and they all rode their horses frantically and fled.

After chasing for nearly half a day, Zhu Xiaozhong killed more than 200 enemies and captured more than 100 horses. The remaining enemies finally escaped. They were lightly equipped, their horses were fast, and they were more familiar with the terrain.

Back at Shangjia, Zhu Xiaozhong grabbed Shangjia and asked, "Where are these bastards stationed?"

The merchant said, "It must be several tribes joining forces. One tribe doesn't have so many cavalry. The nearest nomadic tribe is near Shiraz. They usually graze in the mountains and occasionally come out to rob caravans and farmers."

"Lead the way!" Zhu Xiaozhong shouted.

Zhu Xiaozhong was really angry. He had just learned that another wounded soldier had died.

That means three people died!

Under the leadership of the merchants, Zhu Xiaozhong dispatched cavalry to search and finally found the tribal settlement in a ravine.

The young and strong are no longer here; they were killed long ago.

There were only the elderly, the weak, women and children left in the tribe. Zhu Xiaozhong was so angry that he rushed over and started hacking at them without caring about the other party's situation.

Then, all the tents were burned and the livestock and property were brought back.

They also cut off the heads of the elderly, the weak, women and children, and tied them together with the heads of the nomadic cavalry to their war horses and continued to advance.

Cheng Yu sighed: "Alas!"

He actually wanted to say that women and children did not need to be killed, but in the end he did not open his mouth.

Yu Yunwen said: "They dared to rob foreign envoys. How chaotic would the Seljuk country be? This Sultan is incompetent in governing the country."

Hu Quan laughed and said, "The Seljuk envoys are still in Kaifeng, preaching that their monarch is enlightened. They allow all religions to coexist, they hire scholars of all ethnic groups with huge sums of money, and Persian literature has been revived. But under their rule, bandits are rampant and agriculture is not prosperous. Such a country will sooner or later fall."

(End of this chapter)