Ji Tang

Chapter 1491 The two emperors meet!

In any case, it was a relatively pleasant meeting. As the emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, one of the three major empires in the world, the Tang Dynasty attached great importance to it. Not only did it send the Duke of Ying to Tongguan to greet him personally, but the emperor himself would also welcome the Western emperor who came from afar outside the city of Chang'an.

However, Ji Song kept avoiding Constantine II along the way, not because he was afraid of him, but because he was annoyed by his questions.

If this emperor was such a simple-minded one, he would have tolerated it, but how could he be so superficial when he became a famous and capable king of the Roman Empire in history?

When you are polite to someone, you must be asking for something, and he knows exactly what the other person is asking for, so he can only stay away from them, because he can't help them. Even if he can help, he can't.

At the state level, they have long transcended selfishness and personal interests. The Tang Dynasty wants constant wars in the West, even confrontation and war between the Arabs and Rome, which is in the interests of the Tang Dynasty.

Because only if they are not stable, they will not have the mind to return to the East, and only then can the Tang Dynasty be stable.

In the carriage, looking out the window at the neat wheat fields and the farmers working in the fields, they were not like the numb, pale and thin Roman serfs, but had good complexions on their faces, and laughter could be heard from time to time, which fascinated Constantine II.

He landed in Mingzhou and was going to continue to sail north, but he refused and explicitly requested to go to Chang'an by land. Wang Xuance was reluctant at first, after all, there was not much time left before the grand ceremony of the emperor, and he did not want to waste too much time on the road.

However, the other party was the ruler of a great country, so he could not refuse without a suitable reason, so he sent a letter to the emperor with a trained eagle. It was unknown what Li Chengqian was thinking, but he finally agreed to the other party's request.

Along the way, I have traveled through provinces and visited dozens of cities, including the prosperous Mingzhou, the beautiful Suzhou and Hangzhou, Xuanzhou, which can create exquisite works of art, Xiangyang, a strategic location for military strategists, and the majestic Tongguan.
He seemed to have come to a world called the Garden of Eden. Although there were slaves here, they had a certain degree of personal freedom. He also heard from Wang Xuance that the Tang Dynasty was slowly abolishing slavery and requiring employers not to beat or scold servants at will. Once a slave was beaten or killed, even if he was guilty, he could not escape the punishment of the court.

Moreover, the latest policy of the Tang Dynasty clearly stated that the maximum period for signing a contract was ten years. Once this time was exceeded, the slaves must either sign a new contract under the supervision of the court or give up the contract in exchange for their freedom.

There are many educated people here. Even in small villages there are teachers teaching children to read, not to mention the official schools at the county level.

Whenever he heard the sound of children reading, he was shocked. In the West, reading was a right only for nobles, knights and wealthy businessmen. Books were desperately expensive and ordinary children had no chance to read or write.

He always heard his teacher, the Duke whom he had just met, from Wang Xuance's mouth.

In fact, Wang Xuance didn't need to say that he had great respect for this Eastern God of War who once defeated the million-strong coalition army of the Arabs. Under the promotion of him and his people, he caused a great sensation in the West.

In a sense, this man was the savior of Rome. The reason why his deeds were publicized was, firstly, to improve the low morale caused by the constant suppression by the Arabs. Secondly, it was used to create a hero. Although he was an Oriental, it did not prevent them from worshipping the strong.

Both papermaking and printing were brought by him. It can be said that he single-handedly made the ancient Eastern country of Tang Dynasty radiate amazing vitality again, and in just a few decades, it got out of the troubled times. Under the leadership of that Heavenly Khan, the Turks in the north were defeated, and finally the Western Regions were conquered.

This was a god-like figure. He was speechless when he saw him for the first time. He thought that he should be a proud, serious and stern person.

Yes, with such achievements, what is there not to be proud of?

But he was disappointed. The handsome man who looked more like a scholar than a general was said to be almost fifty years old this year, but he looked only in his thirties.

Gentle, this was his second impression.

But this surprised him even more. A commander who killed hundreds of thousands of people with a wave of his hand turned out to be such a gentle person. If he hadn't known that the Tang Dynasty would not joke about this, he would have thought he was fooled. Ji Song didn't know what the emperor was thinking. He just wanted to return to Chang'an immediately and hand over the job. He really didn't want to wade into this muddy water.

Time passed quickly. Outside Chang'an City, flags fluttered and military strategists were clearly visible. All the officials above the third rank of the imperial court were present. Li Chengqian was waiting here early! This surprised many people. The Tubo Prime Minister Lu Dongzan couldn't help but ask the officials of the Honglu Temple: "This is outrageous. Envoys from other countries are received by the Honglu Temple, and at most the Ministry of Rites. Who is coming? Not only did the Emperor of your Great Tang personally go out ten miles to greet him, but he also called us here. Is the Great Tang such a country of etiquette?"

"Don't worry, Prime Minister!"

The Honglu Temple was no longer the same as before. As an important department directly under the Cabinet and the Emperor, and with a strong man like Wang Xuance, it had long been able to stand up straight and thus arrived at a leisurely pace.

"If the Tang Dynasty cannot give us an explanation, I will never give up even if this matter is brought to the attention of the Heavenly Khan!" Lu Dongzan said bitterly.

"Now that things have come to this, I will not hide anything. Not only did His Majesty personally welcome him, but a few days ago, the Duke of Qing was ordered to go to Tongguan to welcome him. Can you not hide it, Prime Minister?"

Lu Dongzan was stunned. Ji Song went to Tongguan to greet him?

"Who is it?"

The official of the Honglu Temple took a deep breath and said, "The ruler of the Eastern Roman Empire, one of the three great empires in the world, the country in the far west, His Majesty Constantine II."

"Are you satisfied with this reason, Prime Minister?" the official from the Honglu Temple sneered.

"what?"

"That person actually came to the Tang Dynasty in person? How is this possible?"

This not only shocked Lu Dongzan, but many other envoys, especially the envoys from Western countries, who were struck by lightning and exclaimed that this was impossible!
"The emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, one of the three great empires?"

Lu Dongzan could not hide his shock. If it was that person, then everything made sense. He knew the Eastern Roman Empire. It was an empire with a long history. Although it was divided, it was still one of the most powerful countries in the world. It was an empire that could fight against the Arabs for decades and still remain strong.

But how is this possible? Why would that person come in person? Does the country not care?
For a moment, there was a lot of discussion among the envoys, and even Li Chengqian in front heard it.

"Tell them?" Li Chengqian asked softly.

"Your Majesty, yes. We didn't make it public before because of the safety of that person. Now that the time is coming soon, there is no point in hiding it any longer, so we just made it public."

Li Chengqian nodded and said nothing more.

Soon, he looked up suddenly, and when he saw a flag representing the royal family of the Roman Empire slowly rising and coming towards him, he clenched his fists. He knew that the upcoming meeting would be a significant event in the history of East-West exchanges, and would be recorded in history books. Didn't you see that Yan Jiaren was already extremely excited?

Therefore, he must be extremely alert and not allow any mistakes to occur.