Capital Datang

The same as when they came, Li Ke and his fleet crossed the Black Sea Strait to reach the Aegean Sea, but because of the rush of the last time, they did not come to enjoy the beauty of the Aegean Sea, especially the city of Athens on the Balkan Peninsula. I didn't have a chance to visit, but just passing by this time, Li Ke and the others stayed in Athens for a few days.

As an ancient city with a history of more than 1000 years, Athens was once the political and economic center of ancient Greece. Although it declined several times later, it was revived again under the rule of the Eastern Roman Empire, even compared with Constantinople. , is not inferior at all.

The news that the prince of the Tang Dynasty came to Rome had already spread to Athens, so Li Ke and the others were warmly received by the local nobles. It was a pity that Li Ke and the others were in a hurry, so after a few days of playing, they still refused. The enthusiasm of the local nobles persuaded him to stay, and then hit the road again.

Afterwards, they stopped in Crete for a while, and then headed west all the way. When they passed the Apennine Peninsula, Li Ke stood on the bow of the ship and looked at the peninsula from a distance, with a hint of confusion in his eyes. .

In fact, in Li Ke's mind, the most ideal place to establish a country is not the Iberian Peninsula, but the Apennine Peninsula right in front of his eyes. After all, this is the birthplace of the Roman Empire. The peninsula is not only rich in products, but also has a large population. It was looted by the barbarians in the north for the first time, but the foundation of civilization on the island is still there. If a country can be established here, then both agriculture and industry and commerce can achieve the fastest development.Capital Datang 662

It's a pity that he had to worry about the reaction of the Eastern Roman Empire, so Li Ke had to give up here, but this abandonment was only temporary. After he established a country of his own in Iberia and really gained a firm foothold, then the next step It is the Apennine Peninsula in front of you, and there is also the barbarian kingdom named Frank.All of them will be included in his conquest list in the future.

The Apennine Peninsula divides the entire Mediterranean into east and west parts. After crossing Sicily in the southeast of the Apennine Peninsula, Li Ke and his fleet came to the Western Mediterranean.After Li Ke decided to establish his own power in the Mediterranean Sea, he no longer needed to go to the Americas, but he wanted to go to the Iberian Peninsula to find out the situation first, and by the way, he would also escort Lu Wan and his fleet to the Atlantic Ocean. It will not be too late for him to come back by warship.

Now Rome's military strength is shrinking. Although the navy still maintains a considerable size, it is mainly concentrated in the Eastern Mediterranean.Therefore, after passing the Apennine Peninsula, there are very few traces of the Roman navy in the waters of the Western Mediterranean Sea. On the contrary, the number of ships from the Vandals and the Alans gradually increased, but most of these ships went to Rome or Dashi. Very few fleets are like them.To cross the Strait of Gibraltar to the Atlantic Ocean.

The capital of the Visigothic Kingdom is called Toulouse, which is located in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. Although the Kingdom controls the entire Iberian Peninsula, its ruling center is located in the northeast of the peninsula.The central part and the southwestern part adjacent to the Strait of Gibraltar are not very important.

Moreover, the Strait of Gibraltar during this period was not as important as later generations. The main maritime activities of the Roman Empire were concentrated in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions, and few ships would leave the Mediterranean.The current European region is still a wild land, even a kingdom like Frank.In the eyes of the Romans, it was just a barbarian kingdom.In addition, marine activities in this area have not yet developed, so there are not many ships entering and leaving the Strait of Gibraltar, at least not comparable to the Black Sea Strait.

Although Gibraltar's commercial and military value is not as important as later generations, it is the west coast of Europe and Africa.When it is necessary to communicate with the Mediterranean coast, it also needs to pass through this strait.Therefore, as early as more than 1000 years ago, the Phoenicians established a port city on the south bank of the Strait of Gibraltar, named Dingis, which is the famous port of Tangier in Morocco.

It’s just that Dingis went through several wars later, and the Kelfakers, Vandals, Romans, etc. all ruled here successively, and now it is occupied by the Visigothic Kingdom, so the Strait of Gibraltar is also called Dingis by the Visigoths. Perth Strait.As for the name of the Strait of Gibraltar, it was specially marked by Li Yin when he was making the world map, and even Li Yin himself did not know that the name Gibraltar would not appear until decades later.

The Visigothic Kingdom was not satisfied with occupying the entire Iberian Peninsula, so it stretched its tentacles across the Strait of Gibraltar and reached the North African region, but because of the tenacious resistance of the Vandals and Alans, they could only stop at Dingji nearby.

It is precisely because of the existence of Dingis that in the Strait of Gibraltar, in addition to the merchant fleet, there are many Visigoth warships patrolling, but most of these warships are modeled after the Romans. , and the construction technology is obviously not good enough, not only the ships are smaller, but also the speed is not as good as the Roman warships.

Li Ke and the others may be the first Han Chinese fleet to reach the Strait of Gibraltar. Not to mention the four extremely tall warships, the other ships in the fleet are also tall, and the oar boats in the Mediterranean area are comparable to them , It's like a dwarf next to a giant, so the arrival of their fleet immediately attracted everyone's attention.

However, after Li Ke and the others entered the Mediterranean Sea, they had already gotten used to the shocked gazes of the local people, so they all appeared very calm. The entire fleet first entered the port of Dingis, and then found a businessman who could speak Greek and gave him a certain amount. After the reward, the other party helped them buy fresh water, food and other supplies, and then rested in the port for one night, but when they were about to leave the Strait of Gibraltar the next day, they encountered a trouble.

"What's going on, what the hell are these Visigoths going to do?" Li Ke looked at the Gothic warships around the ship with a gloomy expression, and asked in a tone full of anger.Just before their ship left the port of Dingis, it was surrounded by a Visigoth war fleet, and the size of the fleet was not small. It is roughly estimated that there should be more than 100 trirew warships. ships, surrounded their fleets.

"Your Highness, wait a moment, Mr. Cen has already gone to inquire, and there should be news soon." Lu Wan said hastily, but his face was also not very good-looking, and his intuition told him that today's things may not be very good Easy to handle.

With the dominance of the Eastern Roman Empire in the Mediterranean Sea, the Greek language has also spread out. In the entire Mediterranean region, Greek language has almost become a common language. He is the best person in the world, and Li Ke's number one counselor, so he naturally has to come forward and be responsible for communication.

Cen Changqian moved forward in a small boat, and soon a Visigothic ship came forward, and Cen Changqian loudly explained his purpose in Greek, and then guided by a small warship, he set off on a large ship I saw the general of the Visigoth navy on a five-oared warship.

"Which Datang fleet are you from?" The opponent's general was a thick bearded man, ageless, with several scars on his face, and even lost his one ear. He spoke in an arrogant manner. extreme.

"That's right, I wonder why the general blocked our way?" Cen Changqian looked very calm. Although the opponent's ships were twice as many as his own, the oar boats under his feet were not as equipped as the Romans. Greek Fire, among other things, the four warships behind him alone could sweep them away, so Cen Changqian seemed confident.

"Why stop you?" General One Ear picked out his nostrils very rudely, then dug out a black mass in front of Cen Changqian, rubbed it and looked at him contemptuously, "Our city lord said , he is very interested in your ship, so now your ship belongs to us, and the people in your fleet must stay, when we can build such a big ship by ourselves, when can you leave!"

When Cen Changqian heard this, she was almost annoyed, thinking that a barbarian is a barbarian, even robbery is so unprofessional.However, unless it was absolutely necessary, Cen Changqian did not want to use force against the other party, so he had to say again: "Your Excellency, we are the fleet of Datang, and we were personally received by His Majesty the Eastern Roman Emperor before, and we even have a document signed by him. Tong Tong, I hope you can think about it, don't..." Capital Datang 662

"Slap!" To Cen Changqian's surprise, before he finished speaking, the one-eared general in front of him slapped him with a slap. As a result, he only felt a numbness on his face, and his whole body was also slapped by the force. The blow was crooked and almost fell to the ground, and then the whole left side of the face was in burning pain.

"Hahaha~, don't mention shitty Rome in front of me. My ancestors killed countless Roman ladies in Rome. This is Dingis, the territory of our Goths. You have to obediently listen to what I say, or you will all die!" General One Ear looked at Cen Changqian's embarrassed look, and laughed arrogantly.

Seeing the other party's arrogant appearance, Cen Changqian was filled with anger. As the number one counselor in the Wu Palace, how had he ever been insulted like this?But speaking of it, I blame him for being too careless, thinking that these Goths should be similar to Romans, at least know some etiquette, even if they can't reach an agreement, they won't make a move.

But he forgot that the reason why these Goths were called barbarians by the Romans was because they were all barbarians, rude, stupid and arrogant, thinking that they would be invincible after a small victory. They are far away, so they don't know the power of Tang Dynasty at all. Although Rome is the overlord of the Mediterranean Sea, it is still not taken seriously by these people. Kill yourself before ordering the ship to be seized.

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