Smuggling Daming

Selim I didn't let the scorched yellow people wait for too long. Just after they arrived in Damascus and rested for two days, they received the news that Selim I would receive them on the third day.

In the past two days, Jiao Huangzhong and the others were not idle, but Suleiman personally took them to visit Damascus city, especially the production workshop of Damascus knives, which was the focus of Jiaohuang Zhong's visit, after all They have also been famous for this peerless sword for a long time, especially those officers in the Ming cavalry wanted to own a real Damascus scimitar. All important members of the regiment were given a Damascus sword as a gift by him.

On the morning of the third day, Jiao Huang and the others counted the prepared gifts again, then put on their Daming official uniforms, and met Selim I in the temporary palace in Damascus.

Jiao Huangzhong was also very curious about Selim I. After getting along with Suleiman these days and talking with other Ottoman officials, he finally figured out what kind of monarch Selim was. From the Confucian point of view, if a monarch like Selim is placed in Daming, he will definitely not be able to escape unfavorable evaluations such as "tyrant", "militaristic", "cruel and easy to kill". The evil deeds of killing his son and nephew are enough to be scolded by the historian for 100 years.

However, as the saying goes, do as the Romans do, Selim's actions are not a big mistake in the Ottoman Empire. , but the entire country has been built extremely strong. According to the current development speed of the Ottoman Empire, I am afraid that within a few years, a powerful opponent will appear in the west of Ming Dynasty, just like the equal opponents of Datang and the Arab Empire back then.

It is precisely because of this.Therefore, when Jiao Huangzhong met Selim I, he also showed enough respect. After saluting Selim I according to Da Ming's etiquette, he presented the gifts he brought from Da Ming. Most of these gifts were from Da Ming. Products such as silk, porcelain, and tea must be important gifts among them, and there are also some handicrafts made of gold and jade.As well as pearls, corals, etc. produced in Nanyang, it can be said that everything is priceless.

Seeing that Daming gave him such a generous gift, Selim was also very happy at the moment. After being accepted with a smile, he greeted Emperor Daming to Jiao Huangzhong, and then went straight to the topic: "Ambassador Jiao. I don't know you You traveled thousands of miles to Damascus to see me, but what is the important thing?"

Selim grew up in the army since he was a child. Even after he became the Ottoman sultan, he still has a soldier's temper. He pursues efficiency in everything he does, and he likes to be straightforward even in conversation.I have always hated others to play around with him.

Jiao Huangzhong had already learned about Selim's temper from Suleiman, so he didn't talk and play charades like Daming's officialdom, and also replied directly: "Dear Sultan, our Emperor and Lord Supervisor sent me this time. At the beginning of my mission to the West, I planned to visit the Mamluk Dynasty and discuss with them about re-dragging the Suez Canal. However, when I arrived in India, I heard that your country launched the third Eastern Expedition. And defeated the Mamluk Dynasty Although your country has not completely conquered Egypt yet, in my opinion, it is only a matter of time, so after thinking about it, we decided to visit Sudan directly and discuss with him about the Suez Canal. !"

Jiao Huangzhong had figured out Selim's temper before.Knowing that the most important thing to talk to such a person from a military background is to be frank and direct, so he didn't hide that he was planning to go to the Mamluk Dynasty before, after all, as long as he was a person with a little brain.The purpose of their mission can be deduced from the time. After all, when they left Daming, the Ottoman and Mamluk dynasties were still in peace. Unless Daming can predict the prophet, otherwise they want to dredge the Suez Canal, they can only go to Mamluk K dynasty.

Sure enough, seeing Jiao Huangzhong being so honest, Selim couldn't help showing a little smile on his face, and looked at Jiao Huangzhong with a little appreciation, and said with a smile: "Ambassador Jiao really has vision. They are already rotten, and it is indeed not difficult to defeat them, but it is not a trivial matter to dredge the Suez Canal again, what conditions are you Ming going to use to convince me?"

When Selim attacked the Mamluk Dynasty this time, he naturally made a detailed investigation into the affairs of Egypt. Among them, the traffic artery connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea was the focus of his investigation. After all, this is where commodities circulate between Asia and Europe. The main road, the Mamluk dynasty controls this line of communication, and can make huge profits every year, which also arouses the envy of the Portuguese. For this reason, the two countries have fought for a full ten years, and until now they have not separated win or lose.

In addition, Selim also knows that the Suez Canal was opened as early as 1000 years ago in ancient Egypt, but later, due to some reasons, the canal was blocked from time to time until the time of the Arab Empire hundreds of years ago. The Arab Empire that conquered Egypt immediately ordered the dredging of the ancient canal. As a result, the canal has been in use for nearly 200 years. Unfortunately, due to some reasons, the canal was abandoned again. Now the Ming Dynasty proposed to dredge the canal again. , the purpose must be to make it easier for their merchant ships to reach the Mediterranean Sea, but he really wants to know what conditions Daming will use in exchange for his consent. After all, dredging this canal will also require a lot of manpower and material resources. If there is no benefit, he is sure won't do it.

Jiao Huangzhong heard that Selim did not refuse directly, but asked himself for benefits first, which lifted his spirits, sat up straight and said: "Dear Sultan, if the Suez Canal can be opened, then whether it is our Ming Dynasty Both the East represented by your country and the West represented by your country can communicate directly through the sea, and you no longer have to go around the whole of Africa like the Portuguese. The country can also collect taxes on the Suez Canal, so that your country is equivalent to owning a golden waterway, and the annual tax is a huge amount of wealth. With such a huge benefit, wouldn't the Sudan not be tempted?"

When he said this, Jiao Huangzhong paused for a moment and then continued: "In addition, I heard that there are constant conflicts between the Portuguese and your country. Although Portugal is a small country, it has become a famous power in Europe by virtue of its maritime trade. Apart from us Ming Dynasty, no one is its opponent in the sea, but if your country can dredge the Suez Canal, the Portuguese's control of sea trade will definitely plummet. When the national power declines, your country will lose a strong enemy. This is simply killing two birds with one stone. So I can't think of any reason for the Sultan to refuse?"

Hearing what Jiao Huangzhong said, Selim shook his head and said: "Ambassador Jiao is right, if the canal can be repaired, then the tax alone will be a huge income in the future, and it can indeed weaken the Kingdom of Portugal. Strength, but the Suez Canal has been abandoned for hundreds of years, and some rivers have become flat land. It would take unimaginable manpower and material resources to dredge such an ancient canal. Our Ottoman Empire has been fighting for years, and the country is not rich. There is simply no way to spend so much money to build such a canal."

Seeing that Selim was clearly asking for benefits from him, Jiao Huangzhong also felt rather helpless, but he also knew that if he wanted Selim to agree to this matter, he must provide a corresponding reward, otherwise the other party would never I agree. After all, for the Ottoman Empire, whether to build the Suez Canal has little impact. It is only an additional source of income if it is repaired. If it is not repaired, it can also make money with land transportation. Then it will never be possible to ship the goods directly to Europe, and it will always be exploited by the Portuguese in the middle.

Thinking of this, Jiao Huangzhong had no choice but to grit his teeth and said, "Dear Sultan, if you are willing to dredge this canal again, then our Daming will send some technical officials to help your country survey and measure this canal. I guarantee them They are all the best technical officials, and if they help you build the canal, you will definitely save a lot of manpower and material resources!"

Daming may lack other technical talents, but there is absolutely no shortage of talents in water conservancy, because various rivers in Daming, including the Yellow River, are suffering from constant disasters. In order to control these harmful rivers, the Ministry of Industry of Daming has gathered a large number of water conservancy officials It is not a big problem for them to design a canal. You must know that in the Sui Dynasty, a Grand Canal was built in the Central Plains, and the length of that canal was several times that of the Suez Canal.

However, Selim was obviously not satisfied with the bargaining chip Jiao Huangzhong took out. The first reason was that he didn't know how strong Daming was in terms of technology. What if the officials he sent were not as good as his own?Although the second Jiao Huangzhong said it sounded good, but he sent technical officials, and it didn't cost much at all. Even Selim felt that instead of sending a few technical officials, it would be more cost-effective to ask Daming to send some civilians.

"Ambassador Jiao, if Ming wants us to build the Suez Canal, then don't impress me with such a condition that has no real benefits. We also have many scholars in the field of water conservancy in the Ottoman Empire, and their strength is no worse than that of Ming. What is needed is the money for the construction of the canal!" Selim said straightforwardly again, if Daming did not give him a satisfactory price, he would never agree to build the Suez Canal.