Bringing the Railway to Daming

Zhu Gang had been establishing his vassal state in Northeast Africa for three or four years. As a neighbor of the Mamluks, Hafs was naturally aware of the great changes that had taken place in the Mamluks.

However, due to language barriers and the distortion of information during transmission, Djib, King of Hafs, now only knows that it was a group of people from the East who conquered the Mamluks.

At first, he thought they were Turks from Central Asia, and then he thought they were Mongols who were defeated by the Mamluks.

Later it was learned that these Orientals came from the sea and seemed to be from the country of porcelain. Even the Mongols became whips in their hands (because Zhu Gang had a Mongolian cavalry under his command).

But Jib did not expect that the Jin State, which had only replaced the Mamluk rule for a few years, would actually attack Hafs.

"Do they want to destroy us Hafs just like they destroyed the Mamluks?"

Thinking of this, Jibu immediately shouted: "Come! Call the ministers to the palace for a meeting!"

"Yes!"

Half a day later, Hafs' important ministers arrived at the palace one after another.

When the ministers learned that Tripoli had been captured by the State of Jin, they were also surprised, and then they started talking in a chaotic manner.

"Jin State possesses a weapon with a range ten times greater than that of a typical catapult? And it uses gunpowder? How is this possible?"

"The governor of Tripoli must be too incompetent, which is why the Jin people broke through the city."

"No, I think the people of Jin are too despicable. They actually attacked from the sea without any warning."

"Put aside your ridiculous idea. I've heard that those Orientals believe in neither the true God nor God himself—a group of people without any faith. Isn't it normal for them to launch surprise attacks?"

"···"

King Gibb was already in a bad mood, and he became even more annoyed when he saw that his ministers were discussing like they were arguing, but no one could come up with any useful ideas.

"Shut up!" he shouted, then turned to an old man with a white beard and asked, "Prime Minister Hames, what do you think we should do now?"

Hames said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the most urgent task is to send more troops to the Ben Ghardan region to prevent the Jin State from conquering Tripoli and then breaking through Ben Ghardan."

"Also, since Jin was able to raid Tripoli from the sea, it's likely they could also use the same method to raid Tunisia. Therefore, the defenses of the capital must be strengthened, and the navy should be on high alert."

Although the two things Hames said were much more useful than the opinions of other ministers, Gibb was still not satisfied.

He said, "Dear Prime Minister, what I want to ask is, if Jin really has a gunpowder weapon with a range ten times that of a trebuchet, how can we defeat it?"

Hames said, "Your Majesty, you should know that although weapons can determine the outcome of a war, they are not the main factor. The most important factor is the people who use the weapons."

"If the Jin State really has such a terrifying weapon, we only need to send our elite troops to destroy it during the battle."

"What if it can't be destroyed?" Gibb asked a little bit stubbornly.

Hames said, "Your Majesty, are you worried that our army alone cannot defeat the State of Jin? Then we will seek reinforcements."

"I heard that the Ottomans north of the sea were both wary and dissatisfied with the sudden emergence of the Jin State. Since the establishment of the Jin State, half of the porcelain, silk, and spice trade coming from the eastern sea has been intercepted by the Jin State."

"Now that Jin has come to attack us again, it's clear that they have greater ambitions, such as ruling the eastern and southern coasts of the Mediterranean, or even the northern coast, like the Arabs did back then."

"Therefore, we can send an envoy to the Ottoman Empire to persuade them to send troops from the north to help us attack the Jin State."

Gibb nodded slightly, then asked worriedly, "Is it too late?"

Hames said, "If Your Majesty is worried that it's too late, you can send another delegation to Jin to paralyze them and buy time for the Ottomans to send troops." Jib's eyes finally lit up after hearing this, and he clapped his hands, "Good idea!"

···
···
Jinyang (Cairo).

Minister Fang Gui arrived at the palace and, upon meeting Zhu Gang, said, "Your Majesty, a delegation has arrived from the Mediterranean, claiming to be from Rome. When asked why they've come, they're vague, insisting on seeing you first. Should we allow them to come to Jinyang?"

"Rome? Holy Roman Empire or Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium)?"

"Eastern Rome."

Zhu Gang found a map and looked at it for a few seconds. This map was drawn after he came here to establish a vassal state based on the intelligence provided by the Guangming Guards and Jin State spies. It can more accurately show the current situation in southern Europe.

Now Zhu Gang is no longer a novice in Western history. Through various sources of information, he has gained some understanding of the situation and history of Western countries, and knows even more about the countries in Southern Europe.

The Eastern Roman Empire split from the former Roman Empire and regarded itself as the orthodox Roman Empire. Foreign countries called it the Eastern Roman Empire.

So, all in all, this country has a history of about a thousand years. During this period, it was destroyed by other countries, experienced "changes of dynasties", and revived after decline.

The last golden age of the Eastern Roman Empire was two or three hundred years ago, after which it declined again under constant attacks and invasions from enemies in the East and the West, and even perished.

More than a hundred years ago, the Eastern Roman Empire was restored, but its strength was no longer as strong as before, and there were always powerful enemies watching them.

In recent decades, the Eastern Roman Empire has lost cities and territories one after another in the face of the rising Ottoman Empire. In addition, most of its subordinate vassal states have refused to obey orders and even declared independence. It can be said that the Eastern Roman Empire has now become a candle in the wind and may perish at any time.

If I have to describe it, it is probably similar to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty during the Spring and Autumn Period.

Thinking of this, Zhu Gang asked, "What do you think the Eastern Romans are sending envoys for?"

Fang Gui is now in charge of Jin's diplomatic affairs, and naturally has some understanding of the surrounding countries.

Hearing this, he said, "If my guess is correct, the Eastern Roman Empire probably wants us to help it deal with the Ottoman Empire."

"Hahaha, I thought so too. In that case, why not meet them and see what they say? If the conditions are right, I don't mind helping them."

a few days later.

The Eastern Roman delegation took a boat and went up the Nile River to the outskirts of Jinyang City.

Then they saw a part of Zhu Gang's guards.

"Oh my God! I thought the troops I saw at the port were the most elite troops in Jin State. I didn't expect to see an even more elite one now. It's unimaginable."

"Look at these Jin soldiers. Each one stands like a stone statue, yet I sense a chilling murderous intent within them. I imagine the soldiers of the Roman Empire's invincible legions a thousand years ago were like this, right?"

"But why are their hats made of iron, but not their armor? Is Jin so poor that it can't afford armor?"

"I don't think so... I feel their uniforms are very unusual."

"···"

While they were discussing, the Eastern Roman delegation entered Jinyang City. Their attention finally shifted from the "escorting" Jin vassal guards, and they were amazed again.

It was simply that the city's cleanliness and orderliness had surpassed their expectations. (End of this chapter)