Regarding the arrival of Tong Yuan, the special envoy of the Ming Empire, the Mamluk Kingdom of Egypt paid great attention to it and gave Tong Yuan the highest standard of ceremonial reception.
The wide main road in Cairo was crowded with people, and armies maintained order on both sides. Kansu II personally led the nobles and ministers of the dynasty to the outside of the city to welcome the arrival of the Ming envoy.
The welcoming team was very large, stretching for more than ten miles, surrounded by flowers and pulled by elephants, which made Tong Yuan and his party a little flattered.
But soon, Tong Yuan was sitting upright, wearing a crimson robe. The official robe was square and square, and his eyes were bright. He must not lose the face of Ming Dynasty at this time.
At this moment, he already represents the face of the Ming Dynasty, because he is the first official to officially visit the Ming Dynasty.
Kansu II received such a high standard of reception, naturally because the relationship between the Mamluk Kingdom and the Ming Empire was quite good.
Because of the Ottoman Empire, the Ming Dynasty and the Mamluk Kingdom had a good relationship and cooperation from the beginning. After everyone saw the invincible power of the Ming Dynasty, the Mamluk Kingdom did not dare to show any disrespect to the Ming Dynasty.
Secondly, the biggest enemy of the Mamluk Kingdom, the Ottoman Empire, has been eyeing the land of Egypt. On the Arabian Peninsula, the Ottoman Empire has a large army stationed and is always trying to attack this important transportation area.
Therefore, Ming Dynasty’s thighs must be firmly hugged. If Ming Dynasty is hugged tightly, the Mamluk Kingdom will be more confident when facing the Ottoman Empire. Just look at the current Persian Empire.
Originally being pinned down by the Ottoman Empire, after purchasing a batch of arms and weapons from the Ming Dynasty, the Persian Empire began to reverse the trend and had a faint tendency to suppress the Ottoman Empire.
Facing the powerful Ottoman Empire, the Mamluk Kingdom actually intended to purchase a batch of advanced arms and weapons from the Ming Empire to enhance its own strength.
This time is just an opportunity.
In the luxurious palace, Kansu II warmly received Tong Yuan.
After some polite exchanges and pleasantries, the two parties began to talk about serious matters.
The matter of cooperating with the Ming Dynasty people to dig the canal has now spread in Egypt, and the whole of Egypt is already aware of it.
So at this moment, not only Kansu II was present, but also all the nobles and ministers from the Mamluk Kingdom of Egypt were present.
"What is the opinion of His Majesty the Ming Emperor on the excavation of the canal?"
Kansu II was still very young, and he was also a hard-working and enterprising king. However, at this time, the Mamluk Kingdom had begun to gradually weaken. The decadent feudal nobles controlled the power of the dynasty and land annexation became increasingly serious. Peasants
The land was taken away and heavy taxes were imposed.
At the same time, water conservancy and irrigation were gradually neglected, agricultural production declined sharply, farmers continued to resist by fleeing, and peasant uprisings also occurred one after another.
Because of the decline of agriculture, the dynasty attached great importance to commerce and relied more on commerce. It implemented a policy of monopoly on certain commodities and forced large businessmen to purchase specialized goods at high prices. Industry and commerce were also hit.
There were external threats from the Ottoman Empire, numerous internal conflicts, and constant worries. All these were constantly testing the young Kansu II, which was why he cooperated with the Ming Dynasty to dig the canal.
The excavation of the canal can not only establish a good relationship with the Ming Dynasty, purchase arms and weapons from the Ming Empire, and strengthen itself, but also the excavation of the canal can bring a large number of jobs and opportunities to Egypt. At the same time, after the canal is dug, it will promote Egypt's
business, and the tolls collected can greatly ease the dynasty's finances.
Kansu II attached great importance to this matter.
However, the key now depends on what the Ming Dynasty people want, because the Mamluk Kingdom itself does not have the financial resources and manpower to dig the canal, and must rely on the capital, technology and manpower of the Ming Dynasty.
"Our emperor is very supportive of digging the Egyptian canal, so he specially sent me to discuss this matter with your country."
Tong Yuan replied with a smile.
"That's good~"
When Kansu II heard this, he also breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
As long as Daming is willing to participate, it will be easy to say.
As long as the Egyptian canal is excavated, Egypt will have an extra talisman. The Ming Empire will never let its huge investment go to waste. If the Ottoman Empire dares to attack Egypt, the Ming Dynasty will definitely intervene.
This was equivalent to putting a protective umbrella over Egypt. The Ottoman Empire had to think carefully before attacking.
"I wonder what your country's opinions are on the canal?"
Kansu II thought for a while and continued to ask. To be honest, he was a little afraid that the Ming Empire would bully him. The Ming Dynasty was too big and too powerful. If he really wanted to bully Egypt, he probably wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
To be honest, with the powerful force of the Ming Empire, there would be no problem in occupying Egypt.
"What we in the Ming Dynasty mean is the same as what Prime Minister Zuo of Ning State discussed with His Majesty."
"Your country is responsible for providing land, a certain amount of manpower and necessary materials, and we, Ming Dynasty, are responsible for providing funds, technology, and materials. We will cooperate to dig the canal, and we will share the proceeds from the canal equally."
Tong Yuan also handed over the agreement that had been prepared long ago.
"Hmm~"
Hearing Tong Yuan's words, Kansu II was even more relieved. The Ming people did not mean to bully him, just as Liu Yangzheng said.
Everyone invests in each other and the profits are divided in half. This condition is acceptable.
"Everyone, what do you think?"
Kansu II looked at the nobles and ministers present and asked for their opinions.
The excavation of the Egyptian canal is a major event related to the rise and fall of Egypt's national destiny. He, the king, also needs to discuss it with his superiors. What's more, the great nobles and ministers in the Mamluk Kingdom now also have a great say. The young
Kansu II often needs to look at their faces to act.
"This is a good thing~"
"As long as the canal is dug, we in Egypt will have an important source of income in the future."
"The excavation of the canal can also provide us with a lot of jobs."
"The Ming people's agreement is full of sincerity. Both parties are equal and the distribution of interests is not inappropriate. I have no objection."
One by one, the ministers stood up and expressed their opinions. It was obvious that they all saw the benefits that the excavation of this canal could bring to Egypt. They also felt that the Ming Empire was full of sincerity and had no intention of bullying Egypt because of its own strength.
"I thought something was wrong!"
However, at this time, a loud voice sounded.
Everyone looked over. The speaker was Durr. He was a great nobleman of the Mamluk Kingdom. He owned an extremely vast fiefdom, huge wealth, and a large number of slaves. He was also a minister and veteran who held real power in the kingdom.
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"What do you think is wrong?"
Kansu II looked at Duer with displeasure in his eyes. Duer was a representative of the die-hards and held great power in his hands, but he still refused to return the power to himself.
Now that he was digging the canal, he stood up to oppose it, which made Kansu II's eyes flash with murderous intent.
"Your Majesty, everyone~"
"Everyone, please read the Ming Dynasty's agreement~"
"It's very clear from the above. After the canal is dug, the ownership and usufruct rights of the canal will be half of each other. What does this mean?"
"And it is clearly stated in detail that the ten kilometers on both sides of the canal belong to the sovereignty of the canal. This means that once the canal is dug, half of this land that has belonged to us since ancient times will belong to
Ming Empire."
Duer took the agreement and said very loudly to the agreement above.
After hearing Duer's words, everyone present couldn't help but frown slightly. Matters involving the country are no small matter.
"The Ming Empire was not an ordinary country. They had an extremely large land and a huge population, and they were also full of desire for external expansion."
"Egypt is located at the junction of three continents, and its geographical location is very important. After the canal was built, it has become a strategically important place."
"By doing this now, the Ming Dynasty must be looking for excuses to attack and occupy Egypt in the future. Once we agree to dig the canal, half of the sovereignty of the canal will belong to the Ming Dynasty. From now on, we, the Egyptians, will not have the final say on this canal.
.”
"They Ming people will definitely find various excuses to take the opportunity to send troops to occupy and seize our land in Egypt."
"We must not cooperate with the Ming people, and we must not give them any excuses or opportunities to invade the land left to us by our ancestors!"
Duer's voice was very loud and could be heard clearly in every corner of the palace.
"Yes, yes~"
"The people of the Ming Dynasty are indeed a bit abnormal. They spent 20 million taels of silver to build the canal, but they only want half of the ownership. They must have a big plan."
"Let me just say, how in the world could such a good thing happen to us? This Ming Dynasty man is not a good person."
"They must be interested in us, Egypt, and want to find an opportunity to annex us."
Some people kept making noises.
Kansu II's face became extremely ugly. He looked at Duer. This old guy really knew how to make excuses. In fact, he was just afraid that after he accomplished this, his prestige would soar and he would take the opportunity to take back his power.
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On the surface it looks like it is about whether to dig a canal with the Ming people, but in fact it is about the internal power struggle in Egypt.
Kansu II knew this very well, and of course everyone with a discerning eye knew this.
In fact, Doerr did not want to oppose the digging of the canal, but to retain the power in his hands.
Once the canal is excavated, it will bring benefits to all parties. Egypt, which was originally suffering from internal and external troubles, is very likely to get rid of this situation. The young Kansu II can use this to increase his prestige and take back many powers. By that time, Durr will inevitably