Next, Li Min began to order people to prepare guards and goods, prepare to cross eastward into Europe, and establish commercial relations with European countries.
The most powerful empire in Europe during this period was the Byzantine Empire.
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was parallel to the Western Rome.
However, the Western Roman Empire actually did not last for many years before it was destroyed.
The Eastern Roman Empire lasted for thousands of years.
At this time, in the history of the world, it can be regarded as the longest lasting empire.
Well, some people may say that Japan lasted for more than 2,900 years.
In fact, strictly speaking, it is such a small place, and I don't know how many rulers have changed in the meantime.
This period of 2,900 years is untenable.
If we must say so, then China has lasted for more than 4,000 years.
Counting only empires, the Byzantine Empire lasted for thousands of years, making it the longest-lasting empire in the world.
Li Min calculated the time and found that the king of the Byzantine Empire at this time should be Constans II.
The Byzantine Empire at this time should also be subject to religious restrictions (religious issues will not be discussed in this book and will not appear in the following article. You all know the crab problem)
At this time, the Byzantine Empire was under attack from the Arab Empire.
The Arab Empire was what people in the Tang Dynasty called the Great Food Empire.
The Arab Empire in this life is more powerful than the major empire in its original historical trajectory.
Because they had a war experience with Datang.
At that time, the King of Shu led his troops to fight in person, and beat them until they lost their helmets and armor and fell into pieces.
In that battle, they fully realized the power of Datang and became afraid of Datang.
After that, they had a good relationship with Datang, and for so many years, they never went too far.
But secretly, the Dashi Empire had a strong interest in Datang.
Sun Tzu said in The Art of War: Know yourself and your enemy and you will be victorious in any battle.
Although the Dashi Empire does not have Sun Tzu's Art of War, things about the Art of War are universal throughout the world.
They naturally understand this truth.
The Tang Dynasty during this period was also an open Datang Dynasty.
Therefore, the great empire once sent many people from abroad to enter the Tang Dynasty in the name of doing business to fully understand the situation of the Tang Dynasty.
And the more they learn about it, especially in recent years, the more surprised and shocked they are.
The Tang Dynasty was really too powerful, and the speed of technological development in the Tang Dynasty was really too rapid.
Compared with the Tang Dynasty, their country's strength is simply heaven and earth.
The power of the Tang Dynasty made them feel timid.
But fortunately, Datang did not have much interest in expanding westward.
Therefore, at least in a short period of time, they will not face too much threat.
However, Dashi must not rely on the kindness of the Tang Dynasty for the safety of his country.
The current Tang Dynasty may not have much interest in them.
But what about the next generation, or the next generation of Datang?
Who dares to say that they will not march westward by then?
Therefore, if they want to resist the invasion of Datang, they must ensure that they are strong enough.
Therefore, Dashi began to send more people into Datang.
They continued to learn about the advanced culture of the Tang Dynasty and their technology, and then after these people came back, they started education in their country.
Therefore, in the past decade or so, the technological level of Dashi has been rapidly improving.
This kind of progress is something that their country may not be able to achieve in decades or even hundreds of years.
Of course, they currently have no way of mastering truly advanced technology.
It’s not that the Tang Dynasty was too precious about itself.
But cutting-edge scientific and technological capabilities, which inherently require top scientific and technological talents.
After all, it was a little late when they sent people into the Tang Dynasty.
If these people sent here want to join the ranks of top talents, they not only need to study hard, but also have extraordinary talents.
Genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration. However, which 1% inspiration is more important!
Their vast food empire has produced several talents who are not short of inspiration and hard work.
Moreover, these talents have also successfully entered the scientific research department and are responsible for some minor scientific research projects.
The great power of the Tang Dynasty was humble and open to all rivers. As long as you are a top scientific research talent, as long as you are willing to stay in the Tang Dynasty, the Scientific Research Department does not care what nationality you are.
Of course, some brief core technologies and some military scientific research are not accessible to anyone who is not absolutely trusted.
What talents of other nationalities can be contacted are limited to their own research topics.
In other words, if you have talent, Datang Research Department can provide you with sufficient funds.
There are also complete laboratories and all other conveniences it can provide.
With so much support, you can ensure the smooth implementation of your research.
However, all you have access to is your own subject.
It is impossible to inquire about other secrets.
Therefore, although the Dashi Empire also has a few talents, they have entered the scientific research department.
But it doesn't help them much.
And these talents can't even bring their research back to their big food empire.
Because, in the Dashi Empire, there is no laboratory of the Datang Scientific Research Department.
There are no laboratory instruments or other utensils.
After they returned to Dashi, the experiment could not be carried out.
Therefore, after careful consideration, these people could only stay in Datang.
Of course, they can bring a few more Dashi assistants according to their own conditions.
But the crux of the problem is that even if he brings out a few more people, he will still not be able to go back to Dashi in the end.
Because the foundation of Dashi’s technological development is really poor.
After I returned, I didn’t even have a laboratory, so there was no way to carry out a lot of research.
Only then did they understand why Datang was so open.
Why do you put almost no precautions on your own scientific research results?
Why are they so keen on attracting foreign scientists?
It turned out that once they arrived in the Tang Dynasty, it would be difficult for these scientists to go back.
Now, some scientists from Dashi can only stay in Datang while accelerating the construction of their domestic laboratories.
However, there is probably no way to build this kind of thing within a few years.
And, even if they build a laboratory.
But when it comes to the level of technological development, they are still far behind Datang.
I'm afraid they won't be able to catch up with the Tang Dynasty within a few decades or even a hundred years.
However, in the past decade or so, the technological development of the Dashi Empire has been very rapid.
At least, their steel-making capabilities have been greatly enhanced.
Naturally, there is no way to compare it with the Tang Empire.
But compared to myself more than ten years ago, the speed of improvement is really obvious.
They have also introduced rubber and tires domestically, and their vehicles have been replaced.
Their clothes are stronger and their weapons are sharper.
Their agriculture has also been greatly improved.
Their national power has become stronger.
Because the Dashi Empire is more powerful than in its original historical trajectory.
As his neighbor, the Byzantine Empire naturally suffered.
The Byzantine Empire was no match for the Great Food Empire in terms of its own strength.
And after the Dashi Empire became stronger, they were no longer an opponent.
At this time, the Byzantine Empire was occupied by the Great Food Empire and many territories were occupied.
As for the Byzantine Empire, in recent years, it had suffered from food shortages and was in an extremely bad situation.
It was during this period that Li Min decided to enter the Byzantine Empire.
One day, during the conversation between Li Min and Shangguan Yi, Shangguan Yi over-interpreted Li Min's intentions.
In fact, what Li Min wanted to achieve was actually a cultural invasion of Europe.
What Shangguan Yi said is actually not easy to do.
Currently, there is no country in Huaxia City.
Although their strength is strong, their population has always been their flaw.
If the population problem is not solved and the country has not yet been established, there is simply no way to do other things.
At present, Li Min just wants to lay a foundation for future actions.
This time, Li Min planned to take Cheng Chuliang with him.
Li Min is planning to bring three giant ships, ten thousand navy troops, and one thousand members of the Huya Special Forces.
There are so many people guarding him, enough to ensure his safety.
In fact, if it really comes to a life-or-death crisis, Li Min will naturally have other means to save his life.
Moreover, Li Min guessed that the Byzantine Empire at this time actually needed their friendship instead of being their enemy.
A month later, Li Min officially set out with three giant ships, 10,000 naval troops, and 1,000 members of the Huya Special Forces.
This time, they carried a lot of merchandise.
Among them, food only accounts for a small part.
Well, from Shangguan Yi's point of view, the purpose of opening up business relations with Europe this time is just to sell grain there.
But for Li Min, food is actually only a very small part of it.
Although the two places are not far apart, they are much closer than the Tang Dynasty.
But how much profit is there just from buying and selling grain?
Sending food to Europe is just to alleviate the problem of food surplus in the Golden State.
Most of the other goods are luxury goods.
Of course, there are some farming equipment and some weapons here.
Of course, these farming equipment and weapons are all due to the current level of automation in the Golden State.
Therefore, many farming equipment and weapons were eliminated.
These obsolete utensils were just sold to the Byzantine Empire.
Li Min believed that he would be very popular in the Byzantine Empire.
Three giant ships started sailing.
They headed east and arrived at the dock of the Byzantine Empire in only seven or eight days.
They came to the largest dock in Byzantium.
When it was still more than ten miles away from the dock, the speed of the giant ship slowed down.
This time, Li Min didn't think about making a small fuss.
Since he came in person, he naturally wanted to talk to the monarch of the Byzantine Empire in person.
If he was just making a small fuss at the small wharf and selling grain bit by bit, why would he need to do it himself?
In this case, there is no need to give them enough shock and deterrence.
For this reason, Li Min brought three giant ships this time.
…
The terrain of Europe is like an isolated island hanging offshore.
Many countries are island countries with very little land and are extremely barren.
It is difficult for them to support themselves through farming.
Therefore, they are very popular in doing business, and sailing ships to do business abroad has become a normal behavior for them.
Therefore, many countries in Europe have very prosperous docks.
And because of their coastal location, their shipbuilding and navigation industries are also very developed.
This was also the reason why European navies once dominated the world.
Because of navigation, they could not stay in one place for too long.
Therefore, in Europe, courtesy reciprocity is not popular.
For example, if two new friends go to dinner, they will definitely not treat each other.
Because I invited you this time, in many cases, there will be no next time.
Am I not at a disadvantage?
I just met my friend, why should I spend money to treat you to dinner?
Therefore, when they ate, they began to popularize the aa system.
It means that each person pays half of the money spent.
This is how the AA system is prevalent in the West.
And what about in the East?
Because it is mainly farming, everyone is in the same place. If nothing unexpected happens, they will stay in the same area from birth to death.
Therefore, when it comes to treating guests, of course I treat you today and you treat me tomorrow.
This is called reciprocity.
Therefore, in later generations, there was a period of time when some people felt that the Western aa system was more advanced than our treat.
This is actually a very unreasonable thing.
These two completely different ways of making friends are just caused by the different living environments of the two parties.
There is no distinction between superior and inferior.
Well, what I mean by saying this is to explain some of the geographical features of Europe.
In short, this dock in the Byzantine Empire was very prosperous.
There are many people working on the dock, busy moving things.
Then, they were surprised to see someone beside them stop and look at the sea in surprise.
The mouth felt like a whole ham had been stuffed into it.
It seemed that he had never seen such a shocking scene in his life.
Oh my God, what did he see?
So, they couldn't help but stop what they were doing and turned their heads to look at the sea.
Oh, I bought it!
Where is the sky! Where is the sky!
What on earth is that?
Could it be three ships?
They swore that they had never seen such a huge ship in their lives.
These three ships are really huge.
Its magnitude was completely beyond their imagination.
In fact, they never dared to dream of such a huge ship.
Which ship is probably not as big as one of their castles?
How can such a huge ship float on the sea?
Why didn't it sink to the bottom of the sea?
The sea-going ships manufactured by their country are already very advanced.
None of the nearby countries had better shipbuilding technology than them.
But compared with this giant ship, well, there is no comparison at all!
They believe that no one on their continent has ever been able to build such a huge ship.
Where did these three ships come from?
Could it be that it came from the other side of the vast ocean?
Is there actually a continent on that side of the ocean?
Where are the people who possess such amazing technology?
Also, what exactly do they want to do by sending three giant ships?
Are you planning to launch an attack on us?
The people here are very aggressive.
In later generations, it was probably delayed by eight or nine hundred years.
Among them, there was a guy named Columbus who discovered a new continent while sailing.
That is the Golden State, which they call America.
Next, Europeans carried out the largest immigration.
They committed numerous evil deeds and almost slaughtered all the native Americans, whom they called Indians.
At their core, they are just a bunch of greedy wolves.
After they developed, how many colonial wars were launched?
How many innocent people were massacred?
The invasion of China by the Eight-Power Allied Forces in later generations was actually a replica of their invasion of America.
Fortunately, the Chinese people stood up and drove them all out.
Otherwise, our fate will probably be no better than that of the Indians.
It is still unknown whether there are still pure Chinese people.
However, people are forgetful.
It has only been a few decades and people have long forgotten all this.
Now, I am happily living Christmas, New Year's Day, Valentine's Day and other upcoming holidays.
Even compared to our own traditional festivals such as the Double Ninth Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and other festivals, I don’t know how many times it is grander.
Do you really admire a festival celebrated by a group of robbers and executioners so highly?
Don't believe their lies that the gospel has spread all over the world. The blood on their hands has not dried up yet.
The corpses they killed are rotting underground.
Their atrocities, their ferocity, will not end because of this.
It is precisely because they have a wolf nature in their bones that after seeing these three giant ships.
The first thought that comes to their mind is not that their friends are here and they have a nice drink.
They quickly sounded the alarm, and even the hard workers on the dock dropped their work one by one, picked up weapons, and prepared to fight back.
The people on these docks quickly reported the matter to their superiors.
If these three giant ships come to attack them, they must respond as quickly as possible.
They quickly sent someone to report the situation to the city lord.
On the dock, there are troops responsible for protecting the dock.
They boarded the warship and made preparations to meet the enemy.
However, after they boarded the warship, they couldn't help but have a look of confusion on their faces.
Their warships were originally invincible among the surrounding countries.
But now, in front of these three giant ships, they seem so small.
In the past, the main method they used in naval battles was to shoot with bows and arrows while the two ships were moving.
Once close, quickly jump onto the other side's ship and kill their enemies with swords.
But now, they raised their heads and looked at the giant ship that was still approaching them.
So tall!
They made a visual inspection and found that even if they came close, their bows and arrows might not be able to reach the cabin.
I calculated that I can barely shoot it up, but I'm afraid it's at the end of the line and there won't be any damage.
As for jumping onto other people's battleships...
Um, I'm afraid I'm thinking too much.
Not to mention jumping up, I can't even climb up.
How to fight this?
In front of these three giant ships, they have no power to fight back at all!
At the same time, they coveted these three giant ships extremely.
If they can have such a giant ship, then what other country will be their opponent in a naval battle?
No matter when facing warships from any other country, this is an absolutely crushing existence.
Once a small ship like theirs encounters the opponent's giant ship, it will probably end up being shattered to pieces.
Using warships to engage in naval battles with them is simply seeking death.
After thinking about this, the soldiers of the Byzantine Empire hurriedly disembarked and returned to the dock.
What they have to do now is to secure the dock and prevent the other party from invading.
On the giant ship, Cheng Chuliang couldn't help laughing when he saw the movement on the shore.
All the soldiers on the ship burst into laughter.
Then, Cheng Chuliang commanded the giant ship and began to slowly approach the dock.
The Byzantine soldiers on the dock were even more prepared as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
Not long after, the giant ship was no more than a hundred meters away from the dock.
The height of the giant ship is even higher than the dock.
Both parties can clearly see each other.
Li Min couldn't help but take out a loudspeaker and shouted to the Byzantine soldiers on the shore: "We are merchants from Huaxia City in the Golden State. I am the lord of Huaxia City. I hope to do business with your Byzantine Empire."
"I hope you can tell your monarch that here is our certificate of credence, and I hope you can submit it to your monarch."
What Li Min said was in Byzantine language. Cheng Chuliang and the others couldn't understand what their city lord was saying.
And all the Byzantine soldiers on the shore heard it clearly.
They all had very shocked looks on their faces.
They don't know where the Golden State is, let alone the size of Huaxia City.
However, just because they can build such a huge warship and sail long distances on the sea, they are much stronger than them.
Moreover, people who have come all the way here actually know the name of their country and can speak their language.
People know them very well.
And they know nothing about others.
For this alone, they were at an absolute disadvantage.
However, fortunately, the other party came here just to do business with them and not to attack them.
If you are against them, it is very likely that they are not their opponents at all.
Next, the soldiers of the Byzantine Empire put down their weapons.
However, they are still secretly vigilant.
Fortunately, this envoy from Huaxia City in the Golden State really came to do business with them.
When people got off the boat, they only took a few guards with them.
Then, hand the credentials to them and ask them to deliver them to their king.