bookandnovel Chapter 939 Contract
Chapter 939 Contract
Chapter 939 Contract
"what did he say?"
Losa frowned.
Ivan carefully considered his words before saying, "He said that although you are the ruler of a powerful country, you should also know that the Khan of my country is the greatest monarch under the Eternal Heaven, and you should have at least the most basic respect for our letter of state."
Losa chuckled, knowing that what the envoy said was certainly not as tactful as Ivan's translation, but he didn't dwell on it.
In any era, harming an envoy is the lowest form of behavior.
"Then let's see if your Khan has even the most basic respect for me."
Losa opened the letter of state, the contents of which were written in two languages: one was Persian, and the other was surprisingly Latin.
"King Losar, I have heard that you took only one year to replace the Green-Clad Abbasids all by yourself. Since then, the vast territory from Cyrenaica to Adana has been under your rule. Such a great achievement is even greater than when I unified the grasslands. I admire you very much."
My great Tatar state has now unified the grasslands for over ten years, and has also conquered the Jin Dynasty and the Karakhidan. The territory under our rule is more than ten thousand miles long, and the number of archers under our command is more than a million. Both countries are powerful nations. If war breaks out in the future, it will be no different from two tigers fighting each other, which will only waste our national strength.
I know that your people largely believe in Islam, and that the other Islamic nations also regard your country as an enemy that has seized their holy lands. My Great Tatar Kingdom feels the same way. Let us therefore conclude a treaty and jointly attack Eranshahr. When the time comes, we will use the Euphrates River as the boundary and live in peace. You will not turn east, and I will not turn west. When your caravans cross the Amu Darya, I will ensure that the post stations along the way provide supplies. When my envoys reach Antioch, you must also ensure their safety.
I sincerely wish to befriend you, and I hope you will give this matter careful consideration.
If you are willing to make a treaty, then swear by camel hair, and you must send troops as soon as possible to attack the Persians from both sides.
If you are unwilling to enter into a treaty, I hope you will hold fast to the border and refrain from any rash actions.
After the fall of Eranshahr, the leader of all the nations of the world, our two countries will live as neighbors, becoming friendly nations, opening up trade routes, and exchanging goods and services.
This is not just a matter for you and me, but also the foundation upon which generations of people in both regions will benefit.
Losa closed the letter, somewhat surprised.
The wording of this letter was quite appropriate, even rather polite. It seems that the Tatar Khan had missionaries fluent in Latin serving him, and his understanding of overseas empires was not entirely hearsay.
Ivan carefully observed Losa's expression and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Losa was not furious. He thought to himself that his Khan, whom he had never met before, probably did not intend to recognize him as his son this time.
In fact, the Khan of the steppe did express similar sentiments after hearing about Losa's deeds.
After all, his sons, although they were all quite outstanding generals, were more or less under his protection. Compared with a legendary monarch like Lothar, who seemed like a fantasy to outsiders, they were undoubtedly far inferior.
"Your Majesty has read our Lord's letter of state. What are your thoughts?"
Although Ivan and his entourage had not seen the specific contents of the letter of credence, they had a general idea of what it meant to be envoys; otherwise, what would they be doing? Their previous concerns were simply about the wording.
Losar pondered for a moment and then said, “Your lord started from scratch and unified the entire steppe in fifteen years. First, he destroyed the Great Jin, then he took the Western Liao and expanded the territory by thousands of miles. He is truly a great hero of his generation, and I admire him very much. So, as your lord said, we will jointly attack the Sassanids, but I want the entire Mesopotamian plain.”
Ivan exclaimed in surprise, “I did not expect Your Majesty to have such a deep understanding of our Lord and the Eastern countries. Your Majesty’s request is not excessive. If the two countries become friendly, it is not unreasonable for the entire territory of Mesopotamia to fall into your hands.”
It sounds generous, but in reality, this territory is just sitting there doing nothing.
Persia is mountainous. Jochi's western expeditionary force had already conquered the Western Liao and Khwarazm, and then marched into Persia. They were already quite bloated with food and had no energy left to continue the westward expedition in the short term.
Balth was quite pleased to hear the interpreter's account: "This King of Losar is much better than that King of Khwarezm; he's a wise man."
The Tatars have a tradition that whoever conquers a territory rules it.
In the previous history of Losar, it was Hulagu who conquered Persia and was enfeoffed as Ilkhan by Möngke Khan, the son of Tolui.
Now, it is Jochi, the eldest son of the Tatar Khan, who has conquered Persia. In the future, the core territory of the "Jochi Ulus" will inevitably be located in the Persian region, meaning that the Golden Horde will replace the Ilkhanate.
Although Jochi was the eldest son of the Great Khan, his position in the royal court was rather awkward because his mother, Börte, had been abducted by the Merkits and gave birth to Jochi after her return. His bloodline was a mystery. Although the Great Khan acknowledged his identity, he named him "Jochi," which means "guest," for a rather subtle reason.
His brother Chagatai even openly questioned his bloodline, believing that he was of Merkit descent and unqualified to be the Great Khan's eldest son, but was severely reprimanded by the Great Khan.
Therefore, Jochi will inevitably be excluded from the core circle of the Tatar Empire in the future. At that time, the Persian region will be the core territory of Jochi Urus, and the key to supporting him to march eastward and compete for the Khanate a hundred years after the Great Khan.
The overseas empires had halted the westward expeditionary force, and Jochi was clearly not willing to stop there and not advance any further.
Bars was a centurion of the Kheshig. As a personal guard of the Great Khan, he had a very close relationship with the Great Khan's eldest son, Jochi. He came with the delegation to act as an informant for the Great Khan and also for Jochi, the commander of the western expeditionary force.
Based on what he had seen along the way, he also felt that the overseas empire was indeed quite powerful. Their main force was still in the south attacking the Song Dynasty, and it was impossible for them to devote all their strength to supporting the eldest son's western expedition. It would be best to be on good terms with them for the time being.
"Guests of the delegation, now that you are here, please stay in Jerusalem for a few more days, so that you warriors of the steppes may witness the military might of our overseas empire."
Lothar said a few more nice words and then dismissed the delegation.
He then asked the members of the Imperial Council, "What do you think of the contents of this letter of state?"
The group read the letter of state in turn, and were quite surprised by the sincerity expressed in its words.
Lavinia asked doubtfully, "It doesn't seem like they're just being hypocritical."
Losa smiled and said, “I believe that the Tatar Khan does indeed intend to be friendly with us, because his most pressing goal now is to continue south and conquer the vast and prosperous Song Dynasty.”
However, once they annexed the Song Dynasty, they would undoubtedly continue their westward expansion. Compared to the barren Rus' region, they were more likely to march into Asia Minor and Damascus.
Therefore, a war between the overseas empires and the Tatars is inevitable in the future!
In the future, if we were to fight the Tatars again, we would face a Tatar state that controls the entire Eastern Dynasty, freeing up both of its forces; but in the present, we would face only a quarter of the Tatar state's strength.
"Therefore, my mind is made up. From this day forward, we will prepare our troops for war, first take the Mesopotamian plain, control the natural barrier of the Zagros Mountains, and then contend with the Tatars."
Lothar had made up his mind, and naturally no one in the royal council objected.
Only Kurs offered the suggestion: "The cost of imperial rule remains high. Mesopotamia is vast and populous, far exceeding the Damascus Kingdom under imperial rule. I believe that even if the empire conquers this region, it should postpone the process of bringing it under imperial control and instead implement a system of indirect rule."
"Yes, you make a good point. Then let's choose a Sasanian heir. When we send troops this time, we will support him to take over Mesopotamia and become the new Sasanian king. This way, we can have the legitimacy and also keep the Sasanian Empire as a bulwark."
Many of Lothar's courtiers were exiled members of the Sasanian royal family, mostly losers in political struggles, so finding someone in the line of succession was not difficult.
After the imperial council adjourned, Lothar looked at Anna, who was still there, and couldn't help but ask, "As the Empire's closest ally, and having consistently urged me to send troops against the Tatars, how many troops does the Eastern Empire plan to send now that war is about to break out?"
Anna was momentarily speechless.
The turmoil within the Eastern Empire has not yet subsided, and the political situation is currently in a period of stability. It is undoubtedly impossible to mobilize all forces to support Lothar's continued eastern expedition.
Lothar waved his hand, somewhat annoyed, and said, "I know your predicament, but since you can't support me, why don't you say a few more words?"
Anna chuckled awkwardly: "With your current strength, defeating the Tatars shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Lothar did not deny this.
Over the past three years, his strength may not have increased rapidly, but his actual combat power has undergone tremendous changes.
This is because his Emperor Set attributes have been significantly enhanced due to the great prosperity of the overseas empires.
National legitimacy: High. (The imperial territory is under your control and recognized by other nations.)
National Loyalty: United as One. (For the past three years, the Empire's new policies have taken root in the hearts of the people, who all regard you as their divinely ordained ruler. Only a small group of disgruntled rebels remain hidden in the shadows.)
Standard of living: Poverty. (The standard of living of the people under your rule has greatly improved, but the large number of immigrants and the huge population base limit further improvement.)
Emperor Set Effect Assessment: Destiny's Mandate. (You can now fully unleash 200% of the Emperor Set's power.)
With the double power of the Emperor's Set, even without Lavinia's laws, his strength had already reached the ceiling of this world. Unless he released the sealed World Serpent "Jormungandr" from the Frozen Crown, he really didn't believe anyone could be his match.
It was his own idea to go to war with the Tatars, and had nothing to do with Anna's "instigation," but it was still necessary to give them a warning.
Anna said with some guilt, "Then how can I make it up to you? You've almost emptied the library in Constantinople."
Lothar coughed lightly, revealing his true intentions: "I've heard that our Levant Spellcasters Association has been doing quite well lately. Could you send me a few talented teachers to open a spellcasters academy in Jerusalem?"
The lack of a systematic training program for spellcasters is the only weakness of the overseas empires today.
Anna rolled her eyes: "So that's what you were waiting for. Fine, I agree."