Water Margin people

"Your Majesty also knows about the Crusades?"

Erdok looked at Sun Lei in surprise. He didn't expect that such a thing would be known in such a distant country.

"You guys made such a big noise, who wouldn't know about it?"

Sun Lei sneered and said that he had sent people to investigate. The Jin Dynasty's smelting technology and mechanical technology were introduced to Central Asia during the Crusades decades ago. The Jin people exchanged all of these through the sable trade. Even the Jin Dynasty's Iron Pagoda was a replica of the Crusaders' heavy cavalry.

"Your Majesty, the Germans are a bunch of barbarians! They don't deserve such a good place!"

Erdok looked at Sun Lei and said sincerely.

"Oh? Savage?"

Sun Lei asked with a smile, he saw cunning and deception in Erdok's eyes.

"The Germans are originally barbarians from the north, just like the Huns and Turks in the Middle-earth!"

Erdok spoke up.

"The Huns and the Turks? You know a lot about Middle-earth!"

Sun Lei nodded. After the Huns and Turks were driven westward, they became famous in the West. The Turks are still the overlord of Central Asia and have established the Seljuk Empire.

"Every time I pass by a place, I will learn about the local history. The Middle-earth has been passed down for thousands of years. It is really admirable!"

Edoc flattered, but this was also his true words. The Greek civilization and Roman civilization in the West were not as old as Middle-earth, and Egypt had long disappeared in history, and the Mesopotamian region was also cut off.

Only the civilization of Middle-earth has never been interrupted, and there are countless good things. Edoc really wants to do business with Middle-earth. The things here are extremely exquisite, and as a businessman, it is impossible for him to give up.

"Okay, stop beating around the bush and tell me your purpose!"

Sun Lei looked at Erdok.

"Your Majesty, I once heard in Guangzhou that during the Sui Dynasty in China, there was an emperor with great talent and strategy. He mobilized the people to dig a canal connecting the north and the south. The total length was more than 4,000 miles, which was unprecedented in history!"

Erdok spoke up.

"You want me to dig a canal here?"

Sun Lei looked at Erdok and asked.

"Your Majesty is wise. As long as you dig a canal here, Your Majesty will be able to control the lifeline of the West and the East!"

Erdok said quickly.

"Haha, you have good taste."

Sun Lei smiled and nodded. This was indeed the best place to dig a canal. The distance of more than 400 miles was not far. Compared with the Grand Canal of Emperor Yang of Sui, it was nothing.

"Your Majesty agrees?"

Erdok asked excitedly.

"Just a few words from you are not enough! You need to come up with more details!"

Sun Lei looked at Erdok and said.

"Your Majesty, just tell me what you want. I can agree to it on behalf of all the merchants in Venice!"

Erdok immediately patted his chest and said.

"Digging a canal requires detailed information about the local soil, mountain topography, and elevation differences."

Sun Lei looked at Erdok and said.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will check it out right away and give Your Majesty a detailed report within three months!"

Erdok said quickly.

"Go!"

Sun Lei waved his hand and asked Erdok to leave. Erdok bowed several times before leaving. "Your Majesty, it is not appropriate to dig a canal in a place 100,000 miles away!"

Zhu Wu looked at Sun Lei and said, if this were in the Central Plains, a 400-mile canal would be a piece of cake, but this place is in a foreign land surrounded by barbarians.

"Haha, of course I know it's inappropriate! But it's just not the right time!"

Sun Lei shook his head.

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

Zhu Wu's eyes lit up. That place was not Qi's territory yet, so it was naturally not suitable for digging a canal. But what if that place belonged to Qi one day? That would be a different situation.

"Besides, merchants in Venice can't be trusted!"

Sun Lei spoke again.

"Your Majesty, are you saying that what that person said is untrue?"

Chai Jin asked hurriedly.

"It's not that there is a hollow, but there is another purpose!"

Sun Lei shook his head. With his later experience, he naturally knew how important the Suez Canal was, which connected the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. It was indeed the lifeline connecting the East and the West.

"Purpose?"

Zhu Wu and Chai Jin were both puzzled. They couldn't figure out what purpose a group of businessmen could have.

"Venetian merchants will do anything for money, even betray their own country!"

Sun Lei said.

"Look at this map. These Western countries are closer to here. Why don't they dig this canal? Why do they come to us instead?"

"On the one hand, there has been war here for many years. Even if there is a waterway, it is very difficult to maintain law and order. They are still like this, and we are even more out of reach. We can only let them do whatever they want!"

"On the other hand, the Venetian merchants represented the Western merchant community. Their trade routes were blocked here, and they began to lose out to the Arab merchants."

"We can tell this from the situation at Guangzhou Port and Quanzhou Port. The Arab merchants are making a lot of money from the goods in our Middle Earth, while these white merchants can only get a small share!"

Sun Lei opened his mouth and said that each of the several Arab merchants had a fortune of over one million, but it was only accumulated over a dozen years.

"These people are trying to take advantage of us!"

Zhu Wu and Chai Jin's eyes became unfriendly. It has always been the State of Qi that took advantage of others, but now a businessman was actually taking advantage of them.

"This is just about business. There are also wars. Religious conflicts in these places are very serious. Although the first Crusade was victorious and their holy city of Jerusalem was captured, the casualties were huge."

"Not long after the war, the Crusaders left and lost control of these places. It was an expedition that cost a lot of money, but ended up with nothing!"

"I think the Second Religious War is about to break out. How could these Venetians miss such an opportunity to make money? Middle-earth is too far away from the West and we don't speak the same language. They only need to create a mismatch in information and drag us into the war in exchange for huge benefits!"

Sun Lei pointed at the map and continued, war is the favorite time for businessmen, especially such a reckless expedition from the West, which does not even have logistical support. How could businessmen miss such an opportunity?

"Your Majesty, if this is the case, the Western Expedition will have to wait?"

Zhu Wu looked at Sun Lei and asked, if a war was about to break out in the West, then they could reap the benefits.

"No need. Isn't it better to fish in troubled waters? These so-called Crusaders are just some noble stragglers and brainwashed farmers. They don't train together and are recruited temporarily. They don't have any logistical supplies. Don't count on them too much."

Sun Lei shook his head and said, among the several Crusades, only the first one was successful, and all the rest were disastrous defeats. Although those in Central Asia were also weak, they had an absolute advantage in fighting on their own soil.

Zhu Wu pondered silently. The plan of the Western Expedition seemed to be more complicated than he had expected. The West was not all wasteland. There were many people and countries there.

"Don't worry so much, we just need to do our own thing. The first step for the army is to go to the Western Region! The navy will go there to occupy some land first, and then attack from both inside and outside!"

Seeing that Zhu Wu seemed to be in trouble, Sun Lei reminded him that caring too much about the enemy would only confuse himself. (End of this chapter)