Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 1255 Epilogue : The Hungarian Princess Enters the Capital

During the summer vacation, most of the students went home and the National Science Conference had been held for eight days.

After discussing the reform of scientific measurement units, we began to discuss the reform of bachelor's titles, followed by academic reports on both liberal arts and science.

After listening to four academic lectures today, Xie Yan returned to the city in a carriage.

It was almost evening when a fleet docked at the East Suburb Wharf, followed by a delegation of several hundred people who landed.

Xie Yan's carriage passed through Dongguo Street and happened to meet the foreign envoys at the bridgehead.

“Slow down!”

The officials of the Honglu Temple who led the foreign envoys into Beijing immediately ordered the car to slow down when they saw Xie Yan's carriage. Finally, they stopped completely and asked the carriage of the prince consort to cross the bridge first.

Hundreds of foreigners looked around to see what big shot they were meeting.

Xie Yan slowed down, reached out of the car, and waved to the officials from the Honglu Temple.

An official came running over.

Xie Yan asked: "Which countries are these envoys from?"

The Honglu Temple official said: "It is a mixed delegation of Kipchaks, Cumans and Magyars."

Xie Yan said: "Aren't the Cumans and the Cumans always at war?"

An official from the Honglu Temple said: "They are originally close relatives. The so-called attacks on each other are actually tribal wars. Now the tribes have agreed not to fight. The Cumans are willing to submit to the Ming Dynasty and are willing to accept Buddhism and Nestorianism."

"Where did the Magyars come from?" Xie Yan asked.

An official from the Honglu Temple said: "The Magyars established a Kingdom of Hugrha (Hungary) further west of the Cuman territory. They also claim to be descendants of the Xiongnu and this time they insisted on sending the princess to marry."

Xie Yan was totally confused as he had no idea what the Magyars and the Hugh Arab Kingdom were.

After a brief chat, Xie Yan asked the driver to speed up.

The mixed delegation of several hundred people behind them also quickened their pace and headed towards the city. If they delayed any further, the city gates would be closed.

The Kipchaks and Cumans are often regarded as the same nomadic people.

But it has not yet been fully integrated.

They live in the vast grasslands north of the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.

A small group in the east believes in desert religion. A small group in the west believes in Catholicism. A small group in the south believes in Orthodox Christianity. But the vast majority of people believe in the primitive polytheistic religion of the grassland.

The Cumans had submitted to the Ming for decades, and the leader of their tribal alliance was enthroned as the King of Cumans by the Ming Emperor.

Buddhism, Taoism, and Nestorianism were deliberately spread by the Ming Dynasty, and the small number of desert religious beliefs were washed away. However, Taoism was very weak, while Buddhism and Nestorianism spread rapidly.

The Cumans were employed by Hungary and Byzantium for a long time. Their main job was herding, and their side job was being mercenaries.

Some of the Cuman tribes who liked to cooperate with Hungary converted to Catholicism.

Some of the Cuman tribes who liked to cooperate with Byzantium converted to Orthodoxy.

By the way, there were also many Kipchaks and Cumans who went to the desert to serve the country as mercenaries.

As for Hungary, this country has been parasitized by Catholicism.

The priests went to every village and first fought fiercely with the polytheists. Then, due to the dispute between the system of succession by legitimate sons and the system of succession by adulthood, the monarch could not centralize power at all.

There is also the butterfly effect brought about by the Ming Dynasty, which has resulted in the current King of Hungary being not Bela IV who resisted the Mongol invasion.

The reason was that more than 70 years ago, a series of changes in Europe led to the fact that the Holy Roman Princess did not die of illness, but instead fulfilled her engagement with the Hungarian prince. The subsequent Hungarian kings all changed.

The Holy Roman Emperor used this opportunity to strengthen his control over Hungary.

The King of Hungary, with the support of the Holy Roman Emperor, began to crack down on church forces in the country and slowly took back the various powers that the king had given up.

Now, the princes of the Holy Roman Empire are fighting among themselves, and Hungary and the Cumans are planning to turn to the East.

It is naturally impossible for the Ming Dynasty to govern so far.

However, the Ming Dynasty's vassal power, the Cumans, could unite with them and together they could create a big scene in Eastern and Central Europe.

……

"Is this the legendary capital of the Ming Emperor?" Prince Laszlo looked up at the city wall.

After more than a year of trekking, they finally arrived in Luoyang.

They also took the Ming Dynasty train on the way, which shocked the three-party mixed delegation beyond words.

When they first boarded the train, everyone exclaimed it was a miracle.

From Dongguo all the way to the inner city area, hundreds of envoys entered the city like bumpkins, looking around and finding everything curious.

During this journey, they were not allowed to enter the city and they camped outside the city every time for the night.

As soon as you enter the city, you will enter Luoyang, and you will be shocked by the prosperity in front of you.

"The Sifang Pavilion is in front of us. The envoys from the three countries can only stay there with 50 followers each," said the official from the Honglu Temple. "The rest of you will have other accommodations arranged by the court. No one is allowed to resort to violence. If you have a dispute with anyone, you must come to the Honglu Temple to resolve it."

Princess Anna is fourteen years old this year. She had just turned thirteen when she left Hungary.

"Are those lights always on?" asked Princess Anna, pointing at the kerosene street lamps.

The two translators relayed the message, and the official from the Honglu Temple laughed and said, "It will go out in the middle of the night." Everyone was amazed.

On the way here, they passed through many cities. Although they were not allowed to enter the city, they could still see the bright lights of the city at night.

The envoys from the Three Kingdoms entered the Sifang Pavilion one after another. They were arranged in several courtyards, and officials came to teach them how to use various daily necessities.

Then, dinner was brought to them.

The dishes were rich but not extravagant, and Prince Laszlo devoured them ravenously.

Princess Anna was a little more elegant, and her manners during meals were almost as good as Xie Yan's maid.

"It's like heaven here," Princess Anna exclaimed.

Prince Laszlo smiled and said, "As long as my sister marries the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, she will be able to enjoy endless benefits in the future."

Princess Anna asked: "Will the Ming Emperor be an old man?"

"He is not an old man," Prince Laszlo said. "I kept asking on the road, and finally found out yesterday that the Emperor of Ming is still underage."

"A little child?" said Princess Anna.

Prince Laszlo said, "About your age. But it seems that the men of the Ming Dynasty can marry many wives, just like the barbarians over there."

The Hungarian royal aristocracy was also a group of barbarians two or three hundred years ago.

Until now, polytheism still exists in Hungary, and many villages and tribes practice polygamy.

The next day, the envoys from the three countries began to communicate with the Honglu Temple and were taught various audience etiquette.

The Cuman envoys came to pay tribute and served as guides for the envoys from the other two countries.

The Cuman envoys came to surrender, hoping to become a vassal of the Ming Dynasty and allow the Ming Dynasty's Buddhism, Taoism, and Nestorianism to spread.

The Hungarian envoys came to establish diplomatic relations and try to marry into the Ming imperial family, and by the way, obtain some Ming firearms technology. (Hungary had been a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire for decades, and was envious of the firearms that the Holy Roman Empire possessed.)
These three countries planned to completely cease fire and do business together under the witness of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty - the Silk Road!
A few days later, Princess Anna put on her most gorgeous clothes and followed her brother into the palace to meet the Emperor and the Queen Mother.

A hundred years ago, Hungary and France married, and Gothic clothing and French literature were introduced.

The top of her dress was tight, especially at the waist. But below the waist, the skirt suddenly became puffy and big. Her whole body was like an "A" shape.

However, this type of skirt has no boning and is not as exaggerated as those in the Age of Discovery.

She was only fourteen years old, but her breasts had already begun to take shape, and her cleavage could be vaguely seen through the low-cut neckline.

The hairstyle and headdress are very interesting. At first glance, they are similar to Zhao Yazhi's version of White Snake, even the veil draped behind the bun is very similar.

After entering the imperial city and taking a carriage, they got dizzy and lost, and finally they saw the little emperor and the empress dowager.

First, the Cuman envoy came in to pay his respects.

The Cumans expressed their loyalty to the Ming and once again promised that if a rebellion broke out in the western part of the Seven Rivers Protectorate, they would accept the Ming's call without hesitation.

Moreover, without the need for money or food from the Ming court, they would bring their own food and weapons and kill all the rebellious desert sect grassland tribes.

Empress Dowager Ye expressed great satisfaction, accepted the tribute from the Cumans, and gave them a lot of silk, cotton, tea and spices.

The Cuman envoy was overjoyed and expressed his gratitude repeatedly.

These Cumans were indeed loyal and had submitted to the Ming for decades. They had never rebelled and instead assisted the Ming in suppressing rebellions many times.

When Emperor Dingtai suppressed the Seven Rivers Rebellion, the Kipchaks sent 5,000 cavalry and did not ask for money or food from the Ming Dynasty. Of course, Emperor Dingtai also gave a lot afterwards.

Next, the Cuman envoys entered and expressed their willingness to submit to the Ming Dynasty and become its vassal, just like the Cumans.

They also offered five beautiful women to be concubines of the young emperor. Although the Cumans had a tribal alliance leader, they were still a loose group as a whole, and the chiefs of each tribe all planned to offer their daughters.

Finally, after much strife, the five most powerful tribes each offered a noble lady, and each noble lady brought several maids as dowry.

"Are you willing to accept various religious sects?" asked Empress Dowager Ye.

The Cuman envoy said: "We know the Buddhism, Taoism and Nestorianism of the Kipchak tribes. These sects do not conflict with our beliefs. We believe in ancestors and natural gods. Several tribes close to us in Hungary have even accepted Western Catholicism."

Empress Dowager Ye nodded and smiled: "Very good, the Ming Dynasty accepts your loyalty."

The Cuman envoy added: "If there is a rebellion in the Seven Rivers Protectorate of the Ming Dynasty, we Cumans are willing to send troops, but we need the Ming Dynasty to pay us some money. We have a good reputation and are often hired by Rome (Byzantium) and Hungary."

Empress Dowager Ye smiled but said nothing.

These guys were vassal states, but they still had to pay to help fight the war. They were no different from the Qarlugs.

I’m afraid he’s here in Ming Dynasty to expand his mercenary business!

Queen Mother Ye also accepted their tribute, gave them some property instead, and asked the Ministry of Rites to send an envoy to enthrone the King of Cuman.

With the king appointed by the Ming Dynasty, the leaders of the Cuman tribal alliance truly had a legal system with appeal. They could further integrate the tribes, continue to serve as mercenaries, and expand their territory to the northwest (where there are a lot of principalities established by the Slavs).

The Ming Dynasty’s military force was not projected over there, but its political influence was already sufficient!
Both parties take what they need.

The Cumans needed the legal legitimacy and Silk Road trade provided by the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty used the Cumans to spread Buddhism, Taoism, and Nestorianism, and also Confucianism. These Cumans now own one-fifth of Ukraine.

Imagine Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism spread to Ukraine...

(End of this chapter)