My father Zhu Gaoxu

Chapter 864 The Continuation of the Empire

Constantine followed the Han official who informed him and came to the living room of the city lord's palace to wait.

Constantine had been looking forward to this meeting for a long time, and even feared that Thomas would be too impulsive and say the wrong thing, so he specifically asked Thomas to stay at his residence and come to meet this important person from this big man alone.

Until now, Constantine still doesn't know who this important person he wants to meet is, and what is his status in the Han Dynasty?

But it doesn’t matter. The other party’s status is higher than that of General Zhang, which is enough to show his weight. If he can convince the other party, he will definitely make the big man agree to cooperate with their Rome. And as long as he gets the support of the big Han, reviving Rome will no longer be a problem. An empty phrase.

Thinking of this, Constantine couldn't help but feel excited. He had waited for so long and finally got this opportunity.

Constantine waited in the living room for a while, and soon heard a set of footsteps from behind the living room. Then he saw General Zhang, whom he had met before, walking over with a tall Han man. He has a short beard, looks quite handsome, and has an extraordinary temperament that makes people feel awe at first sight.

Zhu Zhanhe was also looking at Constantine at this time. He saw that Constantine was about the same age as him, not tall, but very energetic. At this time, he also took the initiative to salute him and Zhang Zhong and said: "Greetings, you two adults." !”

Constantine spoke Chinese, which he had obviously just learned recently, and he spoke it very bluntly, but this at least represented his sincerity.

"No need to be polite, please take a seat!"

Zhu Zhanhe pointed to the chair next to him with a pleasant look.

Although Constantine was a little nervous, he still sat down as instructed.

At this time, Zhang Zhongcai pointed at Zhu Zhanhe and introduced to Constantine: "This is the crown prince of my great Han Dynasty!"

Although Constantine was studying Chinese unexpectedly, he didn't understand what the title "His Royal Highness" meant? Constantine was also startled until the interpreter next to him whispered to him what the prince meant.

Constantine, who had just sat down, stood up again and solemnly saluted Zhu Zhanhe: "King Constantine of Morea, pays homage to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Don't be so polite, just sit down and talk!"

Zhu Zhanhe smiled again. It could be seen that Constantine was very aware of the strength gap between the two sides, so he also behaved very humbly in front of him.

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Constantine finally sat down again, but his expression seemed more nervous than before, because he did not expect that the person he wanted to meet turned out to be the first heir to the throne of the Han Dynasty.

Constantine waited in Fama Port for a month. He was not idle during this month. Not only did he take the initiative to learn Chinese, but he also looked for opportunities to inquire about the situation of Dahan. There were many Dahan merchants in Fama Port, so he also Collected a lot of useful information.

For example, Constantine knew that although the supreme ruler of the Han Dynasty was the emperor, the emperor did not seem to care much about government affairs, so the administrative affairs of the Han Dynasty were all handled by the prince in front of him. In other words, this prince His Highness the Crown Prince is actually the de facto ruler of the Han Dynasty.

Thinking of this, Constantine was both excited and nervous, because a word from the other party could determine the life or death of their Roman Empire, so he had to be more careful in dealing with it. "Constantine, I heard that you are here on behalf of Rome and want to cooperate with us, the Han, but cooperation must be mutually beneficial. What can you, Rome, provide to us, the Han?"

Zhu Zhanhe also did not beat around the bush and asked Constantine straight to the point.

"Your Highness, we in Rome can provide the Han with the legitimacy to intervene in the Mediterranean. After all, much of the coast of the Mediterranean is our old Roman land. Although these lands have been occupied by the Ottomans and other countries, at least in name, we still own these lands. The right to rule, and there are also people in these lands who have their hearts set on Rome..."

Constantine introduced Zhu Zhanhe to Zhu Zhanhe in detail about the current situation in Rome, as well as some of the advantages they could take advantage of, and even included some history of the Roman Empire.

Zhu Zhanhe could see that Constantine spoke very sincerely, seeking truth from facts in many matters, neither exaggerating nor deprecating himself. It was obvious that he had made a lot of preparations for this day, and this attitude also showed that he was sincere. He wanted to impress the big man and seek cooperation between the two parties.

"Your Highness, the Han Dynasty has traveled thousands of miles from the east to the Mediterranean. He must have wanted to establish a foothold in the Mediterranean. Although the Han Dynasty has conquered Egypt, it is only the southern shore of the Mediterranean. On the north shore, the Han Dynasty definitely needs another person. As for the foothold, Venice is just a business alliance, and it can only give the Han some commercial help, while we, Rome, can give the Han some territorial help, so that the Han can better establish a foothold on the northern shore of the Mediterranean!"

Finally, Constantine looked at Zhu Zhanhe sincerely and talked again.

After listening to the other party's words, Zhu Zhanhe also thought for a moment, and then he looked at Constantine and asked a question: "You have said so much, what do you want from Rome?"

Power and obligation are equal. Constantine will definitely not give without asking for anything, so Zhu Zhanhe wants to know what the other party's purpose is. Only in this way can he better weigh the pros and cons.

"This one……"

Constantine pondered for a moment, and then answered.

"Your Highness, we do have something to ask for, but what we ask for is not much, and it is not worth mentioning to a big man. That is, we hope to continue our empire!"

The Eastern Roman Empire, which was dominant in the past, is now trapped in Constantinople. All the surrounding lands have been captured by the Ottomans. It can be said that they are always on the verge of annihilation, so Constantine made this request.

"Your request is too vague. If we defeat the Ottomans and keep Constantinople in its current besieged state, it will be considered as allowing you to continue, or you can regain your prestige and take back all the lands that originally belonged to Rome. The same It will also continue, so you’d better make your requirements clearer, it will be better for both of us!”

Hearing what Zhu Zhanhe said, Constantine also knew that he had to speak clearly, otherwise he would not be able to win the other party's trust.

So Constantine finally gritted his teeth and said: "We don't ask for much. We just want to take back the coastal areas of Thrace and eastern Bulgaria, that is, the Black Sea coast. This will give Constantinople a piece of land behind it." The vast land will give us Rome room to survive and thrive!"

The eastern coastal areas of Thrace and Bulgaria, that is, the coastal areas of Europe and the Black Sea, where the land is connected with Constantinople, is much stronger than the overseas enclave of Morea.

(End of this chapter)