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- Just as the Tang army commanded by Xue Rengui rushed to the battlefield and dealt a fatal blow to the Arab army, Agostino, who was ordered to go to the Tang camp as envoy, returned to Constantinople with Pienaar.
The situation in Constantinople is still perilous. Because of Leo III's insistent "Abolition of Icon Movement", Byzantium has been completely isolated in Europe. Looking for reinforcements has yielded no results. Even the Greeks, who are usually the friendliest. They all seemed ready to give up on them.
Outside the city, Khalid's land and water army had surrounded Constantinople. The huge gap in strength made it impossible for the Byzantines to see any hope of victory.
"These days, Leo III's temperament has become more and more violent, and several noble generals who have been disadvantaged in battle have been beheaded by him, which makes the already very serious situation even more tense.
There are already rumors in the army that some people plan to join forces with the Arabs outside the city to capture the castle. The Byzantines cannot see tomorrow and are becoming more and more pessimistic. A large number of residents are fleeing westward, and the soldiers are also there. Thinking of deserting.
The once glorious Byzantine Empire, which spanned the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa, and was invincible, seems to have reached the point of decline.
People are looking forward to the emergence of a hero like Emperor Constantine again to save this huge empire.
Constantine the Great, founder of the Byzantine Empire, was born in Nis in 280 AD. He came from an aristocratic family. At that time, the Roman Empire was experiencing troubled times when Diocletian was implementing the Four Emperors system. Constantine became the deputy of Emperor Maximilian of the Western Empire. The young Constantine grew up quickly. An important figure in the imperial superstructure, he served in the army of Diocletian, the emperor of the Eastern Empire, and was promoted to a senior officer by virtue of his bravery and talent during the wars against Egypt and Persia.
In 305 AD, Diocletian and Maximilian abdicated at the same time, and Constantine became the emperor of the Western Empire. Constantine returned to his side and followed his father to fight in Britain and other places.
In 306 AD, Constantine died of illness, and Constantine succeeded to the throne as emperor of the Western Empire with the support of the army. However, some of the empire's generals refused to accept it, and a civil war broke out.
After 6 years of fighting, in 312 AD, Constantine defeated the challenger Maxentius at the Battle of Milvia Bridge and unified the western empire.
At the same time, Licinius also took control of the political power of the Eastern Empire, forming a situation where the two emperors coexisted. The two worked closely together in the early days, including jointly promulgating the Edict of Milan in 313 AD. But the ambition to unify the empire finally made them incompatible. In 323 AD, Constantine invaded and defeated Licinius and reunified the Roman Empire.
After Emperor Constantine unified the Roman Empire, he devoted himself to strengthening the dictatorial power of the emperor himself. He abolished the system of co-ruling the four emperors and enfeoffed his sons and nephews to rule various places. The Guard was abolished, replaced by a palace guard under the direct control of the emperor, and the strength of frontier garrisons was reduced. At the same time, the emperor himself was further deified. The imperial power that had been continuously strengthened and deified since the era of Octavian finally reached its peak in the era of Constantine.
Constantine formulated and implemented some civil laws, which had a great influence on later generations of the West. He created laws that made certain professions hereditary. He also issued a decree prohibiting tenant farmers from leaving their ancestral land, turning them into serfs who were attached to that land for life. This decree and similar laws played a key role in laying the foundation for the entire social structure of medieval Europe.
Emperor Constantine was not a perfect person. It could even be said that he was a complex of contradictions. He had a strong body and great energy, but it was said that he was extremely weak and cowardly in his heart and had to cover himself up with jewels. In fact, He is a mildly schizophrenic person.
He has a benevolent heart and once implemented benevolent policies and provided relief to the poor, but he soon became more and more oppressor of the poor. He issued a decree that stipulated that slave owners had the right to whip slaves to death and increased the punishment for slave escapees. More importantly, he strictly prohibited slave farmers from fleeing and stipulated that slave farmers and their descendants must be fixed on the land of their owners, and escaped slave farmers should be shackled and returned to their original owners.
Constantine was ruthless, and not just towards his enemies. His wife and eldest son both died at his hands. Constantine I initially appointed his eldest son Crispus as Caesar, but the latter was framed by his stepmother Fausta and executed. However, Constantine soon had Fausta also executed for adultery. Finally, Constantine appointed the three sons born to Fausta as Caesars: Constantine II ruled Spain, Gaul and Britain; Constantius II ruled Asia and Egypt; Stans I ruled Italy and North Africa.
But no matter what, Emperor Constantine can be called one of the greatest emperors in human history. In history, there have been great conquests between the East and the West.There have been countless outstanding emperors, such as Alexander the Great, Qin Shihuang, Attila, Charlemagne, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, etc., but they may have done more damage than built enough, maybe the empire they established lasted too short, or maybe the impact of their achievements was only It is limited to a few countries and regions, and cannot have a long-lasting and world-wide influence like Constantine.
In addition, Emperor Constantine was instrumental in rebuilding the glory of the later Roman Empire. Constantinople, which established its historical status thanks to the gift of Emperor Constantine, has always been the most difficult city to conquer in the Middle Ages due to its special environment of being surrounded by sea on three sides and close to land on one side, as well as its extremely important strategic position and sufficient material reserves. Fortress, the stability of Constantinople is a key to the Byzantine Empire's ability to survive for thousands of years. Therefore, Emperor Constantine is also considered the founder of the Byzantine Empire.
Byzantium, a natural harbor, is the key link connecting Eurasia and the center of trade between Europe and Asia. As the territory of the Roman Empire expanded, Byzantium became increasingly important. However, during the Roman Empire before Constantine, it never received the attention it deserved. Until 330 AD, Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Byzantium and renamed the place Constantine in order to make it easier to rule geographically and to get rid of the constraints of Roman forces politically. Dinburg. After moving the capital, Constantine rebuilt and massively expanded the ancient city of Byzantium, making Constantinople one of the largest cities in the world at that time. It remained the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire until 1453.
From this, it is not difficult to see why the Byzantines are particularly looking forward to the emergence of another powerful emperor like Constantine the Great, who will lead them to defeat the Arabs and restore the glory of the Roman Empire.
Not only the common people, but also the deviant Christians. Now Leo III's insistent pursuit of the "Abolition of Icons Movement" has seriously affected their interests. If there is another one like Emperor Constantine, Emperor, their life will obviously be much easier.
As for Christianity, which has a profound influence in Europe today, its founder, strictly speaking, is no longer Jesus Christ in the 1st century AD, but Emperor Constantine the Great in the 4th century AD.
It is said that one night in 312 AD, at the Milvia Bridge near Rome, the worried Emperor Constantine was worried about the upcoming war the next day. When he looked at the stars, he suddenly saw the vast sky. Four huge fiery red crosses suddenly appeared in the middle, along with these words - relying on them one by one, you will win a great victory.
This distant and illusory plot, which has been widely recited by future generations, actually foreshadows a very far-reaching change in world history that is about to occur.
As early as the early days of the Roman Empire, the faith was a polytheistic religion that combined many gods from ancient Greece and Rome. The Romans were basically in a situation of freedom of belief. Among these, Christianity, which believes in monotheism, is particularly unusual.
Early Christianity was mainly spread among the poor. Believers helped each other on an equal footing and sympathized with each other in times of trouble. Because they had an obvious sense of resistance, did not cooperate with the ruling class, did not perform military service, and did not respect the old Roman gods, they were persecuted by the Roman rulers many times.
As early as the time of Nero, young Christianity was persecuted for the first time in history. After that, in the era of Theseus and Valerianus in the middle of the third century, it was brutally persecuted again. By the time of Diocletian, the emperor, who claimed to be the son of the old Roman god Jupiter, naturally regarded Christianity as a heresy, and Christianity once again suffered misfortune.
It is unknown when Constantine began to embrace Christianity, but no matter how or when Constantine became a follower of Christianity, he was always very enthusiastic about the development of Christianity. One of his earliest acts was the Edict of Milan, under which Christianity became a legal, free religion. The edict also required the return of Christian church property confiscated during previous persecutions and designated Sunday as the day of worship.
Constantine did not establish Christianity to make it a formal state religion, but the laws and other policies he formulated effectively promoted its development.
It is obvious that converting to Christianity during his reign would increase the possibility of obtaining high political positions. His decrees granted Christians various privileges and exemptions from taxes. Several of the world's most famous churches were also built during his reign, such as the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. After the time of Constantine, Christianity's status has become unshakable. It finally became the state religion of the Roman Empire in 392, beginning an era of self-reliance in the history of Western culture.
It is still a mystery when Constantine began to believe in Christianity, but what is certain is that he did not believe in Christianity in his early years. Perhaps it was the bloody battlefields he saw during his long years of fighting that gradually gave him the concept of "sin and sin", and he mentally turned to ideas that seemed full of benevolence at the time.The embrace of the Christian church may have been a subtle influence on him from his mother and wife, as they were both devout believers.
In 337 AD, Constantine was baptized before his death and ascended to the heaven of his dreams as a Christian. Constantine refused to be baptized until his death, but he apparently became a Christian long before that. It was also clear that the Christian spirit had completely possessed him.
With the encouragement of Constantine, the power and influence of Christianity developed rapidly. In less than 100 years, Christianity went from a minority religion to the dominant official religion in the world's largest empire.
??Evidently, Constantine was one of the greatest key figures in European history. He ranks higher than Alexander the Great and Napoleon. Although they are more famous than him, his policies have a more lasting impact.
People pray to God to give another Emperor Constantine, but that can only be a delusion. Although the Byzantine Empire inherited the mantle of the Roman Empire, it is obvious that they have gradually been abandoned by the world.
Today¡¯s world is no longer dominated by the once arrogant Romans, but by the Tang Empire from the east.
"That's what he said?"
After listening to Agostino's report, Leo III's face became more and more gloomy, his thick black eyebrows frowned, and his gray-brown eyes burst out with cold light.
Agostino lowered his head. Now he could feel more and more clearly the imperial aura of Leo III, which made him fearful: "Yes! My Emperor! This is what the generals of the Tang Dynasty are like. The answer is that they will not give up Egypt, just like the devout Christians will not give up Jerusalem, and when I came back, I heard that a small Chinese army had occupied Alexandria, and they were about to fight with the island of Cyprus and Croton. Get in touch with the Tang garrison on Rite Island!"
When Leo III heard this, his face became even more gloomy and scary. This was what he was most worried about. Maybe he could still accept losing Egypt. After all, Egypt had become the sphere of influence of the Arabs more than ten years ago.
But what Leo III could never allow was the loss of Alexandria. If Alexandria was occupied by the Tang people, the Tang people could march into the Mediterranean. By then, the Byzantine Empire in the core of Europe would be under great threat from the Tang people.
It must be said that Leo III was a very strategic emperor. He knew very well that compared to the Arabs who were besieging Constantinople, Byzantium's nominal ally, the Tang Dynasty, was their real threat.
A huge empire with a vast territory and almost unlimited war potential will not be willing to stay in the east of the world. One day, they will cross the Caspian Sea and march towards Europe. Now it seems that the Tang people are moving faster.
Occupying Egypt and occupying Alexandria, the best port city on the Mediterranean coast, with the wealth, manpower, and technological level of the Tang Dynasty, it can be seen that before long, the ships of the Tang Dynasty will be crisscrossing the entire Mediterranean and competing with the Byzantine Empire for the Mediterranean. of hegemony.
"Those hateful Tang people, do they really think that I am afraid of them? Aren't they worried that if they refuse to withdraw from Egypt, Byzantium will fall to the Arab pagans!?"
Agostino sighed: "My Emperor, the Tang Dynasty's general has no such worries at all, he seems fearless, and Your Majesty, I don't think there is any possibility of us cooperating with those Arab pagans! "
Leo III certainly knew that he could not fall to the Arabs. Being an enemy of the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty could only capture their territory and plunder their wealth, but if they cooperated with the Arabs, that would be impossible. Different from seeking the skin of a tiger, the Arabs want more than just their territory and wealth. They will also destroy their spiritual world, crush their sacred Jesus Christ, and then impose the will of Allah on them.
Although Leo III suppressed the church, he himself was a devout Christian. This is why as soon as he won the throne of emperor, he felt disgusted with the Tang Dynasty, his long-time ally, because the Tang Dynasty exported to Byzantium what he regarded as For the evil Shinto religion.
Shintoism, which had developed extremely rapidly from Constantine II to Justinian II, suffered extremely cruel persecution after Leo III came to power. Hundreds of thousands of former believers were forced to give up their religion. Only a few people escaped to Crete, the island of Cyprus controlled by the Tang Dynasty.
"Of course I know I can't cooperate with those hateful pagans, but I am really unwilling to lose Egypt like this. Those damn Tang people came to steal our property without even saying a word to me, the master.Things are so abominable! "
Leo III became more and more angry as he spoke, and threw the cane that symbolized royal power to the ground.
Pienaar, who had been silent at this time, suddenly spoke: "His Majesty the Emperor!"
It was really difficult for Pienaar to call Emperor Leo III His Majesty. After all, when he left, Leo III was just a young man who had just emerged in the Byzantine military, and at that time Pienaar was already a member of the Byzantine army. The first person under the emperor of the empire.
When Leo III heard this, he glanced at Pinard with a sarcastic look and sneered: "It turns out to be Duke Pinard. Are you surprised to see me? The original shepherd boy was a speculator with despicable conduct. , actually sitting on the throne of the emperor, isn¡¯t it ironic!¡±
Pienaar's face was a little embarrassed, even more ashamed, but he still said bravely: "Your Majesty the Emperor! I apologize to you for my rudeness back then and ask for your forgiveness, but today I have something to say, and I also Please listen to me calmly!"
Leo III snorted coldly, sat upright, spread his hands, and said, "Okay! I also want to hear what you have to say!"
Pienaar took a deep breath to calm down, and then said: "Your Majesty the Emperor! It is inevitable that the Tang Dynasty will occupy Egypt. No matter how angry you are, it will not help. The current situation of the Byzantine Empire is not optimistic. We We need the help of the Tang people to get through the difficulties. At this time, it is really not appropriate to have another conflict with the Tang people. You should consider the overall situation instead of relying on your own emotions!"
Leo III sneered and interrupted Pienaar's words, saying: "Is this your high opinion? What a joke. The great Byzantine Empire has never needed anyone's charity. If the Tang Dynasty is willing to share this beautiful world with me, , I will not refuse, but if they want to seize Byzantine territory, that is wishful thinking!"
Pienaar argued: "Your Majesty the Emperor! You have never been to Chang'an. You cannot imagine the power of the Tang Dynasty. It is definitely not comparable to Byzantium."
As he spoke, Pienaar couldn't help but think of the prosperity of Chang'an again, and he couldn't help but feel fascinated.
"Their capital city is the most beautiful city in the world. The tall city walls can resist the invasion of any foreign enemies. The magnificent palaces embody the essence of the entire world's architecture. Their wealth is too numerous to count. Just one building The residents of the city are enough to surpass some small countries in Europe. Their metallurgical technology is quite advanced. The sharp swords and horizontal knives can pierce all armors. Their armors are also very strong, even Theban spears cannot pierce them. Wear it, and, Your Majesty the Emperor, you will not forget the magical flowing fire!"
Leo III's expression changed. Of course he knew about the flowing fire. He had relied on the flowing fire to defeat the Arabs in the naval battle, repelled Yezid's offensive, and saved Constantinople. Saved Byzantium.
Seeing the serious look on Leo III¡¯s face, Pienaar gave a wry smile and said, ¡°But among the Tang army, they have never used that kind of weapon on a large scale!¡±
"What? That's impossible! Are all the people in Tang Dynasty crazy and stupid?" Leo III shouted emotionally.
Pienaar said: "Your Majesty the Emperor! Unfortunately, that is all true. The Tang people disdain to use liquid fire. That is because they have better weapons, more powerful weapons. They have thunderbolts and heavy-duty weapons." Artillery, when a hundred artillery fires at the same time, even the strongest city wall will be destroyed in an instant. Moreover, they seem to have developed a more sophisticated and well-operated small artillery, which is even more powerful. "
Leo III already believed it and asked: "Duke Pinar! What you said is true!"
Pienaar nodded and replied: "Yes! Your Majesty the Emperor, everything I said is true. What worries me most is that the shipbuilding technology of the Tang people far surpasses ours. Just when I followed them from Tianzhu At that time, the flagship of their fleet was equipped with a magical machine, which the generals of the Tang Dynasty called a steam engine. The ship did not need people to paddle. It only needed the power generated by the steam engine and supplemented by sails. Sail like the wind over the sea!¡±
Leo III was a little stunned after hearing this, and after a long while he said: "Duke Pienaar, can our Byzantine craftsmen imitate the steam engine you mentioned?"
Sail like the wind, what kind of speed is that? Leo III was tempted. If Byzantium could have that magical machine, he could drop soldiers to any corner of the world at any time, and with the help of that fast ship, It is not a problem to defeat all enemy navies and perhaps restore the territory of the Roman Empire at its peak.
But~~~~~~~~~
Pienaar felt a little disappointedHe shook his head and said: "It's a pity! My Majesty, the craftsmen of Byzantium can't do it at all, because it is a completely genius idea. The only people who can make it are Duke Du Rui of the Tang Empire and his students! "
The disappointment that followed the beautiful idea made Leo III feel endless frustration: "Is it really impossible to do it?"
Pienaar continued: "Your Majesty, if we can always maintain friendly relations with the Tang Empire, maybe one day they will be willing to teach us that magical technology!"
The inability to obtain that kind of advanced technology had made Leo III very frustrated. Hearing Pienaar's tone, he actually asked him to serve the Tang people carefully and pray for the Tang people's blessings, which made him even more angry.
"Shut up! You bastard who betrayed the empire!" Leo III was not a well-educated person to begin with. His loneliness as a young man made him appear on the political stage of the Byzantine Empire like a reckless hero.
Leo III was originally dissatisfied with Pienaar, but now he was even more disgusted and cursed: "You have been bribed by the Tang people, right? Otherwise, why do you keep speaking for them and exaggerating the power of the Tang people so that others can Did he give up the courage to start a war with the Tang people? What benefits did the Tang people give you, and they actually asked you to sell Egypt, the sacred territory of the Byzantine Empire!"
Pienaar was stunned by Leo III's scolding. After he reacted, he couldn't help feeling sad. He gave up his comfortable life and chose to return to Constantinople, intending to use his life to defend this sacred castle. , but suffered such slander from Leo III, how could I not feel hatred in my heart.
"Your Majesty the Emperor, since you have determined that I am a traitor to the Byzantine Empire, why don't you put me in a dungeon? I was right at the beginning. You are a short-sighted villain!"
After Leo III sat on the throne of the emperor, no one had ever spoken to him like this. He immediately said angrily: "Since you want to go to the dungeon, I will help you! Come on!"
The heavily armored warrior guarding the door of the hall quickly entered. Leo III pointed at Pienaar and said: "Throw this traitor to the Byzantine Empire into the dungeon, and imprison his family as well!"
When Agostino saw it, he was shocked and quickly advised: "Your Majesty the Emperor! You can't do this. Duke Pinar is a hero of Byzantium. He led the Byzantine warriors to resist the attack of the Arab pagans and preserved Constantinople." Dinburg!"
"That was in the past!" Pienaar sneered, "And he was serving the Heraclius dynasty. He has no credit for the current Byzantium. Moreover, he also betrayed Egypt! Take him down!"
Pienaar was filled with resentment and roared: "You tyrant! One day you will regret it. You have provoked a powerful enemy for the Byzantine Empire. You will regret it!"
Leo III sneered: "No! I won't regret it! Take it with you!"
Pienaar was taken away, and Leo III then looked at the pale Agostino and said: "General Agostino! The traitor has been taken away, now we should talk about our new What¡¯s the situation with our opponents, the Tang people! How many people do they have in Egypt!?¡±
Agostino was already frightened. He was afraid that it would be his turn next. He did not dare to hesitate and said hurriedly: "They have at least hundreds of thousands of soldiers and are well-equipped. Their commander is a young and powerful middle-aged man." Young man, tall, very powerful, and very decisive!¡±
Leo III rubbed his chin and said: "It seems that the Tang people are ready. Duke Agostino, do you have any good suggestions?"
Agostino lowered his head and pondered for a while, and said: "My Emperor, as you just said, the Tang Dynasty has made preparations to occupy Egypt for a long time. Although the Arabs have many troops stationed in Egypt, they rashly Attacking the Sinai Peninsula, another Tang army's raid force captured Port Suez, Alexandria and Port Said. Perhaps even Cairo has been lost. The Arabs have lost the possibility of supplies. Defeat will be a matter of time, even if you don't want to. Give up Egypt, but what I want to say is that at present, we are not ready to go to war with the Arabs and the Tang Dynasty at the same time. If the Tang Dynasty falls to the Arabs, it will be a disaster for Byzantium."
Leo III was angry with Pienaar just now. Of course, he was unwilling to accept Pienaar's suggestion because of the need to eradicate his dissidents. Now that he has calmed down, he also feels that now is really not a good time to fall out with the Tang people.
"Go on, since we can no longer take back Egypt, what should we do?"
Agostino was also an experienced veteran soldier and politician. When Leo III asked, he hurriedly said: "The most important thing at the moment is of course to lift the siege of Constantinople by the Arab pagans first. Maybe We can take advantage of itTang people, Yezid may not know the news of Egypt's fall now. At this time, if we can convince the Tang people to let them attack Syria, the Arab pagans will definitely be shocked. Syria is too important to them and they can endure it. Abandon Egypt, but we will never allow Syria to be abandoned. At that time, the Arab pagans can only withdraw their troops. As long as they retreat, our opportunity will come. At that time, we will take advantage of the situation to advance eastward and completely drive the Arabs out of Asia Minor! "
When Leo III heard this, he couldn't help but feel a little moved. His biggest wish was to completely expel the Arabs from Asia Minor, re-establish the sphere of influence, and solve the embarrassing situation where Constantinople was always under threat from the other side.
In the original history, the Arab Empire¡¯s 200,000 troops and 1,800 warships marched on land and sea and surrounded Constantinople. The Byzantine Empire was in a critical situation. Leo III introduced the Arab navy into the port of Constantinople and burned a large number of Arab warships with "Greek fire".
The morale of the Arab army was shaken due to the heavy attrition caused by the severe winter cold and plague. Leo III then raided the Arab army and killed 22,000 Arab soldiers in the Battle of Adrianople alone. The Byzantine navy defeated two more Arab reinforcement fleets, forcing the Arab army to retreat. In this battle, 150,000 Arabs died and almost all warships were lost.
Leo III saved the Byzantine Empire at a critical moment and greatly frustrated the expansion momentum of the Arab Empire. After that, Leo III once again severely damaged the Arab army in the Battle of Acroinnon in Asia Minor, completely expelling the Arab power from Asia Minor, and became a hero of the Byzantine Empire.
If this could be achieved, even if Leo III could bear his anger for a while and acquiesce in the Tang Dynasty's occupation of Egypt, it would be fine.
"Agostino! Are you sure you can convince the Tang people to move eastward and attack Syria?"
Agostino can't guarantee this issue. After all, the relationship between the two parties was very ordinary before. Justinian II wanted to take back Cyprus and Crete in a whimsical way, and Leo III's attitude was very Being tough has already offended Datang, and even Agostino is not sure about the possibility of an alliance coming to him at this time.
"Your Majesty the Emperor! I don't know much about the Tang people. I feel that if we want to facilitate this matter, it would be best to send someone who knows the Tang people better to negotiate. Maybe we will have a greater chance of success."
When Leo III heard this, he knew what Agostino was planning: "Are you talking about Pienaar?"
After all, Leo III was a hero, not someone who could not afford to let go. He also knew that Pienaar was indeed the most suitable candidate: "Okay! Agostino! You can go talk to Duke Pienaar." , if he is willing to go to Tangying as an envoy to promote an alliance, I am willing to forgive his rudeness to me!"
When Agostino heard this, he was overjoyed and said hurriedly: "Yes! Your Majesty the Emperor, I think Duke Pinal will be very happy and will be moved by your kindness and magnanimity. Moreover, Duke Pinal has always been Since then, he has been a staunch patriot and Christian, and he will do his best to make this happen!"
At this time, Pienaar had been thrown into the most terrifying water prison in Constantinople. He had accepted his fate. Although the resentment in his heart was difficult to calm down, Pienaar knew very well that Leo III was absolutely unwilling. Will let him go.
¡°It¡¯s just that his patriotic enthusiasm was trampled on in this way, which filled Pienaar¡¯s heart with resentment.
But at this moment, Agostino arrived. Just as he was thrown in, he was pulled out of the water prison.
"Duke Agostino! What's going on!?" Pienaar asked with a frown.
Agostino didn't have a very good relationship with Pienaar before. He even resented Pienaar for being so important. However, he knew Pienaar's abilities better. Only Pienaar could save the declining Byzantium. empire.
"Duke Pinar! Now His Majesty the Emperor has a new task for you! As long as you can facilitate this, you can save your life and that of your family!"
Hearing this, Pienaar smiled self-deprecatingly and said: "Are you asking me to go to the Tang army to persuade them to withdraw from Egypt and surrender Egypt? Duke Agostino, please tell His Majesty the Emperor that I can't do it. , the Tang people will not listen to me, they have conquered Egypt and will not give it up again! You don¡¯t understand the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. As long as there is no order from the Emperor of the Tang Empire, they will be enemies of the whole world and will not give up. Territory acquired!¡±
Agostino said: "No! That's not the case. His Majesty the Emperor also understands that the Byzantine Empire does not have the ability to go to war with the two most powerful empires in the world at the same time."
Pienaar couldn¡¯t help but wonder: ¡°Then what does His Majesty the Emperor need me to do?"
Agostino said: "He needs you to go to Egypt, find the Tang people, negotiate with them, reach an alliance between the two countries, and let the Tang people move eastward and attack Syria. Don't they like land? Arab pagans still control a large amount of territory. They will be tempted!"
Hearing this, Pienaar was silent for a while. This matter seemed not too difficult, but based on his understanding of the Tang people, it would never be that simple.
When Pienaar was in Chang'an before, Du Rui had already made it clear to him that the purpose of the Tang army's trip was only to occupy Egypt and even all of Africa. From then on, the help to the Byzantine Empire was only to threaten the Syrian region of the Arab Empire. and the Arabian Peninsula.
To put it bluntly, the Tang Dynasty does not want to fight a full-scale war with the Arabs at all. Why Du Rui wants to keep the Arab Empire? Pienaar can also guess. It is just to prevent the west of the world from being quiet and letting the The Arab and Byzantine empires consumed each other.
But even if Pienaar saw through Du Rui's plan, he was powerless. Although the Byzantine Empire and the Arab Empire had a brief honeymoon period in history, more often than not, they still attacked each other and were hostile to each other. It is impossible to eliminate mutual hatred.
The current Byzantine Empire has long lost its glory when Emperor Constantine was on the throne. Even if they knew that this was Du Rui's plan, they could only jump in with their noses in their hands.
"I am willing to send an envoy, but Duke Agostino, please tell His Majesty the Emperor that I am not sure whether it will succeed!"
Agostino was stunned when he heard this and said hurriedly: "Duke Pinar! Why do you say that? Aren't the Tang people and the Arab pagans enemies? I still remember that when the two countries fought, the Arabs killed more than a dozen people. Wantang people, now we are willing to join hands with them to eliminate the Arabs, how can they not agree?"
Hearing this, Pienaar shook his head and smiled bitterly, and said: "Duke Agostino, that's just a superficial phenomenon. You have never met Duke Du Rui and don't know him. He is a man who values ??the interests of the Tang Empire more than anything else." In his eyes, both the Arabs and us Byzantines are obstacles for the Tang Empire to dominate the world. Now he can still maintain a relationship with us, but it is because the Tang Dynasty is not ready to enter Europe. But once they are ready, all foreign countries in the world will be their enemies and the targets of their conquest!"
When Agostino heard this, he couldn't help but exclaimed: "Oh God! Damn Tang people, it turns out that we have been in their plans all along!"
"That's right! They will not help us completely eliminate the Arabs. They will only suppress the Arabs, put them in a relatively balanced position with our strength, and then watch us consume each other, and finally they will reap all the benefits. !¡±
Agostino said angrily: "Then what should we do? Are we just going to watch the Tang Dynasty making fun of the great Byzantine Empire! Duke Pinar, since you can see through the Tang Dynasty's plan, is there any way to crack it?"
Pienaar was silent for a while, raised his head, with sadness in his eyes, shook his head and said: "No!" - Didn't finish reading? Add this book to your favoritesI'm a member and bookmarked this chapterCopy the address of this book and recommend it to your friends for pointsChapter error? Click here to report
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