Those people from the Eastern Roman Empire were definitely not special envoys of the Eastern Roman Emperor.

Zhao Huan was able to see through this.

In this era, on this planet, apart from the unprecedented prosperity of the Song Dynasty in the Central Plains, the rest of the world was engulfed in chaos.

Instigated by the Pope, the Crusaders have revealed their greedy fangs, using the name of holy war to engage in robbery and slaughter at the crossroads of Eurasia.

The war waged by the two major religious groups, with millions of bones piled up, plunged the Western world into an abyss of no return.

In Central Asia, the Seljuk Empire, established decades earlier by Turks who migrated westward during the Tang Dynasty, undermined the Caliph's power, causing a dramatic change in the entire Arab world.

However, the Seljuk Empire had by this time split up and become chaotic.

The Karakhanid Khanate, a vassal state of the Seljuk Empire, has already received supplies from Yelü Dashi and will soon be defeated and conquered by him.

As history has unfolded, Yelü Dashi will not only conquer the Karakhanid Khanate and challenge the authority of the Seljuk Empire, but will also soon supply the Seljuk Empire.

This dealt a devastating blow to the already fractured empire.

As for Western Europe, the Franks were thinking of joining the Crusades and going east to make their fortune.

Meanwhile, England continued to happily live as barbarians on that small island.

Needless to say, later generations of Germany, and the Holy Roman Empire, were the biggest joke in history.

It can be said that the whole world was extremely backward and chaotic, with fighting and hunger everywhere.

Only China is experiencing an unprecedented era of prosperity, with its culture, science, commerce, and philosophy all reaching their zenith.

If it weren't for the rise of the Mongols, history would probably have been rewritten.

But when Zhao Huan traveled through time, history had already been rewritten.

Everything needs a purpose to drive it, and all purposes must be beneficial to people for people to find ways to achieve them.

This benefit could be financial, psychological, or physical.

Zhao Huan must have seen benefits before he decided to launch a western expedition; otherwise, he would be wasting his time and ruin his mind as emperor.

To be fair, the natural environment of the Central Plains is already very good, and a westward expedition might not necessarily bring any benefits; it might even be a losing proposition.

However, in the long run, opening up trade routes and allowing Song Dynasty goods to circulate westward will naturally attract the enthusiastic pursuit of nobles from those backward countries.

Therefore, it is definitely beneficial in the long run.

But Zhao Huan's ultimate goal was to eliminate all extreme civilizations that posed a potential threat to Chinese civilization.

If possible, he would prefer that everyone on this planet speak Chinese and wear Hanfu, even if global unification at the national level is not possible.

Achieving civilizational unity is possible, allowing the brilliance of Han civilization to shine across the globe.

As for those few people from the Eastern Roman Empire, they seemed more like they had committed a crime and fled here.

It's important to know that between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Song Dynasty lay the vast Arabian region, where the chaotic Seljuk Empire resided.

The Seljuk Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire were mortal enemies.

Unless the emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire had lost his mind, why would he send a few people on a long journey to the Song Dynasty?

What are you going to do?

Trade?

Is land-based trade realistic?

That's obviously unrealistic.

Therefore, those people could only be fugitives.

Everyone has their own value, and so do those few individuals.

Zhao Huan planned to send Jones and Jon Snow to the northwest, one to Yue Fei and the other to Wu Jie.

Zhao Huan remembered that the Eastern Roman Empire was very advanced in science, culture, and medicine.

It was incomparable to Western Europe of the same era. In Western Europe at that time, the Germans and Franks were barbarians who had migrated south, and their minds were locked in the Papacy and unable to extricate themselves.

The culture and technology of the Greek and Roman eras were largely lost, and no books have survived.

The most classic books were naturally found in the Eastern Roman Empire, a country where secular power controlled divine authority.

It can be said that all the essence of European civilization was found in what is now the Eastern Roman Empire.

There are many things that China needs to learn there.

The Ottomans had no chance of rising again; the one who would break open the gates of Constantinople was destined to be Zhao Huan.

Before the western expedition, let Yelü Dashi teach those savages a lesson.

Have Jones and Jon Snow draw a proper map for me in the Northwest.

Heaven is truly on my side!

Two weeks have passed, and Jones and Jon Snow are having a very pleasant time in Tokyo. They have never seen such a bustling city.

They grew up in Constantinople.

Constantinople is the largest city in all of Europe and the world. It is hailed as a god-like imperial capital and a city blessed by God.

Unfortunately, it has gradually declined over the past century.

Compared to the Song Dynasty's capital, Bianjing (Kaifeng), modern Constantinople was instantly reduced to dust.

Moreover, it surpasses it in commerce, entertainment, food, and culture.

The spirit and energy of the people are also incomparable.

The people of the Song Dynasty walking on the streets exuded both peace and vitality.

The comfort comes from a prosperous life, while the vitality stems from the vast spiritual world of the young people here.

This is an external manifestation of a country's national strength.

In short, arriving in the Song Dynasty completely overturned Jones and Jon Snow's understanding.

In their diaries, they wrote: There are also churches (Taoist temples and Buddhist temples) in China. People respect God, but they don't go to God when they encounter problems. They prefer to find their own solutions.

The people here are very kind, unlike Western Europeans who like to solve problems with violence. People in the Central Plains prefer to reason with each other. If reasoning fails, they will go to the Kaifeng government office.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!