Just how popular was silk in the Western Regions and the distant Roman Empire?

The Arab merchants who participated in the Guangzhou riots were traveling across the ocean to Guangzhou for silk and tea.

In the cuisine of the Western Regions, mutton and beef are the main ingredients. People who eat these foods for a long time are very prone to gastrointestinal problems and need tea to help clear their digestive system.

Therefore, the demand for tea is no longer simply a matter of taste preference.

As for silk, it was something the upper-class nobles were absolutely unwilling to give up.

Silk could signify status and honor, distinguishing oneself from commoners.

Which of the governors present is not a powerful nobleman or regional military commander on the side of Seleucus?

Don't be fooled by their leather armor and sharp knives.

But in private, they also have an irresistible love for exquisite silk.

There's also delicious tea.

Take Mustali, the governor of the Sultanate of Rum, for example. He not only loved silk, but he also had his own private caravan.

Because the Sultanate of Rum was very close to the Roman Empire, it was an important trading area.

Mustali himself was also looking to make money there through trade.

The conditions proposed by Xue Donglai immediately appealed to everyone present.

The sluice gate was located east of Rome (Byzantium) and west of the Song Dynasty.

If the Song Dynasty were truly willing to continuously supply silk, the Cyclone Column could not only suppress Rome militarily, but also gain a commercial advantage.

The governor of Azerbaijan also had his own plans, as the Rus' nobles also had a strong interest in silk.

Both of them showed great interest.

Mustali said, "I believe that the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

The governor of Azerbaijan nodded and said, "Yelü Dashi has disrupted the order of the divine kingdom and should be severely punished!"

Governor Alifamuda of Khorasan replied, “Envoy, our divine army is on an eastern expedition. Yelü Dashi, that clown, has no chance to fight back. As for the small countries you mentioned, such as Khwarazm and Ghaznavidy, they are merely clinging to life.”

His tone was rather arrogant: "Yelü Dashi was destined to lose. If we send troops to help you now, what can your country offer in return for our great Sultan Sanjar, besides fully opening up trade?"

Xue Donglai said, “The Great Song Dynasty is rich in resources. The Great Song Dynasty has more silk than the clouds in the sky. If the tea of ​​the Great Song Dynasty were spread out, it could extend to the ends of the continent. The Great Song Dynasty has 200 million people. As long as Sultan Sanjar is willing to send troops, His Majesty has promised that all goods from the Seljuks entering the Great Song Dynasty will be subject to a tax of 15%, no different from that of ordinary merchants in our country.”

"Moreover, the imperial court fully supports the Seljuk merchants' trade in the Song Dynasty, ensuring that the Seljuks can earn at least 1 million gold coins every day in their trade with the Song Dynasty."

The numbers Xue Donglai reported caused everyone present to gasp in surprise.

More than 1 million gold coins.

What an enormous number! Doing business with people from the East is so profitable!

And they actually have 200 million people?

Xue Donglai continued, "His Majesty the Emperor also said that as long as Sultan Sanjar is willing to send troops, Sultan Sanjar will be His Majesty the Emperor's friend, and the friendship between the two countries will last forever."

The governor of Sistan, Habibullah, said, “Great Sultan Sanjar, if I remember correctly, my younger brother Ali was killed by their army in Guangzhou in the east.”

Sanjar raised his eyebrows, seemingly intrigued, and asked, "Lord Habibula, could you explain in detail what exactly happened?"

Habibula then recounted in detail what had happened in Guangzhou.

These were all stories told to him by foreigners who survived the Guangzhou riots years ago, who traveled across the ocean to tell him, embellishing the tale.

He himself embellished the story, describing the East as a land of demons that indiscriminately slaughtered the people of the gods.

Sanjar angrily asked, "Envoy, is this true?"

Xue Donglai said, "Nonsense! Ali has been disobeying the laws of the Great Song Dynasty in our Celestial Empire, acting recklessly and killing innocent people indiscriminately. The court is a righteous army, how can there be any talk of indiscriminate killing!"

He continued, “Sultan Sanjar, I represent the sincerity of His Majesty the Holy Emperor. The Great Song Dynasty is also willing to forge an everlasting alliance with the Seljuks. If you feel that you cannot accept our sincerity, then I can only take my leave.”

"Your emperor killed my people, and you think you can just walk away?"

Xue Donglai remained calm: "Sultan Sanjar, are you going to place the envoy of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty under house arrest? This is disrespectful to His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty and to the 200 million people of the Great Song Dynasty!"

Sanjar roared angrily, "Guards, take this man to the dungeon!"

Xue Donglai said, "Sultan Sanjar, you will pay the price for your arbitrary decision today!"

A group of soldiers in full armor immediately came forward.

Xue Donglai glanced at them and said, "No need to trouble you, I'll go by myself!"

Xue Donglai was imprisoned, and Sanjar discussed the important matter of the Eastern Expedition with his governors.

They vowed to wipe out the Khitans and then teach the traitors Khwarazm, Ghaznavids, and Karluks a lesson.

May God's glory shine again over the land of the Seven Rivers.

As for that country in the east, once Yelü Dashi is dealt with, God's heavenly army will advance eastward and rescue those people suffering in dire straits.

That evening, Mustali, the governor of the Sultanate of Rum, met with Sanjar alone.

"Sir Mustali, what do you want to say to me?"

“Your Majesty, King of the East and King of the West, Sanjar, I believe you should not imprison the messenger from the East.”

"Why?"

"Not only should he not be imprisoned, but we should also agree to their emperor's request to send troops to help them."

"Your Excellency Mustali, please tell me your thoughts. I will seriously consider them."

"The emperor of the East is personally leading a million-strong army to attack that demon Yelü Dashi. In the end, both sides will be severely weakened. If we agree to send troops to help the Easterners now, they will surely lower their guard against us. We can pretend to attack and simply push the army of the gods to the west of Suyab to serve as a deterrent."

“Once the war ends, the Easterners will also be severely weakened. We can take this opportunity to strike at them, capture their emperor alive, and demand that they cede territory, pay reparations, and for generations to come, weave silk and porcelain for us and grow tea for us.”

"At that time, the eastern territories will also become your domain under God's light, and your achievements will surpass those of all previous caliphs. Even the Abbasid Caliphate was unable to conquer the eastern lands for God."

Upon hearing Mustali's suggestion, Sanjar felt as if a door to a new world had been opened for him.

He beamed with joy: "Wise Lord Mustali, you are right. As long as we defeat the Eastern army, God's heavenly army can advance eastward. From then on, the East will be our tea garden and our silk workshop. The Easterners will grow wheat and rice for us and transport them here. The powerful Seljuk army will once again set out to end the evil rule of the Western heretics! Let the earth regain the glory of God."