Behind the fleet, the fleets of the small countries along the way that had managed to survive also attributed all of this to Taiyi.

In their view, it was their piety that moved the One God, who then bestowed blessings upon them and protected them.

Upon hearing the cheers of the crowd, Zhang Bao, who was standing in front, couldn't help but smile slightly.

Thanks to the sturdiness of the Han ships, they not only withstood the storm but also gained unexpected benefits.

While sailing with the caravan, Zhang Bao continuously promoted Taoist doctrines in the countries along the way.

Unfortunately, the people of these small countries are truly ignorant and backward. They only have their own inexplicable gods in their hearts, and they only know the appearance of the gods in Taoism but not the reason why.

Despite Zhang Bao's long efforts, those merchants from small countries only remembered that Taoism had a supreme god called Taiyi.

The reason for this was that Zhang Bao said that the Taiyi God was the ruler of all gods, including the gods they worshipped, all of whom were under the control of the Taiyi God. This made the people of those small countries very unhappy.

However, the Han man was too powerful, and they couldn't defeat him. Although they were resentful, they dared not show it.

There's no way around it; when a country is weak, even its own gods have to be subservient to others.

However, after surviving last night's storm, these people's views have completely changed, and they have truly revered the One God as the supreme god in their hearts.

Zhang Bao, who was ahead, also keenly noticed this change. When the fleet approached a beach to rest, he began to preach Taoist doctrines to merchants from various countries again.

Seeing that Zhang Baotianshi was still clean, tidy, and had a rosy complexion after the storm, the merchants from those small countries became even more convinced of Taiyi's protection. They joined Taoism with piety and became overseas Taoist believers.

After several days of sailing, the fleet finally arrived at the Red Sea and headed towards the Suez Canal along the waters of the Egyptian province.

Soon, the fleet of ships sailing along the coastline alarmed the people in the coastal areas of the Egyptian province.

Upon seeing the enormous ships and the seemingly endless fleet, everyone, from local nobles and officials to ordinary people, was filled with astonishment and awe.

These people had lived by the sea for many years, and they said they had never seen a fleet of such size in their lives; it was simply unimaginable.

Upon learning that this massive fleet belonged to the Han Dynasty in the East, the locals couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity and longing for those distant Eastern empires.

Therefore, during the voyage, the people on the fleet would see locals coming to watch the spectacle from the shore every day.

December 20th, the eighth year of Jianning.

After several days of sailing, the fleet finally arrived at the entrance to the Suez Canal.

While the ships were anchored, officials of all levels from the Egyptian provinces, as well as local nobles, arrived at the port early to welcome the distinguished guests from the East.

While everyone in the Egyptian province was waiting, an extremely embarrassing incident occurred, causing all the officials and nobles to lose face.

It turns out that their proud port of Suez can only accommodate one-third of the ships in the fleet, while the rest can float on the sea.

"Hmph, those stingy guys in Congress have been asking them to use the money to build the port for a long time, but they just won't."

Now look what's happened! Our guests have arrived, but we can't even receive them. This is a disgrace to all of Egypt!

As the governor of the Egyptian province, Pekni was the first to express his dissatisfaction.

"Exactly! Distinguished guests from the East have come from afar, yet they have nowhere to rest. This is a disgrace to the whole of Rome!"

"That's right, those idiots in Congress should be tied to the gallows!"

The nobles behind them also vented their dissatisfaction.

At this time, Rome was at the height of its power. In their eyes, before the appearance of the Han fleet, they had always been synonymous with nobility and strength.

But now, the very thing they were so proud of was so useless that they couldn't even properly house someone else's fleet, and in an instant, they were seen as country bumpkins.

This made the nobles feel an indescribable sense of frustration.

Before long, the large ship carrying Chu Qian and Jian Shuo docked steadily at the pier.

Facing the Roman officials who had been waiting for a long time on the dock, Chu Qian straightened his clothes with a solemn expression, then held the ceremonial staff and slowly walked forward.

"So these are the envoys from the Han Dynasty? They are indeed distinguished and extraordinary!"

"Look at their clothes and the way they walk, that's what true nobility is!"

"That's true. Compared to them, even those guys in Rome are far inferior!"

As Chu Qian approached, the nobles couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

"Alright, let's go over there too. We can't be impolite in front of our guests!"

As he spoke, the Egyptian governor Pekni, along with a group of nobles and officials, went to greet them.

"Oh, honored guest from the Han Dynasty, welcome!"

Upon approaching, Peckney extended his right hand to Chu Qian with a warm smile, wanting to shake hands with him.

(Note: In terms of meeting etiquette, there is not much difference between ancient Rome and modern times. Both involve shaking hands, which can often be seen in reliefs.)

In Roman epics, there is a phrase: "the union of the right hands," which means two people clasping each other's right hands, implying a kind of "welcome" or "greeting."

Of course, there was also a very interesting etiquette in ancient Rome, which was that when a subordinate paid homage to a superior or when worshipping a god, he would raise his right arm with his fingers together and pointing diagonally upwards.

This form of salute was once considered the prototype of the "Nazi salute."

When faced with Peckney's outstretched right hand, Chu Qian merely glanced at it, then took a step back, raised both arms, placed his left hand on top of his right, and bowed respectfully to the other party.

Upon seeing this, Peckney couldn't help but show a hint of embarrassment on his face.

What bothered him wasn't that Chu Qian hadn't responded to his handshake; after all, the other party came from the far East and it was normal that he wasn't familiar with the local customs.

To Peckney's embarrassment, Chu Qian's etiquette appeared far more proper and dignified than his own handshake.

Compared to the etiquette of the Han people, their own so-called etiquette seemed to be a complete disregard for human dignity.

Peckney wanted to imitate Chu Qian's way of bowing and return the greeting, but he didn't know how to do it and was worried that he would embarrass himself in public.

For a moment, Peckney, the highest-ranking official of a province, was like a helpless child in front of Chu Qian, his outstretched right hand hanging there, neither retracting it nor keeping it.

Seeing Peckney's embarrassed expression, Chu Qian smiled slightly after exchanging greetings, then stepped forward and extended his right hand to shake hands with him.