Samishvara I brought everyone into the palace, and then led a group of dignitaries, placed his right hand on his chest, and bowed to them.
"Your Majesty is very kind."
This time, no one was flattered, and everyone politely bowed in return.
It is not difficult to guess the reason for the other party's respect.
As old enemies, the Chalukya Kingdom and the Chola Dynasty have been fighting for almost a hundred years since their founding.
Both sides are bound to have internal supporters in their respective countries, just like the Liao and Song dynasties.
It is likely that Sumitra I had already known about the arrival of the Song Dynasty envoys at Olaiur, and it is even possible that the other party was also aware of the arms trade.
Therefore, if Sumitra I did not take it seriously, he would be foolish.
"We have prepared a sumptuous banquet for the respected envoys. We hope you can feel as happy as if you were at home."
Sumitra I said with a smile.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Everyone responded politely again.
Then they sat down in the palace, and the banquet was followed by singing and dancing, which was very lively.
In the afternoon, three rounds of wine and five kinds of dishes were served.
Sumitra I, seemingly under the influence of alcohol, waited until the banquet was almost over before asking, "I heard that the envoy passed through Oraiyur on his way here?"
"Yes."
"I wonder how things are going between me and Olaiur?"
"Forehead"
Several people were in trouble.
It is human nature to praise them in front of their masters and speak ill of their enemies.
But this is obviously unethical.
Zhang Youwei was the quickest to react. He said, "Olaiyur is a riverside city, and among riverside cities, it is also outstanding. Your Highness's capital is located on the seaside, and among coastal cities, it is the best."
After hearing the translation, Sumitra I was obviously dissatisfied with the answer. After all, he believed that his capital was more prosperous and wealthy than the capital of the Chola Dynasty.
However, since the envoy had already cleverly diverted the conflict, he couldn't continue to ask questions, otherwise it would make both sides more and more embarrassed.
Samishvara I said, "My Chalukya Kingdom is more populous and richer than the Chola Kingdom. Why should the envoys go to Chola? It would be better for them to come directly to Chalukya."
"Although going to Chola is a bit of a detour, we must invite all countries that have trade relations with the Song Dynasty to participate in next year's court meeting."
Tan Wenxue said, "We also know that the Chola and Chalukya are old enemies, but our Great Song is committed to bringing peaceful coexistence to the world. Therefore, if you are willing, we hope that you can shake hands and make peace."
"Peace? A handshake?"
After hearing the translation, Sumitra I wanted to laugh and said, "If you want us to live in peace, then why do you sell firearms to them?"
really.
It seems that the previous test firing at the Oraiyur dock could not be concealed from the Hou Zhaluqi.
Tan Wenxue remained calm and said, "Your Highness, you may not know that we are doing this because the Song Dynasty won't sell. There will be plenty of people who will sell in the future. The Liao and Western Xia both have firearms. If they secretly sell to the Chola in the future, the Chalukya will be in imminent danger."
He added, "Now that we are selling firearms openly, the Chalukyas will naturally know about this. If the Chola have firearms, and the Chalukyas also have them, then both sides will be wary of each other, and peace will naturally be achieved."
"Forehead"
Sumitra I hesitated for a moment and asked the guide beside him, "What countries are Xixia and Liao?"
The guide replied, "They are the countries to the north and northwest of Song."
"Do they have firearms?"
"Yes, Song State has been fighting with them for the past few years, but..."
"But what?"
"But I remember that Xixia seemed to have been destroyed by the Song Dynasty."
"Then ask him, wasn't Xixia already wiped out?"
"yes."
The guide told Tan Wenxue the problem.
Tan Wenxue said, "Although the Western Xia was destroyed, their remnants fled to the Western Regions with firearms. The Western Regions are connected to the Arab Empire, which is even worse. If another Arab Empire rises, how will you resist it?"
"Forehead"
This logic made Sumitra I's brain CPU a little dry, because he found that it seemed to make sense.
If the Song Dynasty does not sell firearms, what if the Liao Dynasty and Western Xia sell them in the future?
Although he had information gaps and did not know what countries the Western Xia and Liao were, nor did he know whether the remnants of the Western Xia had actually fled to the Western Regions with firearms, this did not prevent Sumitra I from thinking that it made sense.
Since there were already three countries in the East that possessed firearms, even if he didn't know about the other two, and one of them was destroyed, wouldn't it be a disaster if the Chola Kingdom colluded with the Liao Kingdom, or if the remnants of the Western Xia fled to some countries to their north and allowed those people to secretly purchase firearms?
So now that the Song Dynasty is coming over in a swagger and providing firearms to both sides, it means that neither side is strong enough on its own and both have the ability to destroy the other. Doesn't this achieve some kind of constraint or balance?
broken.
My head itches so much, I feel like I'm going to grow a brain.
Sumitra I felt something was amiss, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was, so he just smiled awkwardly and said, "That seems to be the case."
"That's right. Just like Greek fire, if the Arab merchants only sold Greek fire to the Chola Dynasty and not to you, how could you resist the attack of Greek fire?"
Tan Wenxue smiled and said, "Weapons are only equal when both sides have them. That way, both sides have the ability to destroy the other, thus forming a deterrent. That's the only way to bring peace, isn't it?"
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
