Chapter 491 It’s Time to Do Something Big

In mid-May of the 12th year of the Qingli calendar, after nearly a month of sailing across the sea, the Song Dynasty envoys crossed the Bay of Bengal and arrived at the Chola Dynasty.

When the Chola King Rajati Raja Chola I learned that the Song Dynasty envoys had arrived, he gave them extremely high-level treatment.

In the year 1000, the Chola Dynasty was a relatively powerful dynasty. They had three large legions, each with 30,000 people, including war elephants, cavalry, archers, and heavy infantry.

Moreover, they also obtained the technology of Greek fire from Arab merchants who traded between China and the West at that time. The soldiers under their command were equipped with heavy armor, iron shields, and swords, and their combat effectiveness was very strong.

More importantly, the Chola Dynasty was still a populous country. Around 1048 AD, their population had reached 15 million, and their strength was strong.

If placed in East Asia, the Chola Dynasty should be a country with a population second only to the Song Dynasty. After all, the Liao Dynasty, the second most populous country in East Asia, now has less than 7 million people, and its military power has also declined greatly.

The Chola Dynasty was at its peak at this time. The previous king, Rajendra Chola I, had just completed the expedition to Bengal, and his territory spanned half of the Indian peninsula.

At present, the Chola Dynasty, apart from fighting its mortal enemy, the Chalukya Dynasty, for a hundred years without a win or loss, was at least a small overlord in the Indian peninsula and even Southeast Asia.

However, when they heard that the Song Dynasty envoys were coming, they did not take a hostile attitude.

There are three reasons.

First, although they also want to fight for the Strait of Malacca and expand their sphere of influence to Southeast Asia, first of all, they do not have the ability to cross the sea for expeditions, and secondly, there is no geopolitical conflict between them and the Song Dynasty.

The Song Dynasty is currently operating the northern region of Southeast Asia, that is, Vietnam, the Philippines and other places in later generations, and has no intention of getting involved in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Although the Chola Dynasty has ideas about Indonesia and Malaysia, it is not yet able to put them into action.

So the two sides do not interfere with each other.

Second, Chola merchants also traded with the Song Dynasty. Even in the eighth year of Dazhong Xiangfu of Emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty, the grandfather of the current Chola king, the then Chola king Rajaraja I, sent envoys to pay tribute to the Song Dynasty.

Therefore, the Chola Dynasty needed to continue to trade with the Song Dynasty and sell precious commodities such as pearls, ivory, spices, gems, etc. produced in their country to the Song Dynasty to make money.

Third, as mentioned above, Chola merchants had close trade relations with the Song Dynasty, so the Chola Dynasty was not a country with closed news.

Of course, they also knew the current strong position of the Song Dynasty in the East and the rampant tyranny of the Song Dynasty navy in the South China Sea.

Therefore, they also knew that the Song Dynasty was strong in military force.

With such geographical factors, military fears and interests, the Chola Dynasty had no reason to conflict with the Song Dynasty unless it was crazy.

Under such circumstances, Rajati Raja Chola I would certainly have to maintain good relations with the Song Dynasty envoys.

They warmly entertained the envoys in Aurayur, the capital of the Chola Dynasty, which is the city of Thanjavur in Tamil State, India in the future.

The Cauvery River flows through this place, connecting to the Bay of Bengal, so large ships can go directly there. It was the main inland waterway for the Chola Dynasty to trade with Eastern and Western countries at that time.

The Cauvery River is as wide as the Musi River. The narrowest part of the river is 300 to 400 meters, and the widest part can reach 1 or 2 miles. The rolling river water seems to have no end at a glance.

The ironclad ship rumbled in, and the Chola King Rajati Raja Chola I came to greet him in person. Standing on the bow, you can see the prosperous port, various buildings, and crowds of people coming and going.

In the distance, the magnificent palace stands tall, and the people are farming on the fertile land outside the city, and elephants are walking in it.

Rajati Raja Chola I was dressed gorgeously. Indians seemed to have a special obsession with gold. They were covered with jewels and gems. The sapphire ring on his hand was priceless.

No wonder later generations liked India so much. With money and rich land, who wouldn't like it?

"Your Majesty."

Chola merchant Fulian, as a guide and part-time translator, got off the boat first, then put his right hand on his chest, bowed to Rajati Raja Chola I and said, "This is the envoys of the Song Dynasty."

"Dear guests from the East, I extend my sincere and friendly greetings to you on behalf of the Chola Kingdom."

Rajati Raja Chola I also bowed with his right hand on his chest.

Although the envoys didn't understand what he said, Fulian quickly translated it for them, which made Tan Wenxue and others quite flattered.

"The king is polite."

Everyone hurriedly bowed in return.

Then Rajati Raja Chola I said something else.

Fulian explained: "His Majesty the King welcomes you very much and invites you to the palace to attend the banquet."

"Thank you, King."

Tan Wenxue and Zhang Youwei, as representatives, agreed one after another.

So under the warm hospitality of Rajati Raja Chola I, the group arrived at the Chola Kingdom.

The kingdom is magnificent, with all kinds of buildings, flowers and plants, like a fairyland.

A large number of tower-shaped buildings have been built around, with exquisite reliefs and gorgeous temples, on which some Hindu gods are carved.

Many believers crowded around to worship.

In the farther direction, many low-caste civilians were engaged in production work.

Among the people who were received with the king, a group of monks and nobles stood in the front.

Anyone who has studied high school history will know that this is the caste system in India.

In the middle of the 11th century AD, Hinduism, which has a history of more than 2,000 years, has long taken root.

The predecessor of this religion is Brahmanism, which originated around 1600 BC. At that time, our country was even in the period when the Shang Dynasty destroyed the Xia Dynasty.

Subsequently, in the thousand-year culture of ancient India, Buddhism and Jainism were gradually born.

However, the Indian ruling class continued to suppress Buddhism and Jainism, and actively promoted Hinduism, eventually making Hinduism the largest religion in the Indian peninsula today.

The reason is also easy to understand.

Just as Confucianism is more suitable for the rule of the ruling class, the Hindu caste system theory is also very suitable for the ruling class and helps them maintain their rule.

The only difference is that the Eastern Empire pays attention to the natural right of kings rather than the divine right of kings, so the king's power is not bound by religion.

In India and the West, monarchy is basically divine right.

For example, the status of bishops and monks in Christianity and Hinduism is much higher than that of kings. Although it is only in name, it is enough to prove that the feudal thinking in the West at that time was more serious than that in the East.

Therefore, at this time, the elders and monks of the Brihadeswara temple represented by the Brahmins of the Chola Dynasty, and the kings and dignitaries represented by the Kshatriyas became the two major groups that welcomed the Song Dynasty envoys.

Their positions were clearly differentiated. The monks were few in number but stood at the front of the team, with their hands clasped together, wearing simple monk robes, and with peaceful expressions on their faces.

The ministers, dressed in luxurious clothes and with cloth scarves wrapped on their heads, stood aside very solemnly.

Everyone entered the palace.

The palace is quite prosperous, but the embarrassing thing is that they have no tables and chairs, only rope beds.

And not everyone can sit on the rope bed, only kings and monks can sit on it. It is shaped like a square chair with a fence, and one corner of the chair is missing to accommodate people.

However, King Raja Chola I had some rope beds prepared to ease the embarrassment, but sitting there was just a bit uncomfortable.

Diplomacy adheres to the principle of reciprocity.

The rest of the dignitaries and ministers were standing, the monks and the king were sitting, and the envoys of the Song Dynasty were also sitting. This unequal scene was indescribably weird.

It's just that this is the etiquette of other countries, so it's hard for everyone to say anything.

After everyone sat down, the maid used gold vessels to place various fruits on the coffee table in front of them, as well as various curries, roast chicken, yogurt, juice, honey and various pastes.

"Distinguished guests, this is the best food in our kingdom. His Majesty the King, please don't dislike it!"

Fulian said.

Everyone looked embarrassed, not because the paste made with various spices, onions, ginger and onions was unpalatable, but because they didn’t even have chopsticks.

"Uh, how do you eat this?"

Zhang Youwei asked in a low voice.

"It's like grabbing it with your hands."

Tan Wenxue remembered a book he read in the Ministry of Rites. It was recorded that there were no chopsticks here and everyone used their hands to grab them. It was said that they even had to use their hands to go to the toilet.

"I knew I would have brought a few pairs of chopsticks from the ship."

Wang Shining complained.

"Eat first."

Tan Wenxu saw that everyone around him was looking at them with eager eyes, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and took a glass of juice first and said to Emperor Rajaraja Chola I: "Thank you, Your Highness."

"Let's bless our guests."

When Emperor Raja Chola I saw them moving, he also picked up the juice cup with his right hand and held it flat with his left hand in the direction of the envoys.

"bless all of you."

The monks also picked up the juice.

Then a group of dancers came in at the door and danced cheerfully. The musicians nearby played music, and the atmosphere suddenly became lively.

"This is my first time drinking from a gold cup. This doesn't seem to be wine."

"It's juice."

"The Chola dynasty was so rich that they filled their juices in golden cups."

Several members of the envoys responded to each other while whispering among themselves.

Soon the banquet was over.

After everyone had had their fill of wine and food, the official business began.

Tan Wenxue wiped his mouth with the silk cloth on his body, and then said to Raja Chola I: "Your Highness."

"The Song Dynasty will hold a grand celebration on January 1st next year. The reason we came here this time is to invite His Highness to send people to the Song Dynasty to participate in this grand event."

Fo Lian translated the meaning at the same time.

The Song Dynasty court attached great importance to this grand event and required Eastern countries to participate unless there were special circumstances, such as a serious illness of the king.

The same was true in the Tang Dynasty. If the emperor of the Tang Dynasty wanted to hold a celebration, he would ask the kings of the Western Regions to come.

Those who disobeyed the edict, like King Gaochang, had their ashes carried away by the Tang army.

However, those countries that are further away are still relatively open-minded and do not impose any requirements on the king of the other party, including the Southeast Asian countries such as Boni, Jaya, and Srivijaya.

After all, these countries are still too far away from the Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty navy used to take a month. They took their own small sailing boats to come over. It took a month and a half to get to Guangzhou and two months to Quanzhou. The journey was still very long.

It was just that Tan Wenxue still invited them at that time, and neither Boni nor Jhapo had any objections. Only Srivijaya died and did not know good or bad, and finally the king was changed.

As for countries in South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, there is no need to come to the king, just send envoys.

First, the military power of the Song Dynasty could not fully radiate to them. The iron-clad ships were more than capable of destroying the country, but it was difficult to occupy it. Secondly, the distance is too far, and it is really unkind to force the king to come.

Therefore, Tan Wenxu did not invite Raja Chola I this time, but just asked him to send an envoy.

After listening to his words, Emperor Rajan Chola I pondered: "As for the invitation from the Song Dynasty, I can naturally send an envoy there. My grandfather also sent an envoy before. It is a good thing to communicate with the great eastern countries."

"Then we can take the Chola Kingdom's envoys with us on our way back."

Tan Wenxue said happily.

"Of course, but"

"But what?"

Tan Wenxue was puzzled when he saw Fulian say this.

Did the Chola king have other things?

"But I heard that Da Song has very powerful firearms. I'm curious if you can let me see them."

See something?

Tan Wenxue, Zhang Youwei, and Wang Shining looked at each other.

I say it’s just to gain experience, I’m afraid I just want to test it out.

"nature."

Tan Wenxue winked at Wang Shining and said, "Let's demonstrate the power of artillery to His Highness."

"That's great."

King Raja Chola I was very happy.

Immediately the group left the palace.

The city-state of Oraiyur is divided into seven layers. In the middle is the royal palace, then the temple, then the mansion of the powerful, and then there are the official residence, people's residences and streets, as well as the slums outside the city.

These seven levels have clearly demonstrated the caste system to its fullest extent.

The first four floors are the residences of Brahmins and Kshatriyas, and the last two floors are the residences of Vaishyas and Sudras.

Outside the city is the habitat of a small number of Sudras and a large number of Dalits and Chandras known as untouchables and untouchables.

They were not even allowed to stand outside and watch the envoy. The palace guards kept them far apart. The envoy, led by a group of high-caste dignitaries, arrived at the port again.

After everyone exchanged pleasantries, they and Raja Chola I went to a high tower near the port and began to watch the naval guns.

Wang Shining held a flag in his hand, waved it in the direction of the ship, and issued an order.

He glanced around and saw that there were city-states and population gathering places around him. Only the other side of the river was an open space, so he said to Raja Chola I: "Your Highness, please look, we will fire cannonballs from here to the other side."

"It's so far over there, can't you see clearly?"

Asked by Rajaraja Chola I.

"No"

Wang Shining was about to say no, but they prepared a telescope for him.

As a result, King Raja Chola I said: "It is better to shoot over there."

As he spoke, he pointed to the south bank.

Everyone looked over and their expressions suddenly froze.

There is a remote part of the city-state, but there is still a village.

A cannon blast might not hit anyone, but who can be sure about this kind of thing?

It seems that the Chola dynasty really doesn’t take human life seriously.

"It's okay, Your Highness can just use this to see."

Wang Shining's face twitched slightly and he handed over the binoculars.

Raja Chola I took over the telescope and used it under Fo Lian's teaching. He was shocked and asked: "Is this thing sold in the Song Dynasty?"

"Your Highness, please wait patiently and wait until the demonstration is completed."

Tan Wenxue smiled.

Then Wang Shining also waved his flag.

This tower is very high, with six floors, overlooking the river.

After Jiangshang Guangzhou saw the instruction, the shell hole in the left cabin immediately began to load ammunition.

And in order to demonstrate the effect, it also specially installed explosive bombs, that is, explosive bombs. The lethality may not be greater than that of solid bullets, but the explosion effect and sound must be better than solid bullets.

"Prepare!"

"emission!"

The lieutenant on the ship shouted loudly.

In an instant, more than ten artillery salvoes were fired from the gun port on the left side of the Canton.

More than a dozen artillery shells drew a gorgeous arc in the air, and then quickly fell in a parabola, landing on the grass on the other side of the river a mile away.

"Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang!"

In an instant, there was an explosion, dust flew, and all kinds of grass clippings, sawdust, and sand flew all over the sky.

Immediately afterwards, the "bang bang" sound, which had been weakened a lot, came, which made the eyes of Raja Chola I widen and his lips trembled.

"Does Da Song sell this thing?"

he asked excitedly.

"This is an important weapon of a great power. In principle, we will not sell it."

Tan Wenxue and Zhang Youwei looked at each other and smiled knowingly.

Finally found a buyer.

"We have gold, lots of gold."

Raja Chola I waved his hands in front of his chest and said to Tan Wenxue: "We can buy it with gold!"

"This is it"

Tan Wenxue mused: "Its technical content is very high, even in our Song Dynasty there was not much."

"How much would it cost you to make such a firearm?"

"It takes about three pounds of gold."

Zhang Youwei said without changing his expression.

In the early Northern Song Dynasty, the ratio of silver to gold was about 1:5.

Later, with the mining of silver, the amount of silver on the market increased and gold became scarce, once rising to 1:8.

However, the ratio of gold to silver has now reached 1:12. It has maintained this ratio for several years and has not continued to rise.

The reason for this is that although a large amount of silver from all over the world is flowing into the Song Dynasty, with the rapid prosperity of the commodity economy, the demand for silver is also skyrocketing.

Including casting silver coins, making silver jewelry, becoming a common currency, etc., the imperial court also purchased large amounts of silver to serve as an anchor.

Therefore, even if the amount of silver flowing into the Song Dynasty every year is as high as millions of taels, the ratio is still very stable.

If calculated in this way, then three catties of gold is equivalent to 36 catties of silver, 576 taels of silver, and according to the current ratio of one silver dollar to one tael of silver to one string of money, it is 576 strings of money.

It doesn't seem to be much, because the cost of a copper cannon used in the Song Dynasty to fight against the Liao people during the Baoyuan period was more than 500 strings of money, and this price is about the same.

But the problem is that it is a copper cannon.

In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, an iron cannon cost only 200 taels of silver.

In the early Qing Dynasty, when fighting Zheng Chenggong, Li Lutai, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, built a batch of red cannons.

Each cost only 193 taels, plus 300 shells per statue, and 1,800 catties of gunpowder, it was only about 500 taels per statue.

It's not the 120mm rapid-fire cannon that can shoot seven or eight kilometers away and fire five or six rounds per minute in the late Qing Dynasty.

The ordinary one or two thousand jin red-coated cannons have simple craftsmanship and are not expensive at all.

So this three jin gold cannon is obviously a pig.

But the pig, Jatiraja Chola I, really took the bait.

He thought about it for a while.

Although he felt that three jin gold per cannon was a little expensive, he still gritted his teeth and said, "If the shipping cost is included, I am willing to buy fifty cannons at the price of four jin gold per cannon."

Here comes the big deal!

Tan Wenxue and Zhang Youwei were overjoyed.