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Text Chapter 662 Encountering a Visigothic warship

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    Just like when they came, Li Ke and his fleet crossed the Black Sea Strait and reached the Aegean Sea. However, because of the rush last time, they did not have time to appreciate the beautiful scenery of the Aegean Sea, especially the city of Athens located on the Balkan Peninsula.  We didn¡¯t have a chance to visit, but we happened to be passing by this time, so Li Ke and the others stayed in Athens for a few days.

    Athens is an ancient city with a history of more than a thousand years, and it was also the political and economic center of ancient Greece. Although it declined several times later, under the rule of the Eastern Roman Empire, it was revived again, and even competed with Constantinople.  In comparison, it is not inferior in any way.

    The news that the Tang prince was coming to Rome had already reached Athens, so Li Ke and the others were warmly received by the local nobles for their arrival. Unfortunately, Li Ke and the others were in a hurry, so after visiting for a few days, they still refused.  The enthusiasm of the local nobles persuaded him to stay, and then he set off again.

    After that, they stopped again in Crete, and then headed west. When passing the Apennine Peninsula, Li Ke stood on the bow of the ship and looked towards the peninsula from a distance, with a trace of confusion in his eyes.

    In fact, in Li Ke's mind, the most ideal place to found a country is not the Iberian Peninsula, but the Apennine Peninsula right in front of him. After all, this is the birthplace of the Roman Empire. The peninsula is not only rich in products, but also has a large population.  It was plundered by barbarians from the north for the first time, but the foundation of civilization on the island is still there. If a country can be established here, both agriculture and industry and commerce will develop at the fastest speed.

    Unfortunately, he had to worry about the reaction of the Eastern Roman Empire, so Li Ke had to give up here, but this abandonment was only temporary. After he established a country of his own in Iberia and truly established a foothold, then the next step  It is the Apennine Peninsula in front of us, and there is also the barbarian kingdom named Frank.  In the future, they will all be included in his list of conquests.

    The Apennine Peninsula divides the entire Mediterranean into east and west parts. After crossing Sicily in the southeast of the Apennine Peninsula, Li Ke and his fleet arrived in the Western Mediterranean.  After Li Ke decided to establish his own power in the Mediterranean, he no longer had to go to the Americas. However, he wanted to go to the Iberian Peninsula to understand the situation first, and by the way, he also escorted Lu Wan and his fleet to the Atlantic Ocean.  It won't be too late for him to come back on a warship.

    Now that Rome¡¯s military strength has shrunk, although the navy still maintains a considerable size, it is mainly concentrated in the Eastern Mediterranean.  Therefore, after passing the Apennine Peninsula, traces of the Roman navy were rarely seen in the waters of the Western Mediterranean. Instead, there were gradually more and more ships from the Vandals and Alans, but most of these ships were going to Rome or Dali. Only  Very few fleets are like them.  To cross the Strait of Gibraltar to reach the Atlantic Ocean.

    The capital of the Visigothic Kingdom is called Toulouse. It is located in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is an inland city quite far away from the coast and also quite far away from the Strait of Gibraltar. It can be seen from this that the Visigothic Kingdom  Although the kingdom controls the entire Iberian Peninsula, its center of rule is located in the northeastern part of the peninsula.  The central part and the southwestern part adjacent to the Strait of Gibraltar are not highly valued.

    And the Strait of Gibraltar during this period was not as important as in later generations. The main maritime activities of the Roman Empire were concentrated in the Mediterranean and Black Sea areas, and few ships would leave the Mediterranean.  Today's Europe is still a barbaric land, even a kingdom like Frank.  In the eyes of the Romans, it was just a barbarian kingdom.  In addition, marine activities in this area have not yet developed, so there are not many ships entering and leaving the Strait of Gibraltar, at least not compared to the Black Sea Strait.

    Although Gibraltar's commercial and military value is not as important as that of later generations, it is the west coast of Europe and Africa.  When communicating with the Mediterranean coast, it is also necessary to pass through this strait.  Therefore, as early as more than a thousand years ago, the Phoenicians established a port city on the southern shore of the Strait of Gibraltar, named Dingis, which later became the famous port of Tangier in Morocco.

    However, Dingis later went through several wars. The Kelfakirs, Vandals, Romans, etc. all ruled here successively. Now it is occupied by the Visigoth Kingdom. Therefore, the Strait of Gibraltar is also called Dingis by the Visigoths.  Strait.  As for the name Gibraltar, it was specially marked by Li Min when he was making the world map. Moreover, even Li Min himself did not know that the name Gibraltar would not appear until decades later.

    The Visigothic Kingdom was not satisfied with occupying the entire Iberian Peninsula, so it extended its tentacles across the Strait of Gibraltar and reached North Africa. However, due to the tenacious resistance of the Vandals and Alans, they could only stop at Dinghi.  near Sri Lanka.

    It is precisely because of the existence of Dingis that in the Strait of Gibraltar, in addition to the fleet of merchant ships, there are also many Visigoth warships patrolling, but most of the styles of these warships are imitated by the Romans.  , and the construction technology is obviously notAfter passing the customs, not only were the ships smaller, but their speed was also not as fast as the Roman warships.

    Li Ke and the others may be the first Han fleet to arrive in the Strait of Gibraltar. Not to mention the four extremely tall warships, the other ships in the fleet are also tall, and the paddle boats in the Mediterranean are comparable to them.  , just like a dwarf next to a giant, so the arrival of their fleet immediately attracted everyone's attention.

    However, after Li Ke and the others entered the Mediterranean, they had already become accustomed to the shocked looks of the locals, so they all appeared very calm. The entire fleet first entered the port of Dingis, and then found a businessman who knew Greek and gave certain instructions.  After receiving the reward, the other party helped them buy fresh water, food and other supplies, and then rested in the port for one night. However, when they were about to leave the Strait of Gibraltar the next day, they encountered a trouble.

    "What's going on? What are these Visigoths doing?" Li Ke looked at the Gothic warships around the ship with a gloomy face and asked with anger in his tone.  As soon as their ship left the port of Dingis, it was surrounded by a Visigoth war fleet, and the size of the fleet was not small. It was roughly estimated that there should be more than a hundred triremes.  Warships surrounded their fleet.

    "Your Highness, please wait a moment. Mr. Cen has already gone to inquire. There should be news soon." Lu Wan said hurriedly, but his face also didn't look good. His intuition told him that today's matter might not be easy to handle.

    As the Eastern Roman Empire dominated the Mediterranean, Greek also spread. In the entire Mediterranean region, Greek has almost become a universal language. Therefore, when encountering this situation, Cen Changqian served as the Greek speaker in the fleet.  He is the best person in the world and is also Li Ke's first adviser. He naturally has to take charge of communication.

    Cen Changqian rode the boat forward, and soon a Visigoth ship came forward. Cen Changqian loudly explained his purpose in Greek. Then, under the guidance of a small warship, he sailed on the largest ship.  I saw the general of this Visigoth navy in his five-oared warship.

    "Are you that fleet from the Tang Dynasty?" The opponent's general is a stout bearded man. He can't tell how old he is. He has a few scars on his face and even one missing ear. He speaks in an arrogant manner.  Extremely.

    "Yes, I wonder why the general blocked our way?" Cen Changqian seemed very calm. Although the other party's ships were twice as many as his own, the oar-mounted ships under his feet were not as equipped as the Romans.  Greek Fire, if nothing else, the four warships behind him could sweep them away, so Cen Changqian seemed confident.

    "Why did you stop you?" General One-Ear rudely picked out his nostrils, and then dug out a lump of black stuff in front of Cen Changqian. While rubbing it, he looked at him contemptuously and said, "Our city lord said  , he is very interested in your ship, so now your ship belongs to us, and the people in your fleet will also stay. When can we build such a big ship ourselves, when can you leave!"

    Cen Changqian almost became angry when she heard this. She thought that barbarians were barbarians, and they were not even good at robbing.  However, as a last resort, Cen Changqian did not want to use force with the opponent, so she had to speak again: "Your Excellency General, we are the fleet of the Tang Dynasty, and we were personally received by His Majesty the Emperor of Eastern Rome before, and we even have a letter signed by him in our hand.  Mr. Tong Xing, I hope you can consider it and don¡¯t"

    "Pa!" What Cen Changqian never expected was that before he finished speaking, the one-eared general in front of him slapped him. As a result, he only felt his face go numb first, and his whole body was also hit by this strong force.  The blow hit him crookedly, and he almost fell to the ground, and then the whole left side of his face was in burning pain.

    "Hahaha~, don't mention that shit about Rome in front of me. My ancestors killed countless Roman ladies in Rome. This is Dingis, the territory of us Goths. You have to behave here.  You must listen to me, or we will all die!" General One-Ear looked at Cen Changqian's embarrassed look and laughed arrogantly.

    Seeing the other party's arrogant look, Cen Changqian was filled with rage. As the number one strategist of Prince Wu's Mansion, how had he ever suffered such an insult?  But it was also his fault that he was too careless, thinking that these Goths should be similar to the Romans, at least know some etiquette, and would not fight even if they couldn't reach an agreement.

    But he forgot that the reason why these Goths were called barbarians by the Romans was because they were all barbarians, rude, stupid, and blindly arrogant. They thought they were invincible after a small victory. The Tang Dynasty was too far away from here.  Far away, so they don't know the power of the Tang Dynasty. Although Rome is the overlord of the Mediterranean, it is still not taken seriously by these people. Even if they anger the other party again, then these barbaric Goths are likely to first  Kill yourself before giving the order??Ship.
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