A snow-white wave plowed on the bow of the "God of Light" and headed northwest along the wide Xiatai Arabian River. The sailors on the deck were practicing the eight-niu crossbow. With the commands from Deng Ken from the deputy bow of the ship, the sailors nervously adjusted the eight-niu crossbow and repeatedly loaded the training giant arrows.

Ji Yi and Li Gang stood on the stern deck, observing their training with interest. Deng Ken was the first graduate of the Warship Department of the Shipbuilding School (now split into the Naval Army Academy), and they learned standardized combat and ship control skills. To be honest, the ship control skills taught by the Shipbuilding School are not very good, and even half-in-law Ji Yi, a half-in-law, looked down on them. However, Deng Ken's standardized training of sailors and surface combat methods are eye-opening.

Although countless merchant ships were active along the coast of the Song Dynasty, they were armed and often had sea wars. However, the war between merchant ships or merchant warships was very casual, without strict rules, and they often had to rely on the bravery of sailors. Compared with the Pu family warships defeated by the Nanyang Patrol Fleet, they were far inferior to the other's naval army of the Three Buddhas and Qi Kingdom! After decades of traversing on the Three Buddhas and Qi Straits, they also found a set of tactics, and their own water war Gulam system, how did the merchants of the Song Dynasty compare? If they could really compare, the Three Buddhas and Qi Straits would be controlled by the Pu family for many years?

The Warship Department of the Shipbuilding School, which was built by serious military strategists such as Hu Yanqing, Zhou Gao, and Murong Wangyou, is one level higher than the Pu family's water battle Gulam. On the one hand, they have the combat experience and methods accumulated by the Ping Navy (the navy of the Song Dynasty); on the other hand, they also have a military scientific system to support it. Many infantry training and combat methods can be applied to water battles, forming a set of water battle tactics with "firearms" as the core of long-distance combat and iron-armored soldiers as the core of deck hand-to-hand combat. And through high-intensity repeated drills, naval soldiers can be proficient in various combat skills.

Therefore, although the navy of the Coastal Maritime Control Department was pieced together, its combat effectiveness was still very reliable.

In front of Li Gang, an academic tycoon of Yuntai Department, Ji Yi would naturally not be stingy with praise: "The knowledge of Yuntai Palace is indeed both civil and military, and even the art of water warfare is so great. If the Caliph and Sultan of the Tianfang Sect saw that our warships were so strict, it would be much easier to go on this mission."

Li Gang smiled, but did not take Ji Yi's words, but turned his attention to the huge city that had appeared on the skyline. He has now adapted to the bumps on the water. Although he has lost weight and darkness, he is in great spirits. Moreover, due to his contact and interaction with Sayed Wansisheng, he has more and more longing for this mission of "Going to the West to the West".

In the West, it turns out that there are more profound knowledge than Buddhist scriptures!

Moreover, these knowledge coincide with the principles of the empirical school founded by Wu Haogu. According to Wan Sisheng, there was an ancient Western man from Aristotle, a figure from more than 1,300 years ago. He once opened a school called Luke'ang in a place called Athens, and his research is similar to the Yuntai Academy!

This palace and the Aristotle school founded by Aristotle existed for more than 800 years until it was banned by the Roman general (emperor) Yus more than 500 years ago. The reason is said that this school is "disrespectful to God"... This is a pity and stupid.

The Confucians in the Central Plains have been searching for more than a thousand years to ask for the Tao, but they were defeated by such a fool general. However, such a thing cannot happen in the Central Plains, because the generals after the Central Plains must have been disciples of the Empirical School.

This is what Mr. Yuntai (a respectful title for Wu Haogu) is better than Aristotle. He closely linked the empirical school and military education from the beginning. He also taught his disciples to keep their swords away... He is really foresighted!

Thinking of this, Li Gang suddenly turned his head and said to Ji Yi: "Yizhi, after we have met Khalifa in Baghdad and obtained the collection of Nietzsemian University, go west to Rome and see Aristotle's hometown."

"The hometown of Aristotle?"

Because his days at sea were too boring, Ji Yi also listened to the discussion between Li Gang and Wan Sisheng, and learned about the knowledge of Western scholars such as Aristotle, Plato, Euclidean, and Pythagoras. He also had the idea of ​​traveling to Western countries and collecting the works left by these great masters.

"Okay!" Ji Yi smiled, "Let's go together, and then meet the general of the Roman Kingdom and the Dharma King (referring to the Pope) in the city of Rome... I brought a blank document of the establishment of the Ministry of Justice and many national gifts, and wrote a few more national letters. I said that I followed the will of the Emperor of the Song Dynasty and went to the West to seek the true scriptures!"

...

Port of Basra.

This port city is located on the west bank of the Xiatai Arabian River. It has always been the core of exchanges between the Arab world and the East.

A big city with hundreds of thousands of people is spread out next to the wide river channel. White and gray houses are densely packed, and it is endless to see the edge. It looks quiet and melodious under the sun. In the port area, it looks like a noisy look of merchants gathering. Arabic merchant ships are arranged densely in the river channel near the port pier. White cloth is wrapped on its head, worn torn shorts, and dark-skinned coolies are shuttled and carrying large and small cargo.

Not far from the port, seven towering lying towers are in sight. Under the lying tower is the main building of the huge Tianfang Temple. The white exterior walls, golden domes, and wide squares are everywhere showing the unforeseen lofty status of the Tianfang Cult in Basra City. It also tells all the tourists who come here that they have arrived in the world of the Tianfang Cult.

Looking at the port city in front of me, which was no less than any Song Dynasty city, and thinking about the academy and academic achievements of the Tianfang Cult introduced by Sisheng along the way, Ji Yi and Li Gang felt an uncontrollable excitement in their hearts.

Of course, they do not believe in religion, but they have to admit that the Tianfang Sect has mastered very critical knowledge for the Song Dynasty and Confucianism.

As long as the empirical school can obtain this knowledge, Confucianism will usher in a prosperous era that has not been seen in a thousand years!

Like the large ports of the Song Dynasty, among the ports of Basra, there were many small boats specializing in merchant ship business, all gathered on the water near the port. When they saw eight large galleys approaching, they all surrounded them. Most of these small boats belonged to the citizens of Basra who were doing small business in the port of Basra. They carried baskets of dates, eggs, beef and mutton, and shouted and sold to the merchant ships from a distance. They spoke Arabic and Persian, and they were ringing in a ball.

In addition to these water vendors, there are also some larger boats that are rowed by black slaves. These boats are seven or eight feet long, narrow and deep, a bit like canoes. The bow and boat ship are raised upwards, like crescent moon hanging in the horizon. There is also a sun-shaded ceiling on the boat, which is very beautifully decorated. Below the ceiling is a man wearing a gorgeous silk robe, one of which is close to the "God of Light".

The man riding on this crescent-shaped boat was named Aaron Ben Elijah, who was in his early thirties, had black hair, very neatly trimmed beard, a tall and pointed nose, and brown eyes. According to the aesthetics of the Arab world in the 12th century, he was a good-looking man. He was not an Arab, nor did he believe in the Tianfang religion, but a Jew.

More than 900 years later, people would definitely not believe that in the center of the Tianfang world in 1107, there was actually religious freedom and tolerance. Baghdad and Basra had a large number of Jewish residents, and about 10%-20% of the residents were Jews. They were descendants of Jews captured by the Babylonian king in 597 BC. They later gained freedom, but did not leave this rich land.

In today's city of Basra, there are many ancient and wealthy Jewish communities, the Tathan Church, who are far more tolerant of them than Christians of the same generation.

Aaron Ben Elijah is a member of the wealthy Jewish community in Basra, engaged in broker trading in the port of Basra, providing services to merchant ships from afar.

In addition to the Jews, there are also many Christians and Damans (a heretic of Christianity) living in Basra and Baghdad under the rule of the Tianfang religion (a heretic of Christianity). They can now live in peace with Tianfang religion and Jews... There are no saints here, and there are no serious religious conflicts.

In addition, Basra is also the stronghold and birthplace of the "Jingcheng Brothers Society" of the rational school of Tianfang Buddhism. This is a social reform group composed of a group of free-thinking Tianfang scholars. They claimed that Tianfang Buddhism has been polluted by ignorance and ignorance, and fell into a lost path. They must be cleansed and healed with philosophy and scientific knowledge. They also announced that they do not hold sectarian prejudice, advocated researching and absorbing all religions, philosophical thoughts and scientific knowledge that are beneficial to mankind, learn from the theories of various schools of Tianfang Buddhism, and establish a philosophy that includes all human knowledge and wisdom to enlighten people's reason... There are such Tianfang Buddhists!

This is the center of the Tianfang Sect and the Arab world before the Mongolian Conquest in the 12th century!

It is unbelievable to people 900 years later, but it does exist and is worth remembering that Li Gang came from the distant China.

"Dear Guest, where are you from? Can you allow me, an honest merchant, to serve you?" Aaron Ben Elijah had already stood at the bow of the crescent boat and asked the sailors on the "God of Light" in Arabic.

"We are from Taohua Stone," replied Moli, "This is a fleet of missions sent by the Taohua Stone Emperor, who came to meet the Caliph of the Tianfang Sect and the Sultan of Seljuk!"
Chapter completed!