"What did he say?"
Lothar frowned.
Ivan chose his words carefully before replying, "He said that although you are the ruler of a powerful nation, you should also understand that our Khan is the greatest sovereign beneath the Eternal Blue Sky. You ought to show the most basic respect for our letter of state."
Lothar gave a dismissive snort. He knew the envoy's words could not possibly have been as tactful as Ivan's translation, but he did not pursue the matter.
No matter the era, laying hands on an envoy was the basest sort of conduct.
"Then let us see whether your Khan has shown me the most basic respect."
Lothar unfolded the letter of state. Its contents had been written in two languages: one was Persian, and the other was, surprisingly, Latin.
"Lord Lothar, I have heard that in merely one year, you rose alone to seize the Green-robed Great Food and replace it. Since then, the vast lands from Cyrenaica to Adana have all fallen under your rule. Such great achievements surpass even my own unification of the grasslands, and I greatly admire you.
My Great Tatar State has now unified the grasslands for more than ten years. We have also conquered the Jin Dynasty and Kara-Khitan. The lands under our rule stretch for tens of thousands of miles; the warriors beneath our banners number far more than a million. Both our nations are mighty powers. Should war arise between us, it would be no different from two tigers fighting, needlessly draining our national strength.
I know that many of the people under your rule believe in the Frankish faith, and that the Frankish nations regard your country as an enemy that has seized their Holy Land. The Great Tatar State is the same. Why not make a