Although the banquet was held in the east, the atmosphere was no different from that in Europe. However, the people who came here were different in their outfits. Both men and women did not wear Western outfits like Europe, but were all shown in the Ming Dynasty outfits.

In fact, in the past two years, with the continuous increase in exchanges between the East and the West, while the Chinese craze was rising in Europe, China's clothing and culture began to be introduced to Europe. It is said that in the palace in Paris, many nobles have also begun to learn the wear of the Ming Dynasty with their colleagues in the East. This kind of decoration with a strong oriental atmosphere makes Westerners extremely attractive and fresh, and the gorgeous clothes and exquisite accessories can better reflect their aristocratic identity.

On this occasion, Iprakin seemed a little out of place, but he was not embarrassed at all, but instead looked at everything in front of him with interest.

"My Excellency Iprakin?" Just as Iprakin was sitting in the corner watching, a man's voice rang in his ear.

"I am Yprakin, may I ask you..." Iprakin stood up, and in front of him was a Western man wearing Ming Dynasty costume. The man looked similar to Yprakin's age. Judging from his hair color, face and skin color characteristics, he seemed to have some Arab ancestry.

"Antonio Diaz, a Westerner living in the Ming Dynasty, is very honored to see you." Diaz said to Iprakin with a smile.

Iprakin welcomed the enthusiastic Diaz. The two exchanged a few greetings and started chatting. After the chat, Iprakin realized that his judgment was correct. This Mr. Diaz did have subtle Arab ancestry because this gentleman was Portuguese, and Portugal and Spain had been conquered by Arabia.

Although the other party did not express his identity, Iprakin could feel from the conversation that Mr. Diaz should not be an ordinary person, perhaps a Portuguese aristocrat or a staff member of the Portuguese Embassy.

Compared to Iprakin, who had just arrived in the Ming Dynasty, Diaz was very familiar with the Ming Dynasty, and he knew very well about many people who came to attend the banquet today. While the two talked, Diaz introduced the identities of Iprakin to Iprakin, and told him a lot of things under Iprakin's inquiry, which made Iprakin gain a lot.

"Sometimes ago in the Far East, I heard about what happened in Assyria and expressed deep sympathy for it." As time went by, there was quite a speculation between Iprakin and Diaz, and the topic gradually changed from the Ming Dynasty to Europe. When talking about Assyria, Diaz looked at his attitude towards the Ottoman Empire during the same period.

Iprakin smiled bitterly and shook his head and said, "Thank you for your justice, but defeat is defeat. This is an unchangeable fact. Losing Assyrian is the greatest shame for the empire in hundreds of years, and this is also one of the reasons why he came here."

"So... is the Ottoman Empire ready for reform?" Diaz asked.

Iprakin did not hide this, and when he left Istanbul, the Sudan had already begun military reforms.

"Yes, the Ottoman Empire is in a period of reform. At that time, the Rakshasa Kingdom was only the barbarians of the north, but they became stronger after a series of reforms, especially in the years, which have won successively in wars, including wars with the empire..."

Speaking of this, Iprakin looked a little sad. In the war between the Ottoman Empire and Russia, the Ottoman Empire was fighting against each other in the early stage, and the winners of several wars were the Ottoman Empire. But who could have expected that Russia, which was not an opponent of the Ottoman Empire, won the final victory after many failures, and the Ottoman Empire, as the loser, paid a huge price.

The dignity of the old empire was completely broken, and the Ottoman Empire signed a defeated agreement for the first time since its founding, and also lost Assyria.

It is precisely because of this that the Ottoman Empire felt a great crisis. Is the empire still an invincible empire back then?

In this case, the call for reform overwhelmed tradition, and the Sudan decided to reform the entire empire and start with the military. However, compared with other countries, the Ottoman Empire was very different from the Western countries, because the Ottoman Empire was a country with extremely strong religious power, and in many cases the power of religion was stronger than the secular power.

Iprakin was a wise man and a politician with outstanding vision. He knew very well that it was completely impossible for the Ottoman Empire to carry out a thorough comprehensive reform. The only possible reform was only in military and commercial reforms. At most, it would be a little more relaxed in customs and traditions, and even religions. In implementation, it was necessary to take into account religious power.

Of course, Iprakin couldn't say these words, let alone a stranger I just met? But it's okay to talk to the other party about opening up about business. The Portuguese have a great power in the Far East, and the Portuguese merchants also have a certain influence in the Far East. If they can cooperate in this regard, it would not be a bad thing for the Ottoman Empire.

"This is fine. The Portuguese Chamber of Commerce has clubs in the capital. In fact, it is not only Portugal, but other countries have similar institutions in the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty is a very open country and encourages and supports normal trade. As long as trade is carried out within the scope permitted by the Ming Dynasty law, it can be said that the Ming Dynasty is a paradise for merchants!" Diaz explained to Iprakin with a smile, and at the same time proposed that he could help him recommend some members of the Chamber of Commerce in various countries in the Ming Dynasty, even officials of the Ming Maritime Bureau.

"It's great to say this. Thank you very much, Your Excellency." Iprakin didn't expect that there would be such an unexpected surprise at today's banquet. The Ottoman Empire's power overseas is far less than that of European countries, not to mention the distant Ming Dynasty. These days Iprakin has been thinking about how to open up trade channels with the Ming Dynasty. Although the Ming Dynasty now agreed to establish diplomatic relations with the Ottoman Empire, trade and diplomatic relations are two different things. Compared with politics and business, Iprakin did not delete it. Now with the help of Mr. Diaz, this is something he wants.
Chapter completed!