Having consolidated his rule across vast realms, Alexander turned his victorious banners toward the distant Empire of China. For forty unbroken days, his immense hosts traversed the plains until they reached the shores of a boundless sea. There, beneath pavilions of rich brocade, Alexander encamped his legions and summoned his royal scribes to draft a daunting ultimatum in the name of Alexander, Conqueror of Cities.
Yet, driven by his daring curiosity, Alexander once again assumed the guise of his own ambassador. Accompanied by five sage scholars of Rum and entrusting the supreme command of his army to his trusted commander, he rode forth to evaluate the character and resolve of the Faghfur of China. Upon news of the arrival of the imperial envoy, the Faghfur dispatched an honorable escort. Alexander entered the magnificent court with majestic demeanor. The Chinese sovereign received him with supreme grace, seating him upon an elevated throne of honor.
When dawn illuminated the skies, Alexander presented the imperial decree. The letter overflowed with formidable pride, recounting Alexander's triumphs over Darius of Persia, Fur of India, and Foryan the Arab, boasting an army so vast that neither the sun nor the stars could count its ranks. The royal missive demanded complete submission and an immense tribute of gold, gems, ivory thrones, silks, and fine steeds, threatening total devastation should the Faghfur refuse.
Upon reading the stern ultimatum, the Faghfur felt a flash of anger, yet he swiftly mastered his emotions and smiled gently. Turning to the envoy, he asked for a description of Alexander's person and spirit. Still in disguise, Alexander eloquently extolled his own stature: 'Alexander possesses the height of a cypress and the strength of an elephant; his generosity flows like the mighty Nile, and his tongue cuts like a sharpened blade, luring eagles from the clouds with the warmth of his speech.' Impressed and intrigued, the Faghfur commanded a royal banquet filled with wine and music. Alexander departed the hall late that evening holding a golden citrus fruit, half-intoxicated.
The next morning, the Faghfur summoned his master scribe to compose a response as flawless as paradise. Beginning with profound praises for Yazdan, the Just Creator, the Faghfur replied with serene philosophy: 'O King of Rum, your victories over Darius and Fur were not won by your strength alone, but ordained by the turning wheel of Heaven. Worldly power is transient; where now are Fereydun, Zahhak, and Jamshid? All were carried away by the wind of time. Shedding blood is not our way, for I worship the Almighty God, not earthly kings.' He declared that though he felt no fear of battle, he would willingly bestow a tribute far exceeding Alexander's demands to preserve peace and spare human lives.
Reading the Faghfur's noble, elevated reply, Alexander felt deeply humbled, wounded by the arrow of the king's wisdom and ashamed of his deceptive disguise. He vowed never again to travel hidden in ambassadorial robes. True to his word, the Faghfur unlocked his royal treasuries, presenting fifty gem-studded crowns, ten ivory thrones, a thousand camels laden with silver and gold, Chinese silks, musk, camphor, precious furs of sable and ermine, crystal goblets, and hundreds of richly caparisoned steeds. He dispatched a wise Chinese ambassador alongside Alexander to deliver these monumental treasures.
When Alexander reached the shore and stepped onto his flagship, his army recognized their king and fell to the ground in reverence. The Chinese envoy suddenly realized that the formidable ambassador he had accompanied was none other than King Alexander himself! Smiling, Alexander put the envoy's anxieties to rest, bestowed lavish gifts upon him, and sent him back to the Faghfur with messages of lasting peace, leaving China sovereign and untouched by war.