No matter how avant-garde the shape of the clipper is, the Spaniards, who are accustomed to seeing big ships, don't care too much, not to mention that at this time, they can only see the distant sail shadow and can't see the detailed appearance of the Chinese fleet, the binoculars show that clear but wide field of vision is the reason for these two people's gaffe, Fernando, who thinks he is well-informed, has been shocked by the impact of China more than once, but those are still within the scope of his understanding, after all, China has silk, porcelain, and invented gunpowder and compass. I learned about it from the missionaries long before I came to Asia. But when he was in Europe, no one told him that China's attainments in optical glass surpassed that of Europe, and of course he didn't know what optical glass was.

Before he could see the fleet, Fernando fussed and asked if he could sell the stunning telescope to Spain. Jiang Tian only smiled slightly, saying that this matter still needs to be asked for instructions from His Majesty the Emperor, and of course, it also depends on what the Spanish Empire is prepared to exchange.

"With all due respect......," said the Viscount cautiously, "your country is the undisputed overlord of this earth in the field of science, and has absorbed most of the world's wealth through trade alone. Why, then, did your country negotiate with us so solemnly? ”

Jiang Tian thought to himself, this Spaniard is not stupid, if there was still some pride of the empire on which the sun never sets at the beginning, then it should be discovered now that the ancient empire in the East, which seems to have just experienced a catastrophe, does not need to pay attention to exchanges with Spain with its existing strength alone, so why should a huge empire with the whole of Europe be incomparable to that of Spain so equally? Is it simply because of the glory and glory of Spain?

"Since you asked this question, then I should also tell you responsibly." Speaking of this, Jiang Tian paused, and turned his head to look at Fernando: "Personally, I know very well that some of the agreements you have reached with us during this time will not be seriously implemented at all, and you will not even say a word to the kings and nobles of your country. ”

Even if they were prepared, the two Spaniards were taken aback, and even the wildest imagination could not have guessed that Jiang Tian would say this, because they thought that they were well hidden, and the Chinese did not understand the actual situation of their country. However, Jiang Tian did not give him a chance to defend himself and continued: "If I am not mistaken, in the upper class of your country, you must think that China is just a little older than the Inca Empire, if it were not for the distance is too far, and Europe has bothered you too much recently, you can conquer it with a dozen ships and thousands of soldiers armed with arquebuses." ”

Saying this, Jiang Tian turned to look at the fleet that was gradually getting larger on the sea and continued: "I don't know what kind of task you have received from your own king, but judging from your performance in the recent period, I think you are very aware of the strength of our country, and I am glad that China is only a hegemon on land, and does not have a hegemony over the sea. So I arranged this review today, I hope you can understand that Europe is indeed very far away, but we will not never be able to get there, China used to live here peacefully, but you Europeans came, burned, looted, and turned countries that once lived in peace with China into colonies. The Portuguese tried to invade China by force long before you, and the end is ...... You know that. So now the Chinese emperor has changed his mind, we try to negotiate with you with a reciprocal identity, if we can gain your respect and resolve some disputes peacefully, this is naturally the best choice, but if you are still unwilling to give up the bandit mentality, we don't mind holding the treaty and sitting on a warship with a cannon to teach you what honesty is! ”

Fernando heard such a blunt warning, and the arrogance of the old overlord simply made him unbearable such an insult, but he still forced himself to calm down, because he knew the face of the European colonizers, and the promises of these people were sometimes not as long-lasting as farts in the toilet, and the emperor of the Inca Empire died like this. Obviously, this Chinese official and this newly born Chinese dynasty have understood the details of the Europeans, and they are willing to negotiate with their own insignificant viscount is only making a last effort, if the Europeans can recognize the situation and put away the butcher's knife and do business in Asia, then they will not interfere, but if anyone wants to use the previous means to dig into the corners of China, in the end can only incur the most crazy revenge of this empire, and judging from the military strength they are showing now, there is indeed this possibility.

Just when the two Spaniards looked at each other and didn't know what to say, the expeditionary fleet had gradually approached their ship, and in order to allow Lord Jiang, who had established the status of the navy, to carefully review it, the fleet was reduced to half sails and moved forward. But even so, the speed of the fleet was still much faster than that of the Fufu, so many sailors adjusted the amplitude of the sails in various loud shouts, trying to keep a slow speed through the Fufu.

The Spaniards may not understand the principle of flying clippers, but they absolutely understand the significance of this kind of speed when moving forward in half sails, so not only the bearded face is dripping with cold sweat, but even the unlearned Fernando is calculating the combat effectiveness of this fleet in his heart, on the surface, except for the two leading ships with a rather large body, the small ships behind are just about the same size as the European three-masted galleons, only a little more elongated. But there were only two small-looking guns installed on it, and you must know how such a ship could be equipped with thirty guns in Europe! Even the two giant ships in front are not equipped with more than twenty guns, is it because the Chinese have no money to build artillery? Impossible!

Just when they were thinking nonsense, the sailors in the queue stood on the side of the ship in a standing posture, which was also Jiang Tian's invention, the snow-white sailor uniform stood upright, and it looked like there was a kind of beauty that only the army had, at this moment, the guns on all the ships began to adjust the angle, and the rotating turret on the destroyer also made a squeaky turning sound, pointing the muzzle diagonally to the sea and loading empty cartridges, and every battleship that sailed past the Fu ship was firing its cannon at the moment parallel to Jiang Tian. Jiang Tian, who was standing on the Fu boat, watched motionlessly as the fleet, which had begun to take shape, sailed past his eyes. It's not that he doesn't want to respond with something like a military salute or a wave or something like that. But he finally held back, because he was neither a soldier nor an ordinary civilian, and thinking of the battlefield that this fleet was about to go to, perhaps this silent gaze was the best choice.

The parade ceremony was very simple, the fleet pulled up the sails and sped away after passing the ships, and even Garcia, who was not from the navy, could simply calculate in his heart that these ships were at least twice as fast as the Spanish warships! And those not many artillery seem to be the weak point of this fleet, but the Spaniards at this time did not dare to think so, because he knew very well that if such a powerful musket could be made, then China would inevitably build better artillery than Europe, but how powerful is this to make the Chinese think that only two guns can be counted as a capital ship?

His question didn't last long, and Jiang Tian, who had finished reviewing the fleet, quickly turned his attention back to the Spaniards: "You may wonder why you can be ashamed to intimidate you with just a few ships and a few poor guns?" But before I reveal the truth, I would like to continue to say a little bit about the question I have just made. ”

Fernando, who already knew that he had no secrets to speak of, nodded indifferently, he no longer had any expectations for his political future.

"We are a nascent dynasty, but the Chinese mindset has lasted for thousands of years and will not change completely because one family overthrows another. It's the same as your religion, and no matter which nobleman they are, they at least believe in God. Therefore, our officials and mainstream ideology were inclined to communicate with a power that could represent Europe and respect the interests of the aristocracy, which is why we did not negotiate with the Dutch and Portugal. ”

"Of course!" Fernando was a little excited: "Portugal is only our subject country, and those pagans in the Low Countries naturally cannot represent Europe!" ”

Jiang Tian looked at him and said, "We have no intention of intervening in the war in Europe, and we don't care whether the Holy See reunites Europe or the Protestants become the mainstream. We just think that Spain is still the most influential country in Europe, at least at this stage, and of course your ally Holy Rome is also one, but from the information I have, it seems that the Habsburgs are on their way to collapse! ”

Hearing this, Fernando blushed, if he didn't know that even if he died here, no one would avenge him, he really wanted to have a duel with this guy who insulted his country! But his reason still prevailed over his feelings: "I must correct one of your mistakes, maybe my country has indeed encountered a little problem, but it will surely overcome these and win in the end!" ”

"Are you really that sure in your heart?" Jiang Tian said a little jokingly: "Gaul and Portugal are all ready to move, ready to become independent from your rule, the gold and silver of the New World have not yet sailed out of the Caribbean Sea, not only owed a large loan to the Dutch, but the once rampant Invincible Armada has also suffered heavy losses, even the Spanish phalanx that threatened Europe is now only beaten into a sieve under the musket." I'm curious, you've made so many mistakes, why hasn't anyone corrected them? ”

"What the hell are you trying to say!" Fernando held back his anger, clenched his hands and said with a little gritted teeth: "I am personally very angry at your rude words. ”

"What if I told you that maybe I have the ability to save, at least partially, Spain?"

Fernando was stunned when he said this, and he didn't react for a while. Later, he discussed with Jiang Tian in the cabin for a long time under Garcia's reminder, and this was mixed with Garcia's test firing of some weapons. At this stage, because China's metallurgical level is higher than that of Europe, even without Jiang Tian's intervention, the steel output is more than that of Europe combined, so once Jiang Tian's improved designs are adopted, both muskets and artillery are upgraded to Europe in terms of weight and performance. As far as artillery is concerned, Garcia tested a front-loading smoothbore gun that is also 75 mm, because after the use of copper-iron mixed casting and hardening internal boring and other processes, the weight is much lighter than that of its European counterparts, and after the flowering shell with improved design, its power is incomparable to that of European artillery. With these weapons beyond the European level, even Fernando, who did not understand military affairs, believed that the Spanish army could once again become the hegemon of Europe with advanced weapons, but how to convince the stubborn nobles in the army was not a small trouble.

"I still have this question, why are you so keen to help Spain?"

"That's because Spain has routes around the world!"

Fernando was shocked: "I'm sorry, my country will never give up this route, or reveal its secrets." ”

"Of course! Although the Dutch and the British are exploring a wider area, at least for the time being, you are still the actual owner of this route, and I do not intend to let you exchange the secrets of the route, but the Habsburgs still have some influence in Europe, especially in the Holy See, and if your Inquisition can send some radical scientists to China, or sell us some local products from South America at low prices, these are all things that only your country can do for the time being. So I think it's better to let you maintain your hegemony than to gamble on the countries that are still exploring new routes! ”

Jiang Tian's rhetoric moved Fernando, Spain first conquered South America, but now it is also going downhill, maybe there are some good things in South America that they don't know, just these Chinese know its value, just like platinum used to make counterfeit silver coins. Since there are really people who are willing to pay a high price for those unpopular scientists and those who don't know the purpose, Spain is willing to make this deal, as long as it can be exchanged for excellent weapons and ensure that the kingdom is still the hegemon of Europe, this deal is a good deal. On the other hand, if the kingdom is really inevitably going into decline, then there is no need to care about what is being sold now.

After thinking for a long time, Fernando finally spoke: "Although I can't promise you anything, I find this offer very tempting, and these weapons, together with the anti-smallpox elix, will surely convince our nobles to cooperate more closely with your country." ”

In this way, Jiang Tian basically completed the layout of Spain. Neither he nor Zhang Tao actually felt that a former overlord who was about to decline could play much of a role, Jiang Tian's real intention was only to gradually obtain ports under Spanish control, use the supply and trade rights in the agreement to open up new routes, and gradually migrate to those ports, and finally complete the historical task of occupying the dove's nest. As for the question of whether it would be possible to delay the development of science in Europe by bringing in a few scientists whom the Holy See did not like, he did not give any hope at all. The Renaissance had already begun, and science would become a commanding ground for each other's own interests. In Jiang Tian's view, these people are useful because they are at least more passionate about science than those halfway researchers in China, and they can quickly achieve results with a little bit of their own attention.

As for the prevention and control of smallpox, he did not intend to hide anything, in addition to some well-sealed vaccinia vaccines, he also planned to send a full-time doctor to Spain, in addition to treating those nobles who paid for pox, in the hope of continuing the life of the current Spanish king, judging by what Fernando inadvertently revealed, the current king is likely to be the end of the Spanish Habsburg family in history, and it is this sick son who married close relatives and finally lost control of the Gaul region, And France finally became the first land power in Europe in the era of Louis XIII, which was about to appear. Even if he didn't report any hope, Jiang Tian had to try it, as long as this sick seedling could die a few years later, maybe he would be able to buy precious time for China, otherwise those ports in Spain would be snatched up by the Dutch and the British sooner or later.

Jiang Tian had a plan to gradually disintegrate Europe, and the Spaniards also had their own calculations, through the test firing of various weapons, Garcia selected some weapons that were not too advanced to be purchased and returned to China, on the one hand, the price considerations, on the other hand, the bearded man who was well versed in European military was very clear about the ability of his soldiers. It is unrealistic to let this group of illiterate people master which overly complex weapons, and it is also relative that they are not advanced, such as the heavy fire-cap smoothbore gun he fancies, which was originally developed by the Academy of Sciences to replace the original chaotic arquebuses and flintlock rifles, but was directly driven into the scrap heap by Jiang Tian's various advanced designs, but the technologies applied to this gun such as barrel hardening, gunpowder chamber reinforcement, and metal fatigue warning are still a century ahead of Europe. In addition, this gun used jujube nuclear bombs and new gunpowder for the first time in the musket, both in range and armor-piercing ability, far exceeding the most sophisticated flintlock muskets in Europe, and the advantage of the fire cap fire was to avoid the blind rate of the flintlock muskets, no matter from any angle, as long as there were 20,000 such musketeers, Garcia was confident that the Spanish army could sweep across Europe. More crucially, Garcia found that of all the muskets, this was the only one that allowed him to understand how it was fired, and perhaps bought back in Europe and allowed craftsmen to copy it.

"The question now is, how do we convince those stubborn nobles that they have great power in the army, and if we can't win them over, then these treaties we signed will become a lever for attack!" Fernando, who had recovered from his excitement, looked at Garcia with concern.

The bearded man was wiping his new gun, and he was not in a hurry about the question: "Have you forgotten that we still have a special medicine to prevent smallpox?" As long as you have this kind of thing in your hand that is deadlier than a weapon, and more attractive than gold, what noble lord would not seriously think about your proposal? ”

Mr. Viscount nodded slowly: "But this is not enough, according to the Chinese, as long as this medicine works, it only needs to be used once in this life, is there nothing more attractive?" ”

Garcia put down the gun in his hand, lowered his head and thought for a while: "How about you join the army?" Assemble a small army with these new weapons, I can help you fight, and if you win one or two battles, you will become a hero of Spain! ”

Fernando's eyes widened as he looked at his entourage, and at this moment he didn't know whether it was right or wrong to bring this guy to China.