Just when Shen Rui and Liu Meng praised Ma Lin's "loyalty" to the Ming Dynasty, Li Sanshui Baihu, the commander of the musket team of the Thousand Households, suddenly asked:

"Deputy Envoy Kong, may I ask, how is the fire rope used in your army's firecracker made? Looking at the burning of your army's arquebuses slowly and steadily, I don't know what the reason is? ”

Li Sanshui's problem is very professional, and generally ropes, such as cotton thread, once ignited, either burn quickly or go out after a while. It is indeed rare for a arquebus to burn slowly and steadily. However, this is well suited to the application of muskets. If the arquebus burns too fast, it is estimated that carrying a sack of arquebus will not be enough to support a campaign.

Kong Tai naturally knew the principle, after all, he was in charge of coming to offer arquebuses. So, he explained:

"These arquebuses are made of a few strands of fine linen rope. Then, put it in a pot and cook it with vinegar. Or, soak in saltpeter water. However, the fire rope soaked in saltpeter water burns a bit fast. Therefore, it is better to use vinegar to cook it. But if you think the rope burns slowly, you can also soak it in diluted saltpeter water. Remember, the saltpeter water should not be too thick, otherwise the arquebus will burn too fast......"

Vinegar is more expensive in Europe. Because, European vinegar is apple cider vinegar made from apples, which is naturally delicate. But in Daming, vinegar is made from glutinous rice, which is less expensive, so it is easier to obtain.

Li Sanshui hurriedly found a pen and paper and wrote down the method of making the fire rope for future use......

But when Li Sanshui asked how to forge the Furlong cannon and how to build the arquebus, Kong Tai didn't say much.

After all, Khontai had come to seek tributary qualifications. You haven't allowed me tributary trade yet, I'll tell you everything? Isn't this a mallet?

Therefore, as for the technology of casting cannons and making arquebuses, Conté shirked that he was not a blacksmith and did not know how to do it. However, if the Beihai Kingdom became a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, the lord of the country, Ma Lin, would definitely send a group of craftsmen to the Ming Dynasty to instruct the Ministry of Industry on how to forge well-made Furlong cannons and arquebuses......

Comte's explanation is also reasonable, generally speaking, how can any diplomat be proficient in making guns and guns? So, no one can fault that.

In the next few days, Conté and Sconda stayed in Qianhusuo to accompany the artillery commander Jacob and another musketeer commander named Wesett to train a group of elite gunners and musketeers selected by the Guangzhou avant-garde. After all, Kong Tai and they will definitely leave, even if they give the Fran cannon and arquebus to Daming, someone must be able to use it, right?

Seeing that the people of Beihai Kingdom were so concerned about training the Ming soldiers, Shen Rui and Liu Meng, the two chief officers in charge of Yi affairs, were also very happy.

During this period, Chen Jin, the newly appointed governor of Guangdong, also came to visit the rare blonde and blue-eyed ghost. Seeing that Kong Tai and others did their best to help the Ming army train gunners and musketeers, they also gave a few words of encouragement. Moreover, Chen Jin also held the title of governor of Liangguang, and was usually stationed in Wuzhou, Guangxi, responsible for suppressing the Yao Rebellion. After seeing the power of the Fran cannons and arquebuses, Chen Jin was eager to allocate the 40 Fran cannons and the 500 arquebuses that Ma Lin had offered to the officers and soldiers under his command who suppressed the Yao uprising. But it's a pity that because the Beihai Kingdom has not officially become a Ming vassal domain, these guns are not strictly speaking.

In addition, even if these guns belong to the Ming Dynasty, as a tribute, they must be sent to the Ministry of Rites first, and the Ministry of Rites is responsible for receiving them before they can be regarded as the Ming Dynasty. Then, the assignment can be made.

However, Chen Jin knew that after the sharp weapons such as the Fran cannon and arquebus were sent to the Beijing Division, they would definitely give priority to the border troops on the first line of the Great Wall in the north, and it would not be the turn of the second- and third-line troops under the command of the Governor of Liangguang at all. Because, the military center of gravity of the Ming Dynasty is on the line of the Great Wall in the north. Defending Mongolia was the military focus of the Ming Dynasty. Quelling the Yaomin uprising or something is not too important at all.

Therefore, when leaving the Thousand Households, Chen Jin, as the governor of Liangguang and the governor of Guangdong, looked at the 40 Franc cannons and 500 arquebuses...... Governor Chen said in his heart - how good it would be if the officers and troops who quelled the Yao people's uprising were equipped with such sharp weapons......

Seeing Governor Chen's eyes like this, Kong Tai, who was already flexible, didn't know how to react?

So, Contex hurried back to the city of Canton and found Columbus......

What are you doing with Columbus? Naturally, I want the guns that were embezzled by Columbus......

Previously, Marin had planned to give 20 furlong cannons and 200 arquebuses to the Kingdom of Malacca. However, Columbus was greedy and took matters into his own hands, and only sent 10 Franc cannons and 100 arquebuses to the Kingdom of Malacca.

As a deputy envoy, it is not easy for Conté to say anything to Columbus, the nominal envoy and the baron. However, seeing that Chen Jin, the governor of Liangguang, was particularly fond of these guns, Kong Tai decided to take out the 10 Franc cannons and 100 arquebuses that Columbus had taken down and give them to Chen Jin......

After Columbus heard Conté's thoughts, he began to lose his temper and refused to hand it over. But Conté threatened to sue when he returned home, and Columbus had to give in. After all, he also knew that Kong Tai could become a deputy envoy at a young age, and he was definitely a celebrity in front of Marin.

As a result, the 10 Fran cannons and 100 arquebuses that Columbus greedily put down were all given by Kong Tai to Chen Jin, the governor of Liangguang.

"This ...... How embarrassing is this......" Governor Chen was a little embarrassed when he saw Kong Tai so eye-catching. However, he was very fond of the Franc cannon and arquebus, and he also wanted to put down the Yao uprising as soon as possible. So, I half-pushed and half-accepted it on the spot......

After the artillery and musketeers of the avant-garde in Guangzhou had been trained in their use, Chen Jin, the governor of Liangguang, could not wait to send half of the men from this group to Wuzhou, where Kong Tai sent him, with 10 Furang cannons and 100 arquebuses, to the garrison of the Liangguang governor, for the front line of suppressing the Yao people in Guangxi......

……

However, there is a very bad news from the Yamen of the Political Secretary of Guangdong-Beihai State may be more difficult to obtain tribute from the Ming Dynasty......

Why? Because according to the inquiry of Ding Haishan, the Guangzhou Bosi Tiju, the officials and merchants of the vassal states of Champa (southern Vietnam), Siam (Thailand), Manchurian (Malacca) and other vassal states who came to the Guangzhou City Bosi tributary trade, and even merchants from Ceylon and Dashi. As a result, none of them knew about the ...... of the North Sea Kingdom

Now it's a big problem......

You must know that there are two ways for the Ming Dynasty to confirm the existence of vassal states - one is to directly send minor officials of the Ministry of Rites to the country to investigate and confirm its existence; The other is because the vassal kingdom is too far away from the Ming Dynasty to send people to investigate. In this case, the original vassal state will need to help prove the existence of the country.

However, the North Sea States are small countries in the northwest of the European continent. The countries that come to trade in Guangzhou in the Ming Dynasty are basically small countries in Southeast Asia. Even the occasional one from India and the Arab region has never heard of the North Sea countries. Because, how long has the Grand Duchy of the North Sea been established? The fame hasn't spread to the Arab region yet......

So, it's embarrassing......

Although Shen Rui and Liu Meng had a good impression of the Beihai Mission, they did not have the right to determine the Beihai Nation's trade qualifications. If there were officials or merchants from the original vassal states who could prove the existence of the Beihai Kingdom, they could make a decision on the fly according to the regulations. But no one has ever heard of Beihai ...... So, the two of them can't help it......

For now, the two political envoys can only go to the imperial court, so that the court's etiquette department and cabinet will have a headache......

Kong Tai was very depressed and asked Liu Meng:

"Lord Liu, how long will it take for this imperial court to approve?"

Liu Meng said depressedly:

"The old man doesn't know, this is the process that the court must go...... When...... Maybe it's going to be a long time...... Come and see it next year......"

"Ah...... So long? Kong Tai directly grew his mouth in surprise. But soon, he began to admire Marin's ingenuity.

Why? Ma Lin had predicted before he came - with the urine of the Ming officialdom, it is estimated that there will be a long quarrel to review the tributary qualifications of the Beihai State. Perhaps, it will take a year or two to quarrel and argue...... It's a drag anyway...... This phenomenon, even in later generations, is not uncommon......

Fortunately, Marin had already been mentally prepared, otherwise he would have to die of depression......

However, what Kong Tai is most concerned about now is whether the Beihai State Mission can purchase Daming's goods in Guangzhou this time......

Shen Rui and Liu Meng, the two political envoys, were also more difficult, because, in the absence of tributary trade, according to the rules, the Beihai Kingdom was not allowed to buy goods in Guangzhou. Moreover, Shen and Liu have no right to make a decision......