The carriage soon stopped in front of the Executive Committee's administrative building.

In front of the large iron gate, where the national emblem of the giant double-headed eagle hangs on the top, Hassan and the others underwent stricter security checks before being allowed in.

A middle-level official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs came over to make a handover, and then took Hassan and others to the conference room on the third floor of the administration building to wait.

In the meeting room, there is a large long table with many backrests scattered around the table. A few ornaments hung from the surrounding walls, some of them paintings, tapestries with patterns, etc., and huge candlesticks hung from the ceiling and corners of the room, and the candles were lit at the moment, illuminating the whole room.

Is this the "Council Hall" in the center of the Eastern Coast Republic? Such a decoration is not even comparable to the mansions of some local officials of the Ottoman Empire, which is really shabby. Hassan thought to himself, it seems that these East Coasters really like a simple, unpretentious style. After knowing the living standards of ordinary people on the East Coast, Hassan is stupid at the moment to know that the East Coast government does not have the money to renovate this conference room, but that they think there is no need to spend money on it.

There was a sound of footsteps outside the door, and Hassan turned to look, only to see a group of people from the East Bank walking in. At the head was a tall middle-aged man, who walked towards Hassan with a smile on his face and stretched out his right hand at the same time. Hassan knew that this was a popular handshake among people on the east coast, so he also stretched out his right hand and shook it with the other party.

The middle-aged man was wearing a blue shirt with four pockets inside, and a black tweed coat on the outside, and the temperature in Dongfang Port was still very low at night. It often drops to around four or five degrees. Therefore, many people will choose to put a coat on top of their coat. This coat style is concise. There are no complicated patterns and accessories, but they are also very beautiful, and they can give people a very spiritual feeling when worn on the body.

After shaking hands with all the Ottomans, the middle-aged man beckoned them to sit down, and then said to everyone in French: "I am Gao Mo, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the East Coast Republic of China, and I hope you can have a pleasant time on the East Coast for the first time." ”

After the interpreter translated Gaumo's words into Turkish, Hassan immediately asked: "Your Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs said so." Does it mean that your Government has officially ratified the cooperation agreement with China in the field of naval cooperation? ”

Gao Mo pondered for a while, and then said slowly: "After the afternoon discussion of the members of our government, it is believed that there is no problem in the military cooperation with the Ottoman Empire in principle, but we still need to consult and confirm some details. As you know, the relationship between your country and the Western world has always been not harmonious, and our country has great interests in the Western world. Therefore, there are huge risks in cooperation with your country, and I hope that your country can also show some sincerity. ”

In fact, don't look at Gao Mo's light words at the moment, in fact, at the special discussion meeting of the Executive Committee in the afternoon, the opinions of the committee members were not consistent, and everyone argued fiercely. Especially a few people led by Civil Affairs Commissioner Xiao Mingli. Almost initially, they vetoed the possibility of cooperation with the Ottoman Empire, insisting that it would provoke a backlash from the Western world. It may affect the economic development and talent introduction of the East Coast.

However, their views were strongly opposed by military representatives. The military department, which now occupies three of the 11 executive committee members, is so powerful and influential that they believe that it is not safe to put their eggs in one basket. If the existing French market changes, the export-oriented economy on the east coast is likely to be hit hard. When the time comes, I will temporarily look for a big market outside France, but I will be passive. It is better to take advantage of this opportunity to step up the development of the Ottoman Empire, a huge market of more than 30 million people, and diversify the risk of commodity exports.

Neither side could convince anyone, and in the end, they had to force a vote, and the side that supported the cooperation with the Ottomans narrowly won by a vote of 6:5. Then, there was the meeting between Gaumore and Hassan now.

"None of this is a problem." Hassan smiled with satisfaction. He knows very well what the people on the east coast are seeking, it is nothing more than population and money, which are easy to solve. As long as both parties have the intention to cooperate, then the specific details can be sat down and discussed slowly.

Gao Mo also smiled at this moment, only to see that he took out a form and handed it to the secretary, and then motioned for the secretary to hand it to the Ottomans to see, and said: "This is a detailed form formulated by our government on the comprehensive cooperation of the army and navy, please ask Special Envoy Hassan to look at it." If you have any questions, please ask them as soon as possible. ”

Hassan's translator read the form carefully when he got it, and then leaned into Hassan's ear and relayed it one by one.

"Why don't you have that kind of double-decked battleship?" After hearing this, Hassan asked anxiously, "A warship like the 'Free Trade' that went to the port of Suez, that is exactly what our Ottoman Empire needs." ”

After listening to Hassan's questioning, Gao Mo said without changing his face: "Battleships of that level are important technical equipment of our country, and they are quite sensitive. I'm sorry, but for the time being, it's hard to agree to sell ships of this class to other countries. ”

To be honest, in Europe, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, England, and France can build their own, and the only difference from the east coast is probably the cost. After all, the cost of a battleship's artillery can account for more than half of the cost, and the East Coast artillery is notoriously cheap and good. However, it is clear that these countries, due to religious and political factors, will not sell ships of this class to the Turks. Although there were no religious or political considerations on the east coast, it was also necessary to take into account the feelings of those European countries, especially the Ottoman neighbors, so there was no consensus on the sale of battleships, which was an important weapon of the country, even the militants of the military department.

Hassan was disappointed: "The purchase of battleships is the most important task of my trip, what conditions do you need to agree to help us build such a powerful warship?" ”

"I'm sorry, but this is a matter of principle and not negotiable." Gao Mo put away his smile and said solemnly: "Mr. Hassan, I don't really understand why you are always entangled in expensive things like battleships. IMHO, in that big tub in the Mediterranean, the battleship was perhaps not the most suitable combat ship. Here, allow me to recommend to you two types of ships in the second and third lines of the form - high-speed cruisers and frigates. These two ships are very economical and practical, and they are also suitable for the combat environment in the Mediterranean, so please consider them carefully. ”

"Yes, these two ships are also what we need, and I am here to order them. But I still want to order some battleships, even if only one. "Hassan still refused to give up and insisted on wanting to buy battleships.

Gao Mo shook his head and said, "Mr. Hassan, please don't make any more meaningless attempts, our government will not approve any agreement to export battleships to your country in the near future." Please understand, after all, China has great interests in the Western world at this stage. ”

Hassan nodded, and he could hear what Gaumore meant. It is understandable that the people on the eastern coast refused to sell battleships to the Ottoman Empire because they had great interests in the Western world, so as not to damage their own interests. But what if one day they also had a major interest in the Ottoman Empire, what would they do? Hassan feels that this is the crux of the matter, and this is where he intends to report back to China in the future.

"Well, then, we can now talk about cruisers and frigates." Hassan said. He had obviously discussed this issue with his colleagues many times, so he quickly made a request: "Before the departure, the Pasha of our navy commissioned the Egyptian Pasha to formally propose the need to order two high-speed cruisers and four frigates from your country, and he specifically requested that the materials for the manufacture of the warships must be sumwood (Brazilian mahogany), and the artillery mounted on the east coast must also be the latest high-ratio naval heavy artillery. ”

After talking with a naval officer and another shipyard supervisor beside him, Gao Mo replied to Hassan: "Yes." We can start the construction of three battleships for you at the same time, the construction period of the cruiser is eight months, the construction period of the frigate is six months, and the delivery method can be negotiated separately. However, for the first time of cooperation between the two sides, our country specifically requires you to pay half of the cost of building the ship in advance, and the remaining half of the cost must be paid within one month after the completion of the construction of the warship. After receiving the full amount, we will begin the handover of the ship to you. ”

Since the shipyards on the east coast adopted the modular shipbuilding method, the shipbuilding cycle has been greatly shortened, and the cost has also plummeted. The "Tuna" frigate, which was just completed some time ago, was completed in only six months of construction, while the "Kunlun" transport ship even took just over five months, which can be described as a rapid pace.

Hassan thought about the payment method proposed by the East Coast people, and felt that the country would probably still be able to accept such a payment method, and then we would talk about the price.

"So, how much did these ships cost?" Hassan asked.

Gao Mo picked up a piece of paper from the table, and then discussed it with the two people next to him before he spoke: "The price of each 'Yangwu'-class high-speed cruiser is 45,000 ducats (Venetian currency, which is in circulation in Turkey at this time, 45,000 ducats are equivalent to about 82,000 yuan), the 'Falklands' class frigates are priced at 27,000 ducats (about 49,000 yuan) each, and the total price of the six warships is 198,000 ducats (about 360,000 yuan). ”

Gao Mo's total quotation is too big, and it is conservatively estimated that the cost of building a ship is likely to be only half of the 360,000 yuan quotation. Of course, he was not worried that the Ottomans would be scared away by this price, after all, it was now a seller's market. (To be continued......)