When the two Chinese left, Winslow, Perem, and Wolup, the three backbenchers of the British Parliament, did not immediately get up and leave, but remained in the room slowly drinking tea and discussing the verbal agreement just reached with the Chinese.

Winslow was probably the most nervous of the three, and when the footsteps of the Chinese had not completely disappeared, he couldn't wait to ask the two companions: "Just talk like this for a while, make a verbal agreement and it's over?" Don't you even need to make a contract? What if they repent? ”

Peirem gently reassured him and said: "The Chinese are different from us, they pay more attention to credit, as long as the verbal promise is down, there is no contract will be fulfilled." What's more, even if a contract is made, who should sign it? Surely the other party will not approve of our signatories, and Mr. Pym will certainly not put the act of betraying the king on paper, so a verbal agreement is the best option for everyone..."

Worop said worriedly: "In fact, we should be more careful not whether the Chinese will keep their promises, but whether the tax incentives we give them are excessive." If the parliament wins the final victory, are we really going to push the surcharge on tea below 25 per cent and other Chinese goods below 15 per cent? This is a considerable loss for the UK. ”

Perem shook his head and said, "The reduction in taxes is a loss for the king, but it is a good thing for the people of England. Don't you think that since tea became popular in London, there have been fewer drunkards on the streets?

At a time when tea was not yet accepted by the citizens of London, the daily pastime of the citizens of London was to go to the pubs and drink low-quality rum or cheap beer. At night, there are few sober pedestrians on the streets of London, and these drunkards will disturb the public order when they get drunk in the tavern, which shows that drinking is really not a good habit.

And since tea became popular in London, with dozens of teahouses opening all over the city, at least gentlemen and professionals of status don't have to get drunk and discuss serious things. I think it's much more ethical for adult men in England to drink tea than to drink, at least they can govern the country and their own families in a sober state.

So a little less tax on tea, it's saving society and ourselves, and I don't think that's a bad thing. And this is just a promise made by Mr. Pym and his men to the Chinese, if we really defeat the king, and Mr. Pym and they can continue to lead the parliament in order to fulfill the agreement, I think it is better to talk about it then. ”

Winslow suddenly asked the two: "Even if these Chinese are willing to sell us arms, I am afraid that they will not be shipped to China until tomorrow or the year after, if the king really provokes a war first, can we fight it?" ”

Worop, who had some experience in the war, was obviously calmer, and in response to Winslow's uneasy question, he replied disapprovingly: "The purpose of our coming here is not to buy weapons from the Chinese, but to hope that the Chinese will not support the king." Now that they have promised to provide us with weapons, they will no longer run to the king's side to place bets, otherwise neither side will spare them when the conflict is over. As for whether the king will provoke a war, it depends on God's will..."

In a village north of London, near the forest, Oliver Cromwell and Robert. Blake and a few others were testing guns in the backyard of a blacksmith shop.

The blacksmith shop is located on the edge of the village, and its spacious backyard is almost connected to the forest to the north, so several people shoot here almost without any villager noticing.

Oliver Cromwell, who is in his early 40s, is tall and plainly dressed, except for some potholes on his face, he still looks a little bit of a superior person's momentum.

Nearly 10 years have passed since he first became a member of the House of Commons, and Cromwell has gone from being a young man who knows nothing about politics to becoming a very popular squire in Huntingdonshire. In addition to running his own grange in his hometown, he also led the inhabitants of the swamp area to fight against the nobles for enclosure and won victories, so he was quite respected by the villagers.

Although Oliver Cromwell dressed like an ordinary country landowner, he actually had a year of higher education at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University, and he was also a devout Puritan. The Cromwell family is also a well-known family in Huntingdonshire, with nine members of the family serving in Parliament, and he inherited the legacy of his uncle Richard Cromwell before entering the House of Commons.

It can be said that a squire like Oliver Cromwell is the most staunch backbone of the House of Commons against the absolutism of the crown. As for Robert beside him. Blake and others are the protectors of this House of Commons member, similar to the doormen in ancient China.

After firing several shots at the target erected in the backyard, Oliver Cromwell finally put down his gun and pointed it at Robert, who was beside him. "Old Bart was the best gunsmith in London, and although he made a usable imitation of a Chinese musket, it was still nearly a quarter heavier than the original, and it took 45 days to make it," Blake said. Are you sure that in China such muskets can be produced in less than 5 days? ”

Robert. Blake nodded and said, "Yes, it should be four and a half days to be exact, but the Chinese divide the process of making guns into many steps, and each person is only responsible for one of them." Therefore, after the formation of the cycle, almost a workshop of 30-40 people can produce hundreds of muskets per day. An infantry battalion of six or seven hundred men can be equipped with a production capacity of only two to three days. ”

Bartt, the gunsmith standing behind them, suddenly exclaimed, "This is impossible, if it is not one person who makes it from beginning to end, how can they guarantee that other people's parts can be put together?" This is just nonsense..."

Robert. Blake politely interrupted him and said: "Of course it is possible, the Chinese use the same specification of the measuring instrument, they only need to produce according to the size of the drawing, then the parts can finally be pieced together." It is said that His Majesty the Emperor of China once presented a set of standard measuring instruments to the King through the East India Company, but our King and his ministers simply placed it in the treasury..."

Oliver Cromwell interrupted the argument and asked Barthes, "How much does it cost to build such a flintlock musket that imitates China?" ”

Bart did a little math, and then quoted a price of £9 and 7 shillings. When Oliver Cromwell turned his gaze to Robert. Blake's face immediately replied: "The purchase price of the Ming army is about 2 pounds 11 shillings each, and the export price will not be less than 4 pounds 17 shillings each, and if the East India Company buys it, it will be about 5 pounds each." ”

Oliver Cromwell looked at the musket in his hand and said, "In other words, it is cheaper to buy a musket from China than to build it ourselves." Old Bart, are you sure that the price you quoted is already the lowest? ”

Bart calculated for a long time with a sad face before he said: "I don't know what magic the Chinese use, but I can only make another 3 shillings at most, otherwise I will lose money." Moreover, my apprentices had never built a musket of this structure before, and they only fired a maximum of 20 guns a month. ”

Oliver Cromwell looked at the musket in his hand with great interest, and did not seem to notice Bart's chatter, and said to him for a long time: "If you don't build it from scratch, can you take an arquebus and attach a flint device to it?" ”

Bart took the musket in Cromwell's hand and looked at it for a while before nodding and saying, "Maybe, if you rebuild the old arquebus, you can probably save a lot of costs." ”

Cromwell then said to him, "Then you can remake it first, and then cut the barrel short, and I want a flintlock pistol that can shoot with one hand on a horse..."

After leaving the blacksmith's shop, Robert rode after Cromwell's side. Blake leaned forward and whispered, "Mr. Cromwell, is Congress really planning to go to war with the King?" ”

Cromwell replied stiffly without looking back: "No, it is the king who is waging war against us, can you expect those noble lords in the House of Lords to raise muskets to the king's banner?" They would only wag their tails and beg the king for mercy, begging him to correct his mistakes.

If the king refuses to listen, they will announce to the people that they have done their best, but that the king is the king, not an object to be offended by his subordinates. It was then time for them to demand that the people submit to the king and accept the tyranny of the tyranny. ”

"But hasn't Congress already passed the Great Protest? Are the nobles of the House of Lords going to betray their promises? "Robert. Blake said in disbelief.

"Ha, poor Robert, when have you ever seen the nobility of England keep their promises? No, they will only succumb to power. Even the Magna Carta relied on the continuous resistance of the people to leave a trace in our laws.

Without the backing of force, it would have been impossible for our king to sign and approve the Great Protest. Now the British aristocracy, having long since lost the courage of their ancestors, would rather bow their knees to the king in exchange for a little favor than challenge the king's power in order to prevent their power from being challenged in the same way by the people. You know, in the hearts of the people at the bottom, these nobles who enclose land everywhere are more disgusting than the king. Cromwell finally turned around and looked at Robert. Blake said mockingly.

"So what do we do? The king was now clearly going north to recruit troops, and when he returned to London, would the council still be able to resist? ”

"Don't worry, we can't fire the first shot at the king, but we can wait for the king to fire the first shot at us. At that time, the citizens of London will protect us, and the nobles of the House of Lords will no longer be able to hinder us from fighting back against the tyranny of the king..."

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