"Major General, in fact, we know that this fake 'Dutch East India Company' has a close relationship with you, and they can help you do a lot of things that are not convenient for you. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 infoWe at the Dutch East India Company are fully able to understand this. And if it benefits us, we don't intend to expose it. "I noticed the huge war going on in the Ming Kingdom. I know that war is always full of opportunities to do business. I think the guys who fake our names think the same thing. We also hope to have the opportunity to reap the benefits of this war. And you also know that our transactions with Mingguo are realized through you, and you have also gained great benefits in the transactions with us. Therefore, the greater the trade volume between us and Mingguo, the more benefits you will receive. Isn't it? So our business is getting bigger and bigger, isn't that what you call profit? ”

Zheng Sen thought for a moment and replied, "Mr. Putmans, there is some truth in what you said. But for now, there are at least a few principles of our cooperation, and I think you can think about it. First of all, when we export goods to the Ming Kingdom, we must avoid vicious competition between each other. I guess you can understand that, right? ”

"Yes, Major General, I think we can agree on this principle." Jaén Putmans replied.

"So, we'd better make a division of the categories of goods to be exported, Mr. Pettmans, what do you say?" Zheng Sen smiled.

"So how are you going to distribute it?" Jahn Putmans hurriedly asked.

"The things related to war are nothing more than weapons, armor, horses, grain, grass, and medicines." Zheng Sen said, "Among these things, in terms of weapons, as you may know, we have recently been producing our own artillery. You know, artillery is expensive to manufacture, and if we can't make a profit by selling it, our own artillery factory will have a hard time. Therefore, we should have the leading power in the artillery business, that is, unless our production capacity cannot absorb the order, otherwise, you are not allowed to sell artillery to Mingguo. Of course, our production capacity is limited today, and it is estimated that you can still get some of it in the matter of artillery. ”

The production of their own artillery could not be hidden from the Dutch. Because the cannons that were constantly being produced were constantly rammed into the newly built warships and placed on the fortresses. However, the number of artillery purchased by the Zheng family from the Taisi did not increase. In this case, the Dutch only need a little brains to understand that the Zheng family is making their own artillery.

"Artillery is a big business...... said Hahn Puttmans, who understands that he doesn't have much bargaining power on the subject, but he has to fight for as much as he can.

"In addition to artillery, there are other businesses." Zheng Sen said, "For example, war horses. We have always been very fond of Tessie's steeds. We believe that in the army of the Ming Dynasty, there will also be a demand for Tessy horses, such as Andalusian horses, such as war horses such as Arabian horses. Another example is the Persh horse and the Shire horse, which are suitable for towing cannons, if your company can bring these horses to the East, I think both we and the rest of the Ming army will like it very much. So, I think the horses can be counted as your range, as long as the horses you provide are not too expensive or have serious quality problems. I think that the Ming government and we are willing to buy war horses from you. ”

It was a business that really intrigued Hahn Putmans. However, he still said: "Major General, everyone knows the demand for high-quality horses in the Far East, but horses are relatively delicate, and the cost of transporting them from Europe will be very high and the risk will be very high. I don't think so. I know you, ah, I mean the people who pretend to be us, occupy a very large island that is good for keeping horses. I wonder if we can develop that island together. You come out of the land, we provide horse breeds, and related technicians. What do you think? ”

"That's a good suggestion, too." Zheng Sen said, "But the specific details will have to be discussed slowly." Just let the people below discuss these things. ”

As he was talking, the fish bell in front of him suddenly rang, and Zheng Sen grabbed the fishing rod: "Hey, Mr. Putmans, there is a fish that has been hooked, and it is still a big fish." ”

……

After seeing off Haan Puttmans, Zheng Sen's life was still very busy. Early the next morning, he reappeared in the shipyard. Today, a large cruiser is about to be launched. This was the first large warship built by the Zheng family themselves. Prior to this, the largest number of warships produced by the North Port Shipyard were small frigates that could work as whaling ships, with a displacement of no more than four hundred tons, and were equipped with only ten guns, except for the bow and tail guns, and only four guns on the left and right sides. The caliber of the gun was also not large, only 12 pounds.

But this battleship that will be launched this time is different, it is a serious battleship, and it will no longer be used for other purposes. This is a large ship with a displacement of about 2,000 tons, although only in terms of tonnage, it is not larger than Zheng He's treasure ship many years ago, but Zheng Sen dares to say that this ship must far exceed Zheng He's treasure ship in terms of cost.

"Major General, you see, this is the 'Enterprise' that is about to be launched. How beautiful! Fabio, the designer of the boat, proudly pointed to the boat and said, "Even in Europe, such a boat would be an epoch-making legend." ”

Since Lawrence's great success in wood drying technology - Lawrence's large drying chamber has been proven, it is very suitable for drying wood, especially suitable for drying large wood, large wood through that drying room, the drying time is greatly shortened, it used to take more than ten years or even decades to dry good wood, here only about a year is enough, and it also reduces the loss in the drying process a lot. Previously dried in natural conditions, the giant wood is hardly without cracking. As a result, a lot of precious wood is wasted and can no longer be used in the most critical positions. But today, if the staff doesn't make mistakes, large-scale cracking is almost non-existent.

Relying on the drying room, Lawrence established himself in the Northport shipyard in one fell swoop, significantly crushing Fabio. Of course, it's not just status, it's income. And the "villain's ambition" will naturally be rampant. In Fabio's view, Lawrence is such a villain. Ever since this guy had money, he showed off a few of his dollars in front of himself every day. This tasteless fellow wore the finest silk from head to toe, and even in winter, his cotton clothes were stuffed not with cotton, but with raw silk (actually silk cotton)! Then the guy had to have the servants bring the food from the outside to his office every day at mealtime. Ostensibly, this was meant to show that he was serious about his work, but Fabio knew that this guy was just showing off that he was eating well. Wine and sturgeon caviar are shipped all the way from Europe every day, and yes, this guy is here to show off! Every time this guy drank red wine and ate caviar and foie gras, and then said something like, "These things are getting worse and worse", Fabio couldn't wait to give him a right hook on his fat face. But God is fair, and not long ago Lawrence contracted an emperor's disease - gout. So much so that now he can't eat anything but vegetables and fruits. Fabio went to church twice to donate money for this purpose, and would talk to Lawrence about drinking and eating seafood whenever he had the opportunity.

Maybe it was because Lawrence's illness was affecting his work, or maybe it was because he was so complacent that he relaxed his research, and in the design of the new large cruiser, he designed a ship that was overly conservative and almost uninspiring, and completely wasted the amount of high-quality wood that his dry room could provide. As a result, Fabio took advantage of the abundance of high-quality timber to design a relatively more radical ship that had a clear advantage in the selection of the ship, and made him the chief designer of this very important warship. It's a great feeling to be able to overwhelm Lawrence in such an important competition, especially with Lawrence's skills to overpower him.

Although Zheng Sen was also in charge of the selection, so Zheng Sen was no stranger to this boat, Lawrence couldn't help but show off the advantages of this boat again:

"Major General, look at this ship, although it is called a cruiser, it is actually more powerful than any battleship. Rear Admiral, you know, its tonnage and materials are already the best among battleships. Its keel is made of a whole Taiwanese cypress, which is as long as 30 Roman steps. In Europe, even the most advanced battleships did not have such extravagant keels. The sturdiness of such a keel is not comparable to that of those assembled goods. With such a keel, combined with the best hulls and ribs of thick oak of the finest, this cruiser was no less than the best battleships in Europe in terms of solidity, and even stronger.

The ship had two gun decks and could carry up to forty cannons, with thirty 24-pounder guns on the lower deck and ten 18-pounder guns on the upper deck. With such firepower, it is easy to destroy any other cruiser, even a larger battleship. Don't look at some of the European warships that have more cannons, but many of them are small things under 12 pounds, and they can't compare to our giant guns. Their cannons could not even penetrate the nearly 4 Roman feet thick planks of our ship at a normal distance. Our 24-pounder gun can easily shred them apart. I don't understand, such a formidable battleship, why do you still insist on calling it a cruiser. ”

"You know, Fabio." "That's because of his speed." ”

"Yes, the ship is fast even among cruisers. According to the estimates we came up with in the pool, he should be able to run 12 to 13 knots. "Of course, we paid a lot of money for this, and the ship should have had more guns, more self-sustaining, and better seafaring." But in the calm Pacific Ocean, it's well worth the price for speed. ”