Zhu Daolin, Ying Changpei and Zhang Deyi's three luxury four-wheeled carriages lined up in a row, carrying two groups of Francophiles out of Zizhu Garden, followed by six two-wheeled carriages carrying more than 20 followers, from west to east, across the most lively Dazhong Street in Jinling, under the gaze of countless pedestrians on both sides of the street, to the Kuixing Tower in the north of Huaiqing Bridge.

Sa Yide seized the opportunity to follow Zhu Daolin in the same car, and got the opportunity to talk to Zhu Daolin alone, as soon as the convoy left the avenue in front of Zizhuyuan and turned into Dazhong Street, Sa Yide said with a smile:

"Daochang Zhu's four-wheeled carriage is very beautiful, more light and comfortable than the European four-wheeled carriages I have seen, and it is much wider, can you introduce what is special about this carriage in addition to the special materials of the steel wheels and outer ring?"

Zhu Daolin told truthfully: "The biggest difference is the special stainless steel axle connecting the two rear wheels, in the center of the two rear wheels, advanced bearings are used, followed by the load-bearing parts at both ends of the axle and under the carriage, respectively, two sets of elastic steel plates are installed, so the carriage can not only save horsepower to the greatest extent, but also effectively reduce the vibration caused by the uneven road surface, so it feels more comfortable to ride." ”

Sayide's eyes lit up: "Does Mr. Zhu have this kind of advanced bearing for sale?" ”

Zhu Daolin replied regretfully: "I have always wanted to buy a batch of bearings separately to produce carriages by myself, but unfortunately, the old friends of Tianshu Pavilion did not want to sell, and then I had to retreat and ask to buy a batch of complete sets of transmission systems with axles and wheels, which was agreed by the old friends." ”

"It is estimated that in a month, the carriage workshop I opened at the foot of the Shogunate Mountain in the northern suburbs of Jinling City will be able to produce the first batch of carriages, including two-wheeled trucks and four-wheeled luxury carriages.

"Excellent! I will definitely buy a batch to take back to Quanzhou for use. Please also ask Daoist Zhu to take care of me! ”

Satisfied with the initial results, he paused slightly and continued to ask, "Can Daoist Zhu do me a favor and say hello to Ying Changpei and ask him to sell me that sapphire bracelet?" I am willing to pay 50,000 taels of silver, or the equivalent of gold and other goods. ”

Zhu Daolin thought for a while: "What goods does Mr. Sa have to offer us?" ”

Sayid's spirits were greatly lifted: "The refined iron, copper, tin ingots, blankets, spices, precious wood from the South Seas, etc., which are needed by the Ming Dynasty, can be traded all year round. Every three months, the number of ships that can be brought back is not less than five 4,000 materials, if Mr. Zhu needs other goods, he may wish to bring them up, as long as the Francois can provide them, I can provide them. ”

Zhu Daolin did not expect that during this period of seafaring trade, European merchants would have so many metals to supply the Ming Dynasty, so it was speculated that the mining industry and smelting technology in Europe and India had reached a high level, but Zhu Daolin did not want these things most: "Can you provide no less than 2,000 advanced warships and more than 12 pounds of bronze artillery?" ”

Sayid was very surprised, the 2,000-gauge battleship was equivalent to nearly 10 zhang in length and more than 3 zhang in width. According to the tonnage of Europe, it already belongs to the 500-ton class of medium battleships.

What did Zhu Daolin buy this kind of medium warship for? Does he also want to participate in maritime trade?

Seeing this, Zhu Daolin explained: "Mr. Sa may not know that the eunuch in charge of the Tongyuan Bureau, who is the bridge between you and me, is my uncle who is my worldly friend, and in addition to casting copper coins for the emperor, he also has to cast artillery for the imperial court. ”

"However, now whether it is the Ministry of Industry of the Ming Dynasty or the War Manufacturing Bureau under the jurisdiction of the eunuch Yamen in Nanjing. The artillery casts lagged behind the European countries, and their production was seriously insufficient. It could not meet the needs of the northern resistance to the Manchu army, so it was necessary to buy artillery. ”

"And the purchase of warships is equipped with the Jiangnan Navy Division under the jurisdiction of Wei Guogong and several sailor guards at the mouth of the Yangtze River, you should know this better than me, the Daming Navy Division has few warships that can run, to put it mildly, now the Jiangnan Navy Division under the command of Wei Guogong cannot even protect the waters near the mouth of the Yangtze River. Not to mention guarding the safety of thousands of miles of the Yangtze River. ”

Sayid pondered for a moment and asked tentatively, "Did you buy a warship to protect the Yangtze River?" ”

"That's right, there is another direction you forgot, the entire northwest region has been in flames of war, as of the end of last year. The peasant army fighting against the imperial army has reached more than 300,000 people, and if the imperial army's encirclement and suppression army is defeated by the peasant army again, the Huguang area in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River will be in danger. ”

"Once the peasant army occupies Xiangyang, Jingzhou, Wuchang and other places, there will be no peace in the entire middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and hundreds of thousands of peasant troops can go down the river at any time."

Zhu Daolin found a plausible excuse to cover up his purpose, otherwise Sa Yide would definitely think that after the Yangtze River Naval Division was strengthened, it would curb smuggling at sea.

Sayid nodded and expressed his understanding: "The artillery can be fully provided, the Portuguese Haojingao, the Spanish Manila, and the Dutch Java Island all have artillery casting, and the bronze cannons and fine iron sub-cannons made are very good, I can buy some artillery for Zhu Daochang in various ways." ”

"However, because it needs to be ordered, the time will be longer, the first batch of deliveries is estimated to be more than three months, and the number will not be too much, only about 30, the price is about the same as that sold to all parts of Daming in various countries, the difference is only that the freight has increased, but it can't increase much."

"I understand, in the next step, I will also have an in-depth discussion with Mr. Sa about the trade of fine iron, copper, tin ingots, shipbuilding timber and cotton, which are needed in the workshops I am about to start."

"Wait! I'm sorry Mr. Zhu, just now you mentioned cotton, Daming has its own cotton, so few businessmen are willing to buy a slightly more expensive Indian long-staple cotton, can you be sure? "Saïd has a very keen sense of smell.

"That's right! It is Indian long-staple cotton, and the price should be a little more expensive, but it can't exceed too much. After Zhu Daolin expressed his intention to cooperate, he sincerely asked Sayide: "Mr. Sa, if I buy warships from the Portuguese or the Spaniards, will they sell them?" ”

Sayid weighed for a moment: "It is estimated that it is very difficult, whether it is Portugal or Spain, their navy is not willing to sell their warships to the Ming Dynasty, and the Netherlands will not do it, the Dutch fleet Daming coastal sailors have had many conflicts, and now they have occupied the south of Taiwan and built two fortified cities." ”

"In contrast, it is easier to buy a cargo ship, if Zhu Daochang can wait for half a year, I can build two more than 4,000 Fu ships or Galen ships for Zhu Daochang in the shipyard in Quanzhou."

"Thank you very much Mr. Sa, we have arrived at Kuixing Tower, if you have anything to say, you can talk while eating, as for the sapphire matter, I will say hello to Mr. Ying privately, whether he is willing to sell, or how much money he needs, it depends on his meaning." Zhu Daolin explained apologetically.

Sayid thanked him in a low voice, looking out the window at the quiet courtyard lined with trees, and couldn't help but feel a pang of regret in his heart.

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