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Robert and James are also well-informed, and when they were in Europe, they also traveled to other countries and saw a lot of European-style buildings. There are all kinds of old castles and royal palaces, but they have never seen such oriental palaces. If it comes to luxury, Geng Jingzhong's Geng Wangzhuang, or this palace hall is not very outstanding, it is much worse than Wu Sangui's Pingxi Palace, and the gap with the Forbidden City is even more incalculable. But it's only been built for less than a decade, and it doesn't cost much.

This unique Chinese architectural style is very satisfying for Robert and his eyes. In one word, exquisite. The architecture of the palace everywhere reflects the intentions of the craftsmen, the pavilions and pavilions not only have the elements of the north, but also the style of the Jiangnan garden, one step and one scene are a little worse, but there are still a few steps and a scene.

"The prince has arrived!" Geng Jingzhong had just approached the living room of the side hall when the guards at the door shouted loudly.

Inside, Robert and the two were reminded by the entourage around them, and they also quickly got up from their chairs. When Geng Jingzhong walked into the hall, the two bowed in unison and saluted: "I've seen His Majesty the King!" However, they spoke English, which they did not understand except Geng Jingzhong and the two translators.

"Hahaha, wrong, I'm not the king yet. I'm just a prince, equivalent to a grand duke in your country! You can just call me Your Highness! Geng Jingzhong laughed loudly when he heard their lame call, and then replied in the same words. Geng Jingzhong's original English foundation was good. In addition, there were many British in the naval training team. Therefore, Geng Jingzhong can communicate in English without any obstacles. In fact, there are many soldiers in Fujian today who can speak English, and those who are seeking to improve their careers learn from the old British captain in naval warfare. Even in the Future Academy, there are special elective English courses, and there are not a few elective courses, and in the future, Geng Jingzhong will be of great use.

"Your Highness. It's a great pleasure to meet you, your English is really good, amazing! May the light of the Lord shine on you forever. I'm Robert. Walpole, and my assistant James. Francis. Edward brings you the blessing of the King of England. Robert expressed his surprise with exaggerated expressions, and they did not expect that in the far east, the monarch who ruled over an area as large as England, could speak English fluently. As soon as they finished speaking, the two of them and their entourage bowed again. Geng Jingzhong is also strange, how can this Englishman bow at every turn like a Japanese dwarf. Although the position of the bow hand is different in the two countries, it is always a bow.

"Good. Thank you, King Charles. Have a seat! After the two of them sat down, Geng Jingzhong went straight to the point and continued to speak: "Robert, I sent a letter to your King Charles, and he also left me a handwritten letter, and it is on you now, right?" ”

When Robert heard Geng Jingzhong's words, he immediately took a wallet from the hand of the attendant behind him, and took out a letter from Charles II from it! "Your Royal Highness, this is a letter from your Majesty the King of our country."

Gu Ping, who had been standing by Geng Jingzhong's side, immediately stepped forward to take the letter and handed it to Geng Jingzhong. Geng Jingzhong read it carefully and understood what Charles II meant. Roughly agreed to Geng Jingzhong's cooperation, and then explained that he could not send so many fleets for the time being, and he would not go to war with Spain again, so they could only be used as a deterrent force, so that other forces would not dare to act rashly. The other is to hope that Geng Jingzhong will help them open up trade in the East. That's all Geng Jingzhong wants, he doesn't need Britain to take action at all, they just need to watch from the sidelines. As for helping Britain gain a foothold here and trade with the East, it was even more of a piece of cake.

After reading the letter, Geng Jingzhong raised his head. "Okay, this battle is all under the responsibility of my Mawei Navy, and the British fleet only needs to watch the battle from a distance. After taking Manila, our army will take the southern islands of Mindanao and Palawan and give them to Britain. As for trade, the current Qing Dynasty is not allowed to trade with foreign countries, but in my Fujian, you British merchants can come and go freely, and all the goods you need can be handled in my Fujian port! Geng Jingzhong also gave Robert and the others a precise response to reassure them.

"Thank you for your generosity, and on behalf of His Majesty the King, I am very grateful to you. Don't know when you're going to send troops? Robert stood up excitedly, although before leaving, he already knew the general information, but at this moment, when he heard Geng Jingzhong's exact response, he couldn't help but tremble with excitement. If this trip to Asia is a great success, opening up the Oriental trade for the British, and then taking a huge territory, then when they return, their status will be greatly improved, and maybe they will be made earls by His Majesty the King.

As for James, although he is now an earl, and will inherit his father's dukedom in the future, but this time he is the leader of the fleet in East Asia. That is, the envoys were headed by Robert, but the army was under his command. Being able to win this territory will definitely add a strong touch to his resume.

"The specific time is twenty days later, and our army will set sail and take the Spaniards by surprise. The two of you shouldn't have seen the fleet of my Mawei Navy yet, the two of you have come from afar, take a rest tonight, and tomorrow morning, I will take you two to visit my Mawei Navy! Geng Jingzhong said to the two with a smile

Confucius said a long time ago: "It is a pleasure to have friends from afar!" In the evening, Geng Jingzhong set up a banquet for Robert and James to wash the wind and dust. Robert and the others also tasted the Chinese wine and food prepared for them by Miao Quanchen on the way here, but the conditions on the ship were poor, the lack of ingredients, and the chef's skills were far from the royal chef of the palace, so when the two of them ate such exquisite and delicious food, they were full of praise. Several people at the banquet could be said to have a good conversation, and Geng Jingzhong asked them a lot about the current situation in Europe, which is common in all countries; They were also introduced to the distribution of power in the East, with an emphasis on Dutch influence in Asia.

In the morning, Robert and the two slept until three o'clock in the morning, both due to the fatigue of going to the ocean and the credit of the wine banquet last night. Geng Jingzhong got up early, took Robert and James into the carriage, and went straight to Mawei Military Port. When Robert arrived in Mawei yesterday, all of the Mawei fleet had gone to sea for training, and only the five ships that had been bought from Britain six years earlier were left in Mawei. The five warships are specially used as training ships for new recruits, especially the "Suifu Tishuer", which reached the age of retirement the year before last, but it can barely be used if it is left on the Mawei side, and it is not necessary to continue to go to sea anyway.

On the way to Fuzhou, they also encountered two groups of naval patrols, but they were both fifth-class warships, which were nothing in the eyes of Robert and James. Twenty-two ships of James' fleet were anchored at the pier of Kinmen Island, and they went directly to Fuzhou as envoys. Miao Quanchen has the pass token issued by Geng Jingzhong in his hand, and no matter where he goes, he can pass unimpeded. When it anchored at the Great Kinmen Island, it was not stopped by the garrison navy.

The giant ships of the Mawei Navy are all in the northern part of Fujian, and the Mawei Military Port and the Pingtan Island Military Port, especially the Mawei Military Port, account for most of them, reaching two-thirds. No, to be exact, now that the 40 warships of the two new detachments have arrived at the Pingtan Military Port, then the Mawei side accounts for three-fifths. The largest of the navies stationed in the other places was the fifth-class warship, and the others were equipped with old sailor warships and a large number of fireships and clippers.

After returning from naval training last night, he received a military order from Geng Jingzhong that he did not have to go to sea today to conduct regular combat training. Therefore, the navy gathered at the Daxiao field early in the morning to conduct military training, leaving only a small garrison on the battleship. At half past nine in the morning, Geng Jingzhong arrived at the Mawei Naval Barracks with Robert and the others. To the left of the barracks is the port of Mawei Naval Base. Inside the port, one hundred and twelve warships, large and small, were divided into several rows, almost all of which were lined up. The red hulls, the masts, the white sails, and the looming gun windows all make everyone who sees them feel the great power they contain.

Generally speaking, one-third of the Navy's warships are basically repaired or replenished in ports, one-third are engaged in various trainings, and only one-third of the warships are used for combat readiness duty. In the past, the Mawei Navy only had few warships, and could only stick to the coastal waters, even if they went to sea to clear pirates, it was always those warships, so the warships could not be repaired and maintained in time. Now, with the sheer size of the battleship, there is plenty of room for rotation. At this moment, some of the battleships with a lot of people should be overhauled.

There was an open space between the Mawei naval barracks and the military port, and when you arrived here, you could ask for the appearance of a warship from afar. Therefore, when Robert and James got out of the carriage and saw such a large group of battleships, they were all shocked and their jaws dropped, and their mouths were open, and they couldn't close it for a long time.

From seven o'clock in the morning, all the naval officers were all in order. There were more than 200 naval officers in total, all dressed in white naval dresses, and they stood neatly on the pier. Looking at it from a distance, a boxy white phalanx quickly attracted the attention of Robert and the two. (To be continued......)