Chen Fei listened to Shen Wanqing's proposal, glanced at Shen Wanqing and Lin Yuan with a wicked smile, and said, "It's better for you to go, I don't know anything about the navy." ”

Lin Yuan then went to Xu Jingcheng to discuss, Xu Jingcheng hesitated for a while when he heard Lin Yuan's proposal, and said: "I have been to the Volkeng shipyard before, but that was more than ten years ago, and the current shipyard is probably no longer a thing!" Those people I have dealt with don't know if Lu Dao is still there? ”

Lin Yuan said: "Whether it is the design or manufacture of ships, it takes years of accumulated experience, for shipyards, experienced designers and workers are more precious than gold, how can the shipyard let these people go?" Rest assured, those you know are still around. ”

Xu Jingcheng nodded and said, "That's good, but what reason do we use to go?" It's not a park, it's definitely not something you can get into! ”

Lin Yuan said: "I want to see how their naval skills have improved, so I want to see their products, so let's go in the name of buying warships." ”

Xu Jingcheng shook his head again and again, and said: "This is not good, there are many procedures required to buy warships, the first is a note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, oh, in our Great Qing Kingdom, it is the official letter of the Prime Minister's National Affairs Yamen." ”

Lin Yuan smiled slightly and said, "Why did you forget, in addition to being the governor of the three eastern provinces, I am also the prime minister and the minister of national affairs, isn't it just a diplomatic note?" I'll just write you one now. ”

After Lin Yuan finished speaking, he asked the entourage next to him to take out a pen and paper and an official seal, Lin Yuan took the pen and wrote, Xu Jingcheng stretched out his hand to hold him down, and said, "I can't help it!" According to our Qing Dynasty law, the diplomatic note must be submitted to the Holy Lord for approval, and you will lose your head if you do so! ”

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "It's okay, don't you know that the Emperor of Lu Dao Mountain is far away?" After Lin Yuan finished speaking, Xu Jingcheng watched in a panic, waved his hand to finish writing the diplomatic note, then stamped the seal, and said: "Just have this, we will make up for other things later." ”

Xu Jingcheng nodded, took the note written by Lin Yuan to find the German official in charge, at this time there was already a German official to meet them, Xu Jingcheng said that he wanted to go to the shipyard, the German official heard that the Chinese wanted to buy warships, and immediately gladly agreed, he waved his hand to call an entourage, whispered a few words, and the entourage nodded and left.

Lin Yuan had been learning German on his own for this trip to Europe, and he had already achieved a little success, so he asked the official: "Why did that entourage go?" ”

The German official replied: "It's still some distance from the shipyard, and it would take us three hours to walk there, so I asked him to pick up a car." ”

Shen Wanqing asked quietly on the side, "What did you say to him?" ”

Lin Yuan said: "He wants to bring us a car and take us there in a car." ”

Shen Wanqing said: "Is there already a car in this era? ”

Lin Yuan said: "Of course, but it's still very primitive, if we also build a bunch of cars and buy them from their country, we guarantee that none of their cars will be sold!" As they spoke, they heard a roar in the distance, and a three-wheeled car approached them.

The German official pointed with his hand and said proudly: "This is our latest German invention - the car, which is a three-hour walk away, and it only takes 20 minutes to sit on it." ”

A few people got into the car, and Xu Jingcheng said enviously: "Look at other people's skills, we don't know when Lu Dao will be able to produce such a thing." ”

Shen Wanqing muttered in a low voice: "Never, who will produce such an ugly and backward thing?" ”

Xu Jingcheng glanced at Shen Wanqing in surprise, thinking that he had heard it wrong, so he didn't think much about it, everyone went all the way to the Volkeng shipyard, and was blocked at the gate, the official said: "This is a Chinese envoy, who wants to come to the factory to buy warships, don't you call the manager of the trade department?" ”

The worker guarding the gate said: "Our manager in charge of trade is not there, he has already gone to Berlin, and it is useless for you to go in." ”

The German official chatted with the janitor for a few more words, and then came back and said to Lin Yuan and Xu Jingcheng: "I have only now learned that His Majesty Wilhelm II, our Emperor, is going to hold a technical exposition, and the shipyard will also participate, so the main person in charge of the shipyard's trade department has rushed to Berlin, if you want to buy a warship, you should go to Berlin." ”

Lin Yuan was still unwilling, so he asked, "Can we go into the factory and have a look." ”

"There are rules at the shipyard that no one else is allowed to enter the factory without being accompanied by someone from the shipyard," the German official said. ”

At this time, Xu Jingcheng asked, "What's going on?" You're going to open a technique fair, haven't you gotten the news? ”

The German official looked embarrassed and said helplessly: "I really don't know about this matter, in fact, my position is very low, and most people don't tell me about this kind of thing." ”

Lin Yuan asked, "That's not right, right?" If you want to open a technical expo, and also find the high-level of the shipyard, the movement of this kind of expo must not be small, how can you not know the way? ”

The official said helplessly: "I really don't know what to do, maybe this decision was made after I left Berlin, that is, more than half a month ago." ”

Shen Wanqing whispered to Lin Yuan: "Holding the Technique Expo so hastily, how can I think that this German emperor is not very reliable?" ”

Lin Yuan whispered: "You guessed right, the current German emperor is Wilhelm II, he vigorously built the navy during his reign, and Germany's military strength has made leaps and bounds since he began, and it was at this time that Germany began to expand abroad, this emperor is a very capable emperor, but what does this emperor say?" ”

Speaking of this, Lin Yuan hesitated, and Shen Wanqing asked, "What's wrong with this emperor?" ”

Lin Yuan said: "He is indeed very talented, which is much stronger than Nicholas II, but he is a very complex emperor, on the one hand, he behaves in front of people, he is self-serving, on the other hand, he is actually sensitive, timid and neurotic in the back of people, on the other hand, he can speak like a river, inspire people's emotions, even Bismarck is willing to bow down, on the other hand, he is open-mouthed, full of trains, as long as he opens his mouth, no one will know what he said at the end." ”

"There are even more miraculous things, on the one hand, he is superstitious about mystical spiritualism, and he believes in mysterious things; On the one hand, he bowed down to science and technology, and he was also an emperor with a strong sense of vanity, do you know the Tao, he had to hold a masquerade ball every day, and his guards changed their uniforms thirty-seven times in sixteen years. ”

Shen Wanqing nodded and said, "I can see that none of these emperors are good." ”

Before the words fell, Lin Yuan hurriedly said, "You be quiet!" ”

At this time, Xu Jingcheng glanced back at Shen Wanqing, obviously he had heard her words, and he was not angry, so he had to suppress this fire in his heart, everyone got on the train again, and arrived in Berlin at noon. ”