One second to remember [for wonderful.

Chapter 171: The English Envoy (II)

Yinzuo was not surprised by the visit of the English envoys, because this was originally a matter that he had arranged in private, and the English big noses were busy in Beijing for a long time, and they couldn't see a weighty minister at all, even the officials of the Qing History Department of the Ministry of Rites were very unwelcome to see this stick "Shengfan", but under Yinzuo's ingenious arrangement, the English envoys finally came to Yinzuo's house - complaining that Yinzuo was careful, and the impact of dealing with foreign envoys still had to be considered, It is not a trivial matter to not be enshrined in a book of ginseng, in order to meet this group of envoys Yinzuo really took a lot of thought, and it was also clear in advance that the old man Kangxi received the English envoy in his back garden after getting the acquiescence of the old man.

Van Verst? Green, in his early forties, sturdy, with thick brown hair, dressed in a black tuxedo and a gentleman's top hat, immediately took off his top hat when he saw Yinzuo, covered his chest with his hands, bowed in a dashing manner, and greeted him in English; Sean? Brown is in his early thirties, blonde hair and blue eyes, tall, with two upturned beards, and a red military uniform.

Yinzuo can understand English, in his previous life, in order to pass the sixth level, he didn't spend less time listening, as for that, it's just a general level, so many years have passed, and it's even more rusty, but some simple conversations are still not a problem, of course, Yinzuo will not expose himself to understand English, until the translation of Van Forster? After Green's greeting, he smiled and said, "There is an old Chinese saying: It is a pleasure to have friends from afar, and welcome Mr. Green and Captain Brown. Have a seat. ”

The interpreter is a thin middle-aged man, named Zheng Bin, a fluent in English, but Chinese is stammering, there is really enough, Yin Zuo also sent someone to explore the bottom of this goods, it is said that the ancestor is Cantonese, but he was born in India, he is considered an overseas Chinese, and he is also engaged in commerce, this time England is eager to open the trade route, and there is a lack of translation, so he invited Zheng Bin to transfer to China via Java, and it just so happened that Zheng Bin also wanted to take a ride to see if he could do some business with China and followed him back to China.

Zheng Bin translated Yinzuo's words, Van Furster? After bowing down again to thank him, Green sat down, and Sean? Brown is standing like a javelin in Van Verst? Behind Green, he doesn't squint, and he really has the demeanor of a soldier.

Van Verst? On behalf of King William III of England, I would like to extend a sincere invitation to your country, welcome your country to join the world trade circle, and it is really a good thing that your two countries can communicate with each other, and I hope that the prince can persuade your majesty to allow our citizens to enter your country to set up companies to engage in commerce and trade, and if the prince can help in this matter, I would like to express my gratitude to the prince on behalf of our king." ”

Hehe, this sounds very familiar, it seems that the British and the emperor of the Mughal dynasty in India said the same thing back then, and then forcibly stationed troops under the pretext of protecting their own citizens, and then simply took the whole of India into their own pockets, sample, and played this game with Lao Tzu, and really fucking fooled us. Yinzuo muttered in his heart, his face was very calm, after listening to Zheng Bin's translation, he smiled and said: "Thank you for the good intentions of the king of your country, your two countries should indeed communicate with each other, but the national conditions of your two countries are different, our laws clearly stipulate that foreign businessmen are not allowed to open companies in China, please forgive your envoy for this, if your country does not object, my country is willing to go to your country or your country to Tianzhu to start a company." ”

Van Verst? After listening to Zheng Bin's translation, Green's face remained unchanged, and he nodded slightly: "Your Royal Highness, my Kingdom of Great England welcomes businessmen from your country to set up companies in our country, but as a courtesy, we also ask your country to agree to the right of our businessmen to do business freely in your country, and I hope that your country can make efforts to achieve the goal of reconciliation between your two countries." ”

Damn, this British guy is really cunning, Lao Tzu is talking about India, but this product has been transferred to the United Kingdom, hey, the difference is big. With China's current naval strength, it is simply impossible to escort ocean-going merchant ships, and it is okay to be in Asia, if the merchant ships arrive in Europe, they will not even be able to bring back the ships and people, and it is just meat buns and dogs. Yinzuo smiled and said: "Thank you for agreeing to our businessmen to set up a company in Tianzhu, but this king has already said that my country's law does not allow foreign businessmen to set up companies in China, this is an iron law, and no one can violate it." ”

"Oh, Your Royal Highness, India is not our territory, and we have no right to authorize your businessmen to set up companies in India. As for the laws of your country, I deeply regret that in that case, if you find a port along the coast of your country as an anchorage for our trade and merchant ships, I wonder if it is feasible? "Van Foster? Green cunningly set a trap again.

Anchorage? Hey, it's fun to play dark Chen Cang with Lao Tzu, interesting! This is moored, moored, Hong Kong is gone, right? Although Yinzuo was angry in his heart, his face was calm and still said: "For your envoy's statement, this king regrets that my country cannot provide any port, even a small island off the coast as an anchorage for your merchant ships, if your country intends to trade with our country, the two sides can set up an intermediate trading place in a place that is neither your territory nor our territory, according to this king's opinion, Tianzhu is the most suitable place, please consider this, if your country does not agree, our country does not force it, There were so many European countries that the king's fleet could trade with the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and even France. ”

Van Verst? Green didn't expect Yinzuo to reject his proposal, and he didn't expect Yinzuo to know so many European countries, and he seemed to be very familiar with European naval forces between words, after listening to Zheng Bin's translation, he was a little overwhelmed for a while, and his originally rigorous face was slightly sluggish, he reached out and took out a white silk from his pocket to wipe the sweat on his forehead, and thought for a while: "The Kingdom of Great England has the most powerful navy in the world, which can ensure the unimpeded passage of China's merchant ships on the ocean. This is something that other countries can't do, and I ask the prince to consider it more. ”

Depend on! The threat of force is coming, damn, bullying Lao Tzu without the navy, isn't it? Yinzuo listened to Van Furst? Green's words, the fire in his heart flickered and flickered, but people are telling the truth, the British navy is indeed the most powerful in the world at this time, not to mention the Daqingshui Division at this time, even if Yinzuo's navy is reorganized, there is no certainty of victory - ships and guns can be built more advanced than others, and tactics are not a problem, but a fleet that has not experienced a big war will always be just a paper tiger, and it will not be of great use at all, and it will not be mature at all without experiencing a few failures. The so-called invincibility of the army is simply that it cannot be taken seriously. If other Qing officials understood the meaning of these words, they were afraid that they would immediately turn their faces and take down all the "shengfan" of this guy, or drive them out, but Yinzuo is different, he knows very well that the current Daqing Water Division can't take it at all, although he is angry in his heart, he didn't have a seizure, but said with a smile: "For the strength of your navy, this king has also heard of it, it is said that your warships are divided into four classes, the largest is a three-layer gun deck, 100 guns, and a capacity of 875 people, I don't know if it's true?" ”

Zheng Bin translated Yinzuo's words, Van Furster? Green hasn't had time to speak, Sean? Brown proudly replied: "Yes, this is a battleship, the guarantee of the invincibility of our Great England fleet against the ocean." ”

"Good." Yin Zuo nodded and said: "As a naval officer, Brown should be a person who is proficient in naval warfare, according to Your Excellency, how many cannons can this king's merchant ship be equipped with a slight modification?" ”

Sean? After listening to Zheng Bin's translation, Brown was stunned for a moment and said: "It can fit about 120 guns, but merchant ships are not warships, and there is a huge difference between the two, and besides, the artillery of my Great England is also the most advanced in the world." ”

Yin Zuo smiled: "Thank you Mr. Brown for your outspokenness, but in the opinion of this king, it is difficult for a merchant ship to be converted into a warship, but since this king can build a merchant ship, it is not a difficult thing to build a battleship, as for the artillery, your country's breech gun is afraid that it is a little outdated, the firing range is short, only 400 zhang, and the loading is troublesome, and the newly built artillery in our country has a range of up to 700 zhang, and the loading is fast, far better than your artillery." ”

As soon as Yinzuo said this, whether it was Sean? Brown or Van Forster? Green didn't believe it with a face, and thought that Yinzuo was bragging, but neither of them said anything and expressed their dissatisfaction with silence. Yinzuo didn't explain much, smiled and raised his hand, Qingsong, who was standing behind him, took out a revolver from his arms and handed it to Yinzuo, the two British envoys couldn't understand what the obviously gun-shaped weapon in Yinzuo's hand was, after all, smokeless gunpowder had not yet been invented at this time, and the world powers were still using flint guns filled with black powder.

Yinzuo was a super military fan in his previous life, and he knew everything about weapons, so he naturally thought of ways to create modern weapons, but he didn't have those machine tools, lathes, electricity and other infrastructure, and he couldn't do it if he wanted to produce them on a large scale, besides, even with these infrastructures, before he ascended to the throne, Yinzuo didn't have the courage to mass-produce weapons, but it was not difficult to get one or two revolvers and bullets to play:

The revolver is the simplest of all the pistols, the various parts are not complicated, Yinzuo did not dare to form it at one time, drew the drawings, indicated the size, and let different craftsmen build it in time, and made a lot of scraps, and finally successfully assembled a few, but because it was built by hand, and there were no tools such as vernier calipers and spiral micrometers, the accuracy and range of this robbery were also very limited.

As for the bullets, it was easy to do, and the drawings were drawn, and the craftsmen made brass shells and bullets according to the size of the muzzle, and the primer was Regon - mercury was dissolved in nitric acid to produce mercury nitrate, to which a small amount of hydrochloric acid and copper were added, and in the presence of excess nitric acid, it was formed by the reaction with ethanol. The propellant is smokeless gunpowder - nitrocellulose is made by immersing cloth or plant fibers in a mixture of nitric acid and sulfuric acid in a certain proportion, dissolving the nitrocellulose in ether and ethanol, adding an appropriate amount of stabilizer to it to become a gelatinous substance, and by pressing it into sheets, cutting strips, drying and hardening, it is made into smokeless gunpowder.

Yinzuo has a lot of factories in his hands, and he has enough people, and he will make up the revolver and bullets after a while, but it is limited to the backwardness of production conditions, even if he is not afraid of impeachment, there is no way to mass produce it at all - the scrap rate is really amazingly high, and if you really want to mass produce, you have to wait until Yinzuo takes office, and it is possible for those students sent to engage in basic research to make a name for themselves, but it is enough to scare the two British envoys. Yinzuo raised his wrist with a smile, and tapped the trigger lightly with his fingers, but when he heard a crisp sound, the muzzle of the gun burst out, and a cloud of mud with grass exploded on the grass fifteen meters outside the pavilion, and then Yinzuo pulled the trigger five times in a row, and after a series of snatches, a slip of eye-catching was formed on the grass, and there was not much smoke in the pavilion, Yinzuo's wrist flicked, the magazine bounced open, and six golden shells fell out and fell on the stone floor between the pavilions, and there was a jingling sound.

Van Verst? Although Green has been exposed to firearms, he is only a businessman after all, and although he is also surprised, he does not have too many associations, Sean? Brown is different, he is a legitimate soldier, this time in China, he was originally responsible for the task of inspecting China's armament, in China for many days to see all the big swords and spears, in his heart has already marked China a backward brand, at this time seeing the revolver in Yinzuo's hand immediately remembered the military value of this weapon and its revolutionary significance, the original arrogant appearance is completely gone, bowing his head and Van Forster? Green muttered quietly, but he didn't expect Yinzuo to understand English.

Hehe, sample, I'm afraid, damn, let you have a big nose and threaten Lao Tzu again, but unfortunately, this thing can't be mass-produced, or we can get rifles and machine guns together, and armed with 100,000 people is enough to conquer the entire Eurasian continent. Yinzuo smiled and threw the gun in his hand to Qingsong, and did not speak, but quietly listened to the exchange between the two British envoys. After the two noses deliberated in a low voice for a while, Van Foster? Green said reservedly: "Can you sell me this kind of gun to the Kingdom of Great England?" ”

"Nope." Yinzuo replied very simply.

Van Verst? Green shrugged his shoulders in regret, and continued: "As for the important matter of the prince's proposal to set up a company in India, I am afraid that this envoy cannot decide, and it needs to be passed by the Free Council and submitted to His Majesty the King for approval. However, the Envoy suggests that it would be better for your country to consider our proposal first. ”

Think about it, little bit, aren't you an envoy plenipotentiary? How can there be no decision? Hey, let's push you again. Yinzuo smiled and said: "No need, my country is not short of trading partners, my country is currently trading smoothly with the Netherlands, the cooperation between the two sides is happy, this king will not consider changing for the time being, your envoy can return to China to make a difference." ”

The world is big, the profits are the greatest, and for a business country like the UK, there is nothing more important than money, if Van Forster? If Green returned empty-handed, he was afraid that his position in the British East India Company would not be guaranteed, whether for personal purposes or for corporate interests, he did not see the possibility of the Dutch making a fortune, and when he saw that Yinzuo was going to issue an eviction order, he couldn't help but be a little anxious - Van Ferst? Green has been in China for some time, and he knows that those big ships are basically Yinzuo's industry, if he is swept out of the house by Yinzuo like this, and he wants to visit him again, he is afraid that he will not have a chance, so he hurriedly said: "Your Royal Highness, your request to open a company in India is beyond the decision authority of this envoy, but if the two sides are in the port of India, it can be discussed, I don't know what the prince wants?" ”

Hehe, sample, it's in a hurry, the transaction is the transaction, let's send some people to find out the channel for the future, but there is no need to agree too quickly at this time. After listening to Zheng Bin's translation, Yinzuo frowned, pretending to be contemplative, and said for a while: "In this case, this king can agree to give it a try, and this king will send someone to discuss the specific matters with your envoy." Drop-off. ”

Van Verst? Green came full of hope, wanting to achieve the goal of setting up a company in China with both soft and hard Although it was bankrupt, but after all, he kept the minimum goal of reaching a deal, seeing that Yinzuo had already shown impatience, he didn't dare to stay longer, got up and bowed again, and left.

Looking at the departure of the British envoy, Yinzuo did not have the joy of achieving the goal in his heart, there are still many things to do waiting for Yinzuo, not to mention that the future deployment of hegemony needs to be improved urgently, even if it is not a simple matter to play the old man at the moment, and these things are not the areas that Wu and Lin are good at, everything can only be dealt with by Yinzuo himself. In the future, this battle is not only related to Yinzuo's own fate but also related to the future fate of the entire nation, it is really negligent, Yinzuo explained to Wang Hao, who rushed to hear the news, and let Wang Hao prepare to send a ship to the Western Ocean, and sat alone in the pavilion silently and fell into contemplation......