Daming 1805

The next day, Prince Charles called Talleyrand and Duke Richelieu to discuss and prepare his own simple plan.

On the third day, Prince Charles took the lead and went to London first.

Representatives from other countries also had better time and arrived in London on the same day.

Only the representative of Daming deliberately stayed in Paris for an extra day to meet with the craftsmen and businessmen of Daming in France.

Waited until the fourth day, the day of Pete's funeral, before flying to London.

Zhu Jingyuan also has "friends" in London, but female friends are relatively personal according to the Ming tradition.

Charlotte did not go to the pier to greet him after specifically consulting the Mingxue master, but arranged for her own captain to go.

The British Crown Prince Regent, the Prince of Wales, and the British Acting Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Grenville, as representatives of the court and the royal family, went to the airport to welcome them.

The Prince of Wales hadn't planned to go in person, and British officials didn't think it was necessary for him to go.

The main reason is that the Prince of Wales has no special relationship with Zhu Jingyuan, and it may take a generation to insist on all relationships.

It wasn't Zhu Jingyuan himself who came this time, but an aide who currently only received a fourth-rank treatment.

But the French crown prince and regent went to greet him in person, and the British were worried that the Ming people felt that if the British didn't go, they didn't pay enough attention.

When George III's madness was out of control, Peter died, and the British political arena was in disarray, in order to prevent any uncontrollable situation from happening, the Prince of Wales also went to greet him.

Anyway, it won't be too hard to run for a trip, and the British don't feel ashamed of such things.

Niu Jian and Daming's diplomats, accompanied by the Prince of Wales and Grenville, went directly to the scene of Pete's funeral from the airport.

Representatives sent by various countries to attend the funeral are basically prime ministers, chief ministers, and cabinet ministers who correspond to Pete's identity.

Only the crown prince came from France, and from Daming came Niu Jian, the prince's aide, and two official fourth-rank officials from Honglu Temple.

For things like funerals, there are not many things that need to be done, especially for these most senior representatives.

It was mainly ordinary servants and clerks who were busy.

Representatives like Niu Jian and Shire only need to go out to show their face after receiving the notification at a specific time.

Rest and chat most of the time.

Diplomatic activities began at this time.

Representatives of Prussia, Austria, Italy, and Ottomans first came to Niu Jian in a hurry.

They want to confirm with Daming about the export of warship technology.

Representatives of countries that have not cooperated with Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands also came over to say hello and listened to the tone by the way.

The busiest people in this informal free talk were not the titular hosts, the Prince of Wales and Grenville.

It was Niu Jian, who had the lowest status in name.

Representatives from various countries looked for opportunities one after another, and specially gathered around Niu Jian to inquire about the situation.

Niu Jian repeated what he had said to the Lucians to the representatives of Prussia, Austria, Italy, Ottoman and other countries.

Warship equipment components and finished warships can be sold directly, and important basic industries need to be opened up for complete technology transfer.

Explain that the goal of doing this is to continue to bind in depth, thereby eliminating possible contradictions between each other.

However, the focus varies slightly from country to country.

For Prussia, it is mainly to focus slightly on the triple turret.

For Austria and Italy, it is a matter of mentioning the perfect triple turret and 360mm artillery.

For Ottoman, it is mainly to sell complete warships.

For countries that have not cooperated with Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands, a plan similar to the warship technical support for Prussia, Austria, Lucia, and other countries was proposed.

If they are interested, they can exchange for some of Ming's new warship, aircraft, and automobile-related technologies by opening up industries related to automobiles, aircraft, and shipbuilding.

I have never cooperated before, so even if I start to cooperate now, I can only start from the shallower to the deeper.

After Niu Jian gave the predetermined conditions, he asked them to discuss and make their own decisions.

Niu Jian also directly disclosed the news that the construction of Daming's [-]-ton warship had started.

This is a straightforward deterrence, and it is also an endorsement condition for the export of [-]-ton warship-related technologies.

After Pete's funeral, the British held a banquet.

The purpose of representatives from various countries coming to the UK is nominally to mourn Peter.

Of course, this kind of funeral is not suitable for entertaining banquets, but it is still possible to have a banquet according to Ming folk customs.

There is no singing and dancing, and all the participants wear serious clothes.

During this afternoon's British banquet, the Prince of Wales and Grenville sat at a table with Niu Jian and Shire, and discussed the British side's shipbuilding technology.

The relationship between Britain and Ming Dynasty is different from that of Prussia and other countries, France and Spain.

Due to the special relationship between Charlotte and Zhu Jingyuan, Britain and Daming have a bridge of in-depth exchanges and cooperation.

But Britain's long-term goal has been to destroy the Ming Empire.

The Anti-Ming League was organized by the British.

Moreover, the degree of binding between the British and Ming Dynasty is not as deep as that of France.

Therefore, Ming's warship technology cannot be directly opened to the British like France.

But compared with Prussia and other countries, it can also be discussed in more depth.

"Da Ming can transfer to Britain the related technologies of a 27-ton battleship with a speed of more than 360 knots and a triple-mounted naval gun of more than [-] mm.

"However, the relevant technology can only be transferred to a company jointly owned by His Royal Highness Prince Dashi and Princess Charlotte, and the shipyard owned by the two Highnesses is responsible for the construction.

"Moreover, the British mainland needs to open up the related industries that the United States has already opened to the companies of the two Highnesses. The specific operating model can refer to the French joint venture.

"Alternatively, if we directly purchase finished warships or warship-related parts at normal prices and build them ourselves, then there is no need to make any adjustments to the current cooperation.

"Of course, the UK can also just transfer some of the technologies you need most, and buy the finished products for the rest."

The Prince of Wales listened to these requests and felt that there was nothing wrong with him.

He already knew ninety-nine percent of his daughter's relationship with Zhu Jingyuan.

The company jointly owned by his daughter and Zhu Jingyuan cannot be regarded as a complete Daming company or a British company, but it can certainly be regarded as a company owned by his own family and a married family.

At the same time, Britain is also in a very melancholy and tangled state in terms of warship design.

The cost of new warships is too high, mainly due to a large number of new technologies, which bring extremely high research and development and testing costs.

Now the size of the British fleet has been greatly reduced, and the ability to amortize costs based on scale has been greatly reduced.

In addition, the World War and the Yinzhou War have just ended for more than two years, and Britain has not fully recovered.

Now when building ships, we can only place orders for one or two ships. There is no way to order several ships like before.

If Daming can directly provide technology, at least directly provide higher-end finished products, it can directly save a lot of research and development costs.

The point is, according to Ming's experience, consortiums and companies owned by the royal family can strengthen the power of the royal family.

If the company jointly owned by Charlotte and Zhu Jingyuan takes control of the British economy, there is a chance that the power of the British royal family will return to the level it was before the Glorious Revolution.

So the Prince of Wales nodded subconsciously:

"I don't think there's anything wrong with that..."

Grenville, meanwhile, was a different mindset entirely.

Of course, Grenville also knows the current state of the United Kingdom, and also understands the problems of the navy and shipbuilding.

However, enlarging Ming technology and capital entry will inevitably damage the interests of British local capital.

In particular, the expansion of the companies of Prince Dashi and Princess Charlotte is equivalent to the British royal family directly intervening in the market.

This is of course a very bad thing.

Even if Grenville is just a day-to-day person, he can't be fooled about this kind of problem.

So Grenville looked at the Prince of Wales:

"Your Highness, this kind of matter has too much impact, I suggest you go back and discuss it carefully before making a decision."

The Prince of Wales immediately hesitated:
"is it?"

Niu Jian on the opposite side also said:
"Yes, this is a very important matter. It is better for the Regent to discuss it with your cabinet ministers before making a decision."

Zhu Jingyuan knew the general situation of the Prince of Wales, and knew that if he couldn't make a decision immediately, he probably wouldn't be able to make a decision.

So if you want the British to fully agree to some conditions, the best way is to force the Prince of Wales to make up his mind on the spot.

However, the situation in the UK is very different from that in France.

The French court was still barely a traditional bureaucracy controlled by the king.

The British government is already essentially a court composed of representatives of capital.

If the Prince of Wales made a decision that was completely opposed to the interests of British capital, it would be impossible to implement such a decision.

Even if the British royal family has already got involved with Zhu Jingyuan, it's not good.

The contradiction is too great, and it cannot be suppressed simply by raising the banner.

The power of the British royal family is much weaker than that of France.

The Prince of Wales himself is not decisive, and his ability is much worse than that of Shire who was educated by Zhu Jingyuan.

Even if Zhu Jingyuan wanted to teach the Prince of Wales to centralize power, he probably wouldn't be able to do it, and he might even involve himself in it.

Therefore, things in the UK can only be compromised and compromised.

Let the British royal family grow slowly, instead of directly fighting against British capital.

How to compromise in the end, the officials of the British court should discuss a relatively reasonable plan.

The Prince of Wales nodded without any hesitation when he heard Niu Jian say the same thing:
"Thank you for reminding Mr. Niu, let's go back and discuss it."

Shire is a little surprised by Niu Jian's attitude, and Shire also understands the character of the Prince of Wales.

But I figured it out quickly.

The character of the Prince of Wales is useless even if he makes a decision now.
There is no need to go to the point of direct conflict of interest. If you go back and be fooled by British officials for a while, you will regret it again.

Anyway, I haven't signed a formal contract yet, so going back on my word now has no effect at all.

So instead of asking the Prince of Wales to nod now, let them go back and discuss a formal decision internally.

Seeing that the discussion here should be over, Charles looked at Niu Jian inquiringly.

Niu Jian smiled and nodded:

"Your Highness can do as he pleases, Da Ming will not participate, nor will he interfere..."

Charles also smiled and nodded in response, then stood up directly, and began to express his vision to the representatives at the scene.

Of course, what I said at the beginning is high-sounding, for the sake of world peace and development, avoid unnecessary conflicts, and curb arms races.

Call on the countries of Thailand and the West to sign an agreement to disclose their respective shipbuilding plans to each other, and to jointly supervise and limit the size of the naval fleet.

The practical proposals beneath the public slogans are the real purpose.

As soon as Shire's idea was uttered, representatives of several countries felt their eyes brighten, especially the British.

Britain and France were dragged down by the World War and the Yinzhou War, and other countries were also dragged down by the World War.

Moreover, it is different from the naval shipbuilding competition in Zhu Jingyuan's previous life after World War I and before World War II.

This time it is not that the United States is about to surpass the United Kingdom, nor is it the replacement of the old and new hegemons. Other countries are in a completely different state.

Now the strength of the major countries in Thailand and the West is very balanced...

The current economic strength gap among the six countries of Britain, France, Spain, Lucia, Prussia, and Austria is very small.

And the gap between them and Portugal, Italy, and Ottomans is not as big as in history.

Therefore, although the intensity of the shipbuilding competition in the Taixi continent is not too high, it is extremely chaotic.

Almost all major countries have been involved.

They are all just out of the World War, and the war indemnity has not been paid off, so they can't stand this kind of shipbuilding competition.

Especially Portugal, Italy, and Austria are not interested in this kind of shipbuilding competition.

Signing an agreement, witnessing together, and jointly controlling the level of the arms race is actually in the interests of most Western countries.

It would be great if Daming could support and witness.

It would be great if Daming can also participate in this kind of agreement and control the shipbuilding plan together.

Daming has already started to mass-produce [-]-ton warships, and he really can't keep up.

I was afraid that instead of supporting it, Daming would oppose and interfere.

As a result, these countries basically subconsciously looked in the direction of Niu Jian while their eyes were bright.

Niu Jian drank the wine on his own, and raised his voice to show Daming's attitude:

"Da Ming has its own shipbuilding plan, and will build its own navy according to its own needs without any external interference.

"So this is your own business. Da Ming will not participate or interfere. You can decide for yourself,"

Niu Jian's statement on behalf of Daming surprised almost all Taixi people except Shire.

But after thinking about it for a while, they all felt that this was actually reasonable.

Daming's current shipbuilding plan does not put too much pressure on Ming's economy.

Ming Dynasty has no need to jointly limit armaments with other countries.

More importantly, Daming's status is detached, and it is normal not to participate in this kind of play-by-play agreement with the Taixi people.

Daming's non-participation made the Thai and Western countries a little bit disappointed.

But Daming made it clear that he would not interfere, which made them all heave a sigh of relief.

Prince Shire smiled and nodded at Niu Jian again, then looked at the representatives of other countries and said loudly:

"I suggest that, after Prime Minister Pete's funeral, start preliminary intention negotiations on relevant agreements..."

What Charles said was only a preliminary intention, and he didn't say it too directly and definitely.

Because Shire knows that there must be some countries, although they will also feel difficult now, but they are not against continuing to expand their fleets.

The key to the success of this agreement is actually the will of this kind of country, so the threshold must be lowered to invite them to negotiate together.