My father Zhu Gaoxu

Chapter 932 Secondhand Battleship
"Yang Shan, envoy of the Ming Dynasty, pays homage to His Majesty the Emperor!"

In the Fengtian Hall, Yang Shan led the Ming Dynasty envoy to solemnly salute Zhu Zhanhe on the dragon throne.

"The Han Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty are one family, so you don't need to be polite, Minister Yang. If you come, please give me a seat!"

Zhu Zhanhe smiled enthusiastically.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

This was not the first time Yang Shan met Zhu Zhanhe, so he was quite calm.

However, He Weiwen and others behind him were mostly seeing the legendary Han Emperor for the first time, so they were all secretly looking at Zhu Zhanhe on the dragon throne.

"My emperor wants the old minister to say hello to you on his behalf. May the diplomatic relations between the two countries be permanent!"

At this time, Yang Shan took the initiative to say to Zhu Zhanhe again.

"He did have some intentions. After my mother-in-law passed away, I was very sad and wished I could go to Daming to attend the funeral in person. Unfortunately, we are so busy with affairs here that I really can't leave. I hope my mother-in-law and uncle know something in Quan and don't blame me! "

At this time, Zhu Zhanhe said politely, half-truthfully, that although he was saddened by the death of Queen Mother Zhang, he would not go to the Ming Dynasty himself.

Of course, Yang Shan also knew that these were polite words, so he followed Zhu Zhanhe's words and chatted for a few words, and then talked about the purpose of this mission.

Over the years, the Ming Dynasty would send missions to the Han Dynasty every few years, and the Han Dynasty would also send missions to the Ming Dynasty. Both sides had reached a tacit understanding, and the missions that came and went discussed nothing more than economic, military and other matters.

For example, Yang Shan came here this time for three main things. One was to resolve some territorial disputes between the Han Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty in the Western Regions. Because of the expansion of the Han Dynasty in Central Asia, it had already bordered the Ming Dynasty, and some territorial disputes naturally occurred as a result. .

The second thing is some commercial disputes between the two countries, which are nothing more than taxes, commodity prices, etc. In addition, the Ming Dynasty has also noticed that the dumping of some goods from the Han Dynasty has had a big impact on the Ming Dynasty's economy. For example, the last Typical cotton cloth, the cotton cloth of the Han Dynasty is low in price and high in quality, which has caused the civil textile industry in the Ming Dynasty to close down, and the economy of many places has also been affected.

The last thing, and the most important thing, is that Ming wants to buy steam battleships from Dahan.

In fact, this is not the first time that the Ming Dynasty has mentioned this matter. When Yang Shan and Hu Hui went to Dahan for the first time, in addition to signing a railway contract and purchasing Dahan's trains, they also wanted to buy Dahan's warships.

After all, after the Ming Dynasty opened the sea, it also had great interests in the sea, which required the navy to maintain it. Steam battleships were far superior to sailboats in terms of speed and power, so the Ming Dynasty had long been eyeing the warships of the Han Dynasty.

However, steam battleships are different from trains after all. They are important weapons in the military and will directly affect the combat effectiveness of the navy. Therefore, trains can be sold, but battleships cannot, so in the end Zhu Zhanhe rejected the Ming Dynasty's proposal.

But the Ming Dynasty did not give up. Almost every time it sent a mission, it would bring up the old issues again, hoping to persuade the Han Dynasty to sell them several steam warships to enhance the Ming Dynasty's naval strength.

Moreover, Yang Shan very tactfully stated at the end that the Ming Dynasty's steam engine has been successfully developed and can be put into practical use immediately. Even if the big man does not sell them warships, sooner or later they will be able to develop warships by their own abilities.

Regarding Yang Shan's words, Zhu Zhanhe smiled secretly. The Ming Dynasty's steam engine was indeed successfully developed, but it was still far from being practical because their steam engine was too weak to drive textiles, let alone drive it. A huge battleship.

Moreover, the structure of the steam battleship is complex. Even if the core problem of the steam engine is solved, the remaining mechanical structure is still enough for Ming Dynasty to study for several years, so Zhu Zhanhe is not worried that Ming Dynasty can develop the battleship in a short time.

Opposite Yang Shan saw Zhu Zhanhe's calm expression, and was secretly worried. Although the Ming Dynasty's steam engine had been developed, there were many problems. The most important thing was that Wang Zhen and others felt that developing a steam engine was too expensive, and it was not impossible to develop it. If a man can buy it, why should he make it himself?
So now the Ming Dynasty's steam engine research has stopped because Wang Zhen doesn't give money. Of course, it is impossible to continue the research without money.

"You want a steam battleship? This matter is not non-negotiable!" Zhu Zhanhe finally said slowly.

"So Your Majesty, you are willing to sell us a warship?"

Yang Shan was also overjoyed when he heard this.

"Don't get excited yet. The battleship can be sold to you, but it may not be what you expected."

Zhu Zhanhe smiled slightly and said again.

"What's the gap?"

Yang Shan was stunned and immediately asked.

"We have a group of warships that are about to be retired, but if their performance is still good, if you are interested, I can resell these retired warships to you!"

Zhu Zhanhe did not beat around the bush and expressed his thoughts very directly.

"Retired battleship? This..."

Yang Shan also showed a troubled expression when he heard this. Since they are retired warships, they must have been eliminated by the Han Navy. Maybe there will be some big problems. What are you going to do with these warships?
"Although they are retired warships, you can rest assured that the performance of these warships is still good. Although they are not as good as our latest warships, they are much better than those sail warships!"

Seeing Yang Shan's hesitation, Zhu Zhanhe explained again.

He is not fooling Yang Shan, because the improvements in steam engines and various machinery have made Dahan's technology progress rapidly, and steam battleships have also begun to be updated. It is precisely because more powerful battleships are to be launched into service, so these old battleships from many years ago Only then will arrangements be made for retirement.

"Your Majesty, if we buy these battleships, can the artillery on the ships also be sold to us?"

Yang Shan hesitated for a moment before asking.

The artillery technology of the Han Dynasty has also developed rapidly. The current artillery of the Han Dynasty has far surpassed the artillery of the Ming Dynasty. You must know that the firearms manufacturing technology of the Han Dynasty was all learned from the Ming Dynasty. As a result, the students now surpass the teacher.

"Of course, the artillery and the battleship are integrated, and they can be sold to you together!"

Zhu Zhanhe agreed very generously.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. The matter is settled. We just need to personally inspect these warships. As long as there are no problems, I can report it to the superiors and ask the court to pay for these warships!"

Yang Shan immediately said very cheerfully, the Ming Dynasty has always been very covetous of Han's warship technology. If they can buy back a batch this time, even if the performance is average, as long as the craftsmen can get on the ship to study it, they can learn it. There are a lot of new technologies, so this business is also very cost-effective for Daming.

"Okay, it's settled, I'll send someone to take you to inspect the ship tomorrow!"

Zhu Zhanhe laughed and said again, but Yang Shan opposite him didn't notice that there was a bit of cunning in his smile.

(End of this chapter)