Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 235 The Ottomans in Dongfang Port ([-])

The carriage quickly stopped in front of the administrative building of the executive committee.

In front of the big iron gate with the huge double-headed eagle national emblem hanging on the top, Hassan and the others underwent a more stringent security check before being allowed to enter.

A mid-level official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs came over to carry out some handover, and then took Hassan and others to the conference room on the third floor of the administrative building to wait.

There is a huge long table in the meeting room, and many chairs are scattered around the table.There are a few decorations hanging on the surrounding walls, most of which are some oil paintings, tapestries with woven patterns, etc. There are huge candlesticks hanging on the top of the room and in the corners. At this moment, the candles have been lit, illuminating the whole room brightly.

Is this the most central "political hall" of the East Coast Republic?This kind of decoration is not even comparable to the mansions of some Ottoman local officials, it is too shabby.Hassan thought to himself, it seems that these east coast people really like the simple and plain style.After knowing the standard of living of ordinary people on the east coast, Hassan knew no matter how stupid he was, it wasn't that the east coast government didn't have the money to renovate the meeting room, but that they didn't think it was necessary to spend money on it.

There was a sound of footsteps outside the door. Hassan turned around and saw a group of people from the East Coast walking in.The leader was a tall, middle-aged man. He walked towards Hassan with a smile on his face and extended his right hand at the same time.Hassan knew that this was a popular handshake among people on the east coast, so he also extended his right hand and shook hands with the other party.

The middle-aged man is wearing a blue jacket with four pockets and a black woolen coat. The temperature in Dongfang Port is still very low at night, and it often drops to around four or five degrees. Put another coat on top of the coat.This kind of coat is simple in style, without complicated patterns and accessories, but it is also very beautiful, and it can give people a very spiritual feeling when worn on the body.

After the middle-aged man shook hands with all the Ottomans one by one, he called them to sit down, and then said to everyone in French: "I am Gao Mo, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the East Coast Republic of China, and I am meeting friends from the Ottoman Empire for the first time. Hope you all have a great time on the East Coast."

After the translator converted Gamo's words into Turkish, Hassan immediately asked: "Your Excellency the Foreign Minister said this, does it mean that your government has officially approved the cooperation agreement with our country in the navy?"

Gao Mo pondered for a while, and then slowly said: "After discussions in the afternoon, the members of our government think that there is no problem in principle with the military cooperation with the Ottoman Empire, but we still need to discuss and confirm some details. You I know that the relationship between your country and the Western world has always been bad, and our country has major interests in the Western world. Therefore, there are actually huge risks in cooperation with your country, and I hope your country can show some sincerity."

In fact, regardless of what Gao Mo said at the moment, at the special discussion meeting of the Executive Committee in the afternoon, the opinions of the members were not consistent, and everyone argued fiercely.In particular, a few people headed by Civil Affairs Commissioner Xiao Mingli almost rejected the possibility of cooperating with the Ottoman Empire from the very beginning. They insisted that this would cause a strong backlash from the Western world and might affect the economic development and talent introduction of the East Coast.

However, their views were strongly opposed by military representatives.The military forces, which now occupy 11 of the 3 executive committee members, have great influence. They believe that it is not safe to put all eggs in one basket.If the existing French market changes, the export-oriented economy on the east coast is likely to be hit hard.At that time, I will temporarily look for a big market outside of France, but I will be passive.It is better to take advantage of this opportunity to step up the development of the Ottoman Empire, a large market with a population of more than 3000 million, and disperse the risk of commodity exports.

Neither of the two sides could convince anyone, and in the end they could only force a vote. As a result, the side that supported the cooperation with Ottoman narrowly won with a vote of 6:5.Then, there was the meeting between Gao Mo and Hassan now.

"These are not problems." Hassan smiled with satisfaction.He is very clear about what the people on the east coast are looking for. It is nothing more than population and money. These are easy to solve.As long as both parties have the intention to cooperate, the specific details can be sat down and discussed slowly.

Gao Mo also smiled at the moment, and saw that he took out a form and handed it to the secretary, then motioned the secretary to pass it to the Ottomans for inspection, and said: "This is a detailed form formulated by our government on the comprehensive cooperation between the army and the navy. Please have Special Envoy Hassan take a look at it. If you have any questions, please raise them as soon as possible."

After getting the form, Hassan's translator looked it over carefully, and then leaned to Hassan's ear and relayed them one by one.

"Why is there no battleship with double decks?" Hassan asked anxiously after hearing this, "A battleship like the 'Free Trade' that went to the port of Suez is exactly what our Ottoman Empire needs. "

After listening to Hassan's question, Gao Mo said without changing his expression: "Battleships of that level are important technical equipment for our country, and they are quite sensitive. Sorry, it is difficult for us to agree to sell this level of warships to others for the time being." s country."

To be honest, in Europe, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, England, and France can build this kind of double-deck battleship. The only difference from the east coast is probably the cost.After all, the cost of artillery can account for more than half of the cost of a warship, and the artillery on the east coast is notoriously cheap and high-quality.But obviously, due to religious and political factors, these countries will not sell warships of this level to the Turks.Although there are no religious and political considerations on the east coast, the feelings of those European countries, especially the Ottoman neighbors, need to be taken into account. Therefore, even radicals such as the military have not yet formed a unified opinion on the sale of battleships, which are important weapons for the country.

Hassan was very disappointed: "Buying a battleship is the most important task of my trip. What conditions do you need to agree to help us build such a powerful battleship?"

"I'm sorry, this is a matter of principle and cannot be discussed." Gao Mo put away his smile and said seriously: "Mr. Hassan, I don't really understand why you are always obsessed with expensive things like battleships. With all due respect, Battleships may not be the most suitable warships in the big tub of the Mediterranean Sea. Here, allow me to recommend to you two types of ships in the second and third rows of the list—fast cruisers and frigates. These two types of ships It is very economical and practical, and it is also very suitable for the combat environment in the Mediterranean Sea, please seriously consider it.”

"Yes, these two types of ships are also what we need, and I am going to order these battleships this time. But I still want to order some battleships, even if there is only one." Hassan still refused to give up, insisting on wanting Buy battleships.

Gao Mo shook his head and said: "Mr. Hassan, please don't make any more meaningless attempts. Our government will not approve any agreement to export battleships to your country in the near future. Please understand, after all, our country is at this stage have significant interests in the Western world."

Hassan nodded, he heard the implication of Gao Mo's words.People on the east bank refused to sell battleships to the Ottoman Empire because they had major interests in the Western world, so as not to damage their own interests. This is also human nature and understandable.But if one day they also have significant interests in the Ottoman Empire, what will they do then?Hassan felt that the crux of the problem was here, and this was where he planned to report to the country in the future.

"Then, we can talk about cruisers and frigates now," Hassan said.He has obviously discussed this issue with his colleagues many times, so he quickly made a request: "Before departure, Pasha of our navy entrusted Pasha of Egypt to formally propose to order two high-speed cruisers and four cruisers from your country." A frigate, he specifically requested that the materials used to manufacture warships must be hematoxylin (Brazilian mahogany), and the artillery installed must also be the latest naval heavy artillery with a high magnification ratio on the east coast. Can your country meet the above requirements?"

After discussing with a naval officer beside him and another director of the shipyard, Gao Mo replied to Hassan: "Yes. We can start building three warships for you at the same time. The construction period of the cruiser is eight months, and the construction period of the frigate is eight months." The construction period is six months, and the delivery method can be negotiated separately. However, because of the first cooperation between the two parties, our country specifically requires you to pay half of the shipbuilding cost in advance, and the remaining half of the cost must be paid one month after the warship is completed. The payment will be completed within [-] days. After receiving the full payment, we will start handing over the warship to you."

Since the shipyards on the east coast adopted the modular shipbuilding method, the shipbuilding cycle has been greatly shortened, and the cost has plummeted.The "Tuna" frigate, which was just built a while ago, was delivered in only six months, and the "Kunlun" transport ship even took only a little over five months, which can be described as fast.

Regarding the payment method proposed by the people on the east coast, Hassan thought about it, and felt that such a payment method was probably acceptable in the country, and the next thing to talk about was the price issue.

"So, what is the construction price of these ships?" Hassan asked.

Gao Mo picked up a piece of paper from the table, discussed it with the two people next to him, and then said: "The price of each 'Yangwu' class high-speed cruiser is 4.5 ducats (Venice currency, at this time Passing in Turkey, 4.5 ducats are equivalent to about 8.2 yuan), each of the 'Madao' class frigates is priced at 2.7 ducats (about 4.9 yuan); the total price of the six warships is 19.8 ducats (about 36 yuan). Yuan)."

Gao Mo's total price quote is really too big. It is conservatively estimated that the shipbuilding cost may be only half of the price of 36 yuan.Of course, he is not worried that the Ottomans will be scared away by this price, after all, it is a seller's market now.

(End of this chapter)