open sea

Chapter 707

During the ten-month period, a large number of banner craftsmen from the Eastern Fleet settled in Majia Port, giving the port a new look.

Two newly established camps of one hundred households guard the two sides of the port trestle. Not far to the north is the original Majiagang camp. Now a large number of wooden or brick houses have been built, but the roads are still crude, and many logs are piled up. As messy as a construction site.

It's not that Chen Mu doesn't want to repair the roads at the port. He not only wants to repair the roads, but also wants to build three carriage tracks here for moving goods. It's just that it's very difficult to build a wooden house on the land this season, let alone build roads.

Fortunately, road construction is not an urgent problem to be solved at the moment. As long as the barracks of the Banner Army and the craftsmen are completed, other matters can be prioritized.

The Dongyang Military Mansion has already planned the roads. They will build three trestle bridges after the beginning of spring, connecting three carriage wooden tracks respectively. By then, it will be easier and more efficient to load and unload goods in Majia Port.

But right now, they just need to happily welcome the arrival of the sixth year of Wanli.

Chen Mu did not appear at the negotiating table at the Majiagang camp. Zhao Shizhen and Yang Tingxiang selected more than [-] people from the entire army who were familiar with military affairs, business, Spanish, and mining affairs within half an hour of receiving Chen Mu's order. The military officer who met with the negotiating team sent by the Western Army in the Yamen of Majiagang.

Unexpectedly, they were still acquaintances. Yang Ting searched with Zhao Shizhen's shoulders when he led people into the side hall of the yamen, and then saw Brother Acosta. He cupped his hands and smiled: "Monk, I didn't expect to meet again. However, you should send some people to learn Chinese, otherwise communication will be very difficult.”

Yang Tingxiang met Acosta in Lima, but in fact he didn't have any close acquaintances. He just saw this monk with a strange hairstyle at the side of the Governor.

He did not speak Spanish, which was actually a very depressing thing for Yang Tingxiang. He had learned most of the daily expressions of Spain and Portugal very seriously during his studies in the martial arts hall, but after graduation he found that—— He has never used these two foreign languages.

Because the general he was following was Chen Mu, and all the missions assigned to him were visiting other countries and negotiating important matters. In these missions, he had to speak his own language, even if he was very proficient in a foreign language.

After his voice fell, the Banner Army who was acting as an interpreter behind him repeated it to Acosta in professional and fluent Spanish. After Acosta answered, the interpreter repeated the message.

The long table used for negotiation is Chen Mu’s military conference table. Everything in Majiagang is kept simple. A long table with more than ten people sitting facing each other.

Acosta remembers Yang Tingxiang. On the day the Ming ship left the port of Lima, a Spanish officer planned to lead a fleet to chase and intercept it, trying to sink the warship on the west coast. This is also the only Chinese official who has been to Spain. He did not Reason not impressed by it.

Acosta cupped his hands like the Ming people, and said gently: "I'm already learning, but the Ming Dynasty doesn't allow us to enter, and your words and characters are very complicated, so it's difficult to learn, I should call you Are you Master Yang or General Yang?"

The negotiating team sent by the Dongyang Military Government was too oppressive. Including an interpreter, everyone was wearing a standard dark blue military uniform, a dark blue cotton skirt, and a lacquered white, gray, red, and black breastplate. , the outer cover reaches to the calves and the waist is slightly drawn to the dark blue foam studded cotton armor of the animal regiment, and the standard cotton armor with the same color as the breastplate and the tasseled iron helmet on the top helmet.

Including Yang Tingxiang, who was wearing a brocade official gown to show off as a civil servant when we met last time, everyone took off their helmets, opened the back of the seat, stepped forward to put down the helmets, and sat down in the same way. Next to everyone's left hand on the table.

The elite military officer corps from across the ocean is imposing.

But knowledge is also power. The monk class has a high status in Europe not only because they serve the gods, but also because they are the top elites closest to science in the whole of Europe.

Acosta was not stage-frightened in the face of the invisible challenge, and smiled more friendlyly: "In the past, I thought that some generals said that military uniforms are like servants' uniforms, which will eliminate the fighting spirit and anger that a soldier originally possessed. After seeing you uniform, I don’t think so anymore.”

"Perhaps when I go back, I will persuade the church to support Duke Alva's claim."

After the interpreter repeated his words, Yang Tingxiang smiled and said: "My emperor and general don't think so. Chen Shuai believes that soldiers, who have the most dangerous livelihood in the world, should get military uniforms with better fabrics, more exquisite workmanship, and better looks. Does it enhance a soldier's honor to himself, does anyone in your country think so, Alva?"

"Duke Alva." Acosta nodded. "When he was stationed in the Netherlands a few years ago, he wrote to the court saying, 'In active combat, the general should have his entire army dressed in bright blue.' He thought [-] soldiers in blue uniforms looked more dangerous than [-] soldiers in black."

"Because the latter look like a mob, a mob of townspeople or shopkeepers."

As Acosta said this, his eyes could not help but swing between the neat and serious negotiating team of the Ming army on the opposite side of the long table and his messy negotiating team. How about preparing military uniforms of the same color?"

"Even if they were worn before the war, no one would still wear the same clothes after the war. During the three or four years of war, they would have to march thousands of miles, change their station hundreds of times, march all night, sleep in the wild, and fight small battles. "

Brother Acosta curled his lips and said: "The coat, boots and shorts will be broken soon. I will never forget that I was a priest in the Netherlands eight years ago. In order to spread the glory of the Lord, I only have a small ball of tide thick flax against the cold."

"Boots filled with water too, wrapped tightly in a wet cloak, and lying there curled up like a hedgehog, I thought I looked like a half-drowned mouse in the dawn light."

Acosta laughed at himself after he finished speaking, and the followers who accompanied him also laughed, and there was a happy atmosphere everywhere. This is common sense in combat, and almost everyone has experienced it.

But on the other side of the long table, the generals of the Ming army were serious and even cast sympathetic glances at them.

Yang Tingxiang pursed his lips, crossed his hands on the table, and waited until Acosta had almost smiled before he said very seriously: "Who said that there is no commander in the world who can provide the same military uniform for his subordinates, monk, you are very lucky, I think it would be in everyone's interest to agree on some other agreement before starting the border talks."

"For example, as long as you provide cotton, iron, and an appropriate amount of gold, silver, and copper as labor costs, the textile and looms of the Ming Empire can be run for allies. What 2 people need are spring and autumn, hot summer, and cold winter? A total of [-] sets of colors Bright blue uniforms? No problem."

"Even purchasing helmets and armors is easy. If you order this year, you will receive brand new military uniforms by this time next year, and you will be able to accept armors in Mexico the year after next."

"If you are willing to increase the price, perhaps Marshal Chen Mu, the most outstanding military uniform designer in the Ming Empire, will be happy to personally design high-quality military uniforms that meet the needs of allies. In the words of the marshal, you get what you pay for, and it is guaranteed to be more than worth the money. .”

(End of this chapter)