"Huh? Very expensive?"
Zhou Changfeng, who was confused, came over, pointed to the porcelain jar on the table and said, "I asked about it when I was doing business before, and the emperor said she didn't like it, so she asked me to bring it back."
Oh, tribute tea, then everything makes sense.
Xia Xiaoshi nodded lightly and said: "Sir, it's normal that you don't know. I think this should be the Wuyi Mountain Dahongpao, and I'm afraid it's the best-looking one."
"Is it particularly expensive...how much is it?"
"That's for sure. Someone once gave it to me when I asked my father to help me. It is said that the top-grade Dahongpao is worth sixty yuan per catty on the market."
Ridiculous, higher than the monthly salary of most citizens in Beijing.
This is not tea, it's like drinking gold.
Zhou Changfeng stared at the can of tea, put his hands on his hips and said, "I'll make tea from it later and see how different it is from the eight cents a bag."
After finishing speaking, he added: "Do you still remember what I said yesterday? I will go to Tonghui Hotel for a banquet later. This time I will talk to foreign diplomats."
"Oh, remember." Xia Xiaoshi warned: "It's okay to have a few drinks. Don't drink too much. I feel uncomfortable smelling the wine now."
"Okay, okay, never drink too much."
Zhou Changfeng agreed wholeheartedly, then returned to the study to read the memo again, and then began to think about the subsequent meeting with the staff of the German Society Legation.
Although the cabinet did not intend to shut it out bluntly, it did not want to start negotiations directly, so it planned to meet in private before the two parties formally negotiated to exchange their views and attitudes briefly.
The meeting place was chosen at the Tonghui Hotel. In addition to Zhou Changfeng, the Ming Dynasty also had the Chief of the Army Department of the Metropolitan Governor's Office and Wai Lang, the member of the Foreign Affairs Department of the Ministry of Rites, representing the emperor, the military department, and the imperial court respectively.
The golden autumn of October should have been a good day with clear skies and clear air. Unfortunately, it has been raining in the capital for the past two days and the sky is dark.
In the evening, the setting sun only slightly dyed a small area of the western sky red, and the rest of the place was extremely dark. Before six o'clock, all kinds of cars and trams driving on the street turned on their lights.
Two sleek black Beetle cars drove out of the German Embassy in Daming and drove straight to the Tonghui Hotel three streets away.
This is Volkswagen's pioneering work, and perhaps this time it can better bear the name of Volkswagen people's car.
Different from the historical "scam" in which people were tricked and only more than 600 Beetles were sold for civilian use, in order to prove the superiority of its own system, Deutsche AG implemented the People's Car Plan early, and Ferdinand Porsche personally took charge of it. His own masterpiece.
However, because of the appearance design, today's Beetle sedan is slightly different from that in history.
In the first car, the man driving the car turned his head and said, "Chris, this is really a coincidence. They appointed someone who is familiar with you."
"They did it on purpose." Chrissy, who was sitting in the passenger seat, looked forward and said calmly: "Actually, I don't want to deal with that person."
"Well...I rarely hear you say that."
"In fact, he is more vigilant and sensitive than others, and perhaps there will be no significant gains today."
The wipers flicked back and forth to scrape the rain on the front windshield. Since it was evening and the traffic volume was heavy, the two Beetle cars could only move forward slowly.
I don’t know how many times they went back and forth, but they finally arrived at their destination.
There were two men and one woman from the embassy attending the meeting. Chrissy was wearing a blue and white plaid dress and a beige hat. Although the other two diplomats were in suits and ties, they generally looked more casual.
Enter the door, enter the elevator, and be guided all the way around.
Naturally, an unofficial private meeting would not be very formal. They would just exchange a few words and then everyone would sit down.
A separate large private room, with an exquisitely patterned carpet underneath, a large copper chandelier above, and a medium-sized round table in the middle.
Although they were old acquaintances in a sense, Zhou Changfeng always felt that meeting Chris was very awkward and uncomfortable.
This is probably the "deterrence" characteristic of the profession - knowing that the other person is an intelligence officer, subconsciously he will be extra vigilant and think twice about every word he says, so it will be quite tiring.
"You guys don't have to be formal. We are just talking in private, so you can feel more comfortable." Army Chief Fan Ming said with a smile: "Haha, speak freely, speak freely."
Looking at the honest and honest Fan Ming, he is definitely not a good person, otherwise he would not be able to secure this position. At least Zhou Changfeng felt that he would definitely suffer when dealing with such a person. Twenty years of experience in the ups and downs of the officialdom is not fake.
The implication of his words was not to take this private meeting too seriously. It was essentially just a preliminary exchange of opinions; at the same time, it was a precaution.
As diplomats in the embassy, the two Germans had long learned to distinguish the pronunciation of Ming officials' words, and they knew it as soon as they heard it.
So, one of the diplomats said in fluent Chinese:
"Dear gentlemen, the current situation is not good. While the British are doing their best to restrict our country, they are also doing everything possible to hinder you."
"Most of the large amount of oil you need depends on imports. It feels uncomfortable to be strangled in this way. Our people have the same experience."
"Unlike you, who have enough iron ore for your own use, our country not only lacks oil, but also does not have enough iron ore, and even food cannot be fully guaranteed."
"In this regard, gentlemen, I think our people have the same troubles as you. It is necessary to end the predatory colonial rule of Britain and France."
According to that, the diplomat should have said "British and French imperialism", but since the person he is talking to is also an out-and-out imperialist, naturally he cannot use the word that way.
Zhang Wushan, a member of the Foreign Affairs Department, has a straight face from the beginning to the present. He is a tall and thin man who is not angry and proud.
He asked calmly: "Mr. Paul, what do you mean by 'ending British and French colonial rule'?"
Knowingly asking back questions throws the topic ball back. This is a basic conversation game operation - try to let the other party express their attitude and put forward opinions first, so that oneself will naturally have an advantage.
However, because they came with a clear purpose, the two German diplomats did not want to play word games.
So the diplomat named Paul responded generously: "Of course it is by force, Mr. Zhang. When diplomacy and politics are ineffective, soldiers, cannons, and aircraft are the strong backing to safeguard interests."
"So, you are ready for tough measures?" Zhang Wushan said calmly, paused, and added: "We are definitely preparing."
It is not appropriate to blindly ask the other party. This will appear that one is lacking sincerity and being too vigilant, but this can be avoided by occasionally mentioning one's own situation.
The two diplomats opposite were silent. They looked at each other, and then involuntarily looked at Chris sitting on the far left.
She took a sip of wine and said calmly: "We are always prepared. There is enough oppression from Britain and France, and these are two bastards working together. Just like you want to 'learn from others', we are also waiting for the opportunity."
uh-huh? This woman's Chinese proficiency has improved qualitatively. Not only is her speech much clearer, her intonation is basically accurate, and she can also use idioms.
The so-called opportunity couldn't be clearer - Britain and France are now continuing to make a fuss about Norway and Sweden, and are even considering landing in Norway directly.
The top brass of Ming Dynasty knew this information, and so did Deshe.
Zhou Changfeng glanced at the two people next to him, then looked at the opposite side and said in deep thought: "Since you are considering striking early, how long will you wait? I mean after Britain and France start taking action."
"Soon!" Kris responded coldly with an expressionless face: "These unscrupulous imperialists have blatantly invaded neutral countries, and they must pay the due price. We will bury them, Scandinavia The ice and snow are their tombs."
Because of her family background and her outlook on life, Chris's hatred of Britain and France is deep-rooted.
Uh-huh...you used such radical words in front of Akito?
Fortunately, it was just a private meeting. If it were a formal negotiation, it would be a diplomatic accident.
Zhou Changfeng couldn't help but feel a little ashamed after hearing this, and then looked to the side - Fan Ming was still as steady as a mountain, his face remained calm, and he was still kind; Zhang Wushan's eyes were sharper, but his face was still expressionless.
He took a breath and smiled: "In that case, your navy will have to fight, but facing the (British) Royal Navy, which has a natural advantage, you are likely to suffer a big loss."
This was the case in the historical Battle of Norway. The German navy suffered heavy losses - the cruisers Blücher and Karlsruhe were sunk; ten destroyers were unilaterally massacred by the Royal Navy's battlecruisers at Narvik. All sunk.
"Mr. Zhou, are you trying to dissuade us?" Another diplomat said in a deep voice: "Our will is very firm. War will inevitably have to pay a price, but this is not business, and we cannot care about gains and losses like this."
"No," Zhou Changfeng smiled slightly and shrugged, "I'm just saying that. In fact, you should be more optimistic, because in order to deter our country, the British will prepare a large fleet to come to the Far East. "
As the topic gradually deepened, the atmosphere in the room also changed subtly.
Although the Germans knew that there was no possibility of alliance, they still wanted to try their best to win some cooperation agreements-military, intelligence, material, and technology.
Isn’t it beautiful that everyone gets what they need?
"There is an old saying in China, 'Diplomacy is far away and attack is close.'" The diplomat named Paul said seriously: "Gentlemen, no matter how big our differences are, facing a common enemy, even if we cannot feel at ease, Isn’t it worth considering working together, but with a little cooperation?”
Fan Ming stroked his beard gently and smiled without saying a word.
Zhang Wushan looked at him with a calm expression and asked, "What kind of cooperation? For example, a regular exchange of useful information? Or a barter transaction?"
"The top priority should be the exchange of information." Chris said bluntly: "Calling 'check for leaks and fill in the gaps' to avoid missing important information."
Da Ming knows that A does not know B, and Deshe knows that B does not know A. This situation can be avoided if information is exchanged regularly.
She paused and added: "If you are willing to inform us of your decision, we will respond wholeheartedly."
Obviously, this is a step further...or, to the top.
In fact, intelligence exchange is nothing, but the span of informing one's own country's decision-making is too large. Even two allies will keep their own hands.
"Why is this necessary?" Fan Ming said with a smile: "With your country's national power and military power, it is not a problem to seek self-protection. Your country and our country... just echo each other from afar."
Compared to Fan Ming's polite refusal, Zhou Changfeng was much more direct. He waved his hand and said calmly: "Ignore this aspect of decision-making, it is of great importance. The technical and material aspects are worth talking about, and can even be expanded and deepened."
"We can basically do everything without reservation, but you also have to pay something of equal value." Chris responded readily.
"In this case, there are advantages and disadvantages to cooperation." Zhang Wushan picked up the wine cup and took a sip.
At this time, another German diplomat sighed helplessly: "Since the British and French intercepted merchant ships in the Suez Canal, our country has never received rare metal minerals."
The Cheng'an cargo ship is still detained in Beirut today, and the crew are also trapped in that remote foreign country.
The French side actually did not want to completely stalemate relations with the Ming Dynasty - intercepting and detaining merchant ships was enough, and it was better to release them.
However, Britain has been obstructing this, insisting that unless the Ming court publicly admits that it has violated the agreement, these crew members as "evidence" will never be released.
For several months, the three parties have been wrangling and bargaining. The Ming court also deliberately publicized the matter, and the people were naturally indignant.
[War support +5%]
Today's Deshe is quite embarrassed in terms of rare metal resources. Portugal also has considerable reserves of tungsten ore, and historically has been doing business on both sides during the war, so Germany has always had a stable source of tungsten ore - not abundant, but barely enough.
But this dimension is completely different. Due to ideological differences, it is naturally impossible for Portugal to export to the German Society. What's more, Britain and France take full advantage of the tungsten ore produced in Portugal, so they don't have to worry about making money.
"In the future, we can consider more special methods, using large ocean-going submarines." Zhou Changfeng said.
"The efficiency is too low." Paul smiled bitterly, "It would be great if the Russians were willing to do it in disguise."
Railway transportation is naturally a better choice, but will the Russians... really agree?
This is equivalent to handing a knife to a potential enemy, and the knife may come back to stab you at any time.
Perhaps because she drank a lot of wine, Chrissy's fair face turned slightly red, and her words became even more inappropriate.
"There is no need for the decadent Romanov dynasty to exist. These nobles of Imperial Russia will definitely be buried. The current Imperial Russia is like a shabby hut in the wilderness. It only needs a 'final kick' for it to collapse..."
Oh, God! what are you saying!
Paul next to her quickly tugged on the hem of her skirt.
The Air Force aircraft emblem style Easter egg patch has been updated.
(End of chapter)
