Chapter 52: So loyal
Wait until the two of them get up.
Emperor Qianlong asked: "Your envoy came from afar and said there is news about Zhu Daohua... I wonder if your envoy knows who Zhu Daohua is."
Macartney was also prepared for this.
Zhu Daohua made waves in Southeast Asia. As long as Emperor Qianlong was not a fool, he would want to know about this descendant of the Ming Dynasty and his biggest enemy.
"Your Majesty the Great Emperor, Zhu Daohua arrived in Europe five years ago, and his identity as the prince of the Ming Dynasty was confirmed by the Holy See. He subsequently published many medical works in Europe, which greatly promoted the development of medicine in our era. He is probably the greatest medical expert of our time...."
"From this point of view, Zhu Daohua is an extremely wise man. For such a wise young man who is only twenty-five years old, he may also be your biggest opponent."
As Macartney spoke, the assistant on the side interpreted his words in real time.
Tongshi's voice just finished.
A young voice rang.
"Nonsense, our Qing Dynasty is rich all over the world, with a vast territory and abundant resources, and a population of hundreds of trillions. But Zhu Daohua is just a pirate from Southeast Asia. What threat does he pose to the Celestial Empire?"
"Yonglin..."
Qianlong looked at the young man who spoke dissatisfiedly.
There were two other people beside the young man, but there was no expression on their faces.
The young man known as Yonglin was the seventeenth son of Emperor Qianlong and his youngest son.
Qianlong had seventeen sons in total.
Four of them died in infancy.
Another eight middle-aged and young people died of illness.
Among the remaining sons, there are only four, the eighth son, the eleventh son, the fifteenth son, and the seventeenth son.
The eighth prince is over fifty years old and has been granted the title of Prince Yi. There is no possibility of inheriting the throne.
therefore.
The successor of the Qing Empire.
It can only be born from the eleventh elder brother, the fifteenth elder brother, and the seventeenth elder brother.
And most likely.
It should be the fifteenth elder brother Aixinjueluo Yongyan and the seventeenth elder brother Aixinjueluo Yonglin.
Because Brother Eleven is the son of Concubine Shu.
The fifteenth elder brother and the seventeenth elder brother were both descended from Queen Xiaoyi.
He is the legitimate son.
Of course.
The Qing Dynasty implemented a secret reserve system.
therefore.
In theory, the four princes who are still alive have the possibility of inheriting the throne.
When the Seventeenth Brother heard Qianlong's voice, he knew that he had made Qianlong unhappy this time.
Kneel down hastily.
"Huang Ama, this is my son Meng Lang."
"Stand aside and watch."
After Qianlong finished speaking, Brother Seventeen trembled and dared not speak anymore.
The fifteenth brother beside him.
That is to say, the later Emperor Jiaqing acted like a brother and brother, and pulled the Seventeenth Prince back and patted his shoulder to encourage him.
Qianlong and his ministers all saw the private actions of several princes.
But this was not the time to reprimand his son.
Qianlong looked at Macartney: "Is Zhu Daohua so famous in the West?"
"Your Majesty the Great Emperor, this is indeed the case, so...if you don't pay attention to him, I'm afraid you will suffer a big loss. As far as I know...there are many sympathizers and supporters of the Ming Dynasty in southern China. ..”
Qianlong's expression changed slightly, but he did not answer the question.
"Then what is the purpose of your visit this time?"
Macartney and Bourblon looked at each other.
Bulbulon took over and said: "Zhu Daohua's behavior in Nanyang has greatly undermined the current world trade order and international rules, so... we hope to cooperate with the Qing Empire to deal with Zhu Daohua."
"Cooperation? How to cooperate?"
Qianlong did not show any urgency, but asked very calmly.
"We can provide weapons and ammunition to the Qing Dynasty, help the Qing Dynasty train its army and officers, and at the same time set up embassies and expand trade."
Macartney said.
There was a bit of expectation in his eyes.
In his opinion.
With Zhu Daohua as a formidable enemy.
Emperor Qianlong would show some signs of cooperation with Western countries no matter what.
However, he was disappointed.
There was no expression change on Qianlong's face.
He just shook his head slightly, not knowing whether to nod or shake his head.
And he did not discuss possible cooperation between the two parties.
Instead, he had someone fetch a musket.
"Two envoys, I am quite interested in Western firearms. How much does such a musket cost in the West? How much would it cost if sold to the Qing Dynasty?"
Macartney took the musket and looked at it, then said: "Your Majesty the Great Emperor, this is not a musket produced in the West, but from a factory in Calcutta, India. If I guessed correctly, it should have been obtained from the Ming army. arms..."
"Is Zhu Daohua's army also using this weapon now?"
Bulbulon shook his head after hearing this and said: "Zhu Daohua has hired a large number of engineers and skilled workers in Europe. His factory in Batam has been able to provide weapons to his army and even export them."
"If the Qing Dynasty wants to buy it, maybe they can find a way to buy it from Zhu Daohua."
"Will he sell weapons to the Qing Dynasty?"
"Whether he sells it or not, he always has to deal with the inventory. No matter how powerful Zhu Daohua is, he can't control buyers around the world, can he?" Macartney took over, "The ex-factory price of this kind of musket in Calcutta is about ...17 taels of silver, and shipping it to the East, including shipping costs, will cost about 20 taels of silver..."
"So if you are looking for Zhu Daohua to buy his second-hand goods, maybe you can get it for 15 taels of silver!!"
Bulbulon said in harmony.
The two looked at each other, understanding each other.
In fact, if someone could eat up the stock of muskets in Zhu Daohua's hands on a large scale, Boss Zhu might sell them for five taels of silver...
This was the ex-factory price when he bought it in Calcutta.
Both men knew this.
but.
Doing business?
How can you let people know your trump card?
Although it is said that we should support the Qing Dynasty and fight against the Ming Dynasty.
But you still have to earn the money you should earn.
"If the Emperor is interested, I can entrust a British businessman to buy it from Zhu Daohua, and then resell it to the Qing Empire. We don't even need to make a profit."
"Who made us friends?"
Macartney laughed.
"We can also provide various types of artillery at low prices."
Bourblon added.
This British and French chicken.
Although the relationship is not easy to deal with.
But in terms of collusion.
There is quite a tacit understanding.
When Qianlong heard this, he made a calculation in his heart.
According to the envoys from Britain and France.
The ex-factory price is fifteen taels of silver, including shipping costs and a little profit.
Buying twenty taels is indeed a good price.
Now the envoys from Britain and France have channels to get second-hand goods from Zhu Daohua.
It is normal for second-hand goods to be cheaper than new ones.
Fukangan is indeed a loyal minister.
Really unspeakable loyalty.
