Wenhua Hall in the Forbidden City, the capital of the Ming Dynasty.
In the back hall where the Emperor of Ming Dynasty worked daily, two new long tables were added in the past two days.
There are two 1:100 scale models of new battleships placed on each table.
The main design of the conservatively verified full-caliber main gun battleship and the conservatively verified aircraft carrier has recently been basically completed.
They are all based on the hull of the existing warship, making the smallest possible modifications to achieve the purpose of verifying the new idea, so the design speed is much faster.
Before the official start of construction, a large-scale battleship model is usually made and handed over to relevant personnel for intuitive appreciation.
Now these two models were produced and placed in front of the emperor.
The old emperor Zhu Zhongliang stood in front of the model that was almost a man long, looking at the aircraft carrier model and the aircraft on it, feeling quite satisfied.
"The conservative one looks like this, and the goal-oriented one doesn't know how different it is..."
Pick up a model of a small airplane and place it in front of you to observe carefully.
At this time, the guard's announcement came from outside. Zhu Jianyan, the second son of the emperor, came over to ask for an audience, so he waved his hand to let him in.
Zhu Jianyan's official position changed again. Half a month after the Ming delegation headed by Zhu Jingyuan left Beijing, Zhu Jianyan became the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
Zhu Jianyan's office was moved directly to the cabinet of Wenhua Palace, and he was still in charge of the affairs of Honglu Temple.
It should be said that under the old emperor's instruction, he is now in charge of almost everything, and the old emperor feels a little bit more hands-off.
Zhu Jingyuan's news reached the capital at 4:30 pm, capital time, and was sent directly to the Cabinet Office.
After Zhu Jianyan read it, he thought for a few seconds with a solemn expression, and finally decided to find the old emperor.
Zhu Jianyan handed the telegram to the old emperor and briefly stated Zhu Jingyuan's request:
“Father, Jingyuan requested that Persia be set up as an external vassal, and that the army be allowed to directly enter Persia and try to launch an attack in the northwest region of Persia.
"At the same time, construction of railways and infrastructure began in northwest Persia as a base for attacking and defending against Lucia and the Ottomans."
The old emperor took it and took a look at it, then immediately pushed it back:
"It's up to you."
Zhu Jianyan was immediately speechless:
"My son feels that this matter is of great importance and it is very likely to trigger another war. I cannot make a rash decision now. I still ask my father to make a decision..."
The old emperor continued to play with the model:
"Then you just follow Jingyuan's suggestion."
Zhu Jianyan opened his mouth:
"My son...my son obeys your order..."
After Zhu Jianyan resigned, he went directly to the cabinet and asked the bachelors to draft an edict to title the King of Persia.
As a foreign vassal, the highest monarch title is the Duke of Persia, so the King of Persia was directly reduced to the Duke of Persia.
But the name actually doesn't matter, the key is the actual status and relationship.
After being given the title, Persia became a legitimate vassal state of the Ming Dynasty.
The relevant procedures were handled directly by the cabinet, and Zhu Jianyan went to Wuying Hall himself.
Summon the military ministers on duty and ask them to formulate a combat strategy as soon as possible according to Zhu Jingyuan's suggestions.
At the same time, King Abbas VI of Persia was surprised and stunned for a long time after receiving the telegram from his son.
Of course, Abbas VI would not refuse to become a foreign vassal of the Ming Dynasty, and he had no way to refuse.
After being stunned for a long time, he quickly gave the order that was natural to him.
Let the troops already concentrated on the northwest border go to the border to reinforce the defense line again.
When it comes to attacking Lucia and Ottoman, Persia may not have that ability now, but everyone knows how to defend in this era.
The three-piece set of trenches, barbed wire, and water-cooled machine guns is ready and waiting for the enemy to push forward.
Now the Ming Dynasty and Taixi have completely withdrawn from the borders of the Three Kingdoms of Anxi, and there are only Persian troops in Persia.
But western Persia left behind the fortifications built by both sides.
There were two lines of defense between the two sides, and Persia built another line of defense on the border.
While ordering the troops to go to the border, Bo (this chapter is not finished yet!)
Chapter 113 What kind of gangster logic is this!
The King of Sri Lanka also immediately mobilized troops from other regions to reinforce the northwest border.
At the same time, he sent a telegram to the Ming court, voluntarily applying to become a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, and requesting the Ming troops to enter Persia.
Although the prince of the Ming Dynasty gave him a reminder, he could not wait for the Ming Dynasty to confer the title, he had to take the initiative to request it.
After receiving Persia's application, the Ming court officially issued the decree the next morning:
Established a foreign vassal in Persia, consecrated Abbas VI as the Duke of Persia, and ordered the Duke of Persia to cooperate with all actions of the Ming Dynasty Right Army Governor's Mansion.
The troops that Ming Dynasty retreated to the Tianzhu area for repairs, the troops for repairs in the Mesopotamia and Mesopotamia, and the troops for repairs on the Xihai Peninsula received orders to assemble again.
The initial withdrawal operation was supervised by both sides, so there were still Taixi personnel around the Ming Dynasty's retreating troops.
The Persian troops' actions to build defense lines on the border could not escape the eyes of the Lucia and Ottoman patrols on the opposite side.
Regarding the actions of the Persian troops and the regrouping of the Ming Dynasty troops, relevant news soon spread to Thailand and the West.
The monarchs and ministers of various countries in Thailand and Spain were shocked when they received the news.
Based on the peace talks minutes sent back yesterday, many monarchs and ministers began to worry whether the negotiations between Ming Dynasty and Osman were about to break down.
The peace talks that originally seemed very secure now seem to be full of uncertainty.
The monarchs of various countries are considering whether to call back the negotiators, or at least the main generals.
However, they also noticed that the gathering activities of these troops were concentrated around Ottoman.
In the end, they all decided to observe again and let the representatives in front confirm the situation first.
Ottoman Sultan Selim III was even more horrified, and immediately sent a telegram to ask the Grand Vizier ahead, asking him to question what Ming Dynasty was going to do.
Grand Vizier Zayadin was shocked and angry, and immediately went to the Ming Dynasty's Honglu Temple Qing Shaoqing Shen Fu:
"Why did Ming Dynasty assemble its troops again? According to the agreement before the start of the peace talks, neither of us can do this!"
Shen Fu said very calmly:
"Our Highness the Prince believed that the Ottomans did not have the sincerity to negotiate, so he decided to restart preparations for war."
Zayadin wanted to ask loudly, is handing over all the land south of Anatolia just the so-called sincerity?
Or loudly accuse Daming of being unreasonable, and angrily denounce those demands as extortion.
But in the end, Zayadin resisted the urge and defended in a very solemn and serious tone:
"We have not refused. We are still considering it. We can communicate further. I think there should be room for negotiation."
Shen Fu seemed helpless and began to present the facts to Zayaden:
“First, the Thai and Western countries are no longer able to fight anymore. They are eager to withdraw from the war and will no longer fight for the Ottomans.
"Second, the Ottoman troops are no match for the Ming Dynasty. This has been confirmed in the Two Rivers battlefield. After the Thai and Western countries withdraw from the war, it is only a matter of time before the Ming Dynasty achieves its goal alone.
"Third, we have never taken the initiative to tear up the armistice agreement. We have maintained peace with Lucia for hundreds of years when we have the advantage. You can regard our armistice agreement as permanent.
“Fourth, the Prince of Ming Dynasty who is presiding over the peace talks this time is the King of Food, and what he wants is the food area.
“If under such circumstances, the Ottomans still cannot recognize reality, we will have no choice but to let the war continue.
"If nothing else happens, Taixi will watch Ming Dynasty go to war with you this time, and continue negotiations after Ming Dynasty achieves its war goals."
After Shen Fu finished speaking, he sat and drank tea, waiting for Zayaden to make a decision.
Zayaden knew in his heart that what Shen Fu said was reality, and it was a reality that made Zayaden feel powerless.
After three minutes of silence, Zayadin spoke again:
"I understand this reality, and I will try to convince the Sultan, but I need an exact commitment as to what support the Ming Dynasty can give to the Ottomans."
Shen Fu did not speak, but took out a piece of paper and began to write his promise directly:
“We need the Ottomans to stand alone as a barrier between us and Tessie.
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Chapter 113 What kind of gangster logic is this!
“After we get the land south of Anatolia, the local Arabs will give it to Egypt, and you can take it away on your own.
"After that, we can offer a very wide range of help to Osman.
“Including industrial machinery, weapons and equipment, shipbuilding and warships, culture and education, transportation, railways and minerals, etc.
“These are direct public commitments to you that can be written down, and there are also things that cannot be put on paper.
“We will support you in your confrontation with Tessie, including supporting you in carving up Austria with Lucia and Prussia.
“We can cooperate on the dismemberment of Lucia in the future, and we support you in taking back the land around the Black Sea.
"You can seize the Austrian lands by selling the Arab lands.
"Your sultan has ten days to respond, but a public response can be delayed up to a month."
Zayadin felt mixed emotions in his heart when he heard Shen Fu's promise.
These support and commitments from Ming Dynasty are what any country wants and are of great help to any country.
If this had not been obtained in exchange for those lands, Zayadin might have cheered...
But after hearing the last sentence, Zayadin was obviously stunned for a moment:
"Ten days to respond to Ming Dynasty? Then, a month to respond publicly? Is this delaying time?"
Shen Fu smiled and nodded and said:
"Yes, Ming Dynasty has just successfully developed several new weapons. Weapons that may change the mode of war are accelerating production.
"It will be gradually transported to the front line within a month. If the Ottomans continue to fight, then test it on your battlefields."
"Otherwise, it may be used on the battlefield against Lucia. Lucia will not easily agree to our request."
Zayadin asked with a heavy heart:
"Is this... a threat?"
Shen Fu smiled and said:
"You can think so."
Zayadin left Shen Fu's mansion with a heavy heart and took the car provided by Haijiao Huangzhuang to return to his residence.
A detailed report was compiled and sent to the ruler of the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Sultan.
At the same time, he also sent messages to other anti-Ming alliance countries to explain the situation between his side and Ming Dynasty.
It was claimed that the Ming Dynasty gave Osman a month's time limit to fully accept the Ming Dynasty's conditions or continue the war.
All other negotiations were suspended until Osman made his decision.
The Ming Dynasty continued to accelerate the gathering of troops in the Dashi area, and the Persian defense line on the Ottoman and Lucian borders gradually took shape.
Troops from other countries that were originally preparing to disband had to remain on standby, ready to regroup and enter the battlefield at any time.
Although the Ming Dynasty set a deadline for the Ottomans, the Thai and Western countries did not dare to ignore it.
The clouds of war seemed to be gathering again.
After repeated consideration and hesitation, the royal families and high-level officials of various countries in Thailand and Spain did not choose to recall the peace talks delegation.
Recalling the delegation means officially giving up the peace talks, and there is really no way out.
They instructed their representatives to persuade Osman and suggested that Osman accept Ming's conditions.
So representatives from various countries in the Anti-Ming Alliance began to take turns or go out in groups to talk to the Ottoman Grand Vizier Zayadin.
Present the facts, be reasonable, and tell Osman that he has no choice but to accept Ming's request.
Zayadin was always noncommittal, as if he was not particularly anxious because there was still a long time left.
After this situation lasted for eight days, major news came from the front line again: the Ming Dynasty troops once again entered Persia.
Representatives from various countries in Thailand and Spain happened to gather together to persuade the Ottoman Grand Vizier Zayadin. After receiving the news, they immediately started making trouble.
The British Prime Minister, Mr. William Pitt, stood up directly and said:
"This violates the agreement we both made before the war. I am going to go to Ming Dynasty's representative to protest."
Zayadin shook his head slightly and said:
"The battlefield this time is on the Ottoman border. This is also putting pressure on the Ottomans, so it's better for me to go."
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Chapter 113 What kind of gangster logic is this!
Zayadin's attitude was very resolute, and he finally left the representatives of the Anti-Ming Alliance behind and came to Shen Fu's mansion again:
"Shen Shaoqing, our Sultan has made a decision to accept Ming's request.
“However, His Majesty the Sultan made an additional request that before the Ming Dynasty helps the Ottomans build a shipbuilding industry system, a fleet should be sold to the Ottomans.
“There will be four capital ships, four armored cruisers, and at least eight protected cruisers.
"Payment with land in Syria and other places..."
Shen Fu raised his eyebrows:
"Those lands were originally supposed to be given to Ming Dynasty, but now they have to be used in exchange for the fleet. Isn't this what Ming Dynasty wants to give away?"
Zayadin subconsciously wanted to yell filial piety loudly: What does it mean that the land should have been given to the Ming Dynasty? What kind of gangster logic is this!
Using hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of land in exchange for a fleet is a complete loss, isn't it?
But in the end, Zayadin resisted the impulse, bowed slightly and said still very calmly:
"This is His Majesty the Sultan's last request. I hope His Majesty the Ming Emperor and His Highness Prince Dashi can fulfill it."
Regarding this special request, Shen Fu couldn't make up his own mind:
"I need to ask His Highness the Food King for instructions."
Shen Fu left Zayadin in the living room and found Zhu Jingyuan who was discussing the battleship design with the craftsmen.
After Zhu Jingyuan came to Xiyang Cape, he spent most of his time busy on warship design unless he was preparing for negotiations or directly participating in peace talks.
One by one, he confirmed the high-speed battleship designs he remembered. If he didn't remember clearly, he did experiments and calculations with the craftsmen.
In the past few days, I have been spending all day with the battleship design team.
Shen Fu briefly explained Osman's requirements, and then reminded Zhu Jingyuan:
"Your Highness, we can refuse this request. Even if we don't give anything, Osman will eventually accept it."
Zhu Jingyuan thought about the current situation:
"Don't bully people too much. Tell them that you can't build them new ships, and existing old ships can be transferred to them.
"It's not a particularly old ship. It can be guaranteed to be less than fifteen years old, and it can be guaranteed that they will be able to use it for more than ten years until their new ship is launched."
Shen Fu still wanted to persuade, but Zhu Jingyuan directly picked up a simple line drawing of a new ship on the table:
"After the armistice, the number of warships we need will be reduced, and most of the warships will be decommissioned, transferred and dismantled.
“Over in the capital, the design of the latest full-caliber main gun battleship has been basically completed.
“Construction will officially start soon, and it is expected to be launched by the end of this year.
"After the new generation of warships enter service, all the original warships will be eliminated and turned into scrap metal.
“Now these future scrap metals can be regarded as worth the money if they can directly urge Osman to accept the conditions.
"By the way, we can contact Lucia later and say that we won't need so many warships after the armistice and we can sell some to them.
"Prussia and Austria will help us in the future, so we won't trick them on this.
“As for other countries, you can ask about the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Denmark, and Norway.
"Britain and France probably won't want it, and they won't want it from us even if it's discounted. They have to deal with the warships themselves, and their targets are also these countries.
“So our discounts have to be bigger, and we have to contact them in advance and even sign the order in advance.
“Starting the processing of warships in advance can also show our sincerity for peace!
“Of course, we can’t sell them all, we have to keep some, and the delivery period will be delayed for a few years until our new ship starts launching.
"We cannot let our navy run out of gear, and we cannot have no ships available after the war."
After the birth of the "dreadnought" in history, the previous old-fashioned battleships, the so-called "pre-dreadnoughts", were quickly eliminated.
Because the engagement distance of the dreadnought has been directly increased from about six kilometers to more than ten kilometers.
The original pre-dreadnoughts were unable to fight against the dreadnoughts and could only be suppressed and beaten unilaterally.
After the world war, all countries will shrink (this chapter is not finished yet!)
Chapter 113 What kind of gangster logic is this!
To reduce military spending, the excess warships built during the war would have been sold or dismantled.
Shen Fu didn't know how much advantage the dreadnought could have, but he immediately understood the problem of post-war equipment disposal.
"I understand, Your Highness is thoughtful."
Shen Fu said goodbye to Zhu Jingyuan and went back to convey Zhu Jingyuan's message to Zayaden:
"The war is coming to an end, and we can no longer build new ships, so we can only give you existing warships, which can be guaranteed to be within fifteen years of age."
Without any further nonsense, Zayadin directly accepted Zhu Jingyuan’s suggestion:
"Thanks to His Royal Highness Prince Dashi for your kindness, we will officially sign the contract publicly in twenty days.
“But when I came here today, I brought with me problems from the countries in Europe and the West.
“According to our agreement before the war, our troops from both sides will not wait to enter the territory of the Three Kingdoms of Anxi.
"Now that the Ming Dynasty has entered Persia again, the countries in Europe and the West will protest to the Ming Dynasty.
"How should I explain this to the countries in Thailand and Spain?"
Shen Fupi said with a smile:
“Our original promise was to the once independent Anxi Kingdom, but now the independent Persian Kingdom no longer exists.
"What our Ming troops entered was Persia, a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty. This is an internal matter between our Ming Dynasty and the vassal state and has nothing to do with other countries!
"Of course it is not restricted by the original commitment."
The corners of Zayadin's mouth twitched slightly:
"Is this how I respond to the countries in Europe and the West? Can they accept this explanation?"
Shen Fu nodded slightly and said:
"They just want a reason to comfort themselves. Even if the reason is that they were deceived, as long as they can justify it."
Zayadin understood that what Shen Fu said was the truth, but at this time he could only respond silently.
I can only sigh in my heart that being a diplomat of the Ming Dynasty is much easier than for a country like my own.
Chapter 113 What kind of gangster logic is this!
