Niu Jian's words were straightforward enough, and Charles also confirmed what Zhu Jingyuan meant.
In fact, Zhu Jingyuan and the Ming court did not deliberately promote the idea of promoting the European and Western countries to enter the shipbuilding competition.
But there is also no high interest in proactively curbing this tendency.
At the same time, it also clearly supports peace and development and does not want to see any country resorting to militarization.
These directions and attitudes seem a bit confusing and even contradictory.
But after a closer look, you will find that there is no contradiction at all.
Just like double standards, there are actually standards, that is, whether it is beneficial to the evaluator himself.
If the evaluator is unfavorable, he will criticize, and if the evaluation is beneficial, he will praise.
"The punishment is unpredictable and the power is unpredictable" actually has the same logic.
If it is good for Daming, who is in control of the situation, Daming will reward and take care of it.
If it is not good for Ming Dynasty, then Ming Dynasty will punish him.
Daming will not look at whether the matter itself is correct under a certain rule.
Daming will not participate in formulating a rule, because the rule may be self-contradictory when written.
No matter how high Ming's power and status are raised in the rules, they essentially clarify the standards.
Even if it is written directly that Ming's power is unlimited, this is actually limited.
Because sometimes, rulers will claim that their power is not unlimited, and sometimes they will complain to the ruled.
There are absolutely no rules and no standards at all, which is the de facto unlimited power.
This is why modern emperors and kings will not take the initiative to request the establishment of a constitution unless there are completely uncontrollable circumstances.
The ultimate goal of Zhu Jingyuan and Ming Dynasty is still what Zhu Jingyuan said at the peace talks.
All countries in the world, including the West, must first consider Ming's attitude when making any decision or preparing to do anything.
They are required to first evaluate whether this matter is in the interests of Ming Dynasty, and then they can proceed with it if it is in the interests of Ming Dynasty.
You must not do anything that goes against the interests of Ming Dynasty.
Instead of establishing a rule first, wait until a certain country makes a mistake, then open a lawsuit and then debate what is right and wrong.
We need to let other countries learn to self-discipline and manage themselves according to this standard.
Charles made an assessment on this basis and called on the Thai and Spanish countries to sign a naval agreement.
Is it in the interest of Ming Dynasty to clarify the specifications and quantity of main battleships and impose certain restrictions?
Ciel thought it was in the interests of Ming Dynasty.
These agreements are equivalent to clarifying the size of the navies of various countries in Europe and the West.
Ming, who stayed out of the matter, did not participate in the agreement, and was not bound by the agreement, could build a navy that could suppress these fleets according to the size of the navies of each country in the agreement.
It is also in Ming's interest to keep the entire world's armaments under control.
Although it is more beneficial to the Ming Dynasty, it is actually in line with the current situation in France.
France is now in no position to engage in any arms race.
So Charles is ready to start promoting this matter.
When you pay condolences to British Prime Minister Peter, you can communicate with dignitaries from various countries.
Charles is planning to go to England in person, and he will take charge of this matter directly.
The situation of the British was very similar to that of the French. After fighting the World War and the Yinzhou War, they were pushed to the edge of being squeezed dry. They had to seek help from the Ming Dynasty, and they barely recovered.
Therefore, Britain and France have been enemies for hundreds of years, but they should not reject this proposal in this matter.
After Charles determined this matter in his mind, he asked a question that few people in the world could ask:
"Mr. Niu, has my best friend made any arrangements about warships equipped with flying machines?
“I also don’t hide it from my close friends and Ming Dynasty. France is currently conducting relevant research and experiments.
"My close friend once revealed that the Ming Dynasty also conducted related research.
“But at that time, just like the 40,000-ton warship technology, it could not be exported or disclosed to the outside world.
"So what now? Can the technology related to Ming Dynasty's warships equipped with flying machines be exported to France?
"For example, aircraft specifically designed for use on ships, and the design of the battleship itself..."
In fact, Ciel asked this question a bit casually, and he didn't actually have much expectations in his heart.
Because judging from the information that Charles has learned in the past, Ming Dynasty may not pay attention to the design and development of this kind of battleship, and has little experience in the design of this kind of battleship.
Naturally, there is nothing for France to refer to.
It is also possible that Ming Dynasty paid too much attention to this kind of warship and adopted the highest level of confidentiality measures, so the information it obtained was very limited.
Even if he is a close friend of Prince Dashi, he can only be sure that Ming Dynasty also has relevant research.
Under such circumstances, it is certainly impossible for Ming Dynasty to disclose relevant information to France.
But what Charles didn't expect was that Zhu Jingyuan did have arrangements for this matter. Niu Jian answered directly without hesitation:
“His Royal Highness Prince Dashi calls this kind of battleship an aircraft carrier.
"This kind of special aircraft is called a carrier-based aircraft by His Highness Prince Dashi.
“The special carrier-based aircraft designed by Ming Dynasty can be exported to France.
“But for now, the restrictions on the export of other types of aircraft and combat vehicles are the same.
"It will not provide the highest power engine of the Ming Dynasty, and it will also be limited in the range and bomb load of the carrier-based aircraft.
“But even so, its performance still exceeds that of all fighter jets from the European and American countries.
“As for the design details of the aircraft carrier itself, they still cannot be disclosed to any country.
“But the relationship between France and Ming Dynasty is getting closer and closer, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness Prince Dashi are also close friends.
"So His Royal Highness Prince Dashi can sum up Daming's design experience on aircraft carriers in a private capacity and give His Royal Highness the Crown Prince a few personal tips.
“That is, don’t think about making compromises, whether it’s hull design or weapons planning, don’t think about making such compromises.
"Aircraft carriers are not traditional warships, but a new type of warship.
“The weapons of an aircraft carrier are aircraft, not traditional artillery.
“So the design idea of the aircraft carrier is that all functions of the entire warship must serve the more convenient use of aircraft, rather than the deployment of traditional artillery.
"According to His Royal Highness Prince Da Shi, if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince can truly understand this and apply it in the design, France's aircraft carrier design should be a big step ahead of other countries."
When Charles heard that the plane could exit, he became energetic.
After hearing Zhu Jingyuan's personal experience, it seemed that he had directly caught a very important clue.
France already has some experience in aircraft carriers.
Attempts have been made to convert cruisers and lay decks for aircraft takeoff and landing.
Already, new, specialized aircraft carriers are being designed.
It’s just that I have a lot of questions about the design, and there are a lot of things I don’t know how to choose.
The most critical thing is how much attention should be paid to aircraft and how many artillery pieces should be retained.
The designers have been arguing about this for a long time, and Charles himself was unable to make a decision for a while.
After all, according to traditional thinking, battleships cannot be without artillery, and battleships must participate in battles.
It is also natural to think that a warship using aircraft is still a warship and may still encounter artillery fire.
The key is that they do not have an accurate definition of this type of warship.
Now Zhu Jingyuan has given a definition, clearly distinguishing it from traditional warships.
And helped myself make the most important decision.
We must pay infinite attention to aircraft. The purpose of the existence of this kind of warship is to carry aircraft, and the aircraft cannot be allowed to accommodate the deployment of artillery.
My best friend is a magnanimous gentleman. He either keeps it a secret and does not tell him, but what he tells him will definitely add to the truth.
This is the experience that Ming Dynasty summed up in aircraft carrier design.
Regardless of whether Ming Dynasty's research is correct or wrong, Ming Dynasty's aircraft carrier should be designed according to this idea.
Ming's aircraft carrier should also be the idea of his close friend.
My best friend's ideas have never been wrong.
My best friend must be right!
These few sentences should already be the top secret in the field of shipbuilding in the world.
My best friend is really my best friend, and he really takes care of himself and France...
However, since his best friend is willing to reveal this information to him, does it mean that Ming Dynasty has completed the verification and concluded that this kind of battleship is not particularly important?
So should France still invest too much energy in this kind of warship?
A considerable amount of money has been spent on the construction of battleships. The aircraft carrier hull cannot be too small. It is best to use an armored cruiser size of 10,000 tons or more. This is also the experience of the Ming Dynasty. There is no way to over-limit the cost...
Ciel's heart became entangled again.
Zhu Jingyuan has a basic understanding of the progress of France's aircraft carrier exploration. At least he knows where they have progressed.
On the modified cruiser, we have passed the feasibility verification stage and begun to specifically design and build an aircraft carrier.
Of course Zhu Jingyuan does not want to help the French design aircraft carriers, but since France has shown enough obedience and cooperation, he must give him some sweetness.
Sticks alone cannot make them sincerely obedient; carrots are also needed.
But this carrot selection is also very skillful.
You need to make the other person feel important without revealing the secret too much.
Aircraft carrier design is now in the exploratory stage, and political dignitaries and engineering personnel, including Shire, must all understand it this way.
As long as Ming tells the French about his experience, the French will feel that Ming is sincere.
But in fact, Ming's aircraft carrier design is not in the exploratory stage at all.
Zhu Jingyuan directly gave a very complete design direction.
As for a brand-new warship like an aircraft carrier, we only know the general direction and cannot immediately form a complete design.
There are all kinds of details in the design of the aircraft carrier.
Including how to deploy the cabins, how to divide the hangar, how to plan the height and width, even how high the deck should be, and how to adjust the flue to the side, these are all unprecedented in traditional warships.
As well as various practical designs accumulated over a long period of time to achieve design goals.
For example, a straight and regular deck, such as the outward drift of the deck and chimney, such as inboard and outboard lifts, and even further angled decks and ejector and stop gears, etc.
Unless Daming directly shared all the drawings with the French, it would be impossible for the French to learn these things directly, and it would be impossible for Zhu Jingyuan and Daming to reveal these designs.
The French still have to figure it out one by one, complete verification and practical production and testing.
Zhu Jingyuan's reminder can actually help the French. At most, it can only reduce one modification after the experimental ship is completed.
At the same time, directly informing the French of what they considered to be a very important design experience could also mislead the French about the importance of this kind of warship.
If the Ming Dynasty kept it completely secret, other countries, including France, would definitely realize that this kind of warship was very important, and they would definitely devote more energy to exploring and building it.
In addition, they may come up with a treaty that limits the tonnage of naval ships. After limiting the tonnage of artillery capital ships, the design and research of aircraft carriers may correspondingly obtain more resources.
The naval treaty in Zhu Jingyuan's previous life actually played this role.
If the Naval Treaty had not eliminated six Lexington-class battlecruisers, the two 46,000-ton Lexington-class aircraft carriers probably would not have been born so early.
The same goes for the Japanese Akagi Kaga.
Neither Britain, the United States nor Japan will immediately build a large aircraft carrier of this level of 40,000 tons.
Especially the subsequent World War II proved that only aircraft carriers of this level have greater practical value. The capabilities of those small aircraft carriers of more than 10,000 tons are very limited.
So Zhu Jingyuan decided to reveal some news after comprehensive consideration.
This news indeed once again strengthened Charles's trust in Zhu Jingyuan, and at the same time made Charles question the purpose of the aircraft carrier.
After hesitating for a long time, Charles boldly asked for more information and tested Ming's attitude:
"Mr. Niu, what is the tonnage of the aircraft carrier designed by Ming Dynasty for verification? How many have been built now?
"Can I reveal this kind of question? If not, just pretend I didn't ask..."
Niu Jian also received permission in this regard, and now responded directly and very "accurately":
"The aircraft carrier used for verification by the Ming Dynasty was modified in design based on the largest armored cruiser in the Ming Dynasty. Its full load displacement should be about 24,000 tons.
“I pay close attention to the total number of ships built now, but it’s definitely not just one or two ships.
"His Royal Highness Prince Dashi and the Navy both believe that this kind of warship is useful. In this case, it is impossible for the Ming Dynasty to build only one or two."
Niu Jian's answer seemed a bit flippant, which once again strengthened Charles's judgment.
The people of Ming Dynasty did not reveal too high expectations for this kind of battleship.
But it is indeed useful. It should be used for fleet reconnaissance and communication. It is obviously right for a main fleet to have an aircraft carrier.
So build one first for experimentation and then verify it.
The matters at hand now are still the planning of the main gunboats and the restriction agreement on the main ships.
