Chapter 997: Love and Politics (Seeking Monthly Pass)
Everyone in Lorraine is a person who wants to do big things. Once they make a decision, they immediately start taking action.
In the afternoon of the same day, while the Grand Duke was still at the headquarters and had not left work early, he ran to the palace to show his courtesy. Lorraine told him about his plan to sell the cannon.
Grand Duke Julius was immediately overjoyed. He didn't even hesitate. He patted the armrest and said, "Okay, okay, okay~! Isa has been begging me for this for a long time. But this matter is of great importance. I have always been
I dare not agree. Because this Isha has given me a lot of looks."
"Iisha?" Lorraine was stunned for a moment before realizing that the Grand Duke was talking about Queen Isabella.
Imagine the Archduke Julian, who is in his forties or almost fifty years old, calling the gorgeous Queen Isabella in her twenties...
Lorraine immediately shuddered and got goosebumps, and thought to herself: Is it necessary to shout so intimately?
This old guy is really becoming more and more capable of being a weird uncle~!
At this time, Grand Duke Julius spread his hands helplessly and sighed: "If you don't understand, right?"
Lorraine couldn't help but sigh, nodded and said, "Yes."
Then, Grand Duke Julius patted Lorraine's fan sympathetically.
Of course Lorraine knew what Grand Duke Julius meant. If Catherine hadn't been watching, Grand Duke Julius might have agreed. He was worried that his daughter would probably go crazy, so he didn't have a hot head.
I agreed with a generous offer.
But a little honey trap managed to get rid of him. From this, it seems that this old guy's will is really weak.
He and Leo are indeed the same character~!
Grand Duke Julius hesitated again and said hesitantly: "By the way, Lorraine. Will there be any side effects in doing this?
Of course, I'm not talking about Isabella's place. The Almohads are very obedient now.
I mean..."
He calmed down for a moment, and then said: "What if there is a war between us one day in the future, and they turn their guns and aim at us. That would be a bad thing."
Leo tossed his hair coolly from the side, patted his chest generously, and said, "Don't worry, old man. Nothing will happen."
As long as they control the cannonballs in their hands, they won't be able to turn them out of our palms. If they dare to explode, they will be worse off than dead if I don't bother~!"
Archduke Julius thought for a while and said hesitantly: "But this technology for making propellants and shells...can't they imitate it?" Leo rolled his eyes at his father and said angrily:
"Old man, what you said is so outrageous. It's not like you didn't find someone to study it at the beginning. The result is not very clear yet."
Grand Duke Julius couldn't help but hesitated for a moment. It felt a little uncomfortable to be exposed by his own son.
I wanted to take the opportunity to get angry, but I also felt that I was in the wrong.
For a moment, my old face turned purple and red, burning. I couldn't say a word.
At first, pulling the cannon back was a waste of time. As a result, the cannonball was short of the enemy.
And the artillery shells sold by Feiying Company were too solid to deceive his father.
In order not to be recorded by his son, Grand Duke Julius also asked his subordinates to see the artillery shells and propellant powder.
Of course Grand Duke Julius knew that the price of thirty gold coins per shot was what Leo the Lion was asking for.
Just think about the Victory-class battle sight in Lorraine's hand, and you will know that a battleship is equipped with nearly a hundred artillery pieces, and that one salvo will destroy three thousand gold coins.
According to the navy captain, when the Victory was exterminating pirates, it often served as a mobile fort near the coast.
Those bastards didn't blink an eye when they fired their cannons.
And once the "Hey," time comes, the cannonballs will hit the shore as if they are free of charge. Even if a moving old hen is hit, there will be seven or eight artillery pieces at the same time.
If ammunition is really that expensive, even with the wealth of the Flying Eagle Group, it will definitely not be able to afford it.
However, Grand Duke Julius could not come up with a suitable reason, so he could only hold his nose and admit it, and went back to secretly study the artillery ammunition. Unfortunately, he found nothing in the end.
If this business is only Leo's, then there's nothing wrong with it. The old man and his son will never be polite and just start grabbing it.
But it included Lorraine, Adele, Catherine, Hilmelia, Lorena... and several others. If he really tried to rob them, he really wouldn't be able to pull off that old face.
Not to mention, none of those people are fuel-efficient. He can't afford to offend any of them.
Therefore, after a fierce and complicated ideological struggle, he finally could only sigh and give up angrily.
Although he did this very secretly, the old housekeeper secretly told his eldest daughter about it later.
This old guy is really unreliable in what he does.
Oh, my son worked hard to set up a factory and earn a small amount of money. He didn't help or said anything, and he wanted to find someone else's fault and poach him.
There is no father like him in the whole world.
After Leo found out, he clamored to collect punitive tariffs from his father.
However, since there was no real evidence, Leo could only scream and end in frustration.
Seeing that his little tricks were exposed again, Grand Duke Julius felt a little embarrassed no matter how thick-faced he was.
He laughed dryly twice, stood up immediately, and said to himself: "I'm going to tell Isa the good news. Haha, hahaha..."
Leo reached out to grab the Grand Duke's clothes and said, "Hey, don't run away, we are discussing your problem."
The Grand Duke turned a deaf ear, turned around gracefully, and disappeared in a flash.
That night, Archduke Julius did not come back until very late.
However, according to the Grand Duke himself, he was discussing with Isabella how the emergence of artillery, a cross-era weapon, will have a significant impact on modern warfare, as well as the trend and direction of artillery in future wars...
After hearing his nonsense, Catherine was also doubtful.
But since there was no evidence, I could only complain to Lorraine. In the end, I just muttered: "It's not serious to leave a man to chat in the middle of the night."
However, according to Lorraine's estimation, Archduke Julius must be telling the truth.
Putting aside feuds, Almohad and Rumain are both big countries, and there are natural regional situations and conflicts of interest between the two countries.
Just like back then, it was impossible for the Ruman Empire to marry its eldest princess to an Almohad, and Almohad would never tolerate it. Ruman's royal bloodline flows in the Almohad.
In the future, once there is a war between the two countries, the little prince Almohad leads an army to attack Ruman. When the time comes, the white-haired Grand Duke appears in front of the army, and then tells the other party affectionately: "I will tell you a secret. In fact,
I’m your dad~!”
Later, in the public hall, through a series of bloody methods such as blood test and blood test, the truth was revealed.
With tears of affection in his eyes, the little prince opened his hands, rushed toward the grand duke, and shouted loudly: "Oh Duosang~!"
The father and son who had just met each other hugged each other tightly and shed tears of happiness ugbd~!
At that time, everyone was still giving in. They could only surrender obediently and wait for the other party to deal with it.
The same goes for the Ruman Empire.
What if one day, the boss of the Ruman Empire suddenly dies, and Leo has not had time to put his butt on the throne.
The little prince of Almohad over there suddenly said to him: "Ouba~! In fact, I am also a fatherless son. Ouba~! I also have the right to inherit the throne of the Ruman Empire. Ouba~
!”
ugbd~!
Let’s just wait for another Hundred Years War~!
Although Grand Duke Julius was now dazzled by beauty, Queen Isabella was a smart person, and of course she would not let Grand Duke Julius take advantage of her.
Early the next morning, Crown Prince Menazis came to say goodbye to Leo, and by the way finalized the joint venture negotiations, and gave Leo a lot of gifts.
Crown Prince Menazis has always adhered to the thoughtful etiquette of nobility.
Leo got up very early and walked back and forth in the hall with his little hands behind his back. Xiaobai followed Leo with his head buried. They were waiting for Prince Menazis to come to the door.
Seeing Crown Prince Menazis, before he could speak, Leo came up and said: "Adhering to the long-standing traditional friendship between Ruman and Parthia..."
Crown Prince Menazis was startled for a moment, thinking when did we Parthians have a traditional friendship with the Rumans? The tradition of beheading each other has a long history.
Leo continued: "I have decided to give you ten artillery pieces for free, Dong Ma."
As he spoke, Leo stretched out ten fingers and gestured in front of Crown Prince Menazis.
Crown Prince Menazis was stunned by this sudden happiness.
Although his ears kept ringing after he returned yesterday and he didn't have a good sleep until most of the night, the feeling of blasting with artillery was really enjoyable.
"Is this okay?" Crown Prince Menazis looked at Leo eagerly.
Last night, he had discussed it with Safer, and they both agreed that the Ruman people were unlikely to give them the artillery, but they would have to ask the peacekeepers for it.
It's Ruman's business to give it or not, and it's the Parthians' business to give it or not. We can't wait until later when they say things like "We don't have artillery, so why are we doing this?", Ruman will lightly say "You guys
You didn’t even ask us for it in the first place~!”
At this time, it would be meaningless if they said, "I guess you won't give it to me even if I ask for it."
On the contrary, if the war situation becomes unfavorable in the future, or if they make their own calculations and slack off in work, they can accuse the Ruman people of hiding good things such as artillery.
"It's not that brothers don't fight hard, it's actually that your friendly forces don't act righteously."
But now, before they could say anything, Leo took the initiative and gave it to him for free. Even Safer, an old man in the world, was surprised and thought to himself: Is this really a pie in the sky? Is there any conspiracy?
Bar?
Leo waved his hand and said boldly: "Of course. I, the chairman of the board, told me to give it to you and I will give it to you. Don't worry, dear."
Then he sighed heavily and said: "Originally, my father and elder brother did not agree. This is a restricted export of weapons stipulated in the arms control treaty. Even our allies cannot sell it. I had to persuade them to reluctantly agree. I can
They have guaranteed that you, Marquis of Matta, are a good and trustworthy friend.
Since we are partners, I think, Director Ma, you are very cosmopolitan and worthy of friendship. This should be regarded as a gift for us to establish a joint venture."
Crown Prince Menazis rubbed his hands excitedly and said: "How embarrassing is this, how embarrassing..., haha, hahaha~!"
Crown Prince Menazis will now feel that Leo is too good of a friend.
The chubby little guy in front of me is a hateful little hooligan, just like an angel with little white wings.
Crown Prince Menazis held Leo's little hand tightly with both hands and praised: "Your Highness, you are such a good person~!"
On the surface, Leo was baring his white teeth at school, but he was cursing in his mind: Bah, bah, bad luck, you are a good person, your whole family is a good person, I wish you will be issued a good person card for life.
Crown Prince Menazis would like Leo more and more, thinking that when people say bad things about Leo, they must be slandering Chairman Leo out of jealousy. No matter from which aspect, Leo is a good friend.
Leo also laughed with him and said: "Of course, there are no conditions attached. You also know, Mr. Ma, that it is not easy to make my father nod in agreement. But I have tried my best to get the best deal for you, Mr. Ma.
Excellent conditions.”
Crown Prince Menazis nodded like a chicken and said: "I understand, I understand. These days, arms purchases can be made without any strings attached."
Safer became vigilant and thought to himself: "Is there a trap?"
Leo raised his fingers and said: "First of all, ammunition is not free, but I have already obtained a discount for you, Mr. Ma. We will give you another 20% off the cost price and supply you with 151 rounds of ammunition. Repair and refund guarantees are guaranteed.
, guaranteed replacement, and free delivery to your door. You don’t have to pay for postage at all.”
Crown Prince Menazis nodded in agreement and said: "It should be."
Although the shells costing 200 gold coins per shot are a bit expensive, just fire a few fewer shots and use them at the critical moment.
Leo was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect that he had asked for a price that was in the sky, but they actually agreed after making a counter-offer~!
Leo muttered in his heart: The second generation ancestor is a prodigal. He worked hard for a long time and prepared the excuses, but they were all in vain.
Leo originally planned to ask for a hundred gold coins per shot, but Lorraine said that he could ask for it from Gaoli. In the weapons trade, some people are born to be passive and are willing to pay ten times the price to buy second-hand goods that have been used for ten years.
Counteroffer.
Leo temporarily increased it to 150 gold coins, but he regretted it now, thinking: ***, it's too low, I didn't expect this Kaizi to be so easy to kill.
However, turning around and raising prices at this time seems to be too low-level.
"Secondly?" Leo said: "The supply of ammunition is limited, and each cannon can be equipped with a maximum of ten shells at a time, but I can guarantee that even if it is used, it will be replenished."
Crown Prince Menazis agreed without hesitation.
"Finally, we need to have supervisors to supervise the use of artillery and ammunition consumption."
Leo said.
"This..." Crown Prince Menazis hesitated.
Leo sighed and said, "Dear, you have to be considerate of my brother. Without this, my father would never agree."
Crown Prince Menazis glanced at Safer, who nodded slowly.
With this condition, Safer felt at ease. He knew in his heart that this was normal.
If the conditions are too favorable, there must be something wrong.
"Okay, I agree," Crown Prince Menazis said, simply saying: "The salaries of these people will go to my brother, and I will give them the treatment of external experts."
Leo smiled and said: "Director Ma is really brave. On the day our joint venture company is established, these artillery pieces will be decorated with red and colorful colors and placed at the door of the company as a congratulatory gift.
Let’s high-five each other as an oath.”
Crown Prince Menazis stretched out his hand and slapped Leo's little hand hard, and then the two of them raised their heads and laughed.
Even Safer was twirling a few sparse beards and laughing. He was now sure that this was the benefit the Ruman people gave them for the joint venture.
He decided to try new tactics as soon as he got the cannon.
Crown Prince Menazis finally left Hafsport with a satisfied mood. Before leaving, he gave another big gift to Chairman Leo.
In the view of Crown Prince Menazis, these Rumans were not as hateful as the old stubborns in the country said. They described Archduke Julius as being like the evil ghosts of hell.
They are obviously very reasonable.
At that time, everyone had their own positions, let alone those struggles. Now everyone stands on the same position. The Ruman people are very interesting.
Crown Prince Menazis even suspected that those old guys who had been exaggerating the Ruman threat theory were not intending to make war profits or support themselves with troops.
Isn't this obviously not the case? Ruman people are easy to talk to.
On the contrary, if there is no war, his father will streamline the army and target some disobedient people.
In recent years, military expenditures on the border with the Ruman Empire have increased year by year, but the scale of conflicts has become smaller and smaller.
After thinking carefully, Prince Menazis expressed his thoughts to Safer.
Finally, he said: "If the empire negotiates with Archduke Julius as soon as possible, even if it makes some concessions on the negotiating table, as long as it can avoid the huge * cost of protracted war preparations on the Western Front, it will be a huge victory for us. I can't figure out why.
I have been working hard on this."
Although the conditions attached to Leoti's request were a bit harsh, it was already a huge favor to be able to give them the cannon.
This favor was accepted by him, Crown Prince Menazis.
Crown Prince Menazis has always believed that he is very successful in life. He will respect anyone who respects him a foot, "We are all destined to become emperors. If you treat me like a king, I will treat you like a king."
I will treat you like a king."
Crown Prince Menazis felt sympathy for His Highness Leo.
Even the matter of Leo touching his wallet was regarded by Crown Prince Menazis as a good-natured joke between two great emperors, destined to be famous throughout the ages and become a good story praised by the world.
Safer hesitated for a long time, and finally let out a long sigh and said: "Why don't you shoot? In fact, we have a tacit understanding with the Ruman people. The other party sent out a brigade, and we also sent out a brigade. Both sides worked hard not to expand the conflict.
But there are more than 200,000 soldiers on the Western Front, involving millions of people. If there is no war, they will eat and drink whatever they want. Even if we are willing to negotiate for peace, they will still cause some troubles."
Safer secretly thought: If we don’t fight, how can we be promoted and how can we make war fortune? Except for your royal family and ordinary people, no one hopes for peace on the Western Front, which will cut off many people’s wealth. The most important thing is that Julian
That guy won't want to.
If he didn't fight, what excuse would he have to raise millions of troops to respect himself? Even if they, the Parthians, were unwilling to fight, Julian would force them to fight.
In fact, many times, both parties cooperate with each other in a tacit understanding to act and defraud military expenses.
However, Safer did not dare to tell this young master these things. If he told them, he would offend too many people and would be slapped in the back. He could only let him realize it on his own.
Crown Prince Menazis suddenly said: "So that's it. It's like saying that they kidnapped the entire empire."
Safer said: "I hope that in the hands of the eldest son, this stubborn problem can be solved."
On the same day, through the continuous efforts of Her Majesty the Queen and the arduous negotiations of a group of capable officials of the empire, the Almohad Empire government finally reached a new arms purchase agreement with the Flying Eagle Group.
The new army of the Almohad Empire will receive a variety of advanced technological weapons, including artillery.!