Zhang Anshi is obviously more and more interested in these two people.
He put away his gaze on them and sighed: "My Ming Dynasty likes to do business, and this Venetian also likes to do business. Your Majesty has just agreed to send a larger fleet to your side in the near future.
...It’s also time for the two of you to return.”
Erdan and Luqiu looked surprised and uncertain.
In fact, they also felt that Zhang Anshi had a strong interest in Venetian people.
In fact, at this time, the power of the Venetians has expanded crazily in the Mediterranean. In addition, its coveting of the Romagna region of the Papal State has posed a huge threat to the Pope to a certain extent.
.
If we collude with the Ming Dynasty, which seems to have a lot of ships, tens of thousands of people at sea at a time, and has such powerful ocean-going capabilities, then... the consequences will be unpredictable.
This was obviously not what Erdan and Donkey Ball wanted, so Erdan thought for a moment and said, "Venetians are cunning and cannot be trusted."
Zhang Anshi said: "It doesn't matter if a businessman has some cleverness in business. The most important thing is that at least he can communicate with Venetian people. Dealing with people who can deal with is better than dealing with a group of people.
It’s better to deal with people you can’t deal with.”
Erdan's frown deepened and he subconsciously said, "We can also deal with each other."
Zhang Anshi looked at his anxious look and felt inexplicably happy, so he laughed and said: "How to fight?"
"This..." Obviously, Erdan couldn't answer for the moment.
Zhang Anshi said: "As far as I know, you foreign monks are very xenophobic. When my Ming fleet arrives, there will definitely be conflicts with you."
After Erdan and Donkey Ball looked at each other, Donkey Ball suddenly said: "What if... I mean, what if we can have a contract that satisfies both parties? We can welcome Daming's goods and even allow ships to dock...
But……"
Zhang Anshi stared at them closely and said, "But what?"
Erdan said: "If there is any conflict between the Ming Dynasty's fleet and the territory under the protection of God, they must be negotiated and resolved through negotiation. And..."
Erdan put forward a lot of conditions in one breath.
Zhang Anshi is not interested in these conditions, or in other words, as long as these conditions do not affect the sale, there is actually no big problem.
But at the end, Donkey Ball suddenly said: "The Ming Dynasty's fleet can also be hired by us to deal with the enemies of God."
As soon as he said this, Zhang Anshi pursed his lips tightly and his face turned slightly cold.
Obviously, this is the key, and it is hard to see.
In fact, many agreements are negotiable for Erdan and Donkey Ball.
In their view, the Ming Dynasty was thousands of miles away. Even if it had a large fleet, it could not shake the authority of the Pope, let alone have any impact on the lords.
After all, Ming Dynasty was still a foreigner thousands of miles away! Not to mention the language, even the appearance, there was a huge difference.
What's rare is that the Ming Dynasty is not considered a heretic, because they seem to...do not believe in other churches at all, which eliminates the possibility of heresy.
After all, for the church, what they are worried about is not necessarily whether you believe in God, but that you do not believe in the same God as I do.
After all, colleagues are enemies, and Ming Dynasty is not for the time being.
Europeans who upheld this kind of thinking were actually the same in the late Ming Dynasty two hundred years later. What they hated more was heresies like Venice and cannibalism. Even the Eastern Orthodox Church was far more threatening than the Ming Dynasty.
Bigger.
But hiring Ming's fleet was what these two people had to propose.
Because they were not sure whether the Ming fleet had gone back on its promise. Once it had established a foothold in Europe, it began to make peace with the Venetians and even its old enemies in the East, the Turks who believed in paganism.
Zhang Anshi looked at them indifferently and said: "This fleet in my Daming Palace is owned by my Daming Emperor, and I hire my Daming fleet... What does this mean?"
Erdan said calmly: "It doesn't have to be hiring, you can also use other methods of cooperation, such as...attacking Venice..."
After he finished speaking, his blue eyes looked at Zhang Anshi.
Only by attacking the Republic of Venice could the Ming Dynasty completely cut off the possibility of making peace with the Venetians.
The biggest advantage of the Venetians lies in their navy, which is also the shortcoming of the Pope and other church lords. Venice's navy has a great advantage. If the Ming Dynasty's fleet fights with them, it will not only make them fight with each other, but also
Greatly reducing the strength of the Ming fleet and the Venetians can also completely turn the Ming Dynasty and the Venetians into enemies.
As a result, the Venetians who have become richer and richer in recent years by selling Ming Dynasty luxury goods will inevitably suffer the hatred of Ming Dynasty.
By then, as expected, the Ming Dynasty would try its best to ban trade with the Venetians, causing the Venetians to lose a huge financial source.
It can be said that this is a strategy that has the best of both worlds. Once the Ming Dynasty falls into this trap, the pressure on the Pope from the Venetians will be greatly relieved.
After hearing this, Zhang Anshi frowned and said: "You mean...ask us to attack the Venetians, why don't you do it yourself?"
"Their navy is powerful..."
Zhang Anshi smiled and said: "What about the fleet expenses? What are you willing to provide?"
"Supplies, as well as various seaports, we can also send out guides if we are willing. You must know that the waters around Venice are very complicated. If you want to attack, you must have a good guide. Of course, we can provide some financial support appropriately.
, we can recruit some personnel in Sicily and Sardinia for the fleet. If the matter is completed, we will also give a huge reward."
This guy talks a lot.
Although this so-called county prince just said that it was the private property of the Ming Emperor and would not accept employment, looking at Zhang Anshi's words later, it was obvious that this guy... was a money-loving master.
So he was full of confidence, eloquent, and preached loudly.
Then he added: "If necessary, the Venetian islands, colonies, and even their territories in the Mediterranean can become the private property of the fleet in the future, and the Pope is willing to give permission."
Zhang Anshi finally understood what the bad check was all about.
This kind of vague promise is of no use!
Although some so-called help will be provided, it is obvious that the other party does not believe that the Ming Dynasty's fleet, sailing thousands of miles to the Mediterranean, can pose a huge threat to the Venetians! At most, both sides will lose, so they made various promises.
But these promises were basically based on the Ming Dynasty being able to destroy Venice.
But at this time, the Republic of Venice had entered its heyday. The scale of their navy, the tactics of naval warfare, and even their huge wealth, the power they armed was astonishing.
Erdan and Luqiu thought Zhang Anshi was a fool and set up a trap for Zhang Anshi, just waiting for Zhang Anshi to fall into it.
Immediately afterwards, they only had to sit on the mountain and watch the battle between tigers and tigers, watching both the Ming fleet and the Venetian navy suffer losses.
And they can easily reap the benefits by relying on a bad check.
Zhang Anshi was not a fool, and he immediately understood their plan.
After hearing this, he couldn't help but laugh: "This... may not be impossible to cooperate, but... how to ensure your commitment?"
Erdan said: "After we can arrive in the Mediterranean with the fleet, we will naturally go to Rome and report the matter to the Pope, and then...the Pope will confirm our agreement. Your Highness, we are kind believers, and we are
Won't lie."
There was no emotion or anger on Zhang Anshi's face, but he said: "We can consider it, but...it's still early and I need to confirm it. We can discuss the specific details in detail."
Erdan and Donkey Ball heard this and nodded happily.
As soon as Zhang Anshi left, Erdan and Donkey Ball suddenly became extremely excited.
Donkey Ball muttered: "This is a huge victory, but it's a pity that we have no way to send the message to Rome now."
Erdan said: "Do you think Daming will choose to cooperate with us?"
Donkey Fairway: "The Venetians are too rich, and these people without faith are greedy, I'm sure they will agree."
Erdan still said with some doubt: "Can they successfully defeat the Venetians?"
Donkey Ball shook his head and said: "I have seen their ships, and they are indeed very big, but... they are all merchant ships with large carrying capacity, which is not conducive to combat. Moreover, they are thousands of miles away, and in front of the Venetians, they are not
If you don’t have an advantage, you are very likely to lose or win miserably.”
So Erdan said: "Then can our purpose be understood as to let them weaken the Venetians?"
"Yes, at the same time, we will take this opportunity to give the Venetians a fatal blow. The Pope will call on the lords of France and Romagna to march from the land..."
After hearing this, Erdan nodded, agreeing with Donkey Ball's analysis, and said: "The only thing I'm worried about now is that the Ming Dynasty's fleet no longer dares to attack the Venetians. We must find a way to facilitate this."
Donkey Ball thought for a while, curled his lips, and said with a bit of disdain: "His Highness is very young, obviously a blind man, and he is very greedy. As long as we make enough promises, he will be fooled. Now.
The only question is how to promote this matter as soon as possible.”
The more the two talked, the more excited they became, as if a huge diplomatic victory was about to emerge before their eyes.
At this time, Venice was too great a threat to Rome.
Not only because Venice continued to expand in the Mediterranean and captured a large number of colonies, but these Venetians even bribed a large number of lords, causing many lords to start various communications under the temptation of money.
The prestige of Rome was ruined.
The biggest incident was that during the Crusades, the Venetians lent money to the Crusaders. When the Crusaders could not repay it, they actually directly asked the Crusaders to sack Constantinople, which made the Pope furious.
, excommunicated these Crusaders, believing that they had committed heinous crimes.
But as a result, the Pope soon discovered that once these crusaders who believed in God were expelled, the power of the Pope would be greatly weakened, so he had to shamelessly restore their religious membership.
This incident had a huge impact on the prestige of Rome. The Venetians who used money to corrupt lords and soldiers were simply heinous in the eyes of Rome.
Erdan and Donkey Ball had no doubt that one day, these guys would take gold coins, bribe a group of greedy lords, march directly into Rome, and then loot the city.
They firmly believed that the damn Venetians could definitely do such a thing.
Now, there is finally a turning point. It is beneficial for Rome to introduce a group of Ming Dynasties thousands of miles away.
Of course, the reason why Erdan and Donkey Ball are so eager is actually because they are afraid that the Ming Dynasty's fleet will come into contact with the Venetians.
After all, in the eyes of Rome, they are all businessmen. Once the two sides make peace, it may be extremely harmful to Rome.
Only by provoking them can this threat be eliminated.
…
After Zhang Anshi came out of the imperial prison, he immediately ordered: "Call my brothers here and hurry up."
Not long after, Zhu Yong and three others came in a hurry.
The three of them didn't know what happened, and they all looked confused.
Zhang Anshi asked Zhu Yong with a smile: "How is the model camp now? Nothing happened?"
Zhu Yong said: "Brother, behave yourself in the camp. This year's recruits..."
Who knew that Zhang Anshi was just being polite to him, but had no intention of listening to his continued report. Instead, he walked directly in front of Qiu Song, patted his head and said: "Among the brothers, only the fourth brother is the bravest.
He is a talented person, and none of our brothers are as good as him."
When Zhu Yong and Zhang heard this, their bodies trembled slightly, and a look of vigilance and even sympathy flashed across Qiu Song's eyes.
Zhang Anshi smiled and said, "Do you think so?"
"That's right." Zhu Yong said: "My father often said that when he gave birth to a son, he should be the fourth brother of Ruqiu. I swear, my father really said it. If he hadn't said it, he would have taught me to die..."
Zhang Anshi immediately stopped Zhu Yong and said: "Okay, okay, my brothers, there is no need to swear."
Zhu Yong grinned and said, "Brother understands me."
Qiu Song: "..."
Zhang Anshi said earnestly and sincerely: "Our fourth brother, such a man of literary, Taoist and military skills, only hangs out with a few of us brothers all day long. It is really unworthy of his talent. Hey, it's useless for me to be the eldest brother..."
Qiu Song said at this time: "Brother, please tell me the truth. How will you teach me this time?"
Zhang Anshi's face stiffened. Well, he had prepared a lot of rhetoric, but it was obviously useless now.
Then he said: "He is indeed his brother, he has a clear understanding of his heart! Then I will tell you straight away, starting from today, you select three thousand people to go to Songjiangkou. Don't do anything, just do one thing for me.
That is to practice naval landing! Build me a drill ground at Songjiangkou. This drill ground needs many water nets. On this tidal flat, teach the navy to cooperate with your troops and practice day and night. In the spring of next year, you
Take them on a long trip."
After hearing this, Qiu Song's face, which was originally suffocated, actually became relaxed, but he couldn't help but said with a bit of doubt: "That's it?"
Zhang Anshi nodded and said, "That's it...are you afraid?"
"I'm afraid of a bird." Qiu Song said cheerfully, "It's too late for me to be happy."
Qiu Song said: "Brother, how far will it be if you go far away?"
"It's far away. It's probably thousands of miles away. It'll only take a year and a half."
Qiu Song: "..."
Zhang Anshi felt that he had already seen obvious black lines on Qiu Song's forehead.
Zhang Anshi encouraged: "The great man Jinghai Fubo is not going to waste his life. Fourth brother, don't be unhappy. You can go. This is an opportunity. You must seize it."
Qiu Song was silent for a long time and finally nodded: "Oh."
Zhang Anshi was really interested in Donkey Ball and Erdan's suggestions.
Because if this thing can be done, there will be at least three huge benefits.
One of them is Weiwei Gusi.
Secondly, if the Venetian region and Venetian colonies can be captured, then the Ming Dynasty will have a foothold on the other end of the continent.
These Venetians are just second-rate traders. Once the Ming Dynasty has so many excellent ports, from then on, it will be equivalent to direct trade with the western end of the mainland, and there will be no middlemen to make the difference.
And thirdly, Zhang Anshi has a strong interest in those 30,000 Venetian ships. With these ships, and with the help of the Mediterranean, it is possible for the Ming Dynasty to improve its trade network.
To put it bluntly, when a fleet sails, the consumption is huge, and it must make a profit.
And it requires huge profits. Without ten-fold or hundred-fold profits, no one has the motivation to keep their heads in their belts.
Naturally, this is also an adventure. Whether it can succeed or not depends on Qiu Song and his Three Thousand Model Camp.
Once they fail to win completely and fall into a hard battle, they will fall into Rome's trap, causing both the Ming Dynasty and the Venetians to suffer losses, and it will also bring huge losses to the Ming Dynasty.
Zhang Anshi seemed to think it was not enough, and told Qiu Song: "We must solve the problem of moisture-proof gunpowder. When the time comes, you can bring more big guys with you."
At this time, Qiu Song suddenly became happy from his slightly solemn expression. His handsome eyebrows spread, a smile of obvious joy appeared on his lips, he patted his chest and said, "I understand."
At this moment, a secretary from the Changshi Mansion came in a hurry, handed something to Zhang Anshi, and said respectfully: "Your Highness, there is an urgent letter from Songjiangkou, please read it."
Zhang Anshi nodded, took the letter, and opened it. Then, Zhang Anshi smiled: "Haha... What a double happiness! Now, His Majesty's serious concern can be solved again. Come, prepare a car."
Zhang Anshi said, putting the letter away with an excited look on his face.
Before leaving, he did not forget to tell Zhu Yong and the others: "You guys should go back. My eldest brother has important things to do. It's time to report the good news to His Majesty."