Finest Servant

Lin Wanrong was amused, this Tavoni is also a genius in acting, he clearly met the eldest lady when he visited the Lin Mansion last time, but this time he purposely said these nice words, it was nothing more than flattery.

"Yes, yes, I have always thought so." Lin Wanrong touched his nose with a smile: "Tavone, isn't your ship in Shandong? Why did you come to Lianyungang?"

Tavoni said: "Dear Lin, I was recommended by you. I met with His Majesty the Emperor of your country in your capital. We have also reached an agreement on the trade between the two countries and the tariff issues of foreign trade. Lin, Your Majesty the Emperor of your country , as shrewd as you. Most of the money our French fleet earns is returned to you Dahua, alas!"

Can you not be shrewd? I handed over to the old man every move to impose high tariffs on the French fleet. With that old man's scheming, no one can beat him.

Mr. Lin patted the Frenchman on the shoulder earnestly: "Tavoni, don't say that. Trade is about mutual benefit. Our Dahua silk tea, perfume and soap are all high-quality products, which are in short supply in Europe. Don't worry about not being able to sell it, it is right to charge you more tariffs. If these goods are handed over to Europe, you will definitely make a lot of money. To tell you the truth, there were two British and Portuguese fleets in the past few days Fujian and Guangdong have docked, and it is said that they also came to expand trade."

Tavoni was shocked when he heard this, since it was said by Mistolin, it must not be false. Both Britain and Portugal are strong countries in maritime trade, and it is not surprising that merchant ships come to Dahua. Unexpectedly, the business with Dahua has not been completed, and competitors will come to grab the food.

"Lin, France reached this agreement first." Tavoni grabbed his hand nervously: "Your country must be honest!"

Lin Wanrong hehe said: "Don't worry, don't worry. The level of tariffs given to you now will never change in three years. Even if Britain and Portugal want to do this business, the tariffs will definitely increase. Tavoni, this is for you. Yours is a friendship price! Change it to someone else. But it’s not so easy to talk about, haha!”

Dahua’s customs and taxes are high, and the prices of corresponding commodities in Europe will naturally rise. The European people pay the bill, and Tavoni and Emperor Louis naturally cannot lose money. Both Lin Wanrong and the French were well aware of this, but it was just tacit understanding.

Tavoni smiled bitterly and said: "Then I hope you will take care of our French fleet in the future. His Majesty Louis also asked me to convey a sincere invitation to you and your wives. If you are free next year, you are welcome to bring your whole family to France as guests." , to see our Marseilles, the Louvre and the tall Eiffel Tower. His Majesty Louis will personally receive distinguished guests from the far east, and will surely make you and your family spend a pleasant time."

The British and Portuguese caravans he compiled offhand. This made Tavone feel a deep sense of anxiety, so he naturally couldn't wait to increase the size.

Unexpectedly, accidentally,

He actually became the first person from Dahua officials to go abroad for inspection, and he was still the kind who took his family with him. Lin Wanrong didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and laughed casually: "Let's talk, talk again! Tavoni. I asked you how you got to Lianyungang, but you haven't answered me yet!"

"Yes, yes. I have reached a tariff and trade agreement with the emperor of your country, and I have collected enough goods to return to Europe from Shandong. I heard from Miss Xu Zhiqing of your country in Rizhao that you are going to board a ship from Lianyungang to Korea. I have received the warm care of the adults in your country. Of course, I have to come here to say goodbye to you. To tell you the truth, we have been here for two days just to see you."

The French are full of affection, but they are secretly glad that they docked in Lianyungang and met Mr. Lin, otherwise. Who would have known that the British and Portuguese would also come to grab business, luckily. Fortunately!

Lin Wanrong sneered. This old boy doesn't spit out his bones when he lies. It is obviously because the thirty teenagers I sent to study in France are currently doing internships on the iron-clad ship in Lianyungang. He had to stop here, but he said he wanted me to come. I have levied heavy taxes on you and knocked you out of the way. Do you still miss me? Is it unreasonable?

"Tavone, you are too polite." He said with a fake smile: "We are old friends, so there is no need to be so alien. By the way, are you leaving now? Oh, I haven't had time to invite you It's a pity, a pity, a pity!"

If you treat a guest to dinner, I must be the one who pays for it in the end! Tavoni knew it well, and hurriedly said: "I should be the one who invited you, but unfortunately, the adults were not at home when I visited your house the last few times. When next year comes, I will definitely bring His Majesty Louis with me." Chef, treat you and your family to the most authentic French meal!"

"Really? Oh, I went to Turkic recently. As you know, the battle was won, but there are still many follow-up things to deal with, right? After fighting against Turkic people for so many years, I suddenly lost my opponent. I really miss it." , I don’t know who will be the next one to fight with us? Oh, Tavoni, don’t get me wrong, I’m not a militant, I just don’t like others bullying us, haha!”

Listen to Mr. Lin's words carefully, otherwise, it is really impossible to determine which of his words is true and which is false. The poor Frenchman was dizzy by him, and in a ignorance, he only remembered a sentence from Mistor Lindi: Don't bully the big Chinese!

"By the way, Lin," Tavoni suddenly leaned into his ear and said mysteriously, "The two little French beauties I sent you off last time are still waiting for you in the house! Please don't It's a waste, one of them is the sister of our Queen of France, she is even more beautiful than the Queen, even His Majesty Louis treats her—tsk tsk—"

Lin Wanrong hurriedly looked at the eldest lady beside her. Fortunately, she didn't understand English very well, so she just opened her eyes wide and looked at him blankly.

"Tavone," Master Lin hurriedly straightened his face, and said with a serious face, "I'm not such a vulgar person! Beauty to me is no different from poison to a skeleton!"

"Understood, understood, all the wives of your lord will know that you have already been poisoned!" Tavoni said with a sly smile, "so, I suggest that your lord might as well try to fight poison with poison—"

Fight poison with fire? Lin Wanrong glanced at him, and they both laughed at the same time. Men in the world are all one

So wretched!

After talking, the two ironclad ships behind also docked one after another. Tavoni brought four iron-clad ships. Because the flagship was bought by Mr. Lin at a high price of ten taels of silver, he could only return with three ships.

Lin Wanrong pulled Xiao Yuruo. Walking forward slowly, he carefully looked at the iron-clad ship of the Westerners.

These armored ships are about twenty feet long and two feet wide. It is two stories high. The hull was extremely hard, he tapped it with his hand, and the dull sound echoed in his ears, it was actually cut from a whole piece of steel plate.

There are four crossroads on the deck to pass through, including wheelhouse, rest cabin, and ammunition cabin. Behind is the living area, with a large sail at the front and back. There are more than ten splints and more than twenty large paddles on the left and right sides of the iron-clad ship, in the middle. There are more than a dozen black muzzles protruding, and several thick Western cannons extend out. The workmanship is extremely fine. On both sides of the hull, there are another forty or fifty musket shooting holes.

Lin Wanrong took a few glances and sighed. This is a real iron-clad ship, not as rough as wrapping iron armor on the outside of the wooden side. Can cut and assemble iron sheets. The mechanical level of Westerners has indeed reached a certain level. It's just that the big oars on both sides of the hull and the sails at the bow and stern made him feel a little lucky. The West Ocean has not yet fully entered the steam age, and this is an opportunity to catch up.

Seeing the surprise in Mistolin's eyes, Tavoni smugly patted the iron armor behind him: "Lin, how about it. This is our French iron-clad ship. In this world, no artillery can penetrate it."

"Really?" Lin Wanrong laughed loudly, took out a golden scimitar from his arms, and stabbed forward with a swipe.

With a soft "squeak", a small hole was punched out of the iron armor. Tavoni's face turned pale: "This, how is this possible?"

It's your ironclad ship that's stabbed! Lin Wanrong's face was flushed red, holding the knife with both hands, he tried his best to make a small hole in the armor.

He didn't dare to let Tavoni see the flaws, so he quickly put away the golden knife, calmed his disordered breathing, and laughed loudly: "Brother Ta, this armor is just average, not even the small knife in my hand. What are you talking about that the artillery can't penetrate!"

The golden knife in his hand was a gift from his younger sister. It is the supreme national treasure of the Turks. Facing the iron armor of Westerners, it is almost impossible to pierce it, which can be seen from the hardness of the steel plate.

Tavoni didn't know this truth. Seeing that he could pierce a small hole in the iron armor that the whole of France is proud of with a random knife, he was so horrified that he couldn't straighten his tongue: "Lin, Lin , you Dahua, you actually have this kind of armor-piercing weapon?"

"Of course," Mr. Lin laughed and patted him on the shoulder. He had used all his strength to stab the iron armor just now, and his arm was sore: "So, be humble. Look, our Dahua has such a The treasure of the earth, but never publicized, this is the implicit beauty of our oriental people. Hey, you iron-clad ship, if you encounter our Dahua’s armor-piercing weapon, cough, cough——dude, this thing of yours still needs to be improved what!"

He put the golden knife back into his arms, thanking his little sister a thousand times and ten thousand times in his heart. When facing Tavoni, his speech was half-revealed, and his eyes were unpredictable.

Seeing him being so "reserved", Tavoni had no choice but to lower his high head: "Lin, I have to say, your East is really mysterious! After I go back, I will definitely suggest to His Majesty Louis that your two countries should communicate frequently. , to establish a long-term friendly cooperative relationship. Let's be friends with each other, and no one will hit anyone!"

"Really, then let's think about it." He said haha ​​unhurriedly, Tavoni was startled, this Lord Lin was putting on airs again, and next time it seems that he will send more diamond beauties to win the favor of the two countries. fixed.

Lin Wanrong narrowed his eyes, looked at the sails on the ship, and said with a smile: "Tavone, do you rely on these sails and oars to cross the ocean? Is there any other power, for example, a machine that emits smoke? ?”

The Frenchman jumped up in fright: "A machine that emits smoke? You, how do you know?"

"What?" Lin Wanrong was more surprised than him: "You, do you really have steam—oh, that smoke machine?"

Tavoni nodded and said: "I only heard about the smoke machine before I came to Dahua. It was invented by a French miner named Savery (Note 1), and I heard that it can be used to draw water from underground wells. It’s only been a few short months, and I never thought that my lord would already know about it from thousands of miles away.”

I know shit. Lin Wanrong let out a long sigh of relief. It turns out that Westerners have just begun to study steam technology. It will take at least two hundred years for them to truly enter that era. In time, everything is in time!

He laughed and nodded: "I also guessed casually, Tavoni, you don't have to take it seriously, just pretend that I didn't say anything. By the way, which ship is my ship? I have become more financial recently, and I raised ten taels of silver, and I want to buy again—”

"This one, this one, I'll take you to see it!" The Frenchman turned pale with fright, turned and left. He had a deep understanding of Lord Lin's disposition. If the bamboo stick king really paid another thirty taels of silver, he and everyone else would have to walk back to France.

The iron-clad ship Mr. Lin bought with ten taels of silver was the flagship of the French, and it was also the last one to dock at the pier. The body is bigger and the decoration is the most luxurious. The front and rear of the ship are tens of feet square, and dozens of young people with yellow skin and black hair are busy on the deck.

After so long, I finally have a cruise ship! Lin Wanrong took the eldest lady's hand, stepped up, saw the huge ship, and suddenly burst out laughing.

"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law—" A clear and tender voice suddenly sounded from the group of teenagers, and a beautiful figure rushed towards him.

Note 1: For the sake of writing, Savery is set as French. Friends who know the history of steam engines don't have to argue about their nationality, just take a look.