New Shun 1730

After sitting down, Liu Yu looked at Dupleix. He had heard of this person. In a sense, he was the one who decided that India would speak English instead of French.

He was ambitious, capable, and strategic.

It was a pity that he was French.

The French navy was not enough to support his ambition and strategy in India.

Even if he won in India at that time, he would lose in the future.

The British navy could easily cut off the connection between French colonies and the mainland.

This was also one of the main reasons why Liu Yu chose the French as his ally.

The French navy could not beat the British navy, and India would never belong to France. No matter how much history has changed, as long as the fact that the navy is not as good as the British exists, there is no need to worry.

And if the French navy is stronger than the British... there is even less need to worry. Europe will definitely be in chaos first. If the French can cross the English Channel, the anti-French alliance will definitely be formed, and of course there will be no time to pay attention to Asia.

With this in mind, Liu Yu and Dupleix were very relaxed when communicating.

Both of them can speak Latin, so there is no need for translation.

Dupleix politely sent Liu Yu a list of the goods he was carrying and the unit price of the goods.

The list had been translated.

In addition to the list, there was also a new flintlock rifle.

"General Liu, this batch of muskets was originally intended to be sold to India. But your offer was higher, and for the sake of longer-term interests, the French East India Company decided to ship this batch of guns here."

"This is the latest model of the arsenal in the Saint-Etienne area, which was just finalized the year before last. But most of them are not 28 models, but 17 models. But they all meet your requirements, all with bayonet-type bayonets."

Dupleix explained, and Liu Yu looked at the flintlock rifle and was generally very satisfied.

Flintlock rifles have not been popular in Europe for a few years. The 1717 model is considered the earliest standard equipment of the French Army. It is not too late for Dashun to equip it now.

Although France had flintlock rifles before, they were either used by the navy or distributed to grenadiers by the army.

Let the grenadiers throw grenades with flintlocks on their backs, after all, matchlocks are inconvenient.

It has only been more than a decade since Europe fully replaced flintlocks, and this batch of muskets fully meets Liu Yu's needs.

I looked at the price list and it was quite reasonable. A flintlock with a bayonet only cost 14 taels of silver, and the estimated cost price was only 7 or 8 taels. Considering that they had come all the way here, it was acceptable to make some money.

It's just that the models are messy, there are 1717 infantry models, 1695 naval models, 1716 naval models... It is estimated that they are all prepared to be sold in packages to the princes of the disintegrated Mughal Empire to fight the civil war.

Fortunately, the caliber of French guns is relatively uniform, theoretically 0.69 inches, of course, this is only theoretically, and taking into account tolerances and clearances, a difference of a few millimeters is normal.

There are a total of 6,000 flintlocks and bayonets, in addition to some cannons, gun carriages, gun carriages, etc., with a total price of about 130,000 taels of silver.

The price is not expensive. France does not have a big advantage in cannons, but the gun carriage is better. Some precision screw rods and other designs are still lacking in Dashun.

The French made cannons very luxurious in this era. The back of the eight-pound cannon must be cast into the shape of a chicken head, the 12-pound cannon into a monkey head, and the 24-pound cannon into a lion. It looks good, but it is useless. It shows the luxury of the Bourbon era.

These are secondary. The new army is trained for the emperor and courtiers to see, so that they can be convinced that this thing really saves money, spends less money, and fights big battles.

What Liu Yu really wants to cooperate with the French is not these ships of arms.

After collecting the list, Liu Yu smiled and said, "Mr. Dupleix, I have accepted this list. After counting it correctly, I will pay silver as agreed, or I can help you change it into gold."

"The following words, I hope it will be a private conversation. The main body is me and the East India Company, or you personally."

Dupleix nodded, indicating that he could accept such a private conversation.

"I know that the East India Company has a wide network of contacts in France and even in the whole of Europe. I hope to promote a cooperation."

"I will provide money and people, and the East India Company will be responsible for recruiting technicians for me. You can get a kickback of half a year's salary for each technician."

"Including shipbuilders, cannon casters, gun makers, fine blacksmiths, etc. I can ensure that the salary is higher than that in Europe."

"If you can meet my requirements and put into production within a fixed time, the French East India Company will receive a dividend of 5% of the future profits, and another 2% will be privately granted to you, the director of the East India Company at this time, and other members. And some mechanical instruments needed in the future will also be entrusted to you. Ask the French East India Company to buy it. "

"I hope you can understand that a big country with hundreds of thousands of troops cannot always rely on the purchase of arms. Once the new army shows its advantages on the battlefield, the purchase of hundreds of thousands of troops will be a huge business. This can make up for the poor financial situation of the East India Company."

"We are about to have a war with the Tatars in the northwest. I am eager to prove the value of the new army in this war. For my personal future, it means a title; for my personal wealth, it means orders from the arsenal."

"So, I hope you can seriously consider it and find such talents as soon as possible. "

It sounds like an open and honest conversation, and this conversation hit Dupleix's soft spot.

The East India Company is first of all a company.

As a company, it must find a way to make a profit.

Including Dupleix's subsequent adventurous policies in India, they are actually for one purpose: profit.

Just like the Cossacks who expanded eastward from the north, there was no great belief in the motherland for the Tsar, and the only thing they did was the profit of fur.

Liu Yu's proposal made Dupleix very tempted.

China is very big, and there are really many troops.

China's army is now at the level of the Thirty Years War, which is about fifty years behind. Flintlocks and bayonets have been tested in the War of the Spanish Succession, and matchlocks have been completely eliminated in Europe. Practice is the best proof.

As Liu Yu said, if the Chinese emperor is really ready to carry out military reforms, the number of rifles, artillery and warships purchased each year will be astonishing.

The 5% profit dividend is already high enough, not to mention that the remaining 2% kickbacks will be privately granted to several top figures in the company.

Indeed, a big country cannot rely on purchasing arms from abroad, and must have its own military factories.

Moreover, even if it purchases, it does not necessarily have to choose France. British rifles are not expensive, and Austrian artillery is better.

Dupleix believes that the reason for choosing France is more due to political considerations. At least in Southeast Asia, the conflict between China and France is not great for the time being.

Liu Yu is actually partly due to laziness.

A shipyard needs all kinds of carpenters, some who can steam the ribs of the ship, some who can lay the deck, and some who can weave ropes and canvas. Liu Yu is too lazy to find these people one by one.

The East India Company's connections can recruit a complete system of craftsmen. At least shipbuilding is not something that can be built by a few shipbuilders, and the same is true for casting cannons. In addition, there is a complete set of equipment purchases and various tools.

The East India Company knows this kind of thing very well. After all, they all start from scratch. In places where the language is not understood, from building houses to building shipyards little by little, these East India Companies know much more than him, and what kind of talents are needed.

It is easier and more convenient to rent it to the East India Company and let them be responsible for finding people than to find them by yourself.

Another thing is that although the French navy is not very good, its design ideas are really leading the trend.

Whether it is the excellent Frigate cruiser or the formal and practical 74-gun battleship, the French design is excellent, but it doesn’t matter... the naval battle cannot be won.

Often, the British will take a look after dragging it back and say, hey, this French design is very good, but from now on it belongs to the Royal Navy.

The British have to consider the safety of the English Channel, and their idea has always been to pile up battleships.

But Liu Yu can't learn from the British.

The situation in East Asia is very special, and what is needed is mainly cruisers.

The main opponent is the Netherlands. It must be able to hijack ships, track, attack merchant ships, blockade ports, and raid, so battleships are not applicable. When the Netherlands is expelled and Japan's trade is monopolized, battleships will be considered.

Cruisers naturally have to learn from France. Even the design of British cruisers is based on captured French warships. Liu Yu can't think of any reason not to learn.

There is nothing that cannot be sold, and if you pay enough money, others will do it. I don't have any connections in Europe. I might invite mathematicians like Euler to make friends through literature, but it's not the same as a shipbuilder.

In the short term, it's definitely better to buy than to build. In the long term, it's better to build than to buy.

If you want to change the mindset of the court, you have to make a splash. Reasoning is far less useful than a bloody war. I hope that through this war, the court can thoroughly understand that the gap is widening. This requires a huge short-term investment.

In order to express his sincerity, Liu Yu said: "I can advance you one thousand taels of gold. I hope your company can set up a special committee to be responsible for this matter. For your company, there is no investment in gold and silver. This is a long-term and effective profit point."

"I have made it very clear about the political considerations. The reason for choosing France is not that France is the only choice."

Dupleix nodded and had to admit that what Liu Yu said was true.

China is not short of money. At least in their opinion, this silver-eating monster that only eats and does not spit out has more silver than any European country.

The Dutch, the British, the French, the Spanish, the Portuguese... all of them wanted to use something to open up the Chinese market and save their shocking trade deficit.

Dupleix tried to ask: "General Liu, don't you have any other commodities in large demand in your country?"

Liu Yu didn't want to say that the Celestial Empire was vast and rich in resources, nor did he want to say that the small peasant economy under the landlord-tenant land system had a small market and extremely poor consumption capacity, so he said: "I thought about it, maybe the most likely commodity is American ginseng? You can grow American ginseng on a large scale in your colonies in America."

"Uh..."

Dupleix was speechless and couldn't refute it. After all, last year's trade volume was here. A total of 40,000 taels of goods were shipped to China, but 400,000 taels of goods were shipped away from China. Under the huge trade deficit, the arms sold this time became the largest export income in the entire French trade with China.

A sum that can be recorded in history.

"Mr. Dupleix, I hope you can think carefully about the arsenal and shipyard. The conflict between your country and Britain in India will erupt one day."

"Do you think the French navy can defeat the British navy?"

This question does not need to be answered. If the French navy could defeat the British navy, it would have been defeated long ago. Now the British king is still under the claim of the French king.

"So, if there is a conflict between Britain and France in India, and the British navy blocks the route from the mainland to India, you will need an ally who is closer to you to provide you with arms, guns, and even lease you a fleet."

After drawing this pie, Liu Yu deceived again: "Aurangzeb is dead, and the once powerful Mughal Empire is falling apart. This is where heroes can show their talents. An ambitious person should consider the future in advance. Instead of waiting until things happen and then regretting it."

This is exactly what Dupleix wants. After a moment of hesitation, he knew that he could not make the decision. He is not the governor of the East India Company yet.

"General Liu, I will try my best to lobby the company's top management. They will also be very satisfied with this trade. I will try my best to make things clear."

"In addition, since your country wants to buy warships, the company is also lobbying, and there should be a great chance of success. The two warships are what you requested, single-deck, 26 9-pound guns... As for the price..."

"If the East India Company is responsible for the sinking before arriving at the port, each ship will be sold for 80,000 taels."

"If the East India Company is not responsible for the sinking before arriving at the port, each ship will be sold for 67,000 taels."

Liu Yu didn't care about the high "insurance premium". He asked about the displacement and size. After converting it into familiar metric units, he found that the ship was only 500 tons.

However, compared with the two training ships it has now, it is still much larger.

There are so many East India companies, and there must be at least 10,000 taels of profit. It's okay to pinch your nose. Who knows how the French court will react to the flirting behavior of his side. You can't expect official cooperation.

"In this way, I can pay a deposit of 20,000 taels this time, and I can pay the full amount after the warship arrives and is inspected. If there is an accident on the way, the loss will be borne by the East India Company."

After reaching an agreement on this matter, Liu Yu once again instructed: "Mr. Dupleix, I must remind you again. Choosing to trade with France is not because we can only trade with France. I hope you can accurately convey my message to the directors of the East India Company. In any case, please bring the first batch of craftsmen when the warship arrives next year."

Dupleix repeatedly assured that Liu Yu ended this private conversation and accompanied him out to prepare to unload the ship and count the arms.