Vientiane Throne of Civilization

Chapter 1596 Making the Deal
In the new round of negotiations, following Zhou Xu's train of thought, as soon as Kong Daqian raised those issues, Carl was immediately embarrassed.

Because that’s exactly what they think.

Let them prove that this steam-powered armor can be made?

How to prove this?

If they could make this thing themselves, they wouldn't exchange it for anything else.

Faced with these questions at this moment, Carl couldn't help but let out two awkward dry coughs.

"Minister Kong, I'm afraid we can't prove this. I can only say that this design was passed down from our ancestors. Our ancestors shouldn't lie to us, their descendants."

Then, probably to enhance the credibility of the design, Carl emphasized one more sentence...

"Many of the designs handed down by our ancestors have already been developed by us at Tonglu Fort, so they should be correct."

To some extent, he is quite honest and his words can be described as sincere.

But from the perspective of transactions between the two countries, the interests involved in this transaction are enormous and may even have an impact on national development that cannot be ignored.

Although Carl's words were sincere, this matter essentially had no basis at all, and Kong Daqian obviously couldn't accept it.

Regarding this point, Kong Daqian said whatever he wanted to say.

They deliberately took out a design drawing that they could not make by themselves as a bargaining chip. In this transaction, Carl already felt guilty. After such a negotiation, Carl also made appropriate concessions.

"To show our sincerity, we can add this design drawing."

As Karl spoke, he put another drawing on the table.

Obviously, this was a response plan they had prepared long ago. After all, they had some idea about the matter.

As always, there is only a name and a drawing of the appearance.

"Thunder Revolver Cannon?"

Inside the side hall, Zhou Xu raised his eyebrows slightly as he looked at the drawings sent by Kong Daqian.

In Zhou Xu's opinion, the thing on the blueprint looked very much like a Gatling gun.

However, judging from its size, it is probably a super-enlarged version. Its size is basically comparable to that of a cannon. In some ways, it is even more bloated than a cannon.

Because this thing has eight gun barrels!

Of course, it is impossible for every barrel to be as thick as a cannon.

Judging from the drawings, each of these gun barrels should be much thinner than a conventional gun barrel, but at the same time much thicker than a conventional gun barrel.

Not to mention, Zhou Xu was really interested in this Thunder Revolver Cannon.

If this weapon can be manufactured, it will also complete a new upgrade of their Great Zhou's artillery weapons.

In addition, they may be able to refer to this design and manufacture a miniature machine gun.

It is equivalent to a design drawing that can produce two results.

The coverage of these two achievements will directly enable their Great Zhou troops to undergo a comprehensive upgrade of their weapons and equipment, which is very tempting.

"make a deal!"

Although the people in Copperforge are relatively honest, they are not stupid. It is probably unrealistic to ask them to provide more design drawings.

Besides, the two sides have always gotten along fairly well as allies, so this matter is pretty much over.

However, they still made a request, that is, the steam engines they traded to Copperforge are not allowed to be traded again. Simply put, this is to prevent Copperforge from reselling them.

In addition, it was also prohibited to provide steam engines to other countries for research.

In this regard, Carl, who had not originally planned to do so, naturally agreed.

Carl couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief after successfully negotiating the steam engine exchange project with Da Zhou. Of course, they also wanted to start subsequent cooperative projects with Da Zhou. At present, cooperative research and development is not a disadvantage for them.

But there's no need to rush this matter.

After all, they don’t have that many talented people in Tonglu Castle right now to allow them to start several important projects at the same time.

Right now, the most important thing for them in Copperforge is to go back and study the steam engine.

After they have studied Da Zhou's steam engine and achieved technical improvements, it will not be too late to discuss subsequent cooperative research and development projects with Da Zhou.

Zhou Xu didn't care about this.

After all, they had just received two new design drawings, and Da Zhou now needed to invest its main talents into these new research and development projects.

If they were to start any more cooperative R&D projects, they would most likely be short of R&D talent.

In fact, after the establishment of the 'Steam Powered Armor' and 'Thunder Revolver Cannon' projects, Zhuang Mengdie, who has been promoted to the director of the ordnance research and development department in recent years, has needed to run back and forth among the three project teams.

In addition to the previous two project groups, she also has the 'M1891 rifle' research and development project.

Zhuang Mengdie’s greatest talent is her incredibly skillful hands.

At first glance, it seems that she can only do some manual work in the early days, but in fact, her importance is irreplaceable in various research and development projects that require precision.

You know, she was the one who could make a steam engine by hand in the early days!

When Qin Fen was unable to produce any results due to precision issues, the earliest version of the steam engine was made by Zhuang Mengdie himself.

Not to mention that she herself has a four-star intelligence.

Zhuang Mengdie does not rely solely on her hands, she is also very smart. In addition, the various research and development experiences accumulated over the years throughout the entire development history of the Great Zhou have made her the backbone of the ordnance research and development department.

In comparison, Qin Fen only needs to be responsible for the steam-powered armor. As for the other two project teams, he doesn't understand the research and development.

"Is there any news from Qin Fen?"

On a new day, before starting work, Zhou Xu casually asked about something that he was currently concerned about.

After all, he had just received the design drawings, so Zhou Xu was quite interested in the dwarf's black technology and paid close attention to the progress of the entire project.

However, Qin Fen disappeared after getting the design drawings of the steam-powered armor...

Of course, this disappearance does not mean that Qin Fen ran away with the design drawings, but that after getting the design drawings, he locked himself in the laboratory and never showed up again.

Zhou Xu sent people to call, but there was no response.

There is no other choice but to find time and go there in person.

The door of the laboratory was not locked. After all, as an important department listed in the first echelon, there were guards on duty outside 24 hours a day. In addition, Qin Fen himself was inside, so there was no need to worry about anything happening.

The moment you open the door...

"Well!"

A stench was so strong that Zhou Xu involuntarily closed the door again.

The smell is similar to the effect of smelly socks worn in the summer that have not been washed for a month and are left standing there.

He had caught a quick glimpse when the door opened just now.

Qin Fen was leaning over the table, looking through the design drawings with full concentration.

There were a lot of design drawings, and when stacked together, they were thicker than the Xinhua Dictionary.

Qin Fen was obviously so obsessed with his research that he neglected sleep and food. He used to be a handsome young man, but now he has turned into a homeless man with disheveled hair and unshaven beard.

I don’t know how long it has been since I washed my clothes. It’s summer now, and the laboratory is a mess, just like a garbage dump.

(End of this chapter)