My father Zhu Gaoxu

Chapter 822 Miracle Ship

No matter how dissatisfied Zhu Gaoxu is with Zhu Zhanji, at least in a short period of time, the Han Dynasty does not have the ability to use troops against the Ming Dynasty. After all, the physical distance can offset a large part of the military strength. No matter how powerful the army is, it also needs logistical support. .

Zhu Zhanhe was also very grateful for this. Fortunately, he had let Zhu Gaoxu go farther away. If he had been around the Ming Dynasty, a war might have broken out between the two countries.

However, although he was temporarily unable to send troops, Zhu Gaoxu still asked Liu Mian and other Jinyi guards to strengthen intelligence collection on the Ming Dynasty. At the same time, he secretly contacted some important figures in the Ming Dynasty and tried to win them over to the Han side.

Zhu Zhanhe was also paying attention to the situation on the Ming side. The Kaiping Guards finally moved inland. Xue Lu built a monolithic fortress five hundred miles behind to house the Kaiping Guards. This was equivalent to the Ming Dynasty giving up directly. The strategic buffer zone between Beijing and the border areas suddenly became very tense.

After Kaiping Guards moved inland, another piece of bad news came. After doing the above, Xue Lu, who was over seventy years old, finally fell ill and died soon after returning to the capital.

Xue Lu was one of the heroes of Jingnan and had a high prestige in the army. As some of the heroes of Jingnan died one after another, Xue Lu became one of the few generals who could take charge of his own affairs. Especially Zhang Fu was favored by Zhu Zhanji because of his high merit. He was jealous, so Xue Lu became the first person in the army.

But now that Xue Lu has also passed away, it seems that the Ming army is missing a pillar.

In addition, once Xue Lu dies, the Ming Dynasty will no longer have the strength to actively attack the grassland. Next, Zhu Zhanji may shrink the border defense forces again, and the entire Ming Dynasty's border will adopt a defensive posture.

Emerging forces such as Tuohuan and Wuliangha on the grassland will definitely develop faster. After annexation and integration in the future, they will sooner or later develop into a force that can threaten the entire Ming Dynasty.

As for some of the hidden tricks that Zhu Zhanhe laid for the grassland people, such as promoting Lamaism, although they can also weaken some of the grassland's strength, the time is too short after all, and it will not affect the foundation of the grassland for the time being, at least it will take a few more years. It will take ten years to really see the results.

Half a year later, news suddenly came from Egypt that Barcelona, ​​who had returned to Venice before, was back and brought a Venetian delegation with him.

This mission uses Bassa as the envoy. After all, he knows the situation of the Han best and is also familiar with the route. They disguised themselves as a caravan and then passed through the area ruled by the Ottomans. They successfully arrived in Egypt and are now taking a steamer. Heading towards the big man.

Zhu Zhanhe was also very happy about the news that Barcelona was back and immediately told Helen about it. Helen, who had just given birth, cried with joy. After all, she had waited for so long and finally received a reply from her parents.

At the same time, Barcelona stood on the bow of the steamship, feeling the oncoming sea breeze and looking at the scenery on both sides of the ship that was rapidly retreating. He also felt as if he was in a dream, even though this was his third time on the ship. It's a steamboat, but I still can't believe that there is such a fast ship in this world.

"Ma Qianhu, why is the steamboat I'm taking this time different from the last one? It seems like the wheels on both sides of the boat are missing?"

While admiring the scenery on the sea, Basa asked Qianhu Mayong, the Jin Yiwei who was accompanying him.

After Basa and his party arrived in Suez, they found Zhu Zhantan to reveal his identity, so Zhu Zhantan arranged for Jin Yiwei to escort them back to Dahan. Qianhu Mayong personally accompanied them, and kept their identities strictly confidential to prevent the Ottomans from knowing.

"Mr. Basa doesn't know. We are now riding the latest steamship, which is faster than the previous paddle steamers. It is estimated that we can reach Beizheng Port in three to five days at most."

Ma Rong smiled and replied that he was no stranger to Barcelona, ​​because the last time Barcelona arrived in Port Suez, he was secretly escorted by him. Of course, he had seen Barcelona, ​​but Barcelona had not seen him. "It's twice as fast as the original steamship. Your steamships are developing too fast!"

Barcelona was shocked when they heard this. In just a few months, the speed of steamships had doubled. If this happened to Venice, it would be like a fantasy.

"Hehe, this is all the result of His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Ma Rong immediately replied with a smile.

"His Royal Highness is indeed a talented inventor. I once saw the bicycle he invented in the capital. It is indeed very magical. If I were not afraid of being detained by the Ottomans, I would have wanted to take one back last time."

When Barcelona mentioned bicycles, he thought of the scene of Helen leaving the girls' school on a bicycle. This made his heart ache, but he soon adjusted his mentality. Compared with the interests of the country, personal feelings Not worth mentioning at all.

"By the way, can we go visit the steam engine on the ship? I'm very curious about it."

Barcelona suddenly made a request.

When he took the steamship before, he was always as an ordinary passenger. At that time, passengers were strictly prohibited from entering the bottom cabin, so he was not able to see the legendary steam engine.

"Well... let me ask the captain. If he agrees, I can take you to see it!"

Ma Rong thought for a moment before replying. Zhu Zhantan told him before he came that Venetians like Barcelona are very important. It is said that one of the concubines next to His Royal Highness is a Venetian, so the requirements for Barcelona and others are not excessive as long as they are not excessive. Just be satisfied.

So Ma Rong went to the captain and asked if he could visit the steam engine. The captain agreed immediately. After all, there is nothing confidential about steam engines. They are used in many industries in Han Dynasty. The main reason why people are not allowed to go to the bottom of the ship is They were afraid that passengers might accidentally damage the steam engine's pipes or injure themselves.

With the captain's consent, Ma Rong found Barcelona again. As a result, Barcelona was also very excited and called people from the mission to visit the bottom cabin together.

The number of the Venetian envoys was not large, only a dozen or so. Apart from Barcelona, ​​the most important deputy envoy was named Ceco. He was sent by the Council of Ten and was supposed to hold the position of envoy, but because Barcelona was more I was familiar with the big man, so I became the deputy envoy.

Checo was in his twenties. His father was a member of the Council of Ten, and his family was also very prominent in Venice. Therefore, he carried a sense of aristocratic arrogance. However, after arriving in Suez and seeing the prosperity of the Han Dynasty, he also He had to put away his arrogance, especially when he got on the steamship, which made him feel extremely shocked. He even wondered whether this ship was a miracle of God?

So when they learned that they could visit this miracle ship, Ceco and others were also very excited. They followed Barcelona to the bottom of the ship, hoping to figure out the operating principle of this ship. Maybe they could imitate one in Venice in the future.

(End of this chapter)