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Chapter 1135 The Ottomans Turned Against

"Not appropriate! Africa has extremely hot weather all year round and no winter, so it is difficult for animals to survive in the north. Zoos are best built south of the Yangtze River. Not only should we consider the climate, but we should also think more about the feed, which should be collected nearby to reduce maintenance costs.

You can find some people who are good at making up stories, and first publish a newspaper with the name of a mythical animal, saying that the traces of a mythical animal were found in Africa. When the zoo is built, tell the public the truth. This way, you won't deceive the people, and you can also attract business."

Hong Tao absolutely disagrees with this site choice. The area near Beijing is indeed densely populated and has strong spending power, but it has an unavoidable shortcoming: the temperature is too low. It is estimated that 90% of the animals from Africa cannot survive the northern winter.

In fact, if there were no such restriction, the Royal Academy would have built a zoo long ago, and it would have to be paired with a botanical garden. The academy has courses specifically for studying animals and plants, and being able to observe two large gardens every day can achieve twice the result with half the effort.

"Your Majesty, wait a minute... writing the story of the auspicious beast and publishing it in the newspaper is a great idea. My daughter has a favor to ask, I wonder if Your Majesty can grant it?"

Hong Tao just said it casually, some things have not been verified at all, let alone feasibility analysis. But Gulandam has taken out a small notebook and borrowed the pen that Wang Chengen carries with him.

Given her sensitivity to money, this trick could be used in more ways than just the zoo. From this, she thought, if the emperor could make up a story himself, wouldn't it be more instructive?

"How dare you! How can I do such a shameful thing for a little profit? Well, now that the source of the big wood has been solved, the loans for the three main halls must be finalized as soon as possible. We should try to start construction in the spring and finish it by the end of the year. Time is not enough!"

Without waiting for Gulandam to say anything, Hong Tao flatly refused, and then changed the topic back to the issue of loans.

The reason why he was willing to take the trouble to give advice to Sun Moon Bank was not because he was grateful for Oyani's work, nor because he was optimistic about Gulandam's intelligence, but because he had requirements for the construction period. There was only less than a year, so he had to hire more people, which meant increasing costs.

"Why are you so anxious?" When he heard that he had to pay more money, Gulandam, who had just been grateful and admiring towards the emperor, immediately became unhappy again.

"Next year will be the thirty-fourth year of Jingyang!" Wang Chengen on the side gave the answer on behalf of the emperor.

"Is there anything special about thirty-four years?" Unfortunately, apart from her money-making skills and pretty face, Gulandam doesn't have many outstanding qualities.

"The year after next will mark the thirty-fifth year since your Majesty ascended the throne. It would be magnificent to gather all the civil and military officials and envoys from various countries in the three new halls."

But Oyani understood, but in her eyes there was nothing praiseworthy about this behavior. Even if all the monarchs in the world were gathered together, it would be no different from the banquets in European courts, and it would not be new.

"…Oh my God, this is a great thing worth celebrating. Sun Moon Bank will certainly not be stingy with the loan and will definitely repair the three main halls on schedule. When the next thirty-five years come, if I am still alive, I will definitely renovate the three main halls for Your Majesty and amaze all the guests who come to congratulate me!"

Gulandam was stunned when he heard this, then he bowed respectfully. Not only did he agree to the loan which was obviously a loss, he also took on the responsibility of repaying the loan decades later.

"Okay, okay, it's a deal. Live well. After thirty-five years, we will discuss here in detail how to make my palace more eye-catching. Then... let's go see who is coming?" He often heard the title of Your Highness, but never took it seriously. Obviously, no one can live that long, and it's bullshit no matter how loud it is. But the thirty-five-year agreement of Gulandam is a real blessing and expectation, which makes Hong Tao very pleased.

Just as I was about to imagine what the scene would be like thirty-five years from now, a figure appeared in my peripheral vision at the south end of the square, and seemed to be walking towards me quickly. The heavy snow obscured my view, but from the clothes he was wearing, he was definitely not a eunuch, which was a bit unusual.

"Your Majesty, it's Xiong Tongzheng. The Naval General Staff has an urgent report!" Wang Chengen quickly ran back to the Danbi and raised the black lacquered wooden box with both hands.

"...Well, it seems that I will not enjoy the life of the main palace. Go and notify all the military advisors to come to the Yangxin Palace for a meeting. You two should also listen. The investment in Suez City may be lost.

This Murad IV really doesn't know how to write the word death, and he takes the good intentions of the empire as weakness. In this case, I will lend him a helping hand, and he will die sooner and be reborn sooner! "

After reading the short memorial, the emperor's face was as cold and hard as the bronze lion of His Majesty Dan. After grappling with curses, he threw the wooden box into Oyani's arms, turned around and strode into the snow.

The city of Suez fell, and Wang Datou was captured, his life or death unknown! This urgent report from the Navy General Staff only mentioned two things, and it was incomplete, so we didn't know why or what happened next.

This happened 20 days ago, when Murad IV's messenger arrived in Suez and asked Piyali Bey and representatives of the Sun and Moon Bank to meet in Damascus and release the captured Hussein Pasha.

Piyali Bey sent two of his trusted followers, accompanied by Wang Datou as the representative of Sun Moon Bank. However, there was no news after that. Five days later, an Ottoman army suddenly appeared in the north of the city. Fortunately, Wang Datou had asked Piyali Bey to send patrols out of the city every day, otherwise they would have been caught off guard.

Even so, facing the Ottoman Empire's Guards Corps and Sipahi cavalry, the Mamluk nobles in Suez did not have much intention of fighting to the death.

Upon seeing this, the two mercenary officers immediately carried out Wang Datou's order, gathered their troops, even abandoned their artillery, took more than 400 nobles' families on board the ship from the port, and abandoned the people in the city.

After learning of the situation, the Indian Ocean Fleet stationed on Socotra Island immediately blocked the Red Sea according to the predetermined plan, strictly prohibiting all ships from entering or leaving, and then sent a communication ship back to Manila Port as quickly as possible to report to the Naval Staff.

This is all the information that can be confirmed at the moment. As for why the Ottoman Empire suddenly turned against Wang Datou, whether he was at fault, and whether he was alive or dead, it all depends on whether the local Naval Statistics Department staff can provide more information in a timely manner.

“I believe that Wang Pu should bear some responsibility for this accident. According to the plan of the General Staff, there should not be any negotiation. If the Ottoman Empire insisted on resolving the issue by force, the navy could have sent troops to impose a complete blockade of the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

Although it is not too late now, after all, there are hostages in the hands of the enemy, so it is inevitable that they will be cautious. Moreover, most of the attacking forces have returned to their bases, and it will take time to regroup, which will also increase the cost. "

Faced with the sudden accident, all the ministers in the room were silent. But the emperor was waiting for a solution and had to speak up, so in the end it was the Deputy Chief of General Staff Tan Mingming who stood up.

(End of this chapter)