I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 662 Cooperation
Talleyrand nodded in agreement: "That's right, Your Excellency the Grand Vizier, there are always some shameless people who try to disrupt our normal trade through war or intimidation."

He removed Melka Mohammed's hand and smiled. "However, in my experience, those who do evil will be plagued by misfortune. Perhaps their fleet will be swallowed up by a storm as soon as it passes through the Strait of Gibraltar."

"Storm? In the Mediterranean?"

Talleyrand waved his hand and said, "Maybe we encountered a sea monster. Who knows? But I believe that the normal commercial exchanges in the Mediterranean will never be disturbed by the British."

Melka Mohammed stared at the "nonsense" lame man, but saw full confidence on his round face.

"With all due respect, your fleet is no match for the British."

"You will see." Talleyrand kept smiling, "The arrogant British Navy will also abide by the rules of the Mediterranean."

Melka Mohammed still shook his head slightly: "Even if what you said comes true, our country will fall into a very unfavorable trade situation. This is not what our country wants..."

His concerns were justified. Once the Mediterranean shipping was monopolized by France, they could manipulate the arrival price of goods at will, which was equivalent to controlling the lifeline of the Ottoman maritime trade.

Talleyrand immediately said: "My dearest friend, you should not underestimate the friendship between our two countries.

"This brand new steamship is not operated by our country alone, but can be sold to you at any time."

Melka Mohammed suddenly felt his breathing quicken: "Are you serious?"

"Of course, there is a broad space for cooperation between our two countries in the future." Talleyrand said with a smile, "A 32-meter steamship only costs 30 Acheques, which is a very big discount."

Normally 1 franc could be exchanged for 10 atchiks, but because the Ottoman silver coins contained a lot of impurities, the maximum amount that could be exchanged was 12 atchiks.

In other words, the price of a steam paddle steamer is about 2.5 francs, while the cost is about 1.4 francs.

For such a high-tech product, this is definitely a huge discount.

Joseph knew that if he really used steamships to monopolize Mediterranean shipping, it would only offend the Ottoman Empire to death. In the end, all he would gain was a trade ban and unprecedented unity between Britain and Turkey.

Selling the steamship to the Ottomans would bring them firmly to their side.

First of all, since you Ottomans have benefited so much from me, you should give me some return in the trade agreement. Not to mention a significant reduction in tariffs, at least France can get priority in the export of important raw materials.

Secondly, the Ottomans certainly cannot repair such a high-tech thing as a steamship. The subsequent maintenance costs can easily make back the discounted selling price.

As for the technology leak, paddle steamers are basically not used for military purposes, so let it be. By the time other countries can imitate it, France will have already made back its money and invested in the research and development of a new generation of products.

Moreover, it is difficult to keep such large civilian items strictly confidential.

Melka Mohammed immediately stood up and touched his chest to signal Talleyrand: "This matter is of great importance. I need to report to His Majesty the Sultan."

"Of course." Talleyrand looked at his coffee cup and shook his head regretfully. "To be honest, I haven't had enough."

The Grand Vizier was startled for a moment, then slowly sat down again.

Talleyrand continued: "You see, as long as we forget the minor differences in North Africa, there are actually many areas where we can cooperate."

Melka Mohammed nodded: "I am listening to your advice."

Talleyrand picked up the refilled coffee cup with satisfaction: “We need to better meet each other’s needs.

"For example, our country will increase shipments of silk, iron products, chemical products, and weapons to Constantinia and the Levant. Oh, I almost forgot, and steamships."

The Grand Vizier immediately noticed the key words: "What weapons do you mean?" "Flintlock rifles, cannons, military uniforms, surveying tools. It depends on what you want. Even blueprints can be traded."

France was popularizing percussion cap rifles, and flintlock rifles, as outdated products, were the best to sell at a good price. The same was true for cannons using old-fashioned gun carriages.

The Ottoman military was weak, and the core reason was the corrupt Janissary system, so weapons and equipment could be sold to him at will, and there was no need to worry that he would become a military power because of this.

Moreover, the Ottoman Empire would soon be needed to contain Russia in order to relieve the pressure on Poland. It was also necessary to give them some sophisticated weapons at this time.

Melka Mohammed was overjoyed. Before he could say anything, Talleyrand continued, "And I need more cotton and sugarcane. You should be able to fulfill my little wish, right?"

Although the Ottoman Empire was in its decline, it was still a large and powerful empire with a lot of heritage.

For example, Syria and Greece are important cotton producing areas, and nearly 20% of the cotton needed by the UK is imported from here.

Although Egypt's sugarcane production is far lower than that in the Caribbean, it is the closest production area to Europe.

Melka Mohammed nodded: "I will definitely recommend this to His Majesty the Sultan."

Talleyrand was still not satisfied, and said: "Oh, I heard that His Majesty the Sultan is training a new army of 'Topiz'."

"Yes, there are currently 600 soldiers, all trained according to the Russian drill manual."

He didn't need to hide it, because this was an important reform of Selim III, and the intelligence agencies of a big country couldn't possibly not know about it.

Talleyrand seemed very regretful: "It is well known that a good teacher is even more important than the talent of the student.

"To be honest, His Majesty the Sultan chose the worst teacher for his new army. Please forgive me for being so blunt."

"This is what General Omar Agha advised His Majesty."

Talleyrand lowered his voice and said: "General Omar Agha regards the Russians as strong just because he was captured by them."

"Ah, maybe that's the case..."

"In fact, the training level of the Russian army is relatively backward among major countries."

The Grand Vizier understood what he meant: "You mean, we can send French officers to help train Topiz?"

Talleyrand shook his head: "No, I don't think any European army is suitable for training them.

“I know that your country’s Royal Guards have always been strongly opposed to the training of new troops, and their biggest reason is that they cannot accept pagans as instructors.

"This means that Topiz can only maintain a very small scale, otherwise it will anger all the guards."

"But in the Islamic world, there are no instructors who can train them."

"No, there is."

"What do you mean?"

"The Royal Tunisian Regiment."

(End of this chapter)