Chapter 244 The Grand Banquet

(Happy Mid-Autumn Festival. Come late at night for an update.)

As soon as Zhang Hao finished speaking, a needle could be heard in the hall.

Yan Chengxian and Hong Xiushan, these two people are very famous in the upper echelon of Canglan Country: not because they are traitors of Qixia Country, but because they brought excellent black iron smelting technology from Qixia Country.

Nowadays, these black irons have been widely used in the war of the Canglan Kingdom, providing great help for the war of the Canglan Kingdom. It can be said that without these black irons, the current situation in the Canglan Kingdom would be about three points worse.

Although the technology brought by Yan Chengxian and Hong Xiushan was eliminated by the Zhang family, they can still produce 60% pure black iron, and the quantity is very large, and there is still a considerable amount of more than 90% black iron.

These black irons almost added 30% of the equipment for the Canglan Kingdom. A large number of bows and crossbows can be used without reservation, and there is no need to worry about not having enough black iron. Soldiers' defenses could be thicker and border defenses reinforced. Even soldiers in the foundation building period can get excellent magic weapons and armor.

Because of these, the names of Yan Chengxian and Hong Xiushan have already been placed on the table of the Great Emperor of the Land of Canglan. The emperor doesn't care about the origins of the two, as long as the two are useful to the Land of Canglan, that's enough. Of course, the emperor was also very clear about the origins of the two of them.

But now, Zhang Hao opened his mouth to ask for this company, which immediately made the emperor frown.

At the critical moment, of course the prime minister came out to fight the fire. Left Prime Minister Huang Shaoxian said loudly to the emperor: "Your Majesty, there should be no such two people in the Land of Canglan!"

Zhang Hao turned his head and saw Huang Shaoxian's proud eyes. You want someone? Sorry, we haven't heard of it!

The emperor also reacted: "If there are such two people, Prime Minister Zuo should go and investigate first."

"Yes." Prime Minister Zuo withdrew.

Zhang Hao was choked by the black and white face of this monarch and minister, and couldn't say a word—too young! But I made a note of it!

But being young also has its perks, like being able to speak without thinking... well, straight to the point. Zhang Hao smiled faintly, "That's a pity, maybe I heard it wrong, these two friends have been lost since they left the Zhang family, and they are dying of anxiety.

Your Majesty, Zhang Hao's visit this time is just a matter of chance. The most important thing is to achieve non-governmental exchanges between the Land of Canglan and the Land of Qixia, so that the two sides can complement each other and achieve a win-win situation.

The country of Canglan has a surplus of pills, while the country of Qixia has high-end black iron, new steel, and new artillery, which can greatly increase the war potential.

If our two sides can complement each other, it can greatly increase the combat potential of both of us. Can break through the blockade as soon as possible.

The longer the war drags on, the more passive it becomes for us.

What does His Majesty think? "

"Is this... I'm not very good at war." The emperor began to practice Tai Chi, "Well, let's discuss it first, and we can discuss it in the afternoon.

Come, send Zhang Hao to Shangshe to rest, and receive him well at noon. "

The Great Emperor is the Great Emperor, and he was taken out without giving Zhang Hao a chance to speak.

When Zhang Hao left, the emperor's face immediately became serious, "What do you think about what Zhang Hao said just now?"

Huang Shaoxian was the first to speak: "Your Majesty, I believe that Yan Chengxian and Hong Xiushan should be protected. But what Zhang Hao said just now is also reasonable. My suggestion is: let them change their names."

"Change the name... Okay! Then I will give them new names: Yan Dexian, Hong Xuefeng." A mysterious smile appeared on the emperor's face. Now that Yan Chengxian and Hong Xiushan are cooperating with the Huang family, Huang Shaoxian's proposal...is absolutely perfect.

Aren't you Zhang Hao looking for Yan Chengxian and Hong Xiushan? Sorry, the name has been changed now, we really can't find "Yan Chengxian and Hong Xiushan" anymore!

And the name given by the emperor is very meaningful. 'Dexian' and 'Xuefeng' - I hope you will develop and contribute to the Land of Canglan with peace of mind, and don't make trouble, or you will be at your own risk.

Huang Shao thanked him first, and then said: "Your Majesty, Zhang Hao said earlier that we would use the high-end black iron, steel, and artillery from the Qixia Kingdom to trade our elixir.

We do lack this high-end black iron, but we don’t know what this steel and artillery are and how powerful they are. Chen believes that we should first understand and discuss. "

The emperor nodded, and after thinking for a while, he wanted someone to invite Fu Yun. Unexpectedly, Fu Yun just stepped into the hall: "Your Majesty, I'm back. I just went back and changed my clothes."

The emperor nodded: "Fu Yun, when you go to Qixia Country, have you ever heard of and learned about steel and artillery? And how much high-end black iron can the Zhang family provide? What's the base price?"

"The Zhang family's high-end black iron starts at 20 high-grade spirit stones internally, but I think this price can still be suppressed. As for the price of steel, Zhang's price is five times that of black iron, which should not be too much." few.

As for steel and artillery, we have already purchased one artillery, and there are samples of steel, we can test it on the spot. "

After all, Fu Yun is the enshrinement of the Land of Canglan, so of course it is impossible to keep any secrets for the Zhang family.

More than an hour later, in the valley not far from the emperor of the Canglan Kingdom, the emperor witnessed the power of the artillery with his own eyes. Although he was mentally prepared, he was still taken aback by the power of the artillery. Especially the attack distance of ten kilometers made the emperor's eyes shine!

Then the emperor tapped the cannon barrel lightly, and then looked at the steel model in his hand, amazed. "I really didn't expect that such a small Zhang family would have such an achievement."

Then the emperor looked at the blueprint of the artillery hanging next to him, and he asked thoughtfully: "Is there any way to win over this Zhang family? If the Zhang family is willing to come to our side, what about Yan Dexian (Yan Chengxian) and Hong Xuefeng (Hong Xiushan)?" ) It doesn’t matter to the Zhang family.”

Fu Yun directly denied it: "Your Majesty, I think it is impossible for the Zhang family to come to us. Because our country is too powerful."

"Oh... what's the point?" The emperor was confused, and many officials were also confused. The country is strong, isn't it?

"Of course a strong country is good. But for the Zhang family, a strong country may restrict their development. Now the Zhang family has a high status in the country of Qixia. They have contributed to the Xuantie Guild, the Refining Guild, and the Dayang Group. It is said that Still building ironclad ships..."

Fu Yun told everything he had seen and said, and the more the emperor heard, the more shocked he became, "This Zhang family is really not a trivial matter. Is their iron-clad ship made of steel? Thousands... tons of weight? A ship made of iron. Can it float?"

Obviously, the emperor is a little confused about the new unit 'ton'.

Fu Yun shook his head slightly: "It's not sure yet. I only know that the Zhang family seems to have made a small model, which is said to be made of ordinary black iron. As for more information, I'm not sure.

People in the Dayang Group kept this secret and avoided talking about it. I once asked the Supreme Emperor of Qixia Kingdom, but he just smiled but didn't say anything.

On the way here this time, I followed Zhang Hao's words. Zhang Hao said that the construction of the big ship was already underway, but he didn't say the specific time. Looking at Zhang Hao's expression, it seems that he is not relaxed, but he is not helpless either.

So I think this ironclad ship should be real. But it is not clear whether it is made of steel. But looking at the artillery, I think it is quite possible to use steel. The main components of these artillery are made of steel.

Moreover, there is a legion in the country of Qixia, and a legion formed by Dayang Group itself, all equipped with weapons and armor made of steel, relying on the armor itself, can almost completely defend against the attack of Jindanqi. "

The emperor nodded, "Thank you, sir. Do you think it is necessary to make a deal with the Zhang family? After all, we already have blueprints."

Fu Yun said again: "After I got the blueprint, because I couldn't figure out the unit problem on it, I went to the Artifact Refining Guild of Qixia Kingdom, and got a piece of news from the Artifact Refining Guild.

Zhou Jue, the chairman of the Artifact Refining Association, said this very arrogantly: If you have a blueprint, you may not be able to make it. If you don’t have a machine tool and want to rely on hand-made artillery, it will explode in all likelihood.

When I asked what the machine tool was, Zhou Jue only said that it was a tool like a crossbow bed. I won't explain it any more. "

The emperor let out a sigh, "In this case... we can only produce according to the drawings, and at the same time buy some artillery from the Zhang family."

The emperor knew it well, went back to discuss with the ministers, and then dragged Zhang Hao out...well, he invited him out.

This was a somewhat extravagant dinner party, not to mention the delicacies on the table, but just saying that the emperor accompanied him in person was enough to surprise Zhang Hao.

In Zhang Hao's expectation, to have a prime minister and a great prince to accompany him would be heavenly.

Feng Zhiling was sitting next to Zhang Hao, this guy was so heartless, he couldn't move anymore after seeing the delicious food; from time to time, a pair of evil eyes swept across the waist of the court lady.

However, because it is a royal banquet, everyone has their own table, and the maids are constantly flowing. Seeing the maids busy like butterflies, Zhang Hao was still a little dizzy.

Is the banquet standard too high? The emperor, the prime minister and other high-ranking officials accompanied him, even Fu Yun came out. This banquet size is more than enough to receive the great elders of Nine Yang Sect.

This is a typical weasel giving New Year greetings to chickens. Zhang Hao felt a little uneasy. What kind of medicine is sold in the gourd of the Great Emperor of the Land of Canglan?

The opening remark was very grand. The moment the emperor opened his mouth, it was said that the people-to-people exchanges between the two countries had a long history, and the people from Qixia Country took the initiative to come to the Canglan Country for business, which proved the sound development of the relationship between the two countries.

Hearing the official accent made Zhang Hao dizzy.

Left Prime Minister Huang Shaoxian was very active, and the atmosphere at the scene was very hot. Zhang Hao didn't want to drink, so Huang Shao persuaded him to have three drinks. However, the royal family's wine is really extraordinary, a glass of wine is almost equivalent to a Peiyuan pill.

After drinking for three rounds, Huang Shaoxian finally started to talk about business: "Master Zhang, we checked today, but we really didn't find Yan Chengxian and Hong Xiushan for the time being. Maybe they are no longer in the Land of Canglan."

Zhang Hao smiled: "Excuse me, Zuo Xiang, I'll just talk about it casually, forget it if you don't have one."

Huang Shaoxian smiled and said: "It's nothing, it's easy. Master Zhang, His Majesty is interested in the black iron, steel, and artillery of Dayang Group. But I don't know the price?"

As he said, Huang Shaoxian whispered: "Young Master Zhang, you should think about it when you make an offer. Your Majesty will accompany you in person today, so save some face."

Zhang Hao's heart suddenly became "lying grass". That's right, the emperor himself is here to accompany you, if you falsely report the price or something, you just don't know what's good and what's wrong. Sure enough, the weasel paid New Year greetings to the chicken-the pit is deep!

But it's a pity, although your methods are very good, but technically... there is too much gap.

Zhang Hao said slowly: "99% pure black iron, 30 high-grade spirit stones per catty, every point of increase in purity, the price will increase by 10 high-grade spirit stones. At present, the Zhang family can provide a considerable amount of black iron, the highest purity can reach 99.6 %.

And steel. Steel is made of ultra-high-purity black iron through extremely complicated technology. The price is five times that of dark iron of the same purity.

For artillery, a cannon has 500,000 high-grade spirit stones, and a cannonball has 50 high-grade spirit stones. "

As soon as Zhang Hao's offer came out, there was a whisper at the scene. Zhang Hao listened attentively:

"The price of black iron is not bad, much cheaper than the ones from the east. But I don't know the actual quality?"

"Steel is actually five times the price of black iron. Isn't this thing a bit expensive?"

"500,000 high-grade spirit stones for the cannon? That's outrageous. Don't we have blueprints? Can't we build it ourselves? A cannonball costs 500,000 high-grade spirit stones. Kill people, right?"

Everyone was noisy for a long time, and the emperor's face gradually became serious: "Zhang Hao, Fu Yun told me that your price...is a bit expensive!"

Zhang Hao smiled: "Then I dare to ask, what is the price of the elixir in your country?"

The emperor shook his head: "I'll talk about that later, what we're discussing now is that your offer is too expensive."

Zhang Hao thought for a while, and finally took a step back: "If your country trades with pills, you can enjoy a 10% discount."

The emperor's tone was a little angry: "But I heard that the domestic price of the Zhang family starts at 20 high-grade spirit stones! Now you are quoting 30 high-grade spirit stones, can you tell me?"

(New week, August 15th. Ask for tickets at one o'clock in the morning)