my brother-in-law is the prince

Obviously, Zhang Anshi's interest in these two people has become stronger and stronger.

He put away his gaze on them and sighed: "My Daming likes to do business, and this Venetian also likes to do business. His Majesty has just agreed to send a larger fleet to your side in the near future. ...It's also time for the two of you to return."

Erdan and Luqiu were both surprised and uncertain on their faces.

In fact, they also felt that Zhang Anshi had developed a strong interest in the Venetian.

In fact, the power of the Venetians at this time had already expanded wildly in the Mediterranean.In addition, its covetousness for the Papal State Romagna region, to some extent, has already become a huge threat to the Pope.

If they collude with these Ming who seem to have a lot of ships, tens of thousands of people at a time, and have such a powerful ocean-going capability, then...the consequences will be unpredictable.

This is obviously not what Erdan and Luqiu wanted, so Erdan thought for a while and said, "The Venetians are cunning, you can't believe it."

Zhang Anshi said: "Businessmen are a little clever when it comes to business. It doesn't matter. The most important thing is that at least they can communicate with the Venetians. Dealing with people who can deal with people is better than dealing with a group of people." It’s better to deal with people who can’t deal with it.”

Erdan frowned even deeper, subconsciously said: "We can also deal with each other."

Zhang Anshi looked at him in a hurry, and felt inexplicably happy, so he laughed and said, "How to fight?"

"This..." Obviously, Erdan couldn't answer for a while.

Zhang Anshi said: "As far as I know, you foreign monks are very xenophobic. My Daming fleet will definitely have conflicts with you when it arrives."

After Erdan and Lvqiu looked at each other, Lvqiu suddenly said: "What if... I mean, what if we can have a contract that satisfies both parties? We can welcome Ming's goods, and even allow ships to dock... But……"

Zhang Anshi stared at them closely and said, "But what?"

Du Dan said: "If there is a conflict between Daming's fleet and the territory under the protection of God, it must be negotiated and resolved, and..."

Erdan put forward a lot of conditions in one breath.

Zhang Anshi is not interested in these conditions, or in other words, as long as these conditions do not affect the transaction, there is actually no big problem.

But at the end, Donkey Ball suddenly said: "Da Ming's fleet can also be hired by us to deal with the enemies of God."

As soon as these words came out, Zhang Anshi tightly pursed his lips, his face turned slightly cold.

Obviously, this is the key.

In fact, many agreements are negotiable for Erdan and Donkey Ball.

In their view, Daming is thousands of miles away. Even if there is a fleet, the size of the fleet is large, but it cannot shake the authority of the Pope, and it is even more impossible to have any influence on the lords.

After all, no matter what, Daming is also a foreigner thousands of miles away!Not to mention the language, even the appearance, there is a huge difference.

What is rare is that Daming is not considered a heretic, because they seem to...do not believe in other churches at all, which eliminates the possibility of heresy.

After all, for the church, what they worry about is not whether you believe in God or not, but whether you believe in the same God as me.

After all, colleagues are enemies, but Daming is not for the time being.

Europeans who hold this kind of thinking are actually the same in the late Ming Dynasty 200 years later. What they hate more are heresies like Venice and the Great Cannibal. Even the Orthodox Church in the east is far more threatening than Ming Dynasty. bigger.

The possibility of hiring Daming's fleet was something the two had to propose.

Because they were not sure whether Ming's fleet would go back on its word. Once it gained a firm foothold in Europe, it began to make peace with the Venetians, and even the ancient enemies in the East, the Turkic people who believed in paganism.

Zhang Anshi looked at them indifferently and said: "The fleet in my Daming Palace is owned by my Emperor Daming, so what's the point of hiring my Daming fleet...?"

Erdan said unhurriedly: "It doesn't have to be employment, and other cooperation methods can also be adopted, such as...attacking Venice..."

After he finished speaking, his blue eyes fixed on Zhang Anshi.

Only after attacking the Republic of Venice, did Ming completely cut off the possibility of making peace with the Venetians.

The biggest advantage of the Venetians lies in their navy, which is also the shortcoming of the Pope and other church lords. Venice's navy has a great advantage. If Ming's fleet fights with them, it will not only make them fight with each other, Greatly reducing the strength of the Deming Fleet and the Venetians can also make the Deming and the Venetians completely hostile.

In this way, in recent years, the Venetians who have become richer by selling luxury goods of Ming Dynasty will inevitably suffer from the hatred of Ming Dynasty.

At that time, unsurprisingly, Daming will try his best to ban trade with the Venetians, causing the Venetians to lose a huge source of income.

It can be said that this is a strategy that achieves the best of both worlds. As long as Daming falls into this trap, the pressure on the Pope from the Venetians will be greatly relieved.

After Zhang Anshi heard this, he frowned and said, "You mean... you asked us to attack the Venetian, why didn't you do it yourself?"

"Their navy is powerful..."

Zhang Anshi smiled and said: "Then what about the cost of the fleet, what are you willing to provide?"

"Supplies, as well as various seaports, as long as we want, we can also send guides. You must know that the waters around Venice are very complicated. If you want to attack, you must have a good guide. Of course, we can give some money as appropriate. , We are in Sicily and Sardinia can recruit some personnel for use by the fleet. If the matter is completed, we will also give a huge reward."

This bastard talked endlessly.

Although this so-called county king said just now that it was the private property of the Ming emperor and would not accept employment, but judging from what Zhang Anshi said later, it is obvious that this guy...is an eye for money.

So he was full of confidence, glib and eloquent, and he gave a lot of praise.

Then he added: "If necessary, the Venetian islands, colonies, and even their territories in the Mediterranean Sea can become the future private property of the fleet, and the Pope is willing to grant permission."

Zhang Anshi finally understood what was going on with the empty promise.

This kind of promise without a scribble is useless!
Although they will provide some so-called help, it is obvious that the other party does not believe that Daming's fleet, sailing thousands of miles to the Mediterranean Sea, can pose a huge threat to the Venetians!At most, it would be a loss for both sides, so all kinds of promises were made.

But these promises are based on the fact that Daming can destroy Venice.

But at this time, the Republic of Venice has entered its heyday. The size of their navy, tactics of naval warfare, and even their huge wealth, the armed forces are astonishing.

It's like Erdan and Donkey Ball, who took Zhang Anshi as a fool and set up a trap and trap for Zhang Anshi, just waiting for Zhang Anshi to fall into it.

Immediately afterwards, they just had to sit back and watch the tigers fight, watching the Ming Dynasty's fleet and the Venetian Navy both lose.

And they can easily, relying on a bad check, reap the benefits of the fisherman.

Zhang Anshi was not a fool, so he immediately understood their plan.

After hearing this, he couldn't help laughing: "This... may not be impossible to cooperate, but... how can you ensure your commitment?"

Erdan said: "After we can arrive in the Mediterranean Sea with the fleet, we will naturally go to Rome and report the matter to the Pope, and then... the Pope will confirm our agreement. Your Highness, we are good believers, yes Will not lie."

No joy or anger could be seen on Zhang Anshi's face, but he said: "It can be considered, but...it's still early, and I still need to confirm it. We can discuss the specific rules in detail."

Erdan and Luqiu nodded happily when they heard this.

As soon as Zhang Anshi left, Er Dan and Donkey Ball suddenly became extremely excited.

Donkey Ball muttered: "This is a huge victory, but it's a pity that we have no way to send news to Rome now."

Er Dan said: "Do you think Daming will choose to cooperate with us?"

Donkey Ball said: "The Venetians are too rich, and these people who have no faith are greedy. I believe they will agree."

Er Dan still had some doubts: "Can they successfully defeat the Venetians?"

But donkey ball shook his head and said: "I have seen their ships before, they are really big, but... they are all merchant ships with heavy loads, which is not conducive to combat. Moreover, they are far away, in front of the Venetians, they are not Without an advantage, it is very likely to lose or win miserably."

So Er Dan said: "Then, can our purpose be understood as letting them weaken the Venetians?"

"Yes, at the same time, we will take this opportunity to deal a fatal blow to the Venetians. The Pope will call on the lords of France and Romagna to march from land..."

Erdan listened, nodded, and agreed with Donkey Ball's analysis, so he said: "The only worry now is that Daming's fleet dare not attack the Venetians. We must find a way to facilitate this matter."

Donkey Ball thought for a while, curled his lips, and said with a bit of disdain: "This Highness is very young, obviously blind, and he is very greedy. As long as we give enough promises, he will be fooled. Now The only question is how to make this happen as soon as possible.”

The more the two talked, the more excited they became, as if a huge diplomatic victory was about to emerge.

Venice at this time was too much of a threat to Rome.

Not just because Wisney continued to expand in the Mediterranean Sea and captured a large number of colonies.Moreover, these Venetians even bribed a large number of lords, so that many lords, under the temptation of money, began to engage in various communications, which discredited Rome's prestige.

One of the biggest incidents was that during the Crusades, the Venetians lent loans to the Crusaders until the Crusaders could not repay them, they actually asked the Crusaders to sack Constantinople directly, so that the Pope was furious , Expelled the membership of these crusaders, thinking that they had committed a heinous crime.

But as a result, the Pope soon discovered that once these crusaders who believed in God were expelled, the power of the Pope would be greatly weakened, so he had to be cheeky and resume their religious membership.

This incident had a huge impact on the prestige of Rome. The group of Venetians who used money to corrupt lords and soldiers everywhere were simply heinous in the eyes of Rome.

Erdan and Donkey Ball didn't even suspect that one day, these guys would take gold coins, bribe a group of greedy lords, go directly to Rome, and then loot Rome.

They very much believed that the damn Venetian would definitely be able to do such a thing.

Now, finally, there is a twist.It is beneficial for Rome to introduce a group of great Mings who are thousands of miles away.

Of course, the reason why Erdan and Donkey Ball are so eager is because they are afraid that Daming's fleet will contact the Venetians.

After all, in the eyes of Rome, they are all businessmen, and once the two sides make peace, it may be of great harm to Rome.

And only by provoking them can this threat be lifted.

……

After Zhang Anshi left the imperial prison, he immediately ordered people: "Call my brothers here, hurry up."

Not long after, the three of Zhu Yong came in a hurry.

The three of them didn't know what happened, and they all looked at a loss.

Zhang Anshi asked Zhu Yong with a smile, "How is the model camp now? Nothing happened, right?"

Zhu Yong said: "Brother, the camp is well behaved, this year's recruits..."

Who knew that Zhang Anshi was just being polite to him, but he didn't want to listen to him continue to report. Instead, he walked up to Qiu Song, patted him on the head, and said: "Among all the brothers, only the fourth brother is the bravest. He is a good-looking talent, and our brothers are not as good as him."

When Zhu Yong and Zhang heard this, their bodies shook slightly, and a trace of vigilance and even sympathy flashed across Qiu Song's eyes.

Zhang Anshi smiled and said, "Do you think so?"

"Extremely true." Zhu Yong said: "My father often said a word, telling him to treat his son as Qiu's fourth younger brother. I swear, my father really said it, if he didn't say it, he would make my father rotten..."

Zhang Anshi immediately stopped Zhu Yong and said, "Okay, okay, my brother, don't swear."

Zhu Yong grinned and said, "Brother understands me."

Qiu Song: "..."

Zhang Anshi said earnestly: "Our fourth younger brother, who is such a man of culture and martial arts, only hangs around with our brothers all day long. It's really inferior. Hey, it's useless for me to be a big brother..."

Qiu Song said at this time: "Brother, tell me the truth, this time teach me how to behave."

Zhang Anshi's face froze, well, he had prepared a bunch of rhetoric, and it was obviously useless now.

So he said: "Sure enough, he is my brother, and he has a good understanding! Then I will say it straight, starting today, you choose 3000 people, go to Songjiangkou, don't do anything, just do one thing for me, then It is to practice the landing of the navy! Build a practice field for me at the mouth of the Songjiang River. This practice field needs more water nets. On this tidal flat, teach the navy to cooperate with your troops and practice day and night. In the spring of next year, you will bring They, go out for a long trip."

After hearing this, Qiu Song's suffocated face suddenly relaxed, but he couldn't help asking with some doubts: "That's it?"

Zhang Anshi nodded and said, "That's it... Are you afraid?"

"Afraid of a bird." Qiu Song said cheerfully, "I'm too happy to be happy."

"It really is the fourth brother Qiu." Zhang Anshi said.

Qiu Song said: "Brother, how far is the journey?"

"It's a bit far away, it's thousands of miles away, and it will be there in a year and a half."

Qiu Song: "..."

Zhang Anshi felt that he had already seen a black line on Qiu Song's forehead.

Zhang Anshi encouraged: "The big man Jinghai Fubo, this life is not in vain. Fourth brother, don't be unhappy, you can go, this is an opportunity, you must grasp it well."

Qiu Song was silent for a long time, and finally nodded: "Oh."

Zhang Anshi was really interested in Donkey Ball and Erdan's suggestion.

Because if this thing can be done, there are at least three huge benefits.

One is that the Venetians have been operating for hundreds of years. Since the Crusades, they have been accumulating wealth so far. This wealth is extremely rich.

Second, if the Venetian region and the Venetian colonies can be taken down, then Daming will have a foothold on the other side of the mainland.

These Venetians are nothing but second-hand dealers, and once Daming has so many excellent ports, from then on, it will be equivalent to conducting direct trade with the western end of the mainland, and there will be no middlemen to make the difference.

And the third is that Zhang Anshi has a strong interest in the [-] Venetian ships. With these ships, with the help of the Mediterranean Sea, it is possible for the Ming Dynasty to complete its trade network.

To put it bluntly, the consumption of the fleet is huge, and there must be a profit.

And it needs huge profits. Without ten times and hundred times profits, no one has the motivation to put their heads on their belts.

Naturally, this is also an adventure, whether it will be successful or not depends on Qiu Song and his [-] Model Battalion.

Once they fail to win completely and fall into a hard fight, they will fall into the trap of Rome, causing both Ming and the Venetians to lose, and it will also bring huge losses to Ming.

Zhang Anshi didn't seem to think it was enough, so he told Qiu Song, "We must solve the problem of moisture-proof gunpowder. When the time comes, you should bring some big guys with you."

At this moment, Qiu Song suddenly became happy from a slightly solemn face, his handsome brows opened, a smile of obvious joy appeared on his lips, he patted his chest and said: "Got it."

At this moment, a secretary from the Changshi Mansion hurried over, handed something to Zhang Anshi, and said respectfully: "Your Highness, there is an urgent letter from Songjiangkou, Your Highness, please have a look."

Zhang Anshi nodded, took the letter, and opened it. Immediately, Zhang Anshi smiled: "Haha... what a double blessing! This time, His Majesty's confidant's serious trouble can be solved again. Come and prepare the car."

As Zhang Anshi said, he put away the letter with an excited look on his face.

Before leaving, he did not forget to tell Zhu Yong and the others: "Go back, brother, I have something important to do, it's time to announce the good news to His Majesty."