I want to ruin the country

The news that the Qing people bought warships was known to the rigid and dull Germans, and they also sent people to contact them!

Going to Germany was also a trip that Prince Gong had planned long ago. Since he was invited, he naturally borrowed the ladder to go down to the room.

But the French really didn't want to let them go, they also wanted to get orders for a few more warships.

Li Hongzhang explained to them,

"It's already very good that we can give you an order for three ships now. If we are satisfied with your warships after they are completed, we will have a continuous flow of subsequent orders!

If you can't satisfy us, there's no point in saying anything now!"

After hearing this, the French realized that this was indeed the case. With the orders for three large ships, they were already working at full capacity, so they had to give up.

Li Hongzhang set up an office in Paris and arranged people to start work. The role of the office was to recruit various talents.

Of course, another important task is to collect beautiful women. Prince Gong wants to find beautiful wives for the emperor, and of course, he also wants to marry a few for himself.

Lu Yaxuan and Qiao Sansheng also opened their own offices.

Lu Yaxuan runs an international trading company.

Qiao Sansheng is planning to open a bank here, but this matter still needs to be approved by the French government.

After confirming their departure, the French held a grand farewell ceremony.

King Louis's representative expressed at the farewell ceremony the hope that goods from China could be traded directly in Paris in the future.

Lu Yaxuan agreed readily!

On behalf of the King, Remi respectfully escorted Prince Gong and his entourage all the way to the border before returning.

Prince Gong and his entourage arrived in Germany.

Germany is currently in the federal period and has not yet been truly unified. It is quite chaotic, so we won’t say much about it.

It was Saxon, the director of the Prussian shipyard, who invited Prince Gong and others.

Compared with the United Kingdom, Germany is still in the early stages of industrial development, and it is more accurate to say that it is an agricultural country.

The Prussian shipyard is located on the Atlantic coast and has a history of more than a hundred years. Although it has a long history, they have just started building ironclad ships.

After visiting the entire shipyard, Prince Gong and Li Hongzhang looked at each other and were both a little disappointed!

The Saxon factory director saw what they meant. He also knew his own strength. He was very afraid that he would not get the order from the Eastern power, so he hurriedly said,

"Your Highness, I know you may be a little disappointed with our shipyard!

But I swear by my grandfather's grandfather, the ironclad ships we build will not be inferior to those of other countries!"

Li Hongzhang said,

"Shipbuilding requires technical prowess. We haven't seen your ship, so we can't believe the level of proficiency you claim!"

Captain Saxon said hastily,

"One of the ironclad ships we built has been delivered to the Prussian army. They have only just left for half a month, and we haven't received the final payment yet!

If Your Highness really wants to see it, I can take you there to have a look!"

Prince Gong asked,

"How big a ship is that and how much does it cost?"

Saxon said,

"It has a displacement of 5,500 tons, is over 70 meters long, has 40 guns, and is very thickly armored. Converted into silver, it's worth 500,000 taels!"

Prince Gong shook his head.

"Too small, too small!"

Saxon said,

"Your Excellency, we can build large ships. We already have blueprints for a 7,800-ton ironclad ship!"

Li Hongzhang said,

"Captain, you know that the ship we ordered from France is a 10,000-ton ship. 7,000 tons is still too small!"

Saxon said hurriedly,

"Respected Lord Li, although large warships are good, smaller warships are more flexible in naval battles.

Moreover, our artillery is superior to theirs, and the quality of our shipyards is the best in Europe, as everyone can see!"

Li Hongzhang looked at Prince Gong, who thought for a moment and said,

"Where are your warships?"

Saxon said,

"It's at the port a few dozen miles away. If His Royal Highness takes a liking to our warships, the price is negotiable. We will definitely offer our utmost sincerity!"

"Well, take us there sometime!"

Saxony was very happy when he heard that Prince Gong had given in.

"I'll send someone to contact them right away, and I think they'll be able to go over and take a look tomorrow!"

The next day, Saxony brought Prince Gong and his men to a port dozens of miles away, where there was indeed an ironclad ship docked.

However, there was no one on this warship.

"what happened?"

Prince Gong asked.

Saxon said somewhat embarrassedly,

"Our King of Prussia just passed away, and the next generation is fighting for the inheritance. Now no one is in charge, so we can't even get the balance!"

A group of people boarded the warship. The warship was new, but already covered in dust.

When Saxon saw that Prince Gong frowned again, he hurriedly began to introduce the warship.

After looking around the warship from top to bottom, inside and out, Saxon became a little anxious when he saw that the expressions on Prince Gong and Li Hongzhang's faces had not changed much.

"Your Highness, the workmanship of our warships is unmatched by any other shipyard!"

As he spoke, he used his clothes to wipe away the dust on the deck, revealing the rivets more clearly.

Everyone looked down carefully and saw that the rows of rivets were straight and level, neat and straight.

In terms of workmanship, it is indeed very exquisite!

Saxon touched the edges of some iron plates and said,

"Your Highness, please feel our edges and corners. They won't warp or hurt your hands!"

Li Hongzhang said,

"What does this mean?"

Saxon said excitedly,

"Master Li, this represents our processing technology and attitude towards work.

A warship is made up of thousands of parts. If one of the parts is not assembled properly, it will cause a series of problems!

Moreover, if a part is not assembled properly, it is likely not a part.

It is very likely that several parts are not assembled properly, so the entire warship will have huge hidden dangers.

Out in the vast ocean, with neither heaven nor earth to support us, if something goes wrong, there's no one to turn to, and that can cost the lives of our soldiers!"

Prince Gong still admired the persistence of the Saxon factory director. At least this man was very serious about his work!

He said half-jokingly,

"Mr. Factory Director, I agree with what you said. You said the military hasn't paid you the balance yet. How much did they pay?"

Saxon said,

"I only received a 30% deposit when I signed the contract!"

Prince Gong asked,

"Mr. Factory Director, I'd like to ask you a question. If the military doesn't pay you the balance for a long time, even if we give you the order, will you have the money to start construction?"

"Well...I'll find a way!"

This is really a headache for the Saxony factory manager.