Chapter 933

A chill wafted through the imperial garden with the breeze. Schroeder couldn’t help but shiver.

This time, he felt nervous in front of this Great Yu Empire Emperor, because he found that he couldn’t use his acquired knowledge to fathom what this Emperor was thinking.

“I can represent His Majesty the King in agreeing to this,” Schroeder said solemnly.

Before coming to the Great Yu Empire, he had learned the bottom line of the deal from Frederick II. In fact, because Prussia and the Great Yu Empire were too far apart, and cooperation between the two could not threaten the other, it would only bring benefits.

“Excellent.” Xiao Ming and Pang Yukun exchanged glances, like a fox that had caught a chicken. This Schroeder clearly hadn’t realized the hidden trap.

The Great Yu Empire’s money was currency within the Great Yu Empire and could be used to purchase goods, but in Prussia, it would be equivalent to waste paper. Prussians might not accept it, so this characteristic would put Prussia at a disadvantage in trade.

They would have to use Great Yu Empire currency obtained from selling their own goods to purchase Great Yu Empire goods. This way, the Great Yu Empire could maintain a high trade surplus by buying Prussian resources at low prices and selling industrial products at high prices.

Having agreed on the first step of cooperation, Schroeder grew bolder. He directly said, “We wish to acquire the Great Yu Empire’s firearm manufacturing technology and steam engine technology. We hope Your Majesty can grant our request.”

As Schroeder’s words fell, the officials immediately became displeased, whispering among themselves, clearly dissatisfied with Prussia’s greed.

Xiao Ming gently sipped his tea, and the smile on his face grew wider.

He understood that the changes happening in the Great Yu Empire could no longer be concealed. Whether it was railways, steam locomotives, bicycles, roaring steam engine factories, steam-powered warships, or the weapons carried by soldiers—all were openly visible.

Any foreigner, upon entering the Great Yu Empire, could see and understand these things. After all, Western merchants had been living permanently in trade ports like Dengzhou.

News could easily be obtained from newspapers and the mouths of the Great Yu Empire common people.

However, these things were the foundation of the Great Yu Empire’s current prosperity. How could he possibly give the technology they were currently using to the Prussians?

Even if he trusted the Prussians’ sincerity, once the technology reached Europe, it would easily be stolen by others.

And most importantly, once the Prussians learned the technology, they would no longer need the Great Yu Empire. This was the principle of “the disciple learns, the master starves.”

Therefore, he immediately rejected Schroeder’s proposal. For him, the best approach now was to have Prussia purchase ready-made industrial products from the Great Yu Empire and cultivate a group of Prussian compradors within Prussia.

Thinking of this, he frowned and shook his head decisively, “Envoy Schroeder, your request is too harsh. I cannot grant it. Both firearm manufacturing technology and steam engine technology are the foundation of the Great Yu Empire’s strength.”

Schroeder’s eyes dimmed upon hearing this. He certainly knew his request was excessive, but negotiations always started with a high demand and then gradually moved towards a compromise.

“That’s truly regrettable. Then, what does Your Majesty mean?”

“Like the Dutch, we are willing to sell firearms, steam engines, and other industrial products to your esteemed country,” Xiao Ming said calmly. Without considering whether the Prussians could decipher the firearm and steam engine technology, he first had to earn the initial silver.

“Does that include steam locomotives and warships?” Schroeder asked tentatively.

“No, that is advanced Great Yu Empire technology. It is not part of the transaction,” Xiao Ming’s tone grew somewhat stern.

Schroeder nodded. He now had a plan. The Great Yu Empire wasn’t selling them the most advanced technology. Although it was a bit regrettable, for him, it was better than nothing.

“Alright, I hope Your Majesty can provide us with a detailed purchase list for us to choose from,” Schroeder finally said.

Xiao Ming then signaled Li Kaiyuan. Li Kaiyuan, holding a booklet, approached Schroeder and began haggling with Schroeder, with the help of a translator.

Pang Yukun shook his head at this point. “Your Majesty, is this Prussia truly reliable?”

“Between nations, there are only interests. There is no such thing as ‘reliable’ or ‘unreliable.’ Now, we need Prussia to create chaos in Europe, which is why we will help them. If Prussia grows strong in a few years, we will have to find a way to deal with them. Perhaps then, France will again be our ally. International affairs are constantly changing. You, as Grand Secretary, must be flexible. Now, domestic affairs need to be handled, and these foreign affairs also need to be handled,” Xiao Ming said seriously.

Pang Yukun’s old face flushed. As a scholar like him, he never imagined he would one day have to interact with these Western barbarians. It was just that the situation in the Great Yu Empire was changing too quickly sometimes, and he couldn’t always keep up.

The discussion between Schroeder and Li Kaiyuan ended after about ten minutes. Li Kaiyuan then handed the booklet to Xiao Ming. It was marked with the industrial products Schroeder wished to purchase.

One hundred first-generation reciprocating steam engines, ten thousand Conqueror Muskets, sixty field cannons, and some explosive shells.

Besides these important industrial products, Schroeder also purchased some Great Yu Empire specialties, such as tea, porcelain, and silk.

Rolling his eyes, Xiao Ming handed the booklet back to Li Kaiyuan. Clearly, Schroeder had meticulously calculated his purchases, and the items he bought were purposeful.

However, from this, he could also see how much Europe currently loved traditional Great Yu Empire goods like tea and porcelain, as these items also accounted for a major share in Dutch trade with the Great Yu Empire.

But he believed that with the improvement of the Great Yu Empire’s industrial level, Europe would purchase more and more Great Yu Empire industrial products, after all, the industrial gap was not yet too wide.

Once the electric revolution began, the Great Yu Empire would be able to lead the world in technology.

“Approved,” Xiao Ming said loudly.

Schroeder smiled. Although the scale of this trade was not large, it was a significant step for Prussia.

Because for him, he was not entirely at ease with the Great Yu Empire. But even so, he had decided to maintain good relations with the Great Yu Empire.

At the same time, he secretly vowed to find a way to obtain the most advanced technology from the Great Yu Empire, even if the condition for exchange was for Prussia to attack France.

After a moment of contemplation, he said, “Esteemed Your Majesty, to maintain the friendship between Prussia and the Great Yu Empire, I earnestly request Your Majesty to leave a permanent envoy in your esteemed country to facilitate communication between our two nations at any time. I hope Your Majesty will grant my request.”

Xiao Ming nodded. He felt it was time to regularize diplomatic affairs. So he said, “If that’s the case, I will allow you to purchase a piece of land, and the building erected on this land will be called an embassy.”