The carriage was quickly stopped in front of the Executive Committee’s administrative building.

In front of this large iron gate with the national emblem of a huge double-headed eagle hanging on the top, Hassan and others underwent more stringent security inspections before being released into the market.

An intermediate official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs came over to conduct a handover, and then took Hassan and others to the conference room on the third floor of the administrative building to wait.

A huge long table was placed in the conference room, with many backrest chairs scattered around the table. A few decorations were hung on the surrounding walls, probably some oil paintings, patterned tapestries, etc., and huge candlesticks were hung on the top and corners of the room. At this moment, the candles had been lit, making the whole room bright.

Is this the "Conference Hall" at the most central center of the East Coast Republic? Such decorations cannot even match the residences of some Ottoman local officials. It is so shabby. Hassan thought to himself that it seems that these East Coast people really like simple and simple styles. After knowing the living standards of ordinary people on the East Coast, Hassan is stupid now and knows that the East Coast government does not have money to decorate this conference room, but that they think there is no need to spend money on them.

There was a sound of footsteps outside the door. Hassan turned around and saw a group of people on the East Coast walked in. The leader was a tall middle-aged man. He walked towards Hassan with a smile on his face and stretched out his right hand. Hassan knew that this was a handshake gift that was popular among people on the East Coast, so he also stretched out his right hand and shook with the other party.

The middle-aged man was wearing a blue top with four pockets inside and a black tweed coat on the outside. The temperature in Dongfanggang is still very low at night. It often drops to about four or five degrees. Therefore, many people choose to put on a coat on the outer coat. This coat is simple in style. There are no complicated patterns and accessories, but it is also very beautiful. It can give people a very spiritual feeling when worn on it.

After the middle-aged man shook hands with all the Ottomans one by one, he greeted them and sat down, and said to everyone in French: "I am Gao Mo, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the East Coast Republic of China. I met my friends from the Ottoman Empire for the first time. I hope you can have a pleasant time on the East Coast."

After the translator converted Gaomo's words into Turkish, Hassan immediately asked: "His Excellency Minister of Foreign Affairs said this. Does it mean that your government has officially approved a cooperation agreement with our country on the naval side?"

Gao Mo pondered for a while before slowly saying: "After the afternoon discussion of the members of our government, the cooperation with the Ottoman Emperor is in principle without any problem, but we still need to consult and confirm some details. You know, your country has always had bad relations with the Western world, and our country has great interests in the Western world. Therefore, there are huge risks in cooperation with your country. I hope your country can also show some sincerity."

In fact, although Gao Mo said it lightly at the moment, in the afternoon at the special discussion meeting of the Executive Committee, the members had different opinions and were very fiercely debated. Especially the few people led by civil committee member Xiao Mingli, they almost rejected the possibility of cooperation with the Ottoman Empire. They insisted that this would lead to a strong backlash in the Western world and may affect the economic development and talent introduction on the east coast.

However, their opinions were strongly opposed by military representatives. The military headquarters, which now has three seats among the 11 executive committee members, has a great influence. They believe that it is not safe to put eggs in a basket. If the existing French market changes, the export-oriented economy on the east coast will likely be severely damaged. At that time, I will temporarily find a large market outside France, but I will be passive. It is better to take advantage of this opportunity to step up the development of the Ottoman Empire, a large market with a population of more than 30 million, and diversify the risks of commodity exports.

Neither side convinced each other, and in the end they had to vote forcibly. As a result, the party that supported the cooperation with Ottoman almost won with a 6:5 vote. Then, there was a talk with Hassan now.

"None of these are the problems." Hassan smiled with satisfaction. He knew very well what the people in the East Coast were seeking, it was nothing more than population and money, and these were easy to solve. As long as both parties had the intention to cooperate, then the specific details could be sat down and negotiated slowly.

Gao Mo also smiled at this moment, and saw him take out a form and hand it to the secretary, then signal the secretary to hand it to the Ottomans to check it out, saying: "This is a detailed form for comprehensive cooperation between the army and the navy, and please check it out by Special Envoy Hassan. If you have any questions, please submit it as soon as possible."

After getting the form, Hassan's translator read it carefully, then he leaned into Hassan's ear and reposted it one by one.

"Why are there no double-deck battleships?" Hassan asked anxiously after hearing this, "Just like the "Free Trade" in Port Suez, that's exactly what our Ottoman Empire needs."

After listening to Hassan's question, Gao Mo said without changing his face: "That level of battleship is an important technical equipment for our country and is quite sensitive. Sorry, it is difficult for us to agree to sell this level of battleship to other countries for the time being."

To be honest, this double-deck battleship can be built in Europe, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, England, and France themselves. The only difference from the East Coast is probably the cost. After all, a warship can cost more than half of the cost, while the East Coast artillery is famously cheap and affordable. However, it is obvious that these countries will not sell warships of this level to the Turks due to religious and political factors. Although there is no religious and political consideration in the East Coast, it also needs to consider the feelings of those European countries, especially the Ottoman neighbors. Therefore, even the country's important weapon, such as the military, have not yet formed a unified opinion on the sale of battleships, even the radicals in the military.

Hassan was disappointed: "Purchasing battleships is the most important task of my trip. What conditions do you need to agree to help us build such a powerful battleship?"

"I'm sorry, this is a matter of principle and cannot be negotiated." Gao Mo put away his smile and said seriously: "Mr. Hassan, I don't understand why you are always entangled with expensive things like battleships. To be honest, in the large bathtub of the Mediterranean, battleships may not be the most suitable combat ship. Here, please allow me to recommend to you two ships in the second and third rows of the form - high-speed cruisers and frigates. These two ships are very economical and practical, and are also very suitable for the Mediterranean combat environment. Please consider it carefully."

"Yes, these two ships are what we need, and I am also preparing to order these battleships this time. But I still want to order some battleships, even if there is only one." Hassan still refused to give up and insisted on purchasing the battleships.

Gao Mo shook his head and said, "Mr. Hassan, please stop making meaningless attempts. The Chinese government will not approve any agreement on exporting battleships to your country in the near future. Please forgive me, after all, our country has significant interests in the Western world at this stage."

Hassan nodded, and he heard what Gao Mo said. Because the East Coast people have great interests in the Western world, they refuse to sell battleships to the Ottoman Empire to avoid damage to their own interests. This is also human nature and understandable. But if they also have great interests in the Ottoman Empire one day, what will they do then? Hassan thinks the key to the problem is here, and this is exactly where he will report to the country in the future.

"Then, we can now discuss some things about cruisers and frigates," Hassan said. He obviously had discussed this issue with his colleagues many times, so he quickly made a request: "Before departure, our Navy Pasha had commissioned Egypt Pasha to formally propose that we need to order two high-speed cruisers and four frigates from your country. He specifically required that the materials for the manufacturing of warships must be sumu (Brazilian mahogany), and the artillery installed must also be the latest high-caliber heavier artillery on the east coast. Can your country meet the above requirements?"

After discussing with a naval officer beside him and another shipyard manager, Gao Mo replied to Hassan: "Yes. We can start construction of three warships for you at the same time. The construction period of cruisers is eight months, the construction period of frigates is six months, and the delivery method can be negotiated separately. However, for the first cooperation between the two sides, our country specifically requires you to pay half of the shipbuilding costs in advance, and the remaining half of the costs must be paid within one month after the warship is completed. After receiving all the fees, we will begin to hand over the warship to you."

Since the shipyard on the east coast used modular shipbuilding methods, the shipbuilding cycle has been greatly shortened and the cost has plummeted. The Tuna frigate, which was just built a while ago, was delivered after only six months of construction, and the Kunlun transport ship only took just over five months, which was a rapid pace.

Regarding the payment method proposed by the East Coast people, Hassan calculated and felt that this payment method could still be accepted in China. Next, we will talk about the price issue.

"So, how much is the construction price of these ships?" Hassan asked.

Gao Mo picked up a piece of paper from the table, then discussed with the two people next to him, and then said: "Each 'Yangwu' class high-speed cruiser is priced at 45,000 Dukat (Venetian currency, which is currently in Turkey, and 45,000 Dukat is equivalent to 82,000 yuan), and each of the 'Madao' class frigates is priced at 27,000 Dukat (about 49,000 yuan); the total price of the six warships is 198,000 Dukat (about 360,000 yuan).
Chapter completed!