Chen Mu always thought that it would be much easier to ask for the small place of Panama than the saltpeter desert and the wilderness north of Mexico that he wanted.

In fact, this is precisely the hardest part, except for the Spaniards north of Mexico, who are very happy to agree, the other two places are not so easy.

Fortunately, Zhao Shizhen did not directly point out what Chen Mu really wanted, and it was very comfortable to be a negotiator on Chen Mu's side, in Zhao Shizhen's words, "I told them at the negotiation table that we both want the west coast, you keep a port, and we will build a port on the east coast, that's all." ’

Try to avoid letting the Spaniards know Chen Mu's true intentions.

However, Brother Acosta is just as smart, and he gave an order to his negotiation team: when dealing with us, Chen Mu of the Ming Kingdom will never suffer, so we will make him pay enough price wherever he wants.

"That desert, the Spaniards will sell it to us for 30,000 taels of silver a year...... Dashuai, you don't really like the desert, do you? There are so many deserts north of Mexico, no money. ”

Zhao Shizhen said with an embarrassed look on his face, he had been talking with the Spaniards for so long, but he actually had to spend money to buy it, which made the mechanics unit a little embarrassed.

He added: "But Acosta said that if we wanted, we could be given it in the desert and along the coast, including a gold mine, and Acosta said that the Spaniards thought it was profitable to have copper in the ground and gold mines." ”

"Fifty thousand taels a year." Chen Mu sneered: "Is Panama more expensive, they want to use these lands to offset the profits of Chen's coinage, and then trade with them every year?" ”

Zhao Shizhen said with a smile: "They learned from the big handsome, imitating the lease, but this time it is rented and bought, and the students think that 50,000 taels a year is not expensive, but there must be a time limit, and it is impossible to buy it endlessly, five years, ten years?" The payment was settled, and from the date of the land deed, the land had nothing to do with the Westerners. ”

"The student thinks...... Belch! ”

The mechanics unit belched and pursed his lips, "The student thinks that the negotiated contract between trade and the northern border can be sent back to Mexico now, and the matter of the west coast border can be discussed slowly." ”

"It just so happens that Lao A is a very knowledgeable person, and the student intends to leave him in Majiagang for a period of time, and he also intends to stay to learn Chinese, perhaps after he knows the power of the Oriental Military Government, he is more willing to introduce a more just Ming Empire to the West."

Chen Mu looked at Zhao Shizhen, the long-term trade exchanges and border negotiations made Zhao Shizhen and Acosta become friends, listen to this title, old man?

Why don't you call him Lao He?

Chen Mu scoffed at this and said, "Learn Chinese and know the power of the Oriental Military Government? You're not a monk who doesn't know Haojing, you don't know what virtues these people have? ”

"If you are weak, they don't even bother to pretend, killing people and bandits, and the bandits will kill and release if they are done robbing, and they will have to enslave you; If you are strong, they will be like a person in person, study you behind your back, and put him in the Oriental Military Mansion, he will not feel that he is a guest in the Oriental Military Mansion, but will study the living habits of this group of monkeys on Monkey Mountain. ”

"You like to be a monkey?"

Chen Mu stood up, his military boots slowly stepped out on the wooden floor, his fingers walked along the table for half a circle, looked up at Zhao Shizhen and said: "If he wants to learn Chinese, let him go to Zhuangyuan Bridge to follow Zheng Tuxue, don't be in Majiagang, this is our military stronghold." ”

"What do you say about Panama except for the desert?"

Zhao Shizhen was taken aback, realizing that he might be too close to Acosta and causing Chen Mu to be unhappy, he said: "They call Panama the isthmus, which connects the north and south of Asia, and there are several ports on the east and west banks, and they build flat roads on land, and they don't sell this place. ”

"Marshal, we have misestimated the importance of Panama, all the harvests of the Westerners on the west coast, hardware, grain, and cotton are taken by two routes, and the sea route is called Magellan in the southern strait, which seems to be the name of the person who passes there, and the land route is transported by Panama."

"And because the Strait of Magellan is narrow and the weather is changeable, most of the goods are transported eastward from Panama, and the most they will agree to us using Panamanian condominium will be too important to them."

Chen Mu pondered for a moment, did not follow the topic, and said: "Do you know that their governor of New Spain ran into the Boundary Peninsula after Acosta went north, which shows that he can negotiate in his heart. ”

"You have to make it clear to them that since the Oriental Military Government has come to this, the West Coast is no longer useful to New Spain, whether it is transportation or production, the Ming Dynasty's baggage fleet Acosta can see, in the future the West Coast will be the Ming ships, soon, Spain will lose control on the West Coast, this is not something they want to do."

"Now that the land is transferred in the form of a contract, I can also get some preferential treatment for New Spain, if the Ming Dynasty has an advantage here in the future, why should I spend money to buy it from them?"

"Do as I say, Panama and the desert, including the coast, 500,000 taels of silver, to be paid in twenty years, and there will be a port east of Panama that allows Westerners to dock and load ......"

Tuk Tuk!

Chen Muzheng was talking, there was a knock on the door, and the voice of the soldiers came from outside the house: "Marshal, General Shao is in a hurry." ”

"Bring it in!"

Chen Mu was suddenly interrupted in the middle of his words, he was originally a little uneasy, but after hearing Shao Tingda's urgent letter, his heart suddenly hung up, and he glanced at Zhao Shizhen, his brows furrowed.

Both of them had only one meaning in their eyes - it couldn't be a war, right?

Chen Mu didn't want to really start a war, he made an estimate with the officer corps of the Oriental Military Government that after the war, the war at sea would start first, blockading the Strait of Magellan and destroying all the colonies along the way, everything could be seen in a few naval battles within six months.

But the next land war will be very troublesome, the Spaniards will continue to attack all parts of Central Asia, and when the Oriental military government turns from offensive to defensive, the war will drag on for two to three years, which is not the most terrifying.

After a few years, Chen Mu is not afraid, what he is afraid of is that in two to three years, the Dongyang Military Government will have the supply of the Nanyang Military Government, but Spain will collapse quickly without Asia.

Such a behemoth, if it collapses quickly at this point in time, the power of the Ming Dynasty has not yet extended to Europe, a gluttonous feast, and the Ming Dynasty will not be able to catch up with the heat.

In the end, it will inevitably be cheaper for England and France - even if he wins the war, the consequences will not be what he wants to see.

It is better to let the feudal empire of Spain continue to prosper.

After reading the letter, Chen Mu breathed a long sigh of relief, and he raised his eyes to Zhao Shizhen with a smile and said: "Things are developing in a good direction, according to the governor of New Spain, an English fleet broke into the west coast, attacked almost all the ports along the way in South Asia, destroyed countless of their transport ships with a few ships, and rushed into Puerto Vallarta in the southeast of the Boundary Peninsula, and fled after a big battle. ”

"By the way, the Spaniards said they were pirates, wait......" Chen Mu's smile froze on his face: "English pirates? ”