Iron Dynasty

Chapter 1083

“For our Empire’s industry, we now have a type of machinery that needs this black oil to run.” Tang Wenjie did not hide anything. When he wa

“For our Empire’s industry, we now have a type of machinery that needs this black oil to run.”

Tang Wenjie did not hide anything.

When he was in Qingzhou, the Emperor told him that buying petroleum from Persia and the Ottoman Empire was the most suitable option, but not the only one.

If diplomacy failed, they would spend a little more effort to extract petroleum in Southeast Asia. Therefore, he had many bargaining chips in his hands this time.

After a brief interaction, he found that this Kambis was a very shrewd person. Deliberately hiding things was unnecessary. Sooner or later, Kambis would find out, and when the lie was exposed, it would cause a rift in their relationship.

“I see. I never expected black oil to have such an important use.”

Kambis’s heart was filled with joy. Now he at least had something he could actively trade with the Eastern Empire for, otherwise, he would have had no bargaining chips at all in this negotiation.

“That’s right. So what does Your Majesty the King think?” Tang Wenjie asked again.

Kambis did not answer. He and Al-Sassi exchanged glances. After a moment of thought, he said, “I want to see your steel warships. Is that possible?”

“Of course.” Tang Wenjie’s eyebrows raised. He finally knew what Kambis wanted. This was indeed a cunning fellow.

The negotiation was temporarily halted. Tang Wenjie led Kambis and the other Persian nobles to board the steel warships that were docked in the harbor.

The moment he saw the steel warships, Kambis’s eyes never left these six awe-inspiring sea monsters.

And after witnessing the firepower of these warships, Kambis fell silent. After a long time, looking at the sea, he said, “We, Persia, can supply you with petroleum. You can have as much as you want. But there is one condition: you can no longer have any cooperation with the Ottoman Empire, and you can only buy our black oil.”

Tang Wenjie gave a wry smile and shook his head. He said, “Even merchants shop around. If we only buy your black oil, how do we set the price?”

This question stumped Kambis. In Persia, black oil was not even considered a commodity and was very cheap. If he were to make an outrageous demand now, the Eastern Empire would definitely not accept it.

After thinking for a moment, he said, “This black oil will be free of charge. You just have to help us set up a production line for firearms and cannons.”

Tang Wenjie was very surprised. This was not a trivial matter, and he dared not agree to it easily. However, he could negotiate this condition down to the minimum in advance.

So he said, “Even if our Emperor agrees, you will not get the production lines for the weapons you see now. At most, you will get production lines that are at the same level as the current European ones. And the Empire will not leak the technology; it will only sell the production machinery to you.”

“Even so, we would be very satisfied,” Kambis said. He was very clear that no matter how much black oil he had, it would be someone else’s wealth if he could not protect it.

With the Eastern Empire’s power, they could definitely launch a war against Persia to seize the black oil, but they obviously did not want to do so now.

Tang Wenjie nodded. “In addition, we also want to purchase the port of Abbas to be our commercial port. What does Your Majesty think?”

“No king would sell his own land, but I can lease it to you.” Abbas was a little hesitant. The issue of land was very serious, and selling land would undoubtedly damage his authority.

Tang Wenjie was a little disappointed, but now he could only settle for the next best thing. “Alright, I will convey Your Majesty’s request to our Emperor.” Tang Wenjie bowed to Kambis.

Kambis’s heart was also a little uneasy. He did not know if the Eastern Empire’s Emperor would accept his conditions.

In his opinion, this was an opportunity for the Persian Empire to become strong again. The world had changed, and Persia could no longer stagnate.

Otherwise, they would be crushed in the contest between the Eastern and Western powers sooner or later.

After reaching an agreement on their respective conditions, Tang Wenjie had no reason to stay. After bidding farewell to Kambis, he ordered the warships to return.

“Woo woo…”

Accompanied by a loud whistle, the six warships slowly sailed towards the east.

Kambis and the Persian nobles stood in front of the port and did not leave. They watched until the six ships, which did not rely on wind, completely disappeared from their sight.

“What a terrifying country. I hope this time we will be lucky and have friendship instead of war,” Kambis said, both expectant and worried.

Al-Sassi said, “It is clear that the Eastern Empire does not want to have another enemy while they are contending with the powerful European nations. They came with goodwill this time.”

Kambis’s eyes were in a daze. He sighed and turned to leave.

…

Qingzhou.

After a month of sailing, Tang Wenjie landed in Dengzhou and returned here on a steam locomotive.

Without taking any time to rest, Tang Wenjie immediately reported on his trip to Persia to Xiao Ming.

“Establish a production line for firearms and cannons?”

Xiao Ming frowned after listening to Tang Wenjie’s report. Tang Wenjie’s round trip took three months.

And in these three months, with his approval, the Empire’s internal combustion engine manufacturing factory, automobile manufacturing factory, industrial machinery manufacturing factory, and heavy industry had all been established.

Next, the Empire was going to expand the production and manufacturing of internal combustion engines and internal combustion engine machinery. At this critical juncture, the issue of petroleum was becoming more and more thorny.

“I made it very clear to the Persian King, Kambis, that even if Your Majesty agrees, they will only get a production line similar to the Western ones for firearms and cannons,” Tang Wenjie said cautiously.

After a moment of thought, Xiao Ming said, “In that case, agree to his terms. We will help them establish a production line for Conqueror-style rifles and smoothbore cannons. These two production lines only require the use of steam engines, and the technology is not very advanced.”

“Do we really agree to their terms?” Tang Wenjie was still a little unsure.

“The production lines that the Empire has eliminated are now piled up in the warehouse. It’s a waste to let them rust. We might as well give them to Persia. The news of us purchasing petroleum from Persia will soon spread to Europe, and at that time, Europe will surely try to cause trouble. We will need Persia to be able to resist external threats to create a stable environment for us. At the same time, this Kambis is thinking too simply about the production lines. Once we establish the production lines for them, they will have to buy our steel to make weapons and also buy ammunition. It is tantamount to us having an outlet for our arms dumping. What’s not to like about that?”

Tang Wenjie thought for a moment when he heard this and suddenly patted his head. “That’s right. In this way, Persia will be tied to our war machine. Your Majesty is wise.”

A smile appeared on the corner of Xiao Ming’s lips. This was his opportunity to establish a different-world version of an OPEC-like organization. He would naturally not miss it.