Vientiane Throne of Civilization

Chapter 1168: Balai’s Visit (Part )

Tu Qiong dagger saw it belongs to yes.

But since they are using it, they are not afraid of people knowing.

In fact, as soon as Bale came over, Shi Lei already had this guess.

However, Bale's next words still surprised Shi Lei a little.

"That's gunpowder, isn't it?"

Shi Lei was slightly stunned.

"Mr. Barley also knows about gunpowder?"

"To be honest, we in Tongluobao have actually been developing gunpowder."

When Shi Lei heard this, a hint of understanding flashed in his eyes. Judging from the military weapons currently displayed by Tonglu Fort, the opponent's gunpowder was obviously not successfully developed.

This is indeed the case. With the collapse of the world and the destruction of old civilizations, many technologies and formulas have been lost. The same is true for the dwarves. The gunpowder formula that has been passed down has long been incomplete. The only thing we know is that sulfur is needed to make gunpowder.

But the other materials and even their specific proportions are completely unknown.

This forced the dwarves in Copperforge to devote more time and energy to research.

However, no results have been found so far.

Now that he has witnessed the power of the Great Zhou explosive bomb, Bale can no longer remain calm.

However, Shi Lei had no intention of joining in the conversation.

At this moment, Bale had only two purposes: either he wanted to obtain gunpowder from them, or go a step further and get the gunpowder formula directly from them.

No matter which one it is, the dominant power is in the hands of their Great Zhou.

Sure enough, seeing that Shi Lei didn't respond, Bale could only continue talking with a thick face.

"Mr. Shi Lei, on behalf of Tonglu Fort, I hope to negotiate a deal with your Great Zhou."

Shi Lei pretended to be "all ears" and still didn't say anything.

Bale, who had already mentioned the word "deal" during the period, was completely open-minded. At the same time, he made up his mind and spoke directly about the big deal.

"We want to buy the formula for gunpowder!"

"Impossible. I can't sell you the formula for gunpowder."

Although he had not yet consulted their Majesty, Shi Lei knew without hesitation that the formula of gunpowder was definitely not on their Great Zhou's trading list.

This situation was within Bale's expectations. The reason why he expressed his desire to buy the formula of gunpowder right at the beginning was to give both parties room for bargaining.

He just backed down after getting Shi Lei's rejection.

"If the formula doesn't work, you can buy gunpowder."

Needless to say, this is Bale's real purpose.

Shi Lei was undoubtedly well aware of Bale's thoughts. Don't forget that their Great Zhou has always had a tradition of trading with its allies. Therefore, even a general like Shi Lei has a relatively clear idea about trading matters and is naturally aware of Bale's methods.

"I have to consult His Majesty about this matter, but before that, I need to know what you can use to buy our gunpowder."

Shi Lei directly stated that he could not make the decision, which was a troublesome matter for Bale.

Because in this way, if he wants to bargain slowly with the chips in hand, the efficiency of the entire conversation will be affected by the efficiency of message transmission and will be greatly slowed down.

If he took out all his bargaining chips at once, it would undoubtedly be detrimental to their negotiations. "Mr. Shi Lei, I want to know how long it will take for you to send the message back?"

"The communication can be sent faster. It will take about 20 days for the whole trip."

"..."

When they heard this number, both Bale and Woking were stunned.

Bale remained calm, but Woking couldn't help but say something.

"If the roads are clear, it will only take a small group of cavalry half a day to travel from our Tonglubao to the border of your Great Zhou."

To put it bluntly, the towering rock wall next to the Plain Fortress is the back of the mountain of Copperforge Fort, so the distance between the two forces is actually closer than expected, and they can be considered neighbors in the true sense.

In response to this, Shi Lei calmly said...

"It only takes a small group of cavalry half a day to get from Tongluobao to the border of our Great Zhou. But it will take ten days to get from our border to the capital of our Great Zhou. That's even if I send the Giant Eagle Knights back to deliver the message. If it's cavalry, it will take more than half a month one way, so it will take at least thirty to forty days to go back and forth."

Shi Lei's answer made Balai gasp.

Balai, who had participated in the coalition, was very clear about the mobility efficiency of human cavalry. It took 30 to 40 days for the cavalry to go back and forth? How big was the territory of the Great Zhou?
Bale and Woking, who realized this problem at the same time, both had a flash of horror in their eyes.

You must know that before this, according to the information provided by Vol'jin, the Great Zhou had always existed as a "militarily weak human country" in the eyes of the dwarves of Copperforge.

Based on this premise, they almost instinctively believed that the Great Zhou was just a small force with little territory.

However, the information revealed by Shi Lei now far exceeded their expectations.

After a brief shock, Bale quickly calmed down and wondered if Shi Lei was bragging.

With this thought in mind, Bale couldn't help but come up with an idea.

"Mr. Shi Lei, why don't we send a representative directly to your capital to negotiate."

This method can effectively ensure their negotiation advantage, and it is undoubtedly also a test by Bale.

Hearing this, Shi Lei directly said...

"If representatives of other countries want to enter our country, they also need to apply and get permission first."

Bale was not surprised by this, as things like this were basically the same everywhere.

For example, this time the Great Zhou army was able to enter their Copperforge territory unimpeded. In addition to having the Boar Riders lead the way, it was also because Woking had applied in advance and obtained the king's permission.

Just as Bale was thinking this, Shi Lei's voice rang out again.

"But I have to remind you, if you want to send a representative, considering the travel efficiency, it will probably take 40 to 50 days, or even longer, to go back and forth..."

Urgent intelligence, they have messengers on the ground inside the Great Zhou who can deliver it 800 miles quickly, and although the Giant Eagle Knights in the air are not as physically fit as war horses, they can still fly directly in the sky and fly in a straight line regardless of the terrain. It is basically impossible for the delegation to be this efficient.

It takes almost two months to send representatives back and forth, and it takes about twenty days to get the application information back and forth. Wow, that basically takes a quarter all together!

Under this premise, with negotiation as the prerequisite, it would take at least half a year or even longer for the gunpowder to be delivered to them...

As a race with a long lifespan, a year or half a year is nothing to the dwarves.

However, the continuous siege of the greenskin army changed their concept of time in the simplest and crudest way, making Bale a little nervous about this efficiency.

However, the coalition forces and the greenskins had been fighting for so many years before. Now, with the support of the Great Zhou troops on their side of the defense line, their defensive strength has been significantly improved. This time does not seem to be unacceptable...

(End of this chapter)