Adolf, the plenipotentiary envoy of the Habsburg family, understood perfectly that since they failed to secure the patronage of the Great Ming at the outset, it was now too late to do so.
Setting aside other matters, even if the Great Ming were willing to accept the Habsburg family at this juncture, Louis XVI, that bitch, would undoubtedly oppose it furiously.
Similarly, Mikhail, the plenipotentiary envoy of the Ottoman Empire, was acutely aware that unless the Ottoman's oil vanished overnight, and in a manner completely recognized by the Great Ming, the Ottoman Empire would have no chance of joining the Minor Pot.
In other words, the Ottoman Empire's sole fate was annexation by the Great Ming Empire; there was absolutely no possibility of joining the Minor Pot. The fact that he was sent on this diplomatic mission was merely out of a sliver of hope.
However, no amount of psychological preparation could fully prepare them. When the two genuinely set out to visit the Great Ming and once again learned that they could not join the Minor Pot and their respective countries could only passively endure beatings, despair was still inevitable.
The sudden news that someone could supply them with standard military equipment phased out by the Great Ming Empire's army instilled in Adolf and Mikhail a thrill of finding a thread of life in a desperate situation.
Of course, Adolf and Mikhail possessed some genuine competence; otherwise, they would not have been appointed as envoys by the patriarch of the Habsburg family and the Ottoman Sultan, fully responsible for their respective countries' admission into the Minor Pot.
After a moment of wild joy, Adolf and Mikhail quickly calmed down from their excitement.
Though they had never heard the saying "there must be a demon behind abnormality," Adolf and Mikhail also understood that there was no such thing as a free lunch. The Habsburg family was in a state of comprehensive decline, and the Ottoman Empire was in an even worse predicament. The Great Ming and the Five Benevolent Ones of the Minor Pot, led by France, were on the verge of obtaining the profits they desired. How could they possibly sell military equipment to the Habsburg family and the Ottomans?
As for the possibility of some powerful magnate in the private sector being able to achieve this…
Adolf and Mikhail were not fools, so they naturally did not believe such a preposterous assertion.
Yet, when faced with the opportunity to obtain phased-out military equipment from the Great Ming army, Adolf and Mikhail were unwilling to give it up.
It was like a drowning person grasping a straw; even if they knew the straw couldn't save them, no one would choose to let go.
"We, the Ottomans, will absolutely not give up this opportunity."
Mikhail frowned and said, "There is an old saying in Saudi Arabia: one always has a desert they wish to cross, even knowing they will die there. The Ottoman Empire is now at its final hour. If we cannot find a glimmer of hope, then only national extinction awaits. Therefore, even knowing it might be a trap, I must give it a try."
Adolf also frowned deeply. "Our situation in the Habsburgs is no better than yours in the Ottomans. You have no idea how brutal France and England, those lackeys of the Great Ming in Europe, are."
As he spoke, Adolf pursed his lips, attempting to persuade Mikhail while also persuading himself. "Now that they are about to obtain everything they desire, why would the Great Ming allow someone to sell military equipment to us?"
"You know, my friend, both your Ottoman Empire and our Habsburg family are at our most critical juncture. If we make a wrong decision now, the countries behind us cannot bear it. If we make the wrong choice, we two will become the last straw that breaks the camel's back."
Mikhail, however, shook his head and said, "Yes, I admit you are right. But, my friend, this straw could very well be the one that saves our lives. If we choose to give up, wouldn't that be equivalent to choosing to drown?"
Upon hearing this, Adolf simply slumped onto his chair.
Adolf had tried countless reasons to persuade Mikhail, and also to persuade himself.
However, based on their current conversation, no matter how many different reasons Adolf could find, Mikhail's insistence that "this might be a life-saving straw" was enough to refute Adolf.
Shaking his head with a conflicted expression, Adolf then said to Mikhail, "I think you can't find any other reasons to convince me, can you?"
Mikhail nodded and said, "In fact, I have found many reasons, and you have also found many reasons, but the outcome is no different. We cannot give up this opportunity to purchase Great Ming military equipment, even if this opportunity is very likely fake."
Mikhail then added, "What if it's real?"
Yes, what if it's real?
This single reason was enough to invalidate any other reason to give up this opportunity.
Thinking of this, Adolf could only shake his head with a bitter smile and say, "Forget it. That person will come to see us again this afternoon, and we just need to wait for him quietly. Until I see the military equipment, I will not pay a single coin."
Mikhail also nodded in agreement. "Indeed. As long as we don't pay first, they can't deceive us."
The atmosphere suddenly fell into an awkward silence again. Both Adolf and Mikhail suddenly felt a sense of not knowing what to say.
Fortunately, the Great Ming merchant who claimed he could procure a large quantity of military equipment did not keep Adolf and Mikhail waiting for long. He soon arrived at the inn where they were staying.
Yes, because the Habsburg family and the Ottoman Empire had still not joined the Minor Pot, the Great Ming had not arranged postal stations for Adolf and Mikhail. They were staying at an inn at their own expense.
"Ten thousand flintlock rifles and one hundred thousand bullets. This is the quantity of military equipment I can procure this time."
The Great Ming merchant readily stated what he could obtain and, placing a flintlock rifle on the table, chuckled. "You can inspect the goods first. I believe you must have seen military equipment phased out by the Great Ming, right?"
Adolf reached out and grabbed the flintlock rifle, examined it carefully for a moment, and handed it to Mikhail. After Mikhail also observed it, the two fell into a state of stunned bewilderment, exchanging blank stares.
The flintlock rifle that this Great Ming merchant had brought was indeed a rifle that had been equipped by the Great Ming army. Both Adolf and Mikhail could confirm this.
However, this flintlock rifle was too new; it did not look like surplus old stock from the Great Ming army at all. Instead, it looked like a brand-new gun that had been recently manufactured!
After staring at each other in a daze for a while, Adolf looked at the Great Ming merchant and asked, "Are you sure this was equipped by the Great Ming army, and not faked by someone?"
The Great Ming merchant let out a "ha" laugh and said, "I think you should know that the Great Ming does not permit its citizens to possess items like flintlock rifles, so no one would risk losing their head to fake such a thing."
"As for the condition, I can tell you clearly that because flintlock rifles themselves have wear and tear issues, the Five Military Commanderies place orders with Northern Industry and Southern Arms with an over-order to pre-stock a large number of flintlock rifles for the soldiers of the Great Ming army to replace worn-out ones."
"What I have obtained is from the over-ordered stock, approximately two million flintlock rifles. This quantity may seem large to you, but for the Great Ming army, this quantity is nothing. After all, the Great Ming has a standing army of over a million, and having an average of two spare flintlock rifles per person is a routine operation for the Great Ming's Five Military Commanderies."
Mikhail couldn't help but mentally curse them as a rich family, and Adolf couldn't help but mentally curse them as inhumanly wealthy. This was because the part that consumed the most on a flintlock rifle was the barrel; the wear and tear on other components were generally not significant. Therefore, other countries would prepare two spare barrels for their soldiers.
The Great Ming, on the other hand, simply because flintlock rifles had wear and tear, they prepared two extra rifles for all soldiers to replace worn-out ones? How wealthy could they possibly be to come up with such a strategy!
As for the possibility of some powerful magnate in the private sector being able to achieve this…
Adolf and Mikhail were not fools, so they naturally did not believe such a preposterous assertion.
Yet, when faced with the opportunity to obtain phased-out military equipment from the Great Ming army, Adolf and Mikhail were unwilling to give it up.
It was like a drowning person grasping a straw; even if they knew the straw couldn't save them, no one would choose to let go.
"We, the Ottomans, will absolutely not give up this opportunity."
Mikhail frowned and said, "There is an old saying in Saudi Arabia: one always has a desert they wish to cross, even knowing they will die there. The Ottoman Empire is now at its final hour. If we cannot find a glimmer of hope, then only national extinction awaits. Therefore, even knowing it might be a trap, I must give it a try."
Adolf also frowned deeply. "Our situation in the Habsburgs is no better than yours in the Ottomans. You have no idea how brutal France and England, those lackeys of the Great Ming in Europe, are."
Setting aside other matters, even if the Great Ming were willing to accept the Habsburg family at this juncture, Louis XVI, that bitch, would undoubtedly oppose it furiously.
Similarly, Mikhail, the plenipotentiary envoy of the Ottoman Empire, was acutely aware that unless the Ottoman's oil vanished overnight, and in a manner completely recognized by the Great Ming, the Ottoman Empire would have no chance of joining the Minor Pot.
In other words, the Ottoman Empire's sole fate was annexation by the Great Ming Empire; there was absolutely no possibility of joining the Minor Pot. The fact that he was sent on this diplomatic mission was merely out of a sliver of hope.
However, no amount of psychological preparation could fully prepare them. When the two genuinely set out to visit the Great Ming and once again learned that they could not join the Minor Pot and their respective countries could only passively endure beatings, despair was still inevitable.
The sudden news that someone could supply them with standard military equipment phased out by the Great Ming Empire's army instilled in Adolf and Mikhail a thrill of finding a thread of life in a desperate situation.
Of course, Adolf and Mikhail possessed some genuine competence; otherwise, they would not have been appointed as envoys by the patriarch of the Habsburg family and the Ottoman Sultan, fully responsible for their respective countries' admission into the Minor Pot.