Hearing Zhou Xu's words and looking at the flintlock lying quietly inside the wooden case before him, Kong Daqian was only briefly bewildered. He quickly composed himself, showing little surprise.
He was an intelligent man and naturally knew that the development of military equipment was classified in Great Zhou. This flintlock was probably Great Zhou's latest research achievement and had not yet been officially revealed, so there was nothing strange about his not knowing.
"Your Majesty, what do you mean?"
If he intended to refuse, His Majesty only needed to move his lips. There was no need to specially order someone to fetch the flintlock.
Since His Majesty had done so, it meant he had another idea in mind.
"Since Copper Furnace Fortress has the blueprints for the flintlock, it's entirely possible they have blueprints for other firearms as well."
"This time, they brought the flintlock's blueprints to trade with us instead of bringing a finished flintlock. That shows their own technical capabilities aren't fully up to par yet."
"First, confirm whether they have blueprints for any other, better firearms."
"Of course, even if they do, they may not be willing to hand them over. If that happens, you can take a step back."
At this point, Zhou Xu pondered for two seconds...
"They have the blueprints, and we have the technology. We can cooperate, develop them together, and advance together. Do you understand?"
"Develop them together. Advance together..."
Muttering His Majesty's words from moments ago, Kong Daqian's eyes lit up slightly.
His Majesty's words were rather ingenious, to say the least.
Zhou Xu then added another sentence.
"By the way, if this ends in cooperation rather than a trade, then the steam engine is not included. Do you understand what I mean?"
"This subject understands!"
How could Kong Daqian