"Xu, you have to remember that we are on the same side now. Although I understand your patriotism, I hope you don't talk too much about business." Looking at Xu Jie who was gradually walking out of the room,

Vittorio warned again and again.

"Are you a Tang Monk?" Xu Jie thought to himself, turned around and said, "You set the price, no matter how much I say, it's useless. Don't worry, I won't betray my friends."

Tianjin, Shunjing Tower.

"The Chinese people talking about things at the dinner table is really a historical heritage." When Xu Jie arrived, he looked at the plaque hanging on the door and said with a wry smile.

"My name is Zhang Peilun, whose courtesy name is Youqiao. Mr. Xu must have known that this is none other than Mr. Liu Buchan, the commander-in-chief of the right wing of the Beiyang Navy of the Qing Dynasty." Although we have already met at the negotiation table, a courtesy introduction is still needed.

of.

"I am Liu Buchan, whose courtesy name is Zixiang." Liu Buchan arched his hands and said.

"Chinese-American, Xu Jie, courtesy name Jishi." Xu Jie replied simply.

"Master Xue often mentions Mr. Xue in telegrams, saying that he has the Qing Dynasty in his heart. Mr. Xu provided the price for this new type of fast ship." Zhang Peilun cupped his hands and said.

"I'm just trying my best. But the price has been reduced to the lowest. There is no room left." Xu Jie knew that the price of 280,000 pounds was already Italy's bottom line, so in order to prevent Zhang Peilun and others from continuing to

If you are confused about the price, please explain it directly.

"Mr. Xu has lived overseas for a long time and is quite familiar with Western maritime affairs. I hope Mr. Xu can give me some pointers on some things that I don't understand." Zhang Peilun then changed the topic.

"If we, Beiyang, can purchase two new Italian clippers, how many years can we keep our peace in Beiyang?" Zhang Peilun asked.

"Presumably Master Xue has sent me to Beiyang for those books introducing Japan?" Xu Jie asked directly without answering.

"I have read it all over Beiyang," Liu Buchan said.

"Does Mr. Liu think these two new ships can guarantee Beiyang's advantage for several years?" Xu Jie asked rhetorically.

"If we go by what Mr. Xu said in his book, it may take up to 3 years. Once the three Japanese warships and the newly acquired dome-armored cruisers are all put into service, even having two new dome-armored clippers in Beiyang will not help."

Liu Buchan said thoughtfully.

"If we only look at the data, after two warships join Beiyang, it can indeed ensure that the Japanese will not be able to start a war within three years. But we need to make a practical analysis." Xu Jie is actually not very satisfied with Liu Buchan's answer. If two **-level dome ships

If the A cruiser can really be put into service, if Japan's lineup remains unchanged in the Yellow Sea Battle, there will indeed be a chance of a tie, but if the Japanese are all out, even having two new ships will not help. "It seems, Liu

The adults still don't trust me as a Chinese." Xu Jie thought to himself.

"I would like to hear the details." Liu Buchan's facial muscles twitched unnaturally.

"I wonder if the cannon shells of our Beiyang Navy are purchased with the ship or are homemade?" Xu Jie asked.

"The artillery shells bought with the ship have been basically used up during daily training. Now they are mainly produced by the Tianjin Manufacturing Administration." Liu Buchan answered truthfully.

"Which quality is better?" Xu Jie asked again.

"This is barely okay." Liu Buchan's expression changed slightly.

"That's because Xu is worrying too much. It seems that what Mr. Xue said is not full of details." Xu Jie's face was full of sarcasm.

"This..." Liu Buchan never expected that Xue Fucheng would actually tell Xu Jie all these things. He was speechless for a moment.

"Master Liu knows the specific situation, and I won't say much. Since Master Liu is fully confident about the shells, let's turn to other things." Xu Jie felt a little embarrassed when he saw the scene, and expected that there would be more in the future.

We have to deal with the Beiyang Commander-in-Chief, so it's inconvenient to get too tense and it's worth changing the topic.

"The design speed of our Beiyang Dingyuan is fourteen and a half knots, and Zhenyuan's is fifteen point four knots, right?" Xu Jie asked.

"That's right. Your Excellency, you really know me, Beiyang," Liu Buchan said seriously.

"I wonder how fast the two ships can run now?" Xu Jie asked.

"Well, the speed has definitely dropped." Liu Buchan couldn't tell the specific number, so he could only answer vaguely.

"If Dingzhen is like this, what about the older Chaoyong Yang Wei of the Beiyang Fleet? I'm afraid not only the speed, but also the artillery and other things have aged?" Xu Jie continued to ask.

"Every year, a mere one million taels of silver are spent to support the Beiyang Fleet. Putting aside daily losses such as officers and soldiers' pay, how much money can actually be used for the maintenance of the battleship? I'm afraid General Liu should be very clear about it?" Xu Jie still decided.

Be an awl and stimulate these two Beiyang dignitaries here.

"Now that we've talked about battleship losses and logistics issues, let's talk about the shipbuilding gap between the two countries. I can tell you that even at a price of 280,000 pounds, our design bureau can still make objective profits from it. Those shipbuilding companies in Italy

The factories will still make high profits." Xu Jie said with a smile. This clearly means that I am blackmailing you, what can you do?! Although there is some suspicion of fraud, it is still very embarrassing to say it in this situation.

Has a shocking effect

"The ships built by the Fuzhou Shipping Bureau are more expensive than the ships bought from European countries." Zhang Peilun was finally able to interrupt.

"That's natural. Fuzhou Shipbuilding Bureau said that shipbuilding is more like assembling ships. Power and artillery need to be outsourced, but they are only assembled at the Fuzhou Shipyard in the end." Xu Jie naturally knows why it is expensive. "There is a saying that you can't eat because you choke. You can't.

Because outsourcing is just cheaper in terms of price, you will not develop your own shipbuilding industry. You can only be controlled by foreign countries forever. If once a war breaks out, European countries strictly maintain neutrality and do not sell warships to Beiyang. What should Beiyang do?" Xu Jie asked

road.

"If I remember correctly, Beiyang should receive a new ship from Fuzhou Shipping Bureau this year? It should be called Pingyuan." Xu Jie asked.

"Yes, the ship is a 2,100-ton iron-clad clipper. It has a speed of 14 knots and is equipped with one 260mm Krupp main gun and two 150mm Krupp cannons." Liu Buchan said.

"Do you two know the situation of the Japanese building their own warships?" Xu Jie asked.

"The Japanese started construction of a 4,000-ton coastal defense ship Hashidate last year at the Yokosuka Shipyard. It is equipped with a 320mm Ghana main gun and 11 4.7-inch Armstrong rapid-fire guns. The speed is 16 and a half knots. Liu Buchan said.

"I think Mr. Liu should be very clear about the combat effectiveness of these two warships. The Japanese can build them themselves. Even if they cannot outsource them, they can still guarantee a certain combat effectiveness. If Beiyang cannot outsource them, where will the new warships come from?

?If this is the case, I'm afraid the outcome will be decided before the war even begins?" Xu Jie said coldly.

"This is only part of the problem. I heard that many leaders in the Beiyang Navy criticized Vice Admiral Lang Weili's management. I wonder if it is true?" Xu Jie thought for a long time and finally decided to speak out.

Historically, although he was an Englishman, Lang Weili was very conscientious and responsible for the Beiyang Navy. According to historical records, he "took care of the ship all day long and had no time to relax", and even "kicked in the toilet" when going to the toilet.

"Flag language command". Because of his strict military management attitude, there was even a saying among the Beiyang Navy that "if you are not afraid of Ding Junmen, you are afraid of Lieutenant General Lang". And it was precisely because of his strict military management that Lang Lang

The conflict between Wei Li and the Beiyang leaders also became more and more intensified. The flag withdrawal incident in 1890 was no accident. It was the product of the intensified conflict between the Beiyang Fujian Party and Lang Weili. Li Hongzhang was afraid of the British and Lang Wei.

As a tool to control the Beiyang Navy, Wei Li chose to favor Liu Buchan, which caused Lang Weili to resign in anger. For this, the Beiyang Navy paid a heavy price. Not only did it lose its best naval officers, but its training became increasingly neglected. According to historical records

, "Drilling on defense is just a false story", and "we usually practice artillery targets and mine targets, but the ship moves but the target does not move", and even "predict the number of yards, set up buoys, and follow the targets. The number of yards is known

", put it in Gu Yi Zhong", just to ask him to "perform neatly, and the training is still superficial, which is of no benefit." From this point of view, although Liu Buchan and others' performance in the entire Sino-Japanese War of 1894 was heroic, but because of their

The problems caused by slack training cannot be ignored.

"Vice-General Lang Weili is too arrogant. He is called deputy general but actually takes over the power of the governor." Liu Buchan said angrily.

"Vice Admiral Langweili is the second-ranking figure in the Beiyang Navy. It is normal for him to manage daily armaments and training." Xu Jie frowned dissatisfied.

"We also studied at the British Naval Academy, and we are no worse than him." Liu Buchan was rarely dared to contradict Liu Buchan. Today, when he met an unrelated Chinese, he would naturally not give him face.

"Since you have studied in the UK, you should know the principles of strict military management!!" Xu Jie couldn't help but raise his voice. He really didn't expect that the leader of the Fujian Party was so stubborn.

"This is our internal affairs in Beiyang. I think you don't need to interfere?" Liu Buchan's face turned a little blue.

"I am an outsider, needless to say, but this is related to the life and death of Beiyang Navy officers and soldiers. I hope you can treat it correctly so as not to regret it for the rest of your life." Xu Jie still refused to give up.

"Is Liu grateful?" Liu Buchan snorted coldly. "I have official duties, so I won't accompany you." After saying that, he walked away, leaving behind a shocked Zhang Peilun and an indignant Xu Jie.

"There are people in Beiyang who regard military affairs as child's play. It is really unjust to be undefeated!!" Xu Jie vented, ignoring Zhang Peilun sitting beside him.

"Mr. Xu, please forgive me. What Mr. Liu said today is indeed a bit excessive..." Zhang Peilun, who reacted, immediately persuaded.

"I forgive you? What does the honor and disgrace of Beiyang have to do with me? I will just take the money and leave after finishing this business." Xu Jie said in a rage, quite bachelorly. After saying that, Xu Jie drank a glass of wine and continued: "To my country

It is truly a miracle in the history of the navies of various countries that the management of the navy is not as focused as that of a foreigner. The Japanese hired Bai Laoyi and gave him the status of chief designer, and his salary was even higher than that of ordinary designers.

10 times, and Beiyang complained again and again just because Deputy General Lang Weili was in strict control. In comparison, I really can't find a reason why Beiyang can win!! Farewell, Mr. Youqiao." After that, he stood up and left.
Chapter completed!