"Master Liu, does he know the current situation at sea?" Xu Jie asked anxiously.

"I know a little bit about it. Mr. Xue also sent me several books written by Ji Shi, and I have read them once. The accuracy of the figures and the thoroughness of the analysis are unmatched by anyone in the Qing Dynasty."

At that time, Liu Mingchuan's calm tone also contained a hint of emotion (Historically, the personal relationship between Xue Fucheng and Liu Mingchuan was very good)

"Then do you agree with this junior's point of view?" Xu Jie continued to ask.

"This Japanese has been plotting against us for a long time, and I, the governor, naturally know it. As early as the beginning of the Civil Restoration, the Japanese dared to land in Taiwan as soon as they had a few sampans, and what happened later in Korea, if I hadn't

The Qing Dynasty has handled it properly, but I am afraid that the land of Sanhan is no longer mine. As for the navy, Shengsan really doesn’t understand. But it shouldn’t be as Ji Shi said?” Although Lao Liu was aware of the Japanese ambitions, he was not sure about it.

His unfamiliarity with maritime affairs still prevented him from making an appropriate assessment of the strength and weakness of the Qing and Japanese navies.

"Master Liu thinks what is the most important thing to win in a war?" Xu Jie asked.

"The commander-in-chief plans, the soldiers use their lives, and the supplies are sufficient. To put it simply, the war is about people and money." When it came to war, Liu Mingchuan immediately became interested, and his tone softened a lot.

"It's hard to compare the personnel of the Beiyang Navy and the Japanese Navy, so let's talk about money. In addition to Dingzhen in our Beiyang Navy, two warships like the Zhiyuan Jingyuan only cost 360,000 pounds, while the Japanese Navy plans to build a fleet in Armstrong

A dome-armored cruiser ordered by the shipyard costs 300,000 pounds. Its tonnage is twice that of our Zhiyuan ship, and it is a fast gun. As for the funds, the annual cost that Beiyang can receive is only about 1 million taels.

The Japanese navy's military expenditure is 8 million yen a year." Xu Jie said with a heavy heart. Didn't you say that war requires money? Beiyang has no money, so you can't say that Beiyang can still defeat the Japanese. And as long as you admit this

A little, and the rest will be easier to handle. Xu Jie secretly laughed in his heart.

"Then what?" Liu Mingchuan's expression at this time was very much like a businessman asking about the price. Because he knew that if Beiyang had no money, the final outcome would be defeat. And what he wanted to know was, what impact would this outcome have on him?

What kind of impact will it have on Taiwan? Once you know what you want to know, it’s time for the two sides to bargain.

"Then? Naturally, the battle will be defeated, and then an agreement will be signed somewhere. Then the territory will be ceded, compensation will be paid, and other benefits will be given to the other party to ensure peace for a while." Xu Jie said rather bachelorly.

"Uh, Ji Shi, be careful what you say." Zhang Peilun on the side wiped his sweat and warned in a low voice.

"There is nothing to be cautious about. From the Daoguang period of our Qing Dynasty until now, it was not like this that time? It's just that more or less things were lost. I can't control other places. I, Mr. Xu, can say whatever I want."

Old Liu said while stroking his hands, and the expression on his face was gone. He said with a red face. Liu Mingchuan's thinking is a pure military thinking. When encountering a problem, he will think about how to solve it, and then use the most direct and effective way to solve it.

Do it without considering whether doing so will cause trouble politically or in other aspects. Whether Liu Mingchuan was forced to resign due to the pressure of life or later followed Li Hongzhang or even became an official later, he has always thought like this.

And he has no intention of changing. This kind of people are very happy during the war, but in peacetime, they are afraid of offending a group of people. This is also the reason why Lao Liu was idle at home for 13 years before the Sino-French War? However, Lao Liu still likes to talk to others.

People who have their own temper, especially those who have the ability to have their own temper.

"And if land is to be ceded, which piece of land does Mr. Liu think the Japanese want the most?" Xu Jie said with a slight smile.

"Should it be Taiwan?" Old Liu is such a smart man. Xu Jie's so-called "guidance" has no effect in his eyes, and Old Liu is too lazy to dwell on the details and get straight to the point.

"Isolated overseas, with rich resources, an important location, and a moderate size, I really can't think of a reason why the Japanese don't want it," Xu Jie sighed. "And the Japanese have planted all kinds of spies and ears in Taiwan to plot Taiwan.

I think Mr. Liu has already dealt with a lot? Whether it is in terms of strategy or actual operation, the Japanese are already executing it. Why does Mr. Liu still not believe it??"

"..." Old Liu was silent, why didn't he speak? Nonsense, if he agrees, doesn't it mean that the safety of Beiyang and Taiwan are one? If he disagrees, Old Liu will not tell lies with his eyes open.

of.

"Master Liu, if you still don't believe what this junior says, can you make a bet with me?" Xu Jie said.

"What are you betting on?" Old Liu asked hurriedly when he saw Xu Jie changed the topic.

"Bet, once Japan wins the war against the Qing Dynasty, it will definitely seize Taiwan. My bet is 5,000 pounds." Xu Jie said confidently.

"Isn't this Lord Zhongtang's disciple the one who issued the ticket?" Looking at Xu Jie's actions, Deng Shichang couldn't help but shed a drop of cold sweat. First, within half an hour yesterday, he decided to give someone a ticket equivalent to the commander-in-chief of the Beiyang Fleet.

The salary is a standard salary. Today, without saying anything, I directly took out 5,000 pounds. This nm is more than 30,000 taels of silver. As the saying goes, it takes three years to clear the prefecture of a hundred thousand snowflakes of silver. This brother can make money much faster than corruption!!

"This is not easy to do. If the Japanese don't win, then who will win?" Lao Liu asked with a slight embarrassment.

"You win." Xu Jie answered very simply.

"I, the governor, can't afford more than 30,000 taels of silver." Liu Mingchuan was completely depressed. He had never seen such a person who didn't take money into consideration. I have no money to run the bank? Are you still going to gamble with me?

"It doesn't matter, you don't have to press anything. If I lose, the money will naturally be yours. If I win, you can leave this money to those who don't want to be slaves of the country and let them use it." Xu Jie

While speaking as calmly as possible, he quickly wrote his name on the check.

"Aren't you a waste?" Lao Liu lost his temper completely. This is a free gift, and it is not a bribe, but gambling money. It's hard for Qingliu people to find trouble. I have seen bribes, but never such bribes.

!!

"Money? It needs to be spent, and it's convenient for me to get the money. As for food and clothing? I'm used to being frugal. Occasionally I want to eat something good, and someone will treat me to it. (Who doesn't know how to say that?

This tragic figure has already placed two orders)" Xu Jie said with an indifferent blink.

"Brother Ji Shi, we can't do this no matter how much money comes to us." Deng Shichang couldn't bear it any longer and whispered.

"Do you know how my salary is calculated?" Xu Jie saw that the situation was basically stable. At the same time, in order to tell some people about the huge profits of Western Industry, Xu Jie decided to open the eyes of Lao Liu and others.

"Take the battleship I designed as an example. How much do you think I can get for buying a battleship? It should be calculated in pounds. I only charge pounds." Xu Jie said arrogantly.

"9,000 taels of silver? Well, 1,500 pounds. This is much more than Admiral Ding's total income in one year." Deng Shichang thought for a while and said.

"6,000 taels." Old Liu said angrily.

"Well, actually, my salary is calculated based on the tonnage of the warship sold. For example, the **-class dome cruiser is 4,500 tons, and I draw a commission of one pound per ton. In other words, a ship

, I can get a commission of 4,500 pounds, not counting my salary, confidentiality fees, promotion fees and other miscellaneous items." Xu Jie smiled and said. (This is really not much, William White draws 2 pounds per ton

--!) "And now, more than 1 dozen of this boat has been sold..."

"Where did you sell me the Beiyang ship? How much commission did you take?" Zhang Peilun glanced at Xu Jie and asked.

"The current tentative price is 0.7 pounds per ton." Xu Jie said.

"Are you too shady? You're making money at your own expense." Old Liu said with a hint of contempt.

"Is this shipbuilding, or warship building? If you don't make more than double the profit, you will lose it. Even if you lose tens of thousands of pounds, my income will not be affected much. And the price is set by Vittorio and the others. I won't take it for free.

Take it." Xu Jie said rather roguely.

"If I had known this, I would have learned to build ships back then." Old Liu rolled his eyes and said.

"Don't build ships optically. Guns, armor, and even textiles, transportation, mining, food, and chemicals are all very profitable. I can't just rely on shipbuilding. The armor produced in Italy and the 1889 version of light weapons are all very profitable."

It’s my patent. I don’t know how much I’ve sold, whether it’s a scam or a fool’s errand. Anyway, I only know that the money in my bank account is increasing, and that’s enough. Now I’ve been thinking about how to spend it.”

Xu Jie stared at the ceiling and said with a bachelor look.

"This Western industry is really profitable." As if realizing something, Liu Mingchuan looked at Xu Jie and said meaningfully.
Chapter completed!