"Shhh Mutsu Munemitsu gasped, "I see, I know why the Empire wants to buy the Kasuga and Nisshin at any cost!" If our enemy is Spain, then we naturally cannot let these two battleships fall into the hands of the Spaniards! So no matter how high the price is, we have to buy it! Mutsu Munemitsu looked suddenly enlightened, and his excitement and joy made his originally pale face appear a sickly flush.

"Wait! That's impossible! You can't predict in advance that the Russians will cancel the order! So, the plan to buy these two battleships was improvised! You must have other preparations, tell me, how are you going to solve this problem if it were not for the cancellation of the order by Russia? As far as I know, the Reich did not order new large warships from Britain after the war. Mutsu Munemitsu was indeed the most outstanding talent in Japan of this era, and he quickly discovered another loophole!

"It is true that we did not order warships from the British, and the fundamental reason is that the British could not provide the Reich with warships that met the requirements within the stipulated time, so we had to think of other ways."

"Our requirements are simple, on the one hand, the battleships we ordered must be able to suppress the Munich-class armored cruisers purchased by Spain! If not, what use do we need these warships? Second, time! From the beginning of the design of the battleship to its final service, it had to be completed by the beginning of 1898! Because the Spaniards will also increase their armaments over time, and at the same time, the occupation of the Philippines one day earlier means that there are gains one day earlier, so we cannot delay it for too long," Ito explained.

"Some of the Americans' practices have also aroused your alarm, right? I once read a document that the Americans intend to strengthen their Far Eastern Fleet, the newly built armored cruiser USS Brooklyn may be sent to the Far East, and the Americans also have ideas about the Philippines, so in addition to defeating the Spanish fleet, we also want to maintain deterrence against the American fleet? Mutsu Munemitsu added.

"That's right. Time is too tight for the British to complete the design and construction of a powerful cruiser in less than 3 years, this is not a question of capabilities, but a matter of gravity, the British themselves have a heavy program for the construction of the Navy, and our conditions are so demanding. So no shipyard and designer were willing to take this order. 3 years to get a ship even more powerful than the Munich class? British shipyards, which have enough business, don't care about this order at all. So we did not order battleships from the British. Hirobumi Ito said.

"It's really hard to do this, and so far, the ones that can stabilize the Munich-class armored cruisers are the Nisshin and Izumo that we bought. It is said that while the Munich-class armored cruisers were being built, the Bavarians began to design Richen, and their shipyards were built really fast. Wait a minute! You wouldn't have ordered a battleship from a German shipyard, would you? According to the agreement between Bavaria and Russia, they refused to sell us battleships! And the abandonment of the agreement was also after Russia broke the treaty first, then. "Mutsu Munemitsu is messy again! For the first time, he realized that his brain was running out of ideas!

"So, we need help from the British, remember how the Izumi came to Japan? We operate exactly the same as the last time. It's just a little bigger! "The color on Ito's face is even heavier!

History always has a huge inertia. For example, in the Sino-Japanese War, Japan must have won the First Sino-Japanese War, and for example, during the war, Japan in this plane still purchased the cruiser Izumi from Chile through a third country, Ecuador. And the success of this daigou inspired the Japanese! Since daigou can avoid the neutrality clause, it can also avoid the agreement between Bavaria and Russia!

From the point of view of performance and time, Bavaria's new warship is definitely the best choice, and in terms of performance, it is timely to stabilize the Munich-class armored cruisers. So the Japanese decisively decided to get these two battleships through purchasing agents!

Of course. It's a great idea, but it doesn't mean it's easy to do. These are two 12,000-ton armored cruisers! How can an ordinary country need such a powerful warship? Let Europe's powerhouses buy on their behalf? Without this possibility, it is impossible for Britain and France to buy it, it is impossible for Russia to help the enemy, Spain itself may want it, and it is impossible for Japan to buy it on its behalf, as for Austria-Hungary and Italy? They were allies with Germany. If this thing is poked out, maybe it will be empty of people and money!

It's not easy to find a country that is relatively powerful, worthy of the status of this class of warship, and at the same time obediently guarantees delivery, but Chile and Argentina are possible. But looking at the driving of the two countries that may be done at any time, the Japanese are worried that one day these two countries will directly make the purchasing agent a real purchase! And it was bought with Japanese money, so wouldn't Japan lose a lot?

The Japanese called it a tangle at that time! At this time, it is up to the British father, the shrewd British to find a suitable country, and this country is Brazil! Brazil is big enough and rich enough, so there is. can support the economy of buying these two warships. Moreover, Chile and Argentina in South America are engaged in an arms race, and it is understandable that Brazil will buy new warships in order to ensure its own safety, and the most important thing is that Brazil is actually very safe, and the possibility of intercepting these two warships is not high. In addition, the British government said that it could convince Brazil to do Japan a favor, so in the end, Japan decided to buy through Brazil!

The two armored cruisers that were originally named Brazil and Rio de Janeiro had Japanese names, and in a list known only to no more than 10 people, the two battleships were called Asama and Yakumo! The two warships were planned to be completed by the end of 1897. When these two warships arrived in Britain, the Japanese naval officers and sailors waiting in Britain would take over the two warships! And then back to Japan, when they returned to Japan, it was when the Japanese fleet attacked!

"Yes, if there is the Asami and Yakumo, our two 2nd class battleships and 2 super armored cruisers, plus 1 first class protection cruiser and 2 second class protection cruisers, will stabilize the strength of the Spanish Navy! And even if there are changes in other countries, we are definitely not afraid of him! In the face of the Russian fleet, we can also maintain a minimum of deterrence, and the American fleet is not to be afraid! Mutsu Somitsu carefully analyzed everything, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that this plan was subtle and terrifying!

"And when all went well, the Russians unexpectedly terminated the contract with Bavaria, and the whole project was in jeopardy, and if the Spaniards got the Nisshin and Izumo, then our advantage would be wiped out, so we had to buy it! I see? Hirobumi Ito said with a smile on his face.

Thanks to the book friends Fang Zhan 2004, Domi Red, the 1st Guards Tank Brigade, hukaikaka, bighill1982 for the tips~~~, as well as the book friends 0007, heart floating and other book friends for their monthly ticket support~~~. (To be continued.) )