Nine years earlier, in 1866, the fifth year of Tongzhi, the Manchu Qing had sent a mission to Europe, and the British and French had expressed absolute pride and contempt for the arrival of the Chinese mission. But when the mission visited Germany, which was still Prussia at that time, to visit the Krupp Group, a well-known munitions and steel manufacturer in its territory, the Chinese mission was warmly and warmly received by its hosts, regardless of the Krupp family's considerations. When the mission returned to China, Zhang Tai, who was a member of the mission at the time, reported to Li Hongzhang, which made the first marriage between Li Hongzhang and Krupp.

A good start is half the battle.

Four years later, after the victory of the Franco-Prussian War, the artillery of the Prussian Army and Krupp became famous all over the world, and they stood at the top of the world. Li Hongzhang's inner goodwill instantly fermented, and from this time on, a large number of guns of British and French origin that were originally equipped with the Huai Army began to withdraw from the Huai Army one after another, except for Liu Ming's army, and the blank guns produced by Germany were replaced. In the tenth year of Tongzhi, that is, in 1871 of the Western calendar, Li Hongzhang served as the first year of the governor of Zhili. At the instigation of Pehr, he bought 328 Kruber cannons of various calibers from the Krupp family in one go, and deployed them in Dagukou, Beitang, Shanhaiguan and other forts in order to stabilize the defense and security of Tianjin and Beijing.

This year, when the Beiyang Naval Division was officially launched, three German experts in military, design, and defense invited by Li Hongzhang had already begun to design Lushun and Weihai