"Again, it's not something I can decide. Net," Xu Jie said quietly.

"Lord Xu, Japan only needs to lift some restrictions on naval armaments, and isn't it up to you to decide on naval matters? I think that neither the governors of the Beiyang region nor the fleet pipe band will have any objection to your decision, after all, you know the navy best in the whole of Asia. Even General Yang Yonglin, who shone in the Spanish-American War, is actually inferior to Your Excellency, General Yang is just a master tactician, and you are a strategist. William said half-complimentingly, half-seriously.

In the eyes of the British, although they suffered huge losses in the First Sino-Japanese War and at the same time incurred a large amount of reparations, it was not too difficult for Japan, which had a relatively thorough capitalist system, to recover its economy with the help of the British, and all it needed was time. But a country is not only rich but also powerful, Japan without enough self-defense capabilities can not fulfill the ability of the British to contain Russia or Beiyang, the treaty on the limitation of armaments, especially the treaty on the limitation of naval armaments, has firmly locked Japan, so Britain must cultivate Japan before Beiyang is really strong, only in this way, Britain can prevent the situation of Beiyang in the Far East from becoming a dominant one!

"But why should I allow the Japanese Navy to rearm?" Xu Jie asked rhetorically.

"Russia is too strong, Beiyang needs allies, and the British Empire is not suitable to participate directly in this war, so lifting the restrictions on the Japanese navy at this time is of great benefit to your country, isn't it?" William said with a smile.

"This is too far-fetched, for the country that has hurt us in the past. My personal opinion is that it will never be turned over! Japan is an island country, and China also has vast territorial waters, so we will never allow this island country to threaten the sea lines of communication that are vital to our country! Xu Jie categorically rejected William's proposal.

"As you know, the foundation of naval construction is national strength, and judging from Japan's current national strength, they will not pose any essential threat to your country in the foreseeable future. The purpose of their current rebuilding of the navy is only to deal with the vicious Russians. As a gesture of goodwill, the Japanese government can make some concessions in terms of economic and financial aspects to provide greater convenience to your country. They now only need a navy for self-defense, and in this regard, our government believes that the Beiyang should not limit the development of the Japanese navy too much. Especially in this case. William said.

"Just because you don't have a navy now doesn't mean you won't have it in the future. Moreover, some of the actions of the Japanese have already made us vigilant, only three years have passed since the First Sino-Japanese War, and Japan can no longer bear it, and the Japanese naval officers discovered in the Spanish-American War are enough to illustrate this problem. The Japanese can betray your country once, and the same can betray a second time. Xu Jie said.

"But the restrictions of the past are really out of date, and we can discuss specific issues, but it is necessary to relax them appropriately. The overly weak Japanese Navy is not in our common interests, and this is the bottom line of my visit to your country. William said a little impatiently. Xu Jie's refusal to enter the oil and salt made William very annoyed.

"Then I would like to ask, to what extent do you intend to relax this restriction?" Xu Jie said after softening his tone.

"The tonnage of the capital ships is less than 10,000 tons, and the total tonnage of the fleet does not exceed half of your country." William said.

"This is absolutely unacceptable." Xu Jie sneered. What are you kidding, the capital ship of the 10,000-ton class is already at the level of a quasi-battleship, which can already pose a mortal threat to the cruisers of the Beiyang Navy, as for the total tonnage reaching half? is even more unlikely, which means. If Britain's existing Far East Fleet and the Japanese Navy joined forces, they could pose a great threat to themselves. Although Japan's economy has been hit hard, the biggest advantage of being an island country is that it can devote considerable energy to naval construction, and as long as Japan can eliminate the influence of Russia, it can maintain a small army, and the expansion of the navy will become very rapid, and this opening must not be opened! …,

"I must make a point, Mr. William. Beiyang will never allow a powerful fleet composed of all new warships to threaten its own security, and 10,000-ton warships are absolutely unacceptable, which is beyond the need for self-defense. This is absolutely not allowed. Moreover, the caliber of artillery must be limited, and the Japanese Navy now only needs to destroy warships, and there is no need to have guns of too large caliber. Xu Jie said.

"Our opinion is that the Japanese Navy can definitely not have more than 5,000 tons of warships, and similar warships showed strong attack power in the Spanish-American War, and we do not want to see the Japanese Navy equipped with warships of higher tonnage than this." Xu Jie put forward a counter-opinion.

"Mr. Xu, I think you should understand that the strength of the Russian fleet is far stronger than that of the US Navy, and the only thing that the US Navy can do is only 4 battleships, while the Russian Navy will be able to deploy 3 battleships and 7 armored cruisers next year, including two armored cruiser lead ships. Although this fleet is inferior to the US Navy in size, its combat effectiveness is definitely higher than that of the US Navy. In addition, your country has to consider possible reinforcements from the Russians. William said.

"In addition, I have emphasized that the Japanese government can provide some convenience for the Beiyang in other directions, such as the supply of military ports and the traversal of commerce, and the port of Muroran is far from the bases of the Beiyang Fleet and the Foreign Fleet, and Vladivostok is even more extensive across the entire Sea of Japan, without the support of Japan, your country will be unable to fight. I hope that your Excellency will think carefully and not jump to the conclusion prematurely, that the British Empire's opinion is that the tonnage should not be less than the largest tonnage warship ever possessed by the Japanese Navy, that is to say, about 8,500 tons. Everything I have said is on behalf of the Government of the British Empire, and I hope that Your Excellency will consider it carefully. William said in an almost ultimatum.

"Okay, please wait a few days, I need to get in touch with someone else. As for the loosening of the Japanese Navy, we need to study it carefully. Immediately, Xu Jie signaled that the other party could leave.

William then left the room, but Galine did not, she just sat and sipped her tea. looked at Xu Jie's reaction. "Does Miss Gaylin want to continue to convince me?" Xu Jie was stared at a little uncomfortable, and then said.

"You're still the same as before, and it's not good to do that." Garin said with a smile.

"There are some things that cannot be regressed, there is a first time and there is a second time." Xu Jie said expressionlessly.

"But I have a feeling that you will agree to a certain degree of loosening of the grip on Japan, but with some scruples about the tonnage of the fleet. In addition, I would like to remind you that the British government is so imperative on this that they have even started construction of two cruisers designed for the Japanese, with a tonnage of about 8,000 tons. Garin said with a smile.

"And what do I get if I back down?" Xu Jie asked.

"The support of the British Empire, from material to economic and diplomatic support, at least before the fall of the Russians, what the British Empire needs now is a gesture of Beiyang concession, what the British government needs is Beiyang to make concessions, how much concessions can be discussed, but the premise is that the warships that have been started at the Armstrong shipyard can enter the Japanese Navy smoothly! It's not a question of money, it's a matter of face. Garin said with a serious expression.

"That is, as long as two capital ships can enter the Japanese fleet, then we can get it back in other ways?" Xu Jie thought for a while and said.

"Theoretically, yes, in addition, the Japanese government has also expressed its intention to open up supplies and joint operations to the Beiyang. For the former, I think Your Excellency should need it very much, and as for the latter, it should not be a bad thing to be able to stab the Russians in the back when the North Ocean is in a head-on show. Garin said. …,

"This, I need to think about it all, thank you for the reminder." Xu Jie smiled slightly.

And after Gai Lin left, Xu Jie did not waste time, and quickly summoned Yang Yonglin, Liu Buchan, Deng Shichang and Lin Yongsheng and other detachment commanders to the official residence, they now need to assess the possible impact on Japan's relaxation!

"Two 8000-ton cruisers? This is not as good as a detachment of the Beiyang Fleet, even if it is allowed, the problem will not be too big, but the key is how to curb the next expansion. As Xu Jie's commander of the Beiyang Fleet, Yang Yonglin spoke first.

"In fact, what the British want is a face, we can agree to these two battleships to enter the Japanese Navy, but then the tonnage of the main battleships cannot be higher than 7,000 tons, and the total tonnage cannot exceed 35% of the Beiyang system fleet, so that the Japanese fleet will not be able to make any big waves." Liu Buyun nodded in agreement.

"In addition, the composition of the fleet must also be limited, and the auxiliary fleet must be raised higher in the distribution of capital ships and auxiliary fleets, and it should also be explained in the speed of fleet renewal that after the new ships are updated with the old ships, the old ships must be dismantled and cannot continue to exist in the name of reserves." Deng Shichang also released his opinion.

"Then let's add one more, that is, in return for the loosening of the Beiyang bounds, during the war between our Beiyang and the Russian fleet, Japan must declare war on Russia at the same time." Lin Yongsheng added with a smile.

"This Japanese country has no credibility at all, even if there is a treaty, I am afraid that the binding force is very limited, and even if Japan declares war, what can we do if he can't help?" Deng Shichang asked.

"If that's the case, I'm afraid the first to disagree will be the Japanese, and we can also use some other means to restrict Japan." Speaking of which, Xu Jie remembered some things in his time and space.

The effect of collective wisdom and hard work was still very good, and in just one night, a seemingly loose plan for the Japanese Navy's armament restrictions was released. And after this plan is polished, it will be used to bargain with the British!

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