"The Navy finally disposed of those two old ships to the Japanese?" Alekseev asked.

"That's right, 1 million pounds was sold to the Japanese, and of course, we lent the money to Japan. Now that group of dwarves should have the courage to raise their sabers against the Beiyang Naval Division, right? The current strength of the Japanese fleet is much stronger than that of the Qing Beiyang. It is estimated that the Beiyang Fleet will not last long. Rozdvinsky said.

"This is not the outcome we want to see, a lose-lose situation is what Russia needs most. There is a proverb in the East that says that you compete with mussels and make a profit. What the empire wants to do is the fisherman. Japan cannot win so easily. Makanov was dissatisfied with the Russian Navy's sale of ships to Japan, believing that the warships ordered by Japan from Britain would already be able to defeat the Qing fleet, and that providing more warships would only make Russia face a new rising power in the post-war Far East. Japan's ambitions were too great, and he would never be willing to become a vassal of the empire, so the Russians would be happy to see both sides lose. And on the ruins of the battle between the two sides, Russia, the steamroller of Europe, will begin his journey eastward!!

"Even so, if the Qing fleet can be united, it will not be easy for the Japanese to win. The Nanyang Naval Division had recently acquired a warship comparable to Nasimonov from the British, and even the Penghu Naval Division in Guangdong had begun to purchase new third-class dome cruisers. Alekseev argued.

"The Qing State is no longer a complete country, it is not so much a dynasty as a group of principalities in the name of the dynasty. Li Hongzhang of Beiyang is the most powerful grand duke, and Liu Kunyi and Zhang Zhidong of Nanyang are second-class grand dukes, Liu Kunyi will not fight for Li Hongzhang, and Li Hongzhang will not pay for Liu Kunyi's losses. This is the Great Qing Dynasty. I am more worried about Japan, a small, aggressive, highly centralized, truly capitalist country than the scattered Qing state. If it were allowed to obtain large tracts of land and indemnities from the Qing state, the empire's expansion in the Far East would encounter great resistance. Makanov voiced his concerns.

"It doesn't matter, now the Russian diaspora has flocked to Hokkaido, the port of Muroran has fallen into the hands of the Reich, and on the slipway of the Baltic Shipyard, the cruiser prepared for the Far Eastern Fleet is about to be launched. One Rurik-type battleship, three Azov-type battleships. This will be stationed in Muroran Port as a fast fleet in the Far East, and with some dome cruisers, the Russian Far East Fleet will definitely be able to suppress the victorious Japanese navy, and when the time comes, the Empire can mediate in the middle, so that the Japanese will not get much of it. And the empire can also reap great benefits from those who wear braids. If Japan loses, it will be even better, the empire can be stationed in the Japanese archipelago as a protector, and even teach the already tired Qing State a hard lesson. No matter what the outcome of the Qing-Japanese war was, the empire was sure to win. "Alekseev was dismissive of Makanov's warnings.

"I hope so." Makanov saw that there was no market for his remarks, so he could only suppress the dissatisfaction in his heart first, after all, he was not a tsar, he could only do his part.

Ansal Depot Shipyard, Xu Jie Office.

"Colonel Jericho, I am flattered by your arrival." Xu Jie said happily.

"Getting from the door to your office is more difficult for me than it is to cross London." Jericho complained.

"Your Excellency is not here just to inspect the Italian shipyard guards, right?" Xu Jie looked at Jericho who was looking at the slipway in the distance and said jokingly.

"On behalf of the British Royal Navy, I would like to extend my cordial greetings to our allies in the Far East, and by the way would like to remind Mr. Xu that the newly built cruisers of the Russians are likely to be deployed in the port of Muroran, which Russia has acquired from the Japanese. And from the recent Russian-Japanese exchanges, it can be seen that the Russians and the Japanese are already quasi-allies, Russia provides Japan with a lot of money, and Japan uses these gold rubles to buy Russian warships. Jericho said as he observed Xu Jie's reaction. …,

"Hmph, cunning John Bull, now that Japan doesn't listen to Britain and hooks up with the Russians, Britain is in a hurry to find the next partner in the Far East who can stop the Russians, don't you think it's a little late? Now Russia and Japan are quasi-allies, and Britain and Japan were not the same back then. Now that the British have come to the door, how can you be worthy of you if you have a penny? Xu Jie thought with hatred in his heart.

"You should go to Minister Xue and Li Zhongtang to say these words. I'm just a naval officer. Xu Jie said lightly. However, I think Britain should do something to warn the Russians that it is not wrong to try to get their hands on the Far East with a few cruisers and an ice-free port. In addition, it was very difficult for the Qing navy to resist Japan and Russia independently. So, if I were Li Zhongtang, I would seek the help and support of the British Empire. ”

"The British Empire wants to establish a better relationship with the Qing State, and the British Royal Navy also hopes to work closely with the Beiyang Naval Division, Minister Xue has already sent a telegram to Lord Li Hongzhang, I don't know, should Mr. Xu also say something? How about passing on your opinion to Mr. Li Hongzhang? Jericho asked thoughtfully.

"What I need is a reason, I need the British Empire to show its friendship with Beiyang in a series of actions, and only then can I convince Lord Lee. In addition, the DPRK and China also complained about Britain's strong support for Japan's development, and in order to convince the people in the DPRK and China, Li had to come up with something practical. Do you understand what I'm saying? Xu Jie said with an embarrassed face.

"Cunning fellow." Jericho scolded secretly. He knew very well in his heart that where did the Manchu bureaucrats understand the diplomatic cooperation? Doesn't it all look at what Li Hongzhang says? This Xu Jie used this as an excuse!! However, Jericho also knew that Li Hongzhang must have been obsessed with such things as Britain's loans to Japan and the construction of ships. Without some compensation, it would be difficult for the relationship between Britain and the Qing to go any further. However, the deep disgust did not prevent Jericho from making a very sincere statement, and the veteran, who had been in the navy for many years, said sincerely: "The British Imperial Government will definitely make up for its previous diplomatic mistakes." The equipment and ammunition needed by the Qing State will be transported to Lushun and Weihai by the Royal Navy as soon as possible. The additional government bonds issued by your country in the British Empire will also be subscribed at a reasonable price. ”

"I am very grateful to the Queen's Government for their help and support to the Qing Dynasty. I believe that, with the help of your government, the Qing Dynasty is fully capable of containing the polar bear and the dwarf beside him in the Far East. However, I need to remind that if the Russian Navy suddenly intervenes in the Qing-Japanese War, I wonder if the British Far East Fleet has corresponding countermeasures? Xu Jie asked. What is Russia doing with the transfer of new cruisers? Xu Jie doesn't know, but it won't be soy sauce, right? Since Russia has already accepted this little brother, there is no reason to stand by and stand by. Robbery behind the back of others is the favorite thing for Russians to do, although without the support of the Far Eastern Railway, Russia is still a brown bear that has not woken up, but the Qing State is just a giant with feet of clay!

"This? The Russians won't, right? Jericho didn't have a fair look at that, and said with a look of surprise on his face. Just 20 years later, when Jericho sat on the throne of the commander of the Ocean Fleet, he still recalled Xu Jie's words in his spare time, as early as before the war, Xu Jie had considered the possibility of the Russians taking advantage of the fire to rob. This kind of deep insight, and grasp of the strategic situation, is what Jericho has been pursuing, but has never fully comprehended.

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