Although Xu Jie's trip to England was full of twists and turns, the work still has to be done. On a sunny afternoon, Xu Jie, Leo and Tycho came to a villa on the outskirts of London. Here they will open formal negotiations with the British naval side. Compared with Xu Jie and his party, the lineup of the British Navy is still very strong. Vice Admiral Hood led the British negotiations, and Sir Benz was also involved in the negotiations as deputy.

Since the bosses of the Mediterranean Fleet of the British Empire agreed in principle to the plan to sell 10-inch guns to Italy, (the commander of the Mediterranean Fleet is generally the next Minister of the Navy.) Fisher also went up like this) Then the remaining problems are some details such as cost, quantity, delivery time, and so on. Xu Jie thought so, but the appetite of the British side far exceeded the imagination of Xu Jie and others. The British were not in this negotiation just for an arms deal.

"The Royal Navy agrees in principle to this arms sale. There will be no obstacles on the part of the government. I think Lieutenant General Anthony has already explained this to you. Lieutenant General Hood said.

"That's right. So we're making a special trip to the UK. We had our suitcases stuffed with pounds. I think both the British Empire and the Kingdom of Italy will get what they need in this deal. "Tycho, as a representative of the government, responded to the kindness shown by Lieutenant General Hood.

"Young man, listen to me, I think we should not limit ourselves to just an arms deal, if it is just a 10-inch gun deal, you can negotiate with the representatives of the Armstrong gun factory. There is absolutely no need to involve a British Royal Navy Vice Admiral, I mean, you understand? Lieutenant General Hood said with a smile.

"I don't understand what you mean. Can you explain this a little bit more clearly? Tycho's brow furrowed slightly.

"The export restrictions of the Italian Navy to the Russian Navy and the arms sales of the British Empire to your country have made a good start to the exchange of the two navies. Why don't the two sides talk about further cooperation? Hood asked rhetorically.

"This, I'm afraid, is beyond my authority. My right this time is only this arms business. Tycho said with a little embarrassment.

"It's okay, you can convey what we said to you today to Minister Brynn. I think he would be more than happy to listen to the Royal Navy. Hood said confidently.

"Then I don't know what Your Excellency Lieutenant General means by further cooperation?" Tycho asked.

"If I could, I think Britain and Italy could carry out more in-depth cooperation in the field of naval shipbuilding. The British Royal Navy was very satisfied with the **-class dome cruisers. I don't know if we can cooperate on this. Hood paused to allow the other to grasp his thoughts.

"I'm afraid this will be resisted by the Admiralty and domestic shipyards." Tycho naturally understood Lieutenant General Hood's voiceover. But now the Italian Navy and shipyards are making money on ships of this class. How could the relevant technology be sold to the British?

"No, young man, you misunderstood. The Royal Navy does not value this small amount of money very much, the key lies in the technology and design in it. You can rest assured that the Royal Navy will not be used on any export vessels. Lieutenant General Hood said.

"And what do we get?" Tycho asked, dissatisfied.

"The new 10-inch naval guns and 8-inch naval guns, as well as the latest 3-expansion vertical steam engine in the British Empire. New artillery servo equipment. Lieutenant General Hood said. If Britain and Italy can cooperate in deeper areas. For example, to design a heavy armored cruiser together, I think all of the above equipment can be obtained by the Italian side. Lieutenant General Hood said with a deep breath.

Tycho's heads buzzed. "It seems that the British already knew about the Italian Navy's X-loading patrol plan." An identical thought formed in the minds of the three of them.

Looking at the representative of the Italian side on the other side, he had a somewhat confused expression. Lieutenant General Hood was satisfied. After a moment, Lieutenant General Hood said: "I know that it may be difficult for Your Excellency to accept it at once, and if you can, I will adjourn the meeting." Colonel Tycho also needs to report back to Secretary Brin, and I think we should both reposition this negotiation. Isn't it? Hood said with a smile.

Lieutenant General Hood's words and the intelligence capabilities of the British Empire's Scottish Factory really shocked Xu Jie and others. At the same time, there was considerable distrust of the secrecy of the Italian naval authorities. However, dissatisfaction is dissatisfaction, and Lieutenant General Hood's meaning must still be conveyed. On the same day, Tycho telegraphed Guò to Bryn, who was far away in Rome. Brin, on the other hand, was full of anger and helplessness when he learned the original intentions of the British. The British espionage work naturally annoyed Brin, but the problems of the Italian navy itself also made Brynn full of helplessness. The research plan of the X-class cruiser that he values so much can let outsiders know, and it is estimated that the design of the **-class dome cruiser that has now started construction will be put on the table of the Admiralty of other countries in a short time, right? As Italy's new generation of capital ships, the X-class patrol is naturally absolutely secretive. It is also impossible to share the relevant technology with the British. But the **-class dome cruisers are different. After referring to Xu Jie's X-class cruiser plan, Brin found that once Terni's carbon-hardened armor was really as Xu Jie said, the dome cruiser would inevitably be replaced by a cruiser with better protection, more firepower, and moderate speed. When the time comes, even such a pinnacle as the **-class Dome cruiser will quickly become obsolete, and it is better to sell the British a face than to sit and wait for it to become obsolete. After much deliberation, in a return call to Tycho and others, Brin agreed in principle to technical cooperation with the British, but only on the **-class dome cruisers. …,

At the inn where Diecho and the others stayed.

"Xu, Minister Brin has agreed to transfer the technology of the **-class dome cruiser to the British." Leo said expressionlessly. To be honest, he really didn't want to sell the **-class dome cruiser technology that was in the limelight to the British right now. That's a lot of money.

"The British have agreed not to use our technology on export warships." Julia said.

"Remember how we dealt with the Spaniards? We can do it again. In addition, I feel that since the Italian Navy has decided on this deal, all we need to do is how to use the technology in our hands to get more benefits from the British. Xu Jie didn't care much about this. He and Brin had a similar idea, that instead of clinging to a technology that was about to become obsolete, it would be better to swap it out for real money and develop a new one.

"So what do we need? In addition to Vickers' artillery and servos? Tycho asked.

"There are also rangefinders and completely new sighting equipment that the British are currently developing." Xu Jie smiled. Although historically, the 4-foot rangefinder that the British equipped Yoshino did not play much of a role in actual combat. But he is well versed in history, and he is also very aware that in future naval battles, if you want to get an acceptable hit rate at a distance of more than 3 kilometers. It must be supported by an advanced ranging system. Therefore, instead of waiting until it matures and then chasing, it is better to win and get the relevant equipment right at the beginning.