"Admiral Severa, we finally met again Xu Jie said with a smile. In a hotel next to Xu Jie's hotel, Xu Jie finally met with the Spanish admiral again, at the invitation of the Spanish side, the Beiyang side agreed to send officers to guide the construction of the Spanish Navy, and in the secret exchanges between the two sides, the two sides finally agreed that some key details of the issues need to be finalized by Sevela and Xu Jie personally, in order to avoid some unnecessary troubles, Xu Jie will not go to Spain, and Sevela followed Spain to Italy to receive the ship personnel secretly came to Italy.

"General Xu, five years ago, when you and I met, you were just a designer, and now you are the commander of a fleet that has always been strong. And you, leading your fleet, piloting ships of your own design, defeated a formidable enemy and saved the Motherland. Your record is truly admirable. Severa complimented.

"I am only a member of the Beiyang Fleet, and the entire Beiyang Fleet and the entire Beiyang Group are the decisive force for victory." Xu Jie said modestly. "Please allow me to introduce you to Lord Yang and Lord Deng, Lord Yang Yonglin is the current Chief of Staff of the Beiyang Fleet, and Lord Deng is the commander of the First Fast Fleet of the Beiyang Fleet."

"I've admired the name for a long time, and I'm very happy to know the two of you." Sevela made a polite remark, and then the two sides sat down and began to talk.

"First of all, I would like to thank the Beiyang side for its support and help in the construction of the Spanish Navy. The Beiyang side is also welcome to send excellent commanders to improve the combat effectiveness of the Spanish Navy. I think the specific treatment issue can be based on this document. As he spoke, Sevela handed a document to Xu Jie.

"Lord Yang, are you still satisfied with this?" Xu Jie didn't even look at it. It was directly handed over to Yang Yonglin. After Yang Yonglin finished reading. Xu Jie asked with a smile.

"The treatment of the admiral, I didn't expect that my Yang someone's official position actually surpassed that of Admiral Xu." Yang Yonglin said with a smile.

"So there's no problem?" Sevela asked.

"I personally have no problem, but whether I can go depends on whether Lord Xu agrees." Yang Yonglin said with a smile.

"Master Xu, do you need anything else to explain? It's just a simple people-to-people exchange. Severa feigned surprise.

"If it were that simple, you and I wouldn't have to sit here and talk." Xu Jie sneered.

"It seems that we still have a long way to go. First of all, I wonder if Lord Xu can provide other help to our country? Severa asked.

"A large number of army weapons, and extremely cheap army weapons, you only need to pay for freight and a small repair cost. Although some of the weapons were not sophisticated, they were sufficient to arm the Cuban police force to suppress the local uprising. Xu Jie said that the source of these weapons was naturally captured by the Japanese Army. In terms of performance, it is very average. But it's so cheap that no one is unmoved by a weapon that's almost free.

"Lord Xu is really doing a good business, and Spain is not lacking in these things." There was a hint of displeasure in Sevela's eyes, and he also guessed the origin of the weapons.

"An auxiliary ship needed to complete the fleet." Xu Jie smiled slightly and continued.

"Auxiliary ships? Well. Do you mean those toys? What I want to say is that the decisive battle of the fleet depends on the fight of the capital ships, and I think you should know better than me what the performance of torpedoes is in this era. Severa pretended to be serious.

"Times are advancing, and torpedoes are evolving with the advancement of technology. And the new type of lightning warship will play a huge role in naval warfare. Xu Jie said.

"Can you be more specific?" Sevela asked, frowning.

"Your Excellency the Admiral thinks that the Spanish Navy doesn't need these miscellaneous fish, right?" Xu Jie said with a smile. "It is true that whether it is Mr. Mahan's theory of sea power or actual combat experience, if you want to completely defeat the navy of a certain country, overwhelming the opponent in the decisive battle of the capital ships is undoubtedly the most convenient and straightforward way. But in reality it's not easy. ”…,

"For two fleets of similar strength, even if the winning side wins on the battlefield due to some uncertainties such as tactics or luck, the losses will be very heavy. As the saying goes, killing a thousand enemies and losing eight hundred is the truth. And if you take into account various factors such as logistics, maintenance, etc. Sometimes victory on the battlefield does not translate into victory in war. Relative to the U.S. Navy, the Spanish fleet was a one-time fleet. The United States can repair warships damaged on its own soil, and even rush to complete new warships, but what about Spain? Once a ship is badly damaged, the only thing that awaits it is destruction or abandonment. And the only thing that can solve the problem is to completely sink the opposing battleship, so that they have no chance of repairs. After Xu Jie finished speaking, he took a sip of green tea and glanced at Saivera's reaction by the way.

"New torpedo and mine-strike ships? Actually, we can buy it from Italians through normal channels. Cervera said quietly.

"But it certainly won't be the first batch, I don't know when the war will break out, do you dare bet that you will get a new torpedo before the war breaks out?" Xu Jie asked rhetorically.

"Your Excellency cannot guarantee your help. Spain could get its hands on the first new torpedoes. Sevela said.

"But this is an opportunity, maybe a few months away, and the outcome of the war will be very different. Are you willing to gamble with your fleet and national fortunes? Xu Jie asked with a smile.

"None of these things are what we need the most, is there anything else?" Sevela asked.

"How about a capital ship and the security of the Philippines help you?" Xu Jie finally came up with his killer idea.

"Can you be more specific?" As soon as he heard this, Savella suddenly came to his senses.

"The Spanish side should be informed. Italy's shipyards are close to saturation of capacity, and after re-accepting an order for a pisA warship from your country. Refuse to accept new orders. The British shipyard is currently busy with the British Navy refitting, so there is no guarantee in terms of construction schedule. The products of the French are too expensive and do not correspond to the standard equipment of your country. It's not a good choice either. And a deal on the Beiyang side may help your country. Xu Jie sold at this time.

"Can you be more specific?" This feeling of being led by the nose made Severa very unhappy.

"I Beiyang after consultation with the Italian naval authorities. The drawings of the Garibaldi prototype battleship were to be handed over to the Germans. In return, Germany will produce low-cost warships for Beiyang, and our Beiyang can help your country order one more, and when it is almost completed, your country can buy it from our Beiyang. Rest assured, the duration and price will never be higher than what your country ordered in Italy. Xu Jie thought about it and added.

"And how should we understand the security assistance to the Philippines?" Sevela asked.

"Our Qing Dynasty will not allow the US Far East Fleet to use our Qing territory to do anything unfavorable to Spain, and our Beiyang Fleet can say that the shore guns in Lushun and Weihai are supplied to various countries at low prices, although these 240 guns are a little old, but there is still no problem at all in dealing with American cruisers. If necessary, Beiyang can provide your country with the whereabouts of the US Far East Fleet. In this way, your country will be able to concentrate its forces on resolving the crisis in Cuba. Xu Jie said as he watched Sevila's reaction.

"Of these conditions, the new type of cruiser is the most attractive." Severa thought for a moment and said. "Since Beiyang has given such generous conditions. So what do you want? ”

"You know that the Qing Dynasty is short of gold and copper mines, and your country's colonies in the Far East have a large number of copper and gold mines, so I hope to obtain some gold and copper mining rights. In addition, I hope that the Philippine Governor will provide some convenience for my Beiyang merchants to enter the Philippine market. Xu Jie said. …,

"The asking price is a bit high. If everyone in the Qing Dynasty came to the Philippines to do business, I am afraid that the Philippines would become an economic colony of the Qing Dynasty after a while. Sevela refused, saying that the economic strength of the Beiyang Alliance and the financial strength of the Nanyang Chinese in the First Sino-Japanese War made him feel terrible.

"This asking price is not high, if your country fails, then the Philippines can only become someone else's pocket, when the time comes, your country will not get anything, and we will also give your country a good price, businessmen when they are doing business. At the same time, the Philippines is also being built, and you need to note that your country is only facilitating Qing merchants with Beiyang background, not all Qing merchants. Xu Jie said calmly. When he put forward this condition, Xu Jie, on the one hand, was to make up for the lack of domestic hard currency and the lack of copper resources, and on the other hand, he had to give some benefits to those businessmen in Beiyang who had always supported Beiyang. Otherwise, why do people follow you all the time? After all, there are not many people in this world who struggle for their ideals, and more people do it for profit.

"I can't decide on this, it needs the approval of our government, but in principle I think it can be discussed." For the purpose of Beiyang so helping Spain. Sevela also has some understanding, and curbing the infiltration of this giant in North America into the Far East may have been on the agenda of Beiyang, so it can be said that both sides have requirements to confront the United States, so Beiyang will contact Spain.

"Well, I hope that your government will reply as soon as possible. May we have a happy cooperation. Xu Jie said this as soon as he saw what he said. Naturally, there was no need to talk about it any further, so it was decided to adjourn the meeting.

"Lord Xu. If Spain does not accept our request, is there a way for you to deal with it? After the meeting, Yang Yonglin asked.

"The Spaniards would agree that the U.S. Far East Fleet continued to grow, and that the Spaniards could not juggle both strategic directions at the same time, which involved the safety of both colonies and the dignity of Spain. Whenever possible, the Spaniards will take every opportunity to win. Xu Jie pondered for a moment and said in a very affirmative tone.

"That would only delay the defeat by 10 to 15 years, and it wouldn't even take that long for the United States to build a fleet that the Spaniards would be hard to match." Yang Yonglin smiled bitterly.

"At that time, I am afraid that China will already be able to claim the king and hegemony in the Far East, as long as the United States has no support points in the Far East, no matter how powerful it is, it will not be able to project it." Xu Jie said a little proudly.

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