London, England, the official residence of the Qing Embassy in the United Kingdom.

"This is our proposed plan, you should have seen it, right? Not a lot of words," Garin smiled slightly.

"You are responsible for recruiting a group of technicians into my Beiyang Ordnance Factory? And to provide funds and loans for my Beiyang purchase of new machinery and weapons? Xue Fucheng couldn't help frowning. And what about the price? What do you need from Beiyang? ”

"We want to take a stake in some of the industries under Beiyang. For example, the Kailuan Coal Mine and the yarn mill that is now being built in Shanghai. If we can, we would also like to open a bank in Tianjin. As she spoke, she handed another document to Xue Fucheng.

"It's not up to me to call the shots. However, as far as the simple matter of foreign craftsmen coming to China is concerned, I Beiyang is still acceptable. We will naturally give a suitable price for the salary of the personnel who come to China. Although he can't make full decisions, he can still decide on the benefits and harmlessness of bringing in foreign technicians.

"But I still want to ask Lord Xue to take a look at these things again." Rhodes sent a dozen drawings to Xue Fucheng. "This is the latest Lee Enfield rifle and the new camp gun produced by the Armstrong Gun Factory, as well as the new Maxine machine gun, I think these weapons can completely improve the combat effectiveness of the Beiyang Army."

"If Beiyang can show enough sincerity, we can even help Beiyang design a new type of protective cruiser. That would be an outstanding work that completely surpassed the Zhiyuan-class dome cruisers. Garin said with a smile.

"Really? It's really something to look forward to, but I'd like to ask. How does this new Dome Cruiser compare to the Royal Italian Navy's **-class Dome Cruisers? Xue Fucheng asked with interest.

"This should be no less than a **-class dome cruiser." Rhodes replied with a little embarrassment. "You should fully believe in the quality of British warships, and at the same time you should also believe in our capabilities, among our technicians are the disciples of Mr. William White, who gave you and the battleships designed by the Beiyang are definitely not comparable to ordinary takeaway warships. If cooperation can be carried out in depth. We can even help Beiyang build its own naval shipyard. After thinking for a moment, Rhodes added.

"On behalf of the Qing government, I am very grateful for your help. But this matter is not something I can decide. There is a saying in China that you shop around. Except for you. I still have someone else to choose from. Not long ago, I just had a conversation with Mr. Xu of the ** Design Bureau, and Mr. Xu was very interested in the orders from the Far East. Xue Fucheng said lightly.

1 hour later, Gaylin private villa.

"Damn Italians." In the midst of Garin's curse, a delicate wine glass was shattered. The red wine and broken glass are unusually bewitching in the sunlight.

"Could it be that as a proud disciple of Mr. White? Can't you come up with a battleship that can compete with the **-class dome cruisers? ”。 Garin gave Turner a cold look.

"With all due respect, the **-class dome cruiser designed by the Chinese designer and Vittorio is indeed the pinnacle of this era. It is difficult for even Mr. White to design such an advanced battleship in a short period of time, and at the moment, Mr. White is focusing on the construction of the Sovereign-class battleship. There is also not much time to pay attention to non-capital ships. Turner said with a helpless wave of his hand.

"Mr. Turner, there's nothing more to do here, you can go and get on with your work." Rhodes said.

"Actually, miss, our plan didn't fail." After watching Turner leave, Rhodes said leisurely.

"What do you mean? That Xu Jie has not only made achievements in the navy, but also has insights in army equipment, and his new rifles, pistols and other weapons have entered the Italian navy. If he has the support of the Italian Navy, I don't think we can compete with it. There was some helplessness in Galene's atmosphere. …,

"In that case, why can't we work with a Chinese designer?" Rhodes asked rhetorically.

"Working with him? He had his design bureau, as well as the help of the Italian Admiralty. Garin said with some annoyance.

"But we have the money. Plus, he's very similar to you. Rhodes said.

"What? Similar to me? What similarities can a businessman and a designer have? Garin suddenly became interested.

"The same paranoia as you." Rhodes laughed.

"What do you mean?" Garin was shocked.

"What do you guess the price he gave Xue Fucheng?" Rhodes asked. "A top-of-the-line Dome cruiser."

"Isn't it £350,000?". Gaylin asked.

"£280,000, just £280,000." Rhodes gestured with his hand.

"Oh my God, the Italian shipyards are going to kill him." Garin smiled after a moment's pause. "But it's really good news for us. Since he has the heart to help Beiyang, we can cooperate with him. In the eyes of a Westernized Chinese, joint ventures and bank openings are not unacceptable. ”

"But only if he can enter the North Ocean. Under the current conditions, the chances of him going back are very slim, the Italian side will not let him go lightly, and the Beiyang side may not accept him. Rhodes poured cold water.

"However, if he can get a place in the Beiyang, it is estimated that the warships and infantry weapons of the British Empire will never sell as well as before. The Queen's government will be very unhappy," continued Sister Rhodes.

"We are only businessmen, and the pursuit of profit is the only goal, and of course we have to pay attention to the reaction of the British government." Garin thought for a moment and said.

"If you really want to recruit this Mr. Xu, we still have a chance, he and the Italians came to England for a business. Will stay here for a while. Rhodes said.

; ……，