The reason why Xu Jie wanted to discuss the battle plan of the Beiyang Naval Division and the Foreign Naval Division with Jericho was that in addition to the British Empire behind Jericho, Jericho's own talent was definitely first-class. If you don't have the ability, can you command the most powerful fleet in the world in World War 1? And in this plane, because of his butterfly, Jericho grew earlier and faster than before, and it is undoubtedly very necessary to have such a staff officer.

Perhaps someone will attack Jericho for being timid and conservative. But Winston Churchill, then British Admiralty, said of Jericho and his Grand Fleet, "Jericho was the only man who could have lost the entire war in one afternoon." "As an island country, his fleet is the foundation on which he relies to dominate the world, and the fleet cannot be as easy to supply as the army, the army can be replenished quickly, but the warship is not, even if the industry is strong, the ship must be built step by step! From this point of view, we can understand Jericho's composure and conservatism!

"Lord Xu, Admiral Jericho, and Commodore Scheer, Deputy Commander of the Far East Fleet of the Royal German Navy, have come to pay a visit. And want to pass with the Beiyang Fleet as an observer. Just as Xu Jie and Jericho were discussing the next operational plan, a staff officer reported.

"Hurry up, please come in. Beiyang welcomes friends from Germany. Xu Jie said immediately.

"Damn Sher, just like their emperor, disgusting, and a person who can't shake off his tail, from the Qing-Japanese War and the Spanish War to the present, he is the place where I am!" And Jericho cursed in his heart. He didn't have much affection for this Scher. In addition to the characteristics of the same excellent naval commanders, who do not admit defeat and compete with each other. The willingness and action of the Germans, or the German Navy, to fight for sea supremacy gradually revealed made Jericho feel very uneasy!

Especially since this year the German Navy passed the first naval bill, and the second is about to be prepared! (The first Navy Act passed in 1898, and the second Navy Act passed in 1900!) How could this reassure the British Empire) The German fleet, which had already begun to expand, would become even more powerful, and the Germans called their main fleet the High Seas Fleet, which made the British navy brass even more uneasy. Especially now that the German Emperor is the same Wilhelm II, who has always been unfriendly to England, even if his mother is the granddaughter of Queen Victoria. But Germany was still gradually moving towards confrontation with Britain. Britain's sea power is inviolable! The Spaniards can't do it, the Dutch can't do it, the French can't do it, the Russians can't do it, the Germans can't do it!! Jericho even felt that he and Scheer would meet each other in the near future!

Xu Jie saw Jericho's dissatisfaction, but after all, this was only Jericho's personal attitude, and the relationship between Britain and Germany was currently quite acceptable, since Schell came on behalf of the German government. Then you can't be rude. After all, Germany is also a big country, and it is also an important help to support China's industrialization.

After Xu Jie and Scheer exchanged pleasantries, Scheer noticed Jericho on the side, and was also a little unhappy with this former "comrade-in-arms" Scheer. Scheer is aggressive. Jericho, on the other hand, comes across as being conservative. The difference in the personalities of the two made Scheer a little unhappy, and as for the deeper reason, it was entirely due to Tirpitz's risky fleet. The fleet that made the British Empire feel like a man, the Kaiser wanted to fight for land under the sun, and Tirpitz wanted the Grand Fleet. So who all this is aimed at, Scheer naturally knows the Tao. Perhaps Wilhelm II did not really want to go to war with his Uncle Edward. But this hostility is obvious!

"I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the German Empire for its friendly acts of supporting our Beiyang during the war. At the same time, I have to regret to say that General Scheer arrived a little late. The main forces of the Beiyang Fleet have already left the base. Xu Jie said.

"It's okay, I think we can still learn a lot from you." Scheer said with a smile. For Jericho. Scheer, who is aggressive by nature, can be dissatisfied. But for Xu Jie, a master who has almost played the whole field since the Battle of Toshima, Scheer is really angry. Although he participated in the Spanish-American War, he was not even the commander of a detachment, and he still admired this master who had planned the entire naval battle of the Sino-Japanese War and defeated the Japanese navy and inflicted heavy losses on the Russian navy.

"In addition, the Imperial Government has decided that within one month, it will provide Beiyang with an interest-free loan of 60 million Imperial Marks, however, our Government hopes that you can use this loan to buy our products." Then Scheer said. Around 1900, Germany was really on the rise. At that time, Germany could be said to have everything except for the colonies, and the most important thing was money. (At least before the expansion of World War 1.) While maintaining the world's strongest army, but also maintaining the world's second-strongest navy, Wilhelm II's pride is indeed justified! ）

"It's natural, the metal smelting, chemical and mechanical engineering industries of the German Empire are among the best in the world, and we need these products. Of course, if you can, I hope that your country will be able to get the arms we ordered before the war in place as soon as possible. In the end, Xu Jie asked the German side to provide arms as soon as possible. Since Xu Jie already wants to include part of the Russian Far East under his jurisdiction, this time he has to play big.

"Don't forget, Mr. Xu, the shipbuilding industry of the German Empire is equally powerful, and the King-class armored cruisers of your country and the Spanish Navy are enough to illustrate this problem." Scheer said triumphantly, glancing at Jericho as he said this. The provocation is obvious.

"Damn it." Jericho cursed in his heart. It is not the tradition of the British Empire not to fight back in the face of challenges, let alone Jericho's character, and being steady does not mean not being competitive! "Dear General Scheer." Speaking of which, Jericho gritted his teeth not like saying hello, but more like biting Scheer!

"The Navy is not just a pile of fleets, it is a tradition, a spirit. A truly powerful navy is more valuable than just warships. Good commanders, well-trained soldiers, and great strategy and tactics are indispensable! Didn't Napoleon, who once swept across Europe, eventually fail to cross the narrow English Channel? Did Napoleon lack good battleships? He was not lacking, but was he still defeated in the Battle of Trafalgar to the wise Admiral Nelson and his brave Royal Navy officers and men? At this point, Jericho's face was full of pride!

"Yes, the French army has no shortage of excellent traditions and generals, whether it is the time of the Sun King, or later Napoleon, the army of the French Empire used to make the whole of Europe tremble, but what now? At the Battle of Sedan, the German Army, under the leadership of the great Wilhelm I the Great, under the planning of Prime Minister Bismarck and Chief of General Staff Moltke, finally defeated the then First Army. And now, the German Empire is not only to be an army power, but also a naval power! The rise of the great German Navy was only a matter of time. "Scheer still pays more attention to the wording, and only talks about the rise of the navy, and does not point out confrontation, which is quite restrained compared to some of Tirpitz and William's remarks!

"Well, folks, we have come here for a common purpose, whether it is the British Empire or the German Empire, and I don't think we have any good feelings about the insatiable Russian Tsar. Why can't we be unanimous on this issue? The relationship between Britain and Germany is not something we can discuss and influence. Xu Jie immediately had a headache as soon as he saw this situation. If this continues, I'm afraid that the two commodore generals may stage an all-out military deed!

Xu Jie's words are really useful, there is still no final confrontation between Britain and Germany, at least on the big picture, it is reasonable, well, in fact, Britain and Germany have begun to look at each other unpleasantly! However, the hostility between the two countries towards Russia is still greater. For Germany, the Russians and the French were allies, and France, which had been waiting for revenge, threatened Germany's security on the Western Front, and Germany chose the former between Austria-Hungary and Russia, so that the situation of fighting on two fronts would put Germany in extremely unfavorable conditions! Therefore, the Germans wished that Russia would shed as much blood as possible in the Far East, and that only when Russia was weakened would the German Eastern Front be safe.

As for the British, the reasons for this are surprisingly similar, and also because they feel that the Russian-French alliance is too terrifying, especially on the naval side. The current French and Russian navies are firmly in second and third place in the world. How did the union of these two countries reassure the British imperialists, especially the infiltration of the Russian Far East that made the British feel uneasy! So to sum up, on the issue of dealing with the Russians, Britain and Germany are on the same page!

But at this time, with the appearance of Scheer, the already tense Anglo-German contradictions were further intensified. "The Germans are competing with the Reich for the Far Eastern market." Jericho is still very keen on politics, after all, the Germans have always attached great importance to the Qing market, which was originally only arms, and now it is gradually penetrating into other aspects, and this undoubtedly violates the interests of the British Empire! This is a very serious matter.

"Maybe the cabinet thinks too much about the Far East." Jericho said in his heart. To tell the truth, the British Empire has always treated the Qing State as a sheep that can constantly shear its sheep, and a large number of industrial products were dumped in the Qing State in exchange for hard currency, and at the same time purchased some principles from the Qing State. Britain didn't want the Qing to become really strong, and even now, helping Beiyang to deal with Russia was just trying to contain Russia.

If a really powerful country rises in the Far East, it will have a very huge impact on the interests of the empire in Southeast Asia and even South Asia, the British were very confident in this, restricting technology and restricting funds is enough to make this country without hematopoietic ability inseparable from Britain, but now it is different, the powerful Germany has been added, plus Italy has come in very early, the Qing State does not lack any conditions for rising, has a vast land and population, plus technology and funds from Europe, Coupled with the hard-working leader and his team in front of him, the rise of this ancient country will be an irreversible trend! How the UK will do this, will be a question.

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