"How much of this Mr. Vittorio Cuniberti is true today?" As soon as he returned to his temporary residence, Zhang Peilun hurriedly asked.

"This Monsieur Vittorio is a famous ship designer in the Kingdom of Italy. He is also already a veteran in negotiations. Luang Weili said.

"So this Mr. Vittorio is partly false?" Liu Buyun said with a frown.

"What this Mr. Vittorio says is basically true." Luang Weili laughed.

What do you mean by that? Since it is all true, which Imperial Italian Navy really has such a momentum? Ding Ruchang was a little confused.

"The Italian Navy is not weak in the first place, and it can rank fourth in the world in terms of total tonnage, but considering that the Russian Navy is limited by geographical conditions, in terms of real strength, the Italian Navy is the third in the world." Luang Weili said pertinently.

"Does this mean that the shipbuilding level of the Italian Navy surpasses that of Germany?" Ding Ruchang asked.

"The shipbuilding level of the German Navy was originally not high, and the Dingzhen of your country was also the first work of the Germans in terms of first-class ironclad ships, which had a real nature. And that Mr. Ludendorf Haacke was not a serious ship designer, he was an architectural designer. The Italians may have been slightly inferior to the British Empire in terms of shipbuilding, but it was definitely first-rate, and the Germans could not compare, at least for now. Lang Weili said with a smile.

"Then why do I always feel that after listening to this Mr. Vittorio, I always feel that the Italian Navy is the first in technology?" Zhang Peilun still didn't understand.

"Well, it can only be said that the gap between the Beiyang Fleet of the Great Qing Dynasty and the Italian Navy is too great. This battleship is indeed quite good, but it does not mean that the British Empire and France have nothing to compare with, and more importantly, Britain and France have a greater number of warships, and in the case of a small gap in the technical level, the national strength and the overall tonnage of the warships will be the key to determining the outcome of the war. For this maritime layman, Luang Weili was quite patient.

"Does Lord Lang Weili think the £280,000 price is worth it?" Ding Ruchang asked. Now that we understand the purpose of Vittorio's rhetoric, let's get straight to the core issue - price.

"Of course it's worth it, what is there to complain about for 280,000 pounds for such a good Dome-armored cruiser? As for the quality of the work, you can rest assured that although the Italians are sometimes not very rigorous, the warships they build are still good. Especially now, the Italians are also planning to open the Daqing market. Although he was an Englishman, the professional ethics of a naval officer allowed him to explain the situation in a matter-of-fact manner.

"But this 280,000 yuan is really expensive, even if it is a 25% deposit, I am afraid it will cost nearly 500,000 taels of silver." Liu Buyun said quite painfully.

"If you buy two, it will be a full one million taels, and the amount of funds that I can receive in Beiyang for a year will not be much more than this." Ding Ruchang was also very depressed.

"Naturally, Lord Zhongtang will find a way to deal with this money, so let's talk about how to lower this price a little bit now. In addition, it is better to have more shells and replacement parts. Zhang Peilun saw that everyone's feelings were a little low, so he changed the topic.

"In my personal opinion, the price is already too low to be lower, such a ship in the UK is as low as 320,000 pounds, and in terms of the Italian trade, the ship sells for between 33 and 350,000 yuan. Lang Weili said helplessly. "From an Englishman's point of view, any trade should be premised on a certain amount of profit. If we push the price down again, the result is something that neither side wants to see. This is a good opportunity, just like when the Beiyang Fleet ordered Dingzhen. I'm afraid I still can't convince the other party, Lang Weili emphasized.

"According to Lord Xue's information, Mr. Xu of the Italian delegation has a deep affection for his homeland, and I think we can ask for some news from him." Zhang Peilun said.

"There is little hope, the price is determined by Mr. Vittorio, and even if we know the cost, we can't force the other side to pull the price down. After all, it's a seller's market, and the Italian shipyards have been busy lately. Lang Weili said disappreciatively.

"Everyone, rest early, and Youqiao will report to Lord Zhongtang on today's negotiations, so I'll leave first." After saying everything that should be said, Zhang Peilun arched his hand and said goodbye. …,

Half an hour later, Li Hongzhang's study in the governor's mansion.

"It's not unremarkable that there is such a force in this Italian country. But I'm lonely and unheard. After listening to Zhang Peilun's report, Li Hongzhang said to himself while observing the model of the battleship sent by Italy.

"Lord Luang Weili also thinks that it is a good choice to do business with Italians, but Lord Luang Weili also said that the price may not be cheaper." Zhang Peilun said in a low voice.

"This, cheap is not good, good is not cheap." Li Hongzhang said quite degradedly. "However, Hugh said that the deposit of 1 million taels of silver for the purchase of two warships is 500,000 taels, and I still can't get it out of Beiyang."

"By the way, while the meeting is adjourned, it is best to meet Mr. Xu privately with Liu Zixiang. Mr. Shuyun said that this son has the heart to serve in my Beiyang, and you should go and study his talents together. Li Hongzhang said. Originally, he didn't want this Liu Buchan to go. However, Ding Ruchang's understanding of maritime affairs is not as good as Liu Buyun, and although Lang Weili is talented and learned, he is a foreigner, so he has to choose and choose, and he has to choose this Liu Zongbing, who almost covers the sky with one hand.

"My subordinates will do it." Zhang Peilun arched his hand and said. "What kind of money is the problem?" Then Zhang Peilun asked again.

"This matter is not urgent, let's wait for the south to accept our 100,000 taels of silver." Li Hongzhang squinted his eyes and said.

"Where did I get the 100,000 taels of silver from Beiyang?" Zhang Peilun asked curiously.

"Naturally, I got it from some Lu Shi who ate empty salaries. These guys, in the past, the old man could still turn a blind eye to them, but now that this situation is in this situation, since my Beiyang has reached the point of life and death, I naturally want them to shed some blood. Lao Li said with a smile.

"In addition to this Lu Division, the period of filling private pockets in the Tianjin Manufacturing Bureau is also very strict. According to Liu Zixiang, many of the shells of the Tianjin Manufacturing Bureau in the Beiyang Fleet could not be exploded. Moreover, the size of the shells produced did not conform to the regulations, and our Beiyang Naval Division had to file it with a file before it could be loaded into the artillery. Zhang Peilun said angrily.

"And this? Youqiao, you go and find out with Ding Ruchang and them first, if this is the case, the person in charge of the Tianjin Manufacturing Bureau should also be replaced. "I really don't know if I don't know it, and I'm shocked when I see it. Just when Li Hongzhang was anxious about the approaching crisis, the chronic diseases within Beiyang were also poked out little by little. It made this famous minister of Tongguang even more shocked and frightened. He finally realized that the problem of Beiyang is not only a problem of no money, but also the people, things, and money, and the things and scope involved are too big!!