Private villa in Brin, just outside Rome, Italy. Standing at the door, Xu Jie had mixed feelings, after nearly 2 years of operation and preparation, in October 1890, Xu Jie finally took the most critical step. The Garibaldi-class armored cruisers, which he had painstakingly designed, were finally about to enter the Beiyang Fleet. The money was enough, and Li Hongzhang agreed. Now it's up to you to negotiate with the Italians. In Xu Jie's plan, this plan called Qianlong is not just about buying a few new warships to solve the problem, in addition to buying warships, there are two main points that must be done, one is a complete set of logistics support system, from port expansion, construction of new docks to the repair and maintenance of warships, these are not only a matter of money, but also need the support of an industrial power behind it. The second is secrecy, according to Xu Jie's estimates, the funds that Japan can use are close to the limit, but with the intervention of Russia, there may still be variables, if it is learned that Beiyang has ordered a new 10,000-ton warship in Italy, this old enemy of the East does not know what action will be taken. Moreover, in Xu Jie's plan, the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 must be fought, otherwise, the near-explosive expansion of the Beiyang army will definitely lose to a new type of country like Japan, which is fundamentally renewed. In a certain way, Beiyang's "digging into the bottom" is even more reckless than that of the Japanese, and this kind of power generated by the short-term outbreak of Chinese and foreign forces seems to be strong, but in the face of the new state and army, it is actually very fragile. Therefore, Xu Jie must use this short explosive period to defeat Japan!!

Although before this, Brin agreed to Xu Jie's request in principle, some bargaining was still necessary. After all, this matter is of great significance to both Italy and Beiyang. Both sides will seek the best interests from this agreement, and even Vittorio, with whom he has a very good relationship, will probably side with Italy when it comes to matters related to the country's plans. In Italy, which is thousands of miles away from the motherland, the only thing Xu Jie can rely on is himself!!

"Xu, let's go in, Mr. Brin has been waiting for a long time." Vittorio glanced at Xu Jie, who had a stern face, and said. From his own point of view, he also wanted to get the deal done. "If equipped with Garibaldi-class armored cruisers and **-class light armored cruisers that can sweep the Japanese fleet in the future Qing-Japanese naval battle, Navittorio will surpass Brin as the greatest designer in Italian history! His own name will be on a par with William White, Barnaby and others!! And Italy's strength will also be recognized by the European powers! Vittorio was thrilled to think about it!

"Well, I hope that today we can open a new era of relations between the two countries through the hands of you and me." Xu Jie said casually.

"Xu, what's in your suitcase?" Vittorio asked curiously.

"£2 million." Xu Jie smiled mysteriously.

"Xu, you can use this money to open a bank." Vittorio teased.

Twenty minutes later, Brin and a young officer walked into the living room. "This is Lieutenant General Bragary of the Italian Ministry of Defense, whose work is the study of the theory of war. He will be my assistant in this negotiation to help you analyze some strategic issues. Brin said.

"Hello, Dear Lieutenant General." Xu Jie's face twitched involuntarily. Although Italy has not performed well in all foreign wars since its unification, it does not mean that Italy does not have good war theorists, you don't see, Du Hei's "Air Supremacy" before World War II has been regarded as a classic by the multinational air force, and he himself has become the father of the strategic air force. Since this Bragali can be valued by Brin, it is natural that it has its advantages.

"Xu, we have already seen the plan you submitted on behalf of Beiyang, since it is cooperation, then we have to evaluate the risks and benefits of the cooperation, and only when the benefits outweigh the risks, can the cooperation between the two sides continue." After the pleasantries, Brin said. …,

"Mr. Xu should understand that what is described in this plan is not just a question of buying warships and training naval personnel. In order to make the Garibaldi-class armored cruisers ordered by Beiyang play a role in future naval battles, Beiyang not only needs to purchase enough warships and corresponding accessories, but also needs to expand the base of the Beiyang Fleet, in which dredging the channel and establishing a new dock is a must, you should know very well that Lushun, as the first fortress in the Far East, has a significant depth of its central channel, and the draft of your country's Dingzhen 2 ship is only 6 meters, while the draft of the new Garibaldi patrol reaches 8 meters, as for the dock? Your country has added 3 **-class light cruisers, and the dockyard in the past is definitely not enough. Relative to the size of the town, the Garibaldi type is more elongated. Therefore, the construction of a new dock is a must. And this requires a lot of money. Bragali said as he watched Xu Jie's reaction.

"In naval warfare, warships will inevitably be damaged, and after the Japanese Navy is equipped with a large number of 9.2-inch guns, even the Garibaldi-type battleships will not be completely spared, in this case, Beiyang needs to establish a complete logistics support and maintenance system for them. Judging from the industrial base and economic conditions of the Qing State, Beiyang did not have enough financial and manpower to maintain the continuous combat capability of the Garibaldi type of patrol. Therefore, even if the Kingdom of Italy sold the modified warships of the Qing State at a low price, after a long voyage, they would be put into battle, and the combat power would be greatly reduced. And once there is damage, it will be difficult to maintain combat effectiveness. Looking at Xu Jie on the side, there was no reaction, and Bragali was a little proud.

"The most important thing is that your country, as a land power, has an army that cannot quickly concentrate on a decisive battle with the enemy due to its system, equipment, and terrible transportation problems. Backward training methods, establishment and equipment, coupled with poor logistics, in the face of the modern Japanese army, not to mention victory, and even self-preservation may be a problem. I don't know if Mr. Xu agrees with this. Bragali asked.

"Your Excellency Lieutenant General really knows the Qing Kingdom." Xu Jie said with a smile, he didn't refute, because he knew that these could not be refuted, when the Italians saw the backward training in Beiyang and the selection of generals by lifting stone locks and archery, this seemingly powerful imperial tiger skin had already been exposed!

"Therefore, even if the naval battle is won, once the army is defeated, then the navy's fleet has only two ways to choose, one is to be trapped in the harbor, and the other is to go away, but no matter which point, the fleet will lose its value. Every problem I have mentioned boils down to the fact that even if the Kingdom of Italy helped the Qing State at any cost, it would still be unlikely that the Qing Kingdom would win, which meant that the Kingdom of Italy would have invested in vain and would most likely offend this newly rising country in the East. Bragali smiled triumphantly.

"Therefore, I hope that the compensation you will give will be sufficient to offset the losses caused by the Kingdom of Italy in the event of defeat." Brin continued.

"Then I wonder what kind of compensation the Kingdom of Italy needs?" Xu Jie said calmly.

Today's collection situation disappointed the author, but today there are actually two book friends to reward. Again, the author thanked the book friend 100529175109169 and Xiang Zhiyue for their reward~~ decided to add a new chapter~~. Spoilers aside, it's time for war in less than 15 days at most. Book friends who want to watch the war, finally some of them have read it~~