"This matter is also not something I can decide." Xu Jie said quietly.

"Master Xu, Japan only needs to lift some restrictions on naval armaments, and isn't it something you can decide on naval matters? I think neither the governors of the Beiyang region nor the fleet leaders will make decisions for you.

I have objections. After all, you know the most about the navy in Asia. Even General Yang Yonglin, who shined in the Spanish-American War, is actually not as good as you. General Yang is just a master tactician, and you are a strategist." William said it half as a compliment and half as a strategist.

He said it seriously.

From the British point of view, although Japan suffered huge losses in the Sino-Japanese War of 1898 and suffered a large amount of compensation, Japan, which has a relatively thorough capitalist system, will not have much difficulty in restoring its economy with the help of the British.

It’s just time. But a country is not only rich but also powerful. It doesn’t have enough self-defense.

The ri base of force is simply unable to fulfill the British ability to contain Russia or Beiyang. The treaty restricting armaments, especially the treaty restricting naval armaments, has firmly locked the ri base. Therefore, the United Kingdom must cultivate the ri base before Beiyang becomes truly powerful.

Only in this way can Britain prevent Beiyang from becoming a dominant player in the Far East!

"But why should I allow the Japanese Navy to rearm?" Xu Jie asked rhetorically.

"Russia is too powerful, Beiyang needs allies, and the British Empire is not suitable to directly participate in this war, so lifting restrictions on the Japanese navy at this time will be of great benefit to your country, isn't it?" William said with a smile.

"This is too far-fetched. My personal view is that the country that has hurt us will never be able to stand up again! Japan is an island country, and China also has vast territorial waters. Therefore, we will never allow this island country to threaten our country.

A vital sea line of communication!" Xu Jie categorically rejected William's proposal.

"As you know, the foundation of naval construction is national strength. Judging from Japan's current national strength, they will not pose any substantial threat to your country in the foreseeable future. Their purpose of rebuilding the navy now is only to deal with extremely evil people.

The Russians. In order to show goodwill, our government can make some economic and financial concessions to provide greater convenience to your country. They just need a navy for self-defense now. In this regard, our government

Fu believes that Beiyang should not restrict the development of Japan's navy too much, especially under this circumstance." William said.

"The fact that there is no navy now does not mean that there will be no navy in the future. Moreover, some actions of the Japanese have already made us wary. The Sino-Japanese War of 1888-1896 has only been 3 years, and the Japanese can no longer bear it. The Japanese naval officers discovered during the Spanish-American War

This is enough to illustrate this problem. I can betray your country once, and I can also betray your country a second time." Xu Jie said.

"But the restrictions in the past are indeed outdated. We can discuss specific issues, but appropriate relaxation of restrictions is necessary. An overly weak Japanese navy is not in our common interests. This is the bottom line for my coming to your country this time."

William said a little impatiently. Xu Jie's lack of food and salt made William very angry.

"Then I would like to ask how far your country plans to relax this restriction?" Xu Jie softened his tone and said.

"The tonnage of the capital ships is less than 10,000 tons, and the total tonnage of the fleet does not exceed half of your country's." William said.

"This is absolutely unacceptable." Xu Jie sneered. Are you kidding? A 10,000-ton battleship is already at the level of a quasi-battleship, which can already pose a fatal threat to the Beiyang Navy cruisers. As for the total tonnage reaching half?

Even more impossible, this means that if the existing British Far East Fleet and the Japanese Navy join forces,

It poses a great threat to itself. Although Japan's economy has been hit hard, the biggest advantage of being an island country is that it can devote considerable energy to naval construction. As long as Japan can eliminate the influence of Russia, it can maintain an unstoppable force.

The army will be large, and the navy will expand very rapidly. This gap must not be opened!

"Mr. William, I must make one point. Beiyang will never allow a powerful fleet composed entirely of new warships to threaten its own security. It is also absolutely unacceptable for 10,000-ton warships. This has exceeded the needs of self-defense.

You should know that besides

Except for the two battleships of the Beiyang Fleet, the other best battleships cannot meet this standard. This is absolutely not allowed. Moreover, the caliber of artillery must be limited. The Japanese Navy now only needs to build warships, and there is no need to have too large calibers.

Artillery." Xu Jie said.

"Our opinion is that the warships that the Japanese Navy can possess must not exceed 5,000 tons. In the Spanish-American War, similar warships showed strong attack power. We do not want to see the Japanese Navy equipped with warships larger than this tonnage.

High." Xu Jie raised a counter-argument.

"Mr. Xu, I think you should understand that the strength of the Russian fleet is far stronger than that of the U.S. Navy. The only thing the U.S. Navy can compete with is 4 battleships, while the Russian Navy can deploy 3 battleships and 7 armored ships next year.

Cruisers, including two armored cruiser leaders. Although this fleet is not as large as the U.S. Navy, its combat effectiveness is definitely higher than that of the U.S. Navy. In addition, your country must also consider possible reinforcements from the Russians." William said.

"In addition, I have emphasized that Japan's government

FU can provide some conveniences to the Beiyang in other directions, such as military port supply and trade traversal. Muroran Port is relatively far from the bases of the Beiyang Fleet and the Overseas Fleet, and Vladivostok spans the entire Japanese Sea. There is no Japanese

support, your country’s fighting progress

Difficulties. I hope you can think clearly and not jump to conclusions prematurely. The opinion of the British Empire is that the tonnage cannot be less than the largest tonnage warship ever owned by the Japanese Navy, which is to say around 8,500 tons. Everything I said

They all represent the British Empire

Damn it, I hope you can consider it carefully." William said almost like an ultimatum.

"Okay, please wait a few days. I need to contact other people. We need to study the issue of loosening restrictions on the Japanese Navy carefully." Xu Jie then signaled that the other party could leave.

William then left the room, but Gai Lin did not. She just sat aside and sipped the tea carefully. Looking at Xu Jie's reaction, "Does Miss Gai Lin want to continue to convince me?" Xu Jie felt a little uncomfortable being stared at.

, and then said.

"You're still the same as before, with nothing to lose. It's not good to do this." Gai Lin said with a smile.

"Some things cannot be regressed. If there is a first time, there will be a second time." Xu Jie said expressionlessly.

"But I feel that you will agree to relax Japan to a certain extent, but there are some concerns about the fleet tonnage. In addition, I would like to remind you that the British government is determined to win this point, and they have even started working on it.

We have purchased two cruisers designed for Japan, with a tonnage of about 8,000 tons." Gai Lin said with a smile.

"Then what can I gain if I give in?" Xu Jie asked.

"The support of the British Empire, from material to economic and comprehensive diplomatic support, at least until the fall of the Russians, what the British Empire needs more now is a gesture of concession from Beiyang. What the British government needs is Beiyang to make a concession."

Concessions and how much concessions can be discussed, but the premise is that the warships that have already started construction at Armstrong Shipyard can smoothly enter the Japanese Navy! This is not a matter of money, but a matter of face." Galin said with a serious expression.

"That is to say, as long as two battleships can enter the Japanese fleet, then we can find it in other ways?" Xu Jie thought for a while and said.

"Theoretically, it is possible. In addition, Japan's government has also expressed its intention to open up supplies and joint operations to Beiyang. I think you need the former very much. As for the latter, when Beiyang has a decisive battle with the Russians, it can

Stabbing someone in the back shouldn't be a bad thing," Gai Lin said.

"I need to consider this comprehensively. Thank you for your reminder." Xu Jie smiled slightly.

After Gai Lin left, Xu Jie did not waste time and quickly summoned squadron commanders such as Yang Yonglin, Liu Buchan, Deng Shichang and Lin Yongsheng to the official residence. They now need to assess the possible impact of loosening restrictions on Japan!

"Two 8,000-ton cruisers? This is not even as good as a squadron of the Beiyang Fleet. Even if it is allowed, the problem will not be too big, but the key is how to restrain the subsequent expansion of the army." As Xu Jie's default admiral of the Beiyang Fleet,

Yang Yonglin spoke first.

"Actually, what the British want is to save face. We can agree that these two warships will enter the Japanese Navy, but the tonnage of the subsequent main warships cannot be higher than 7,000 tons, and the total tonnage cannot exceed 35% of the Beiyang system fleet. In this case, the Japanese fleet

There won't be any big waves." Liu Buchan nodded in agreement.

"In addition, the fleet composition must also be limited. In the allocation of capital ships and auxiliary fleets, the auxiliary fleet should be adjusted higher. The fleet update speed must also be explained. After new ships replace old ships, the old ships must be dismantled and cannot be used as reserves.

The name continues to exist." Deng Shichang also expressed his views.

"Then let's add one more thing, that is, in return for the loosening of restrictions on Beiyang, during the battle between our Beiyang and the Russian fleet, Japan must declare war on Russia at the same time." Lin Yongsheng added with a smile.

"This Japanese country has no credibility at all. Even if there is a treaty, the binding force is probably very limited. And even if Japan declares war, what can we do if it doesn't work hard?" Deng Shichang asked.

"If this is the case, I'm afraid the first person who won't agree is Ri, and we can also use some other means to restrict Ri." Speaking of this, Xu Jie thought of some things in his time and space.

The effect of the collective efforts is still very good. In just one night, a seemingly loose Japanese naval arms restriction plan was released. After this plan was polished, it was time to bargain with the British!

Thanks to book friend Qiang Lin, You Breeze for your reward, and book friend... for your monthly ticket support~~. The second update is here. Please support me more, there will be no recommendations tomorrow! rq
Chapter completed!