King of Beiyang

"Mr. Li, it would be wonderful if you could be satisfied with the performance of this warship."

It must be admitted that this is indeed a very advanced warship.

Even within the Imperial Navy, no other warship of similar tonnage can compare. Even on a global scale, it is a first-rate warship.

Rudolf Hacker exclaimed in genuine admiration.

He was ready to take the design drawings to the German Imperial Navy to sell them.

If they can secure more orders from the Imperial Navy, the Vulcan Shipyard will be able to generate even greater profits.

"So, Your Excellency, how much does each of these warships cost?" Li Jingyuan asked.

This is the most crucial issue, and it determines how many ships he will order.

A smile involuntarily appeared on Rudolf Hacker's face.

"Mr. Li, we're friends, I'll definitely give you the best possible price!"

Li Jingyuan scoffed inwardly. Businessmen are in it to make money; how could they possibly give up the profits they've already made?

"Mr. Li, this warship incorporates many new technologies. Whether it's the cannons, the steam engine and boiler, or the armor steel, it's absolutely the most advanced technology in the Empire."

Therefore, the price won't be too cheap.

"For the sake of our friendship, how about ten million marks per ship?"

Rudolf Hacker offered a price.

"Ten million marks? That price is too high!" Li Jingyuan shook his head repeatedly.

Ten million marks, converted into silver, is equivalent to two million taels of silver.

It should be noted that the purchase of the ironclad warships "Dingyuan" and "Zhenyuan" only cost a little over 2.8 million taels of silver.

Including freight, travel expenses and other costs, the total came to 3.4 million taels of silver.

If the cost is split between the two ships, each ship would only be worth 1.7 million taels of silver.

This is an ironclad warship, and it has an even larger displacement.

"Mr. Li, you get what you pay for. The new cruiser is definitely worth more than its price." Rudolf Harker was clearly not going to back down easily.

The higher the final price, the greater the profit for the Vulcan shipyard.

"Your Excellency, I believe a price of five million marks per ship is more reasonable!" Li Jingyuan countered.

"No, no. Mr. Li, five million marks is clearly impossible. It wouldn't even cover the construction cost!" Rudolf Hacker shook his head repeatedly.

Subsequently, the two sides engaged in lengthy bargaining.

  

Ultimately, the price was set at eight million marks per ship.

This price is no lower than that of the ironclad warships "Dingyuan" and "Zhenyuan".

However, in Li Jingyuan's view, it was still worth the price.

In future naval battles, as long as we can defeat the Japanese devils, it will be worth spending any amount of money.

This is still better than losing the war and having to pay huge war reparations.

"Mr. Li, how many ships do you want to order?" Rudolf Hacker naturally hoped that Li Jingyuan would order as many as possible.

Li Jingyuan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Let's order six first!"

Rudolf Harker's eyes lit up immediately.

Li Jingyuan ordered six warships, which would cost 48 million marks.

This was already a big deal for the Vulcan shipyard.

"Mr. Li, I can guarantee that these warships will be officially delivered in two years!" Rudolf Hacker said.

Li Jingyuan nodded. Two years later, in the eighteenth year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign.

Less than two years had passed since the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War.

After the delivery of these six "Sea Sky-class" protected cruisers, the Beiyang Fleet will need to send personnel to receive these warships. At the same time, time will be needed for them to be integrated and properly operated so that their combat capabilities can be fully utilized in war.

Li Jingyuan named these six "Haitian-class" protected cruisers "Haitian", "Haiqi", "Hairong", "Haichou", "Haichen" and "Haian" in that order.

Once these six warships enter service, they will become the most powerful warships in the Beiyang Fleet.

This will also give the Beiyang Fleet an overwhelming advantage when facing the combined fleet of the Japanese.

However, Li Jingyuan also thought of something that needed attention.

The Japanese devils have come to regard the Beiyang Fleet as an opponent they must defeat. They will undoubtedly keep a close eye on the Beiyang Fleet at all times.

The six "Sea Sky-class" protected cruisers that Li Jingyuan purchased from the German Empire, once they join the Beiyang Fleet, will inevitably completely reverse the balance of power between the two sides.

The Japanese should also be well aware that, given the strength of the Combined Fleet, they would be no match for the Beiyang Fleet.

So, will the Japanese devils still dare to start a war then?

If the Japanese devils dare not start a war, wouldn't Li Jingyuan's long-term plan fall through?

Or, to put it another way, the Beiyang clique might take the initiative to provoke a war with the Japanese devils.

The Qing Empire certainly wouldn't dare to start a war. After all, the Qing court's top leadership had completely surrendered.

The Qing Empire almost never won a war against foreign powers.

As a result, almost all the high-ranking officials of the Qing government believed that the foreigners were invincible.

It's simply impossible for them to start a war on their own initiative.

Furthermore, the Japanese devils have the British as their backers.

The Beiyang clique's initiative to provoke war will inevitably lead to suppression from the British Empire.

In the short term, the Beiyang Group did not have the strength to rival the British Empire.

Another point is that the British could increase their support for the Japanese devils.

For example, providing the Japanese with more loans would allow them to purchase more warships from the British Empire or other countries, thereby further enhancing the Japanese navy's strength.

In this case, it would undoubtedly be even more difficult for the Beiyang Fleet to defeat the Japanese in future naval battles.

In other words, the Japanese would only initiate a war if they had an absolute advantage in winning.

This will have a significant impact on Li Jingyuan's subsequent plans.

Therefore, the news that he ordered these warships must absolutely not be known to the Japanese or other countries.

Even after the warships were delivered, they could not immediately return to the Qing Empire and join the Beiyang Fleet.

These warships were only to be added to the Beiyang Fleet when war broke out.

This enabled the Beiyang Fleet to have an overwhelming advantage in the war.

By then, even if the Japanese realize they've fallen into a trap, the war will have already broken out, and they won't be able to change anything.

"Your Excellency, I hope that the news of my purchase of these warships will be kept strictly confidential and absolutely not revealed to other countries. Ideally, these warships should be built under the name of the Imperial German Navy. Furthermore, after completion, they should remain in the Imperial German Navy's fleet for a period of time," Li Jingyuan made a new request.