King of Beiyang

A beautiful night passed, and as dawn broke, Li Jingyuan looked at the sleeping beauty in his arms with a complicated expression.

He originally thought it was just a one-night stand.

Anyway, we're all adults. As long as it's consensual and we're happy, that's all that matters.

Moreover, Europeans are generally very open-minded. This situation is already quite common.

Even though European countries generally practice monogamy due to their Catholic or Christian beliefs.

However, it is also a common phenomenon for people with power and influence to have many mistresses in private.

The royal families of various countries, in particular, are in utter chaos.

To Li Jingyuan's surprise, Princess Margaret was a first-timer.

This makes it difficult for Li Jingyuan to deny responsibility after the fact.

This also troubled Li Jingyuan, who did not want to cause trouble. If he had known this would happen, he should not have acted impulsively.

The problem is, there's no way to know this beforehand!

As for whether or not to take responsibility, or whether or not to marry Princess Margaret, Li Jingyuan felt that this was far too exaggerated.

Putting aside whether Wilhelm II, that racist, would agree to his own sister marrying a yellow man, Li Hongzhang alone probably wouldn't allow his son to marry a foreign woman, right?

"My dear, what's troubling you? Don't worry, I won't tell your brother," Princess Margaret said with a smile.

The elder brother she was referring to was, of course, Wilhelm II.

"Darling, would you like to come to the Far East with me?" Li Jingyuan asked.

After all, she was his woman.

  

If Princess Margaret were to marry someone in another timeline, Li Jingyuan would feel somewhat uneasy, as if he had been cuckolded.

"The Far East? That's too far. Perhaps I'll come to see you sometime." Princess Margaret seemed quite nonchalant.

Seeing this, Li Jingyuan said nothing more.

"Clang, clang!"

The train sped along the railway.

In one of the carriages, Li Jingyuan and the students from the Beiyang Naval Academy were discussing their next plans.

"Gentlemen, in two hours we will arrive in Stettin. The six 'Sea Sky-class' protected cruisers that the Vulcan Shipyard has built for us are ready for delivery."

However, it will take several more months for sea trials.

I hope that after you receive these warships, you will seize the time to train, master these warships as soon as possible, and form combat capability as soon as possible.

When future wars break out, these warships will be able to unleash their full combat power on the battlefield!

Li Jingyuan spoke to everyone with a serious expression.

"Yes!" the elites answered in unison.

They all knew that Li Jingyuan had spent a large sum of money to buy these warships.

Even within the Beiyang Fleet, apart from the two ironclad warships, the Dingyuan and Zhenyuan, no other warship could rival these six Haitian-class protected cruisers.

Having such powerful warships, if they still lose to the Japanese in future wars, then all of them should just find a block of tofu and kill themselves!

"Furthermore, I have already reached an agreement with the Germans. For the next two years, everyone will serve in the German Empire. This is not only a cover for secrecy, but also to give everyone the opportunity to learn more."

The German Imperial Navy was far inferior to the British Royal Navy.

However, in recent years, the German Empire's navy has accelerated its development.

Given the enormous investment of the German Empire, they will soon be able to become a world-class naval power.

The Imperial German Navy also has many aspects that we can learn from.

Li Jingyuan added.

The elites of the Beiyang clique nodded in agreement.

"By the way, besides receiving the 'Sea Sky-class' protected cruisers, I also need to order a batch of armored cruisers at the Vulcan Shipyard this time. They are all warships with a displacement of over 10,000 tons," Li Jingyuan continued.

"A 10,000-ton behemoth?"

The elites of the Beiyang clique were even more shocked.

Li Jingyuan's purchase of six "Sea Sky-class" protected cruisers had already greatly shocked them.

Now, Li Jingyuan wants to buy a 10,000-ton armored cruiser, which leaves everyone speechless.

"Brother Jingyuan, armored cruisers aren't cheap! Especially those that weigh over 10,000 tons," Li Yuanhong remarked.

Li Jingyuan nodded: "Yes, it's not cheap. Conservatively speaking, it would cost at least 15 million marks. That price even exceeds that of the Brandenburg-class battleships that the Germans are currently building."

We must equip ourselves with these warships.

Why can't we build these large warships ourselves?

However, our own shipyard should be nearing completion. Then, step by step, we can build our own massive warships, even larger ones, totaling tens of thousands of tons!

In that case, the price would be much lower.

Li Jingyuan answered.

Purchasing warships from abroad is naturally much more expensive than building them yourself.

The arms trade is inherently very profitable.

Li Jingyuan could understand this.

This was also Li Jingyuan's urgent hope that the Dalian Shipyard could be completed as soon as possible, so that the Beiyang Fleet would have the ability to build large warships on its own.

Li Jingyuan had already decided to first build the "Sea Sky-class" protected cruiser, or make certain improvements on it.

After that, armored cruisers with a displacement of tens of thousands of tons will be built.

We will build real battleships once the technology is ready.

Of course, during this process, a large number of destroyers with a displacement of more than 1,000 tons can also be built.

Through this process, the Beiyang Group quickly accumulated experience and capabilities in building large warships on its own.

This is a capability that only a very few countries in the world can master, making it the most dazzling jewel in the crown of industry in this era.

Upon arriving at the Vulcan shipyard in Stettin, Li Jingyuan and his team first received six "Sea Sky-class" protected cruisers.

Next, with the cooperation of the Vulcan shipyard, they will conduct sea trials on these cruisers.

Once everything is complete, he will join the Imperial German Navy and conceal his identity.

The following day, Li Jingyuan met with Rudolf Hacker, the chief engineer and technical director of the Vulcan shipyard, to discuss an order for armored cruisers.

"Mr. Harker, the six cruisers I purchased are not equipped with wireless telegraphs, are they? I hope that these devices can be installed during the sea trials," Li Jingyuan requested.

"Absolutely no problem," Rudolf Hacker replied.

This request is just a minor issue.

Li Jingyuan made a lot of money through his patents in radio communication technology.

Now that Li Jingyuan wants to order armored cruisers, this is undoubtedly a great opportunity for the Vulcan Shipyard, and he naturally wants to seize this opportunity to make a fortune.

"Mr. Li, what are the specific requirements for the armored cruisers we are ordering this time?" Rudolf Harker asked.