Chapter 22: The Only Thing Missing is the Fleet

  The next day, Feng Chengqian went to visit Li Hongzhang and brought up the matter of kickbacks.

  This was the method handed over by Richthofen, after all, von Falkenhausen was the Minister of War of the German Empire and did not understand the human feelings of the Qing Dynasty. It is better to speak clearly than to be evasive. Li Hongzhang was also a clever person, who had dealt with Germans in his early years and deeply understood the character of the Germans.

  It seems that the arms trade has finally made some progress.

  Compared to directly bribing with silver, secretly giving kickbacks is not only more discreet but also more profitable. The expansion of the Kiel Canal requires tens of millions of laborers, and the imperial government has made preliminary estimates that at least 200,000 laborers need to be hired from abroad. Even if the labor cost in Qing is low, the monthly labor cost is still tens of thousands of taels of silver, which adds up to hundreds of millions of taels per year. If there is a 50% kickback, it would be a huge sum. In addition to hiring laborers from Qing, setting up munitions factories in Qing also requires kickbacks. If the cost of purchasing other military equipment from Qing is included, this one deal alone could bring Li Hongzhang tens of millions of taels of silver in benefits.

  In comparison, the 100,000 taels of silver prepared by Richterhofen were simply a drop in the bucket.

  Three days later, Li Hongzhang and von Ketteler signed a letter of intent. The Qing would pay 20 million taels of silver to the German Empire for four ironclad warships, with 15 million taels paid in labor exports and another five million taels paid in land, taxes, etc., for Imperial enterprises setting up factories in China. Li Hongzhang proposed a special condition: the ironclads purchased by the Qing must be equipped with Imperial Navy personnel.

  To put it simply, warships sold to the Qing must be those ordered by the Imperial Navy.

  Although it is just an intention agreement, it has already been 80-90% settled.

  On March 3, Feng Chongyi returned to Ningbo and boarded a steamer back to the German Empire. The negotiation work related to details was handled by diplomatic personnel, and Feng Chongyi no longer needed to worry about it.

  Before the liner set sail, Feng Chengqian sent a telegram to the German Emperor and the Prime Minister.

  It can be said that this trip to Qing was quite rewarding, and with just four ironclad warships, they got 200,000 laborers in return, which is absolutely a good deal.

  The question is, Li Hongzhang mentioned that the Imperial Navy should first purchase warships.

  This is not an unreasonable requirement, as the "Dingyuan" and "Zhenyuan" built for the Qing Dynasty before, nominally were specially built for the Qing Dynasty, but in fact even the Imperial Navy looked down on them. These two battleships equipped with 300-millimeter giant guns cannot be said to be not powerful, but there are many problems.

  It is clear that the Beiyang Fleet had discovered these problems.

  In Feng Chongyi's view, this was not a trouble but an opportunity to take advantage of Li Hongzhang's special request to build new-style warships for the Imperial Navy.

  Next is to plan and build an advanced warship.

  Feng Chengqian had long had the idea, but was just waiting for the right opportunity. What he didn't expect was that Li Hongzhang helped him create this opportunity.

  On his way back home, Feng Chengqian mostly stayed in the cabin and only occasionally went up to the deck with Tirpitz for some fresh air.

  "What did you gain from your trip to Shandong?" During the Qing dynasty, Tirpitz didn't follow Feng Chengqian to negotiate with Li Hongzhang, but instead disguised himself as a missionary and under Richtofen's arrangement, traveled around various places in Shandong, focusing on investigating the Jiaozhou Bay area mentioned by Feng Chengqian.

  "Weihaiwei is a natural deep-water harbour; I am determined to make it the base of the Imperial Navy's Far Eastern Fleet."

  "What about local customs?"

  "It's still quite simple, no big deal."

  Feng Chengqian nodded and said: "Now, what we lack is only a fleet."

  Ti Erpi smiled and shook his head, saying: "All along, what we've lacked is a fleet."

  "Don't worry, there will be bread and there will be fleets." Feng Chengqian patted Tirpitz on the shoulder and said, "Li Hongzhang proposed that we first purchase one. I think this is an excellent opportunity to develop the imperial navy. At least it can build a main battleship for the imperial navy."

  "Only one?"

  "How many ships do you want?"

  "At least two warships are needed to be called a fleet."

  "There's no need to rush for now, what we're doing is laying a solid foundation, rather than expanding our fleet strength."

  Tirpitz nodded in understanding of Feng Chengqian's meaning.

  In recent days, Feng Chengqian spent a lot of time talking to Tirpitz about naval matters, especially the upcoming naval technological revolution.

  Although Tirpitz was somewhat skeptical of von Reichenau's judgment, thinking that the possibility of a technological revolution in ten years was not great, he could not deny the reality that was visible everywhere. For example, diesel engines had been invented, steam turbines were already mature, steel refining technology had made significant progress, and various new industrial machinery had emerged. These advances in industry and technology would have a direct impact on naval development, particularly the performance of warships.

  "What kind of warship does the earl want to build?"

  "A completely new, never-before-seen battleship."

  Tirpitz smiled and said: "The Count is so confident, it seems that he has already made up his mind."

  "Man proposes, God disposes. Although we work hard and may not necessarily achieve results, doing nothing will only lead to failure."

  "So, what does the Earl plan to do?"

  "What is the fundamental thing about building warships?"

  Shipyard.

  "What else?"

  "This..."

  "Besides the shipyard, there are steel mills, chemical plants, gun and ammunition factories... even carpenters who make decorative items should be included." Feng Chengqian turned around and leaned against the railing of the ship's side. "To put it bluntly, the foundation for building warships is a country's entire industrial system. Only with a strong industrial system can you build powerful warships; otherwise, you'll have to buy them from other countries like the Qing did. Unfortunately, we're not the Qing, and countries that can produce advanced warships won't sell them to us."

  "That's all you can do is rely on yourself."

  "So we have to start from scratch, from the very beginning."

  Tirpitz nodded in agreement with Feng Chengqian's point of view.

  "General, if we are going to tackle the empire's shipbuilding industry, where should we start?"

  "Your Excellency, I am just a soldier, these things..."

  "It's said that those who are in a situation are confused, while those who observe from outside are clear. You're standing outside the situation and looking at the problem, so you must have a more comprehensive view."

  Tirpitz thought for a moment and said, "I think we can use the orders to make an article, through arranging orders, eliminating some shipyards, and integrating the shipbuilding industry. If you want to go further, it's not enough to just do articles on orders, you have to think of other ways."

  "It seems you're more than just a soldier."

  "The earl is laughing."

  "Your words make sense, for now we can only work with the orders. Feng Chengqian's gaze lingered on Tirpitz for a while before saying, 'I think you're more suited to managing the navy rather than commanding fleets in battle. Consider it, and when there's an opportunity, we'll discuss it further.'"

  Tirpitz did not open his mouth because von Schlieffen's words had hit the mark.

  Tirpitz had a fairly clear idea of how to build a powerful fleet, but he was completely at a loss as to how to command it in battle.

  This is not his problem, but a common disease of the Imperial Navy.

  In this era, among the many commanders of the Imperial Navy, there was no one who could be considered a qualified fleet commander, because the Imperial Navy did not have any fleets to speak of.

  "Don't think that this is a setback for you." Feng Chengqian saw through Tirpitz's thoughts and said, "Nowadays, building a fleet is much more difficult than commanding one. Besides, it takes at least twenty years to build a fleet, maybe even more time. Twenty years later, neither of us will be young, nor will we have the chance to command the fleet in battle. The empire's development and growth are not something that can be achieved in just one or two generations. Since we were born in this era, we must recognize our position and make way for future generations."

  "The Marquis has a broad mind and I am far inferior."

  "The general is too modest, even if I hadn't mentioned it, the general would have understood these principles."

  Tirpitz smiled and said: "The Count is quite right; we must think of the future, not merely of immediate gains."

  "If you can think so, then it's all for the better."

  "When does the Earl plan to form the Far Eastern Fleet?"

  "Are you impatient?" Feng Chengqian smiled and said, "Let's talk about it after we have a fleet, anyway, even if we're anxious, we'll have to wait for two or three years before there's any news."

  "I'm afraid it can't wait for two or three years."

  "Really?"

  "The Earl's actions this time have already broken the balance of power in the Far East. Will Britain, France and Russia just sit back and do nothing?"

  "Does this mean Britain, France and Russia will also increase their investment in the Far East?"

  "The Qing is a piece of fat meat, and everyone is staring at it, not wanting to be snatched away by others. The Earl's sale of the cruisers is equivalent to giving away four main battleships to the Qing for free, which will surely stir up a bloody storm." Tirpitz paused slightly before continuing, "Now Japan's rising momentum is extremely obvious, and they must also be eyeing this piece of fat meat, preparing to take a share. I'm afraid that by the time we return to Berlin, the winds and clouds will have already risen."

  "This is good news, no need to worry."

  "Really?"

  "The current international situation is favorable to old empires like Britain and France. If there's no turmoil, we'll never have a chance to gain an advantage." Feng Chengqian smiled and said, "The greater the turmoil, the greater the change, and the more opportunities we'll have. As long as we seize one opportunity, our empire can develop and grow stronger."

  "So you're saying the Earl did it on purpose?"

  "It's not intentional, just following the trend of the times."

  Tirpitz sank into thought for a while before saying, "The Count is far-sighted and has profound ideas. We can't compare with him. Probably only the Prime Minister can rival him."

  "General, you overestimate me."

  "I'm not flattering the earl, I just speak from the heart."

  "Even if you have something to say, just keep it in your heart and don't need to say it out loud, knowing it is enough."

  Tirpitz nodded in understanding of Feng Chengqian's meaning.

  Using the Far Eastern situation as a basis for writing is a risky and clever move. If this move goes well, it will bring great benefits; if it goes badly, it will result in total loss.

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