As soon as James arrived at the dock, he saw these burly men beside Liu Hai, and took a look at the navy sailors behind Liu Hai.
James found that the people brought by Liu Hai had very firm eyes and were tall and tall, much bigger than the Qing people he had seen.
"Mr. James, my people are here, and we are about to take over the armored cruiser Insolence."
"Of course, this is your right, please come with me."
Then James took Liu Hai to the headquarters of the base, where he met Lewis, the commander of the base.
Lewis had known for a long time that the armored cruiser had been sold, so it was not surprising to hear that someone was coming to take it now.
In the navy, the Arrogance-class armored cruiser is not very popular. Compared with the next-level armored cruiser Orlando, which has been under construction and will be launched soon, the Arrogant ship has nothing outstanding.
The handover at the scene went very smoothly. Liu Hai's people quickly boarded the Barbarian and began to inspect various facilities on the Barbarian.
Finally, Liu Jin (a bionic equipped with a smart chip), who was appointed by Liu Hai as the first mate of the Barbarian, came to report to him.
All the facilities on the Barbarian are very good, and supplies are abundant. The Barbarian can set sail at any time.
Liu Hai was satisfied after hearing this, and then said goodbye to Commander Lewis. He and James boarded the Barbarian. After a while, thick smoke began to rise from the chimney of the Barbarian. This was when the boiler of the Barbarian began to start.
A whistle blew, and the Savage started slowly.
The Insolence slowly left the British Navy's military dock and headed towards the public dock near London, England.
When the Insolent arrived at Horsehead, London, it was refused entry by the pilot in London, England at the time. After all, a foreign warship suddenly arrived at Horsehead, England, and did not declare it in advance. It could not berth under any circumstances.
Fortunately, Liu Hai had James from the British Admiralty beside him. After some negotiations with James, Liu Hai found a berth at the London Pier for 10 times the berthing fee.
After the handover of the Arrogance was completed, Liu Hai started running to the Admiralty again. This matter had to be discussed with the Admiralty in detail for the construction details of the Collingwood-class ironclad.
Through negotiations between the two parties, the British agreed to build this ironclad ship for the Qing Dynasty in 1889, and Liu Hai would only need to send crew members to receive it.
After the two parties reached an agreement, Liu Hai immediately paid 1/3 of the cost to the British Admiralty in accordance with the contract.
At this point, Liu Hai's purpose of coming to the UK can be considered a perfect end.
This time Liu Hai came to the UK. Not only did he reach an agreement with the UK to build an ironclad ship, but he also immediately obtained an armored cruiser. This was considered an overfulfillment of the task.
At this time, the Qing Dynasty's purchase of ironclad ships and armored cruisers from Britain had already spread among the British upper class.
Other countries just treat this matter as a conversation piece after dinner, but there is a group of people who are very concerned about this matter. This group of people are the staff of the Japanese Consulate in the UK.
As Japan's ambassador to the UK, Kazuo Kitai, after receiving intelligence that the Qing Dynasty had ordered two more large warships in the UK, he only felt numb in his scalp.
It turned out that the Qing Dynasty ordered two ironclad ships from Germany, which had already become a shadow on the Japanese Empire.
Now the Qing Dynasty has ordered two large warships from Britain, including a giant ironclad with a displacement of 10,000 tons.
Kitai Kazuo gathered all his intelligence officers together, and then they had a wild training session. These intelligence officers were slapped in the mouth by Kitai Kazuo.
This mistake was so serious that they didn't know it until the Qing Dynasty and Britain reached an agreement.
If the information had been obtained in advance, some small measures might have been able to prevent the sale, but now that the contract has been signed, the money has been paid, and even an armored cruiser has been delivered, it is already too late.
In the end, Kitai Kazuo had no choice but to send the news back to China immediately.
After receiving the news from Britain, Japanese Navy Minister Saigo Yumichi hurriedly came to the Prime Minister's Office to report to Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi.
After receiving the information, Ito Hirobumi also felt very worried.
"The Qing people's economic strength is too strong. We, the Japanese Empire, have been frugal and have no funds to buy ironclad ships, but the Qing people have easily purchased one ship after another."
After hearing Ito Hirobumi's exclamation, Saigo felt it was interesting. It seemed that now was a good time to fight for funds.
"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, the Qing Dynasty and Japan are currently engaged in an arms race, and now it is obvious that our country is at a disadvantage. In order to realize the emperor's independence and fight against the Qing Dynasty, our navy will not be able to guarantee the security of the sea."
After listening to Saigo's analysis, Ito Hirobumi nodded repeatedly. He also knew this truth. Japan is a maritime country, and the most important thing now is to develop a maritime force.
"Mr. Prime Minister, I think we should increase naval funding now and order an ironclad ship to counter the Qing naval threat no matter what."
After hearing this, Ito Hirobumi looked up to the sky and sighed, "Don't I want to increase naval funding? Do you know that Japan's economy is very difficult now and it can no longer provide money."
Saigo still refused to give up, "Can't we find a way from the Army? With a portion of the Army's funds every year, we can purchase an ironclad ship after several years of operation."
"This is completely impossible. The Army's current military expenditure has been reduced to the lowest level. If the Army's expenditure continues to be reduced, the Army's combat effectiveness cannot be guaranteed."
Ito Hirobumi is also very disgusted with the other party's insatiable greed. Military expenditures now account for 60% of all expenditures, and the navy accounts for 70% of these military expenditures. If the army's funding is further reduced, I am afraid that the army will have no choice but to use tachi to fight the Qing Dynasty.
People fought decisively.
However, Ito Hirobumi also knew that he needed to appease the navy now. After all, with the Qing Dynasty, the navy was getting stronger and stronger, and the pressure on the naval department was also very high. If they were not appeased, these people might get into trouble.
"You don't have to worry too much. We won't have any conflicts with the Qing people in the next year or two. In a few years, when the country's economy becomes more prosperous, we will definitely purchase ironclad ships to fight against the Qing people."
Xixiang Congdao is helpless. He also knows the current domestic economic situation. If the domestic people continue to be squeezed, the people will definitely rise up and resist.
So the news about the Qing's purchase of more warships was suppressed by them, but they did not forget the threat from the Qing.
Besides, Liu Hai, who was in the UK, after finishing his own affairs, said goodbye to the Qing envoy personnel, and then took the people aboard the armored cruiser "Humanity".
This time Liu Hai is not planning to take a cruise back to his country, but will directly drive this armored cruiser and return to his country while training.
I hope that by the time we return to China, this armored cruiser will already have the combat effectiveness.
On March 15, 1887, the armored cruiser HMS Insolence blew its whistle and slowly left the London dock and headed for the vast sea.
Accompanying the Barbarian armored cruiser is a cargo ship of more than 4,000 tons. This freighter is equipped with the accessories that Liu Haidan purchased separately for the Barbarian, as well as the Barbarian's shells.
Along the way, the Barbarian passed through the Mediterranean Sea and the Suez Canal very smoothly.
When Barbarian arrived in the Indian Ocean, Liu Hai organized Barbarian to conduct several live-fire trainings.
These cyborgs, who had been instilled with naval knowledge through their brains, did not disappoint Liu Hai. They remained calm and composed during the entire exercise.
Every shot was fired at its best, and every turn of the warship was very smooth and natural.
After the drill, Liu Hai finally understood the combat effectiveness of this battleship, and also integrated the knowledge of biochemical tactics into this battleship.
Then the warship slowly approached the Strait of Malacca, and finally stopped at the Dutch colony of Jakarta in Indonesia for coaling.
When the Barbarian, flying the dragon flag of the Qing Dynasty, came to the coast of Jakarta, it was immediately discovered by Jakarta's patrol ships.
When the patrol ships saw such a large warship approaching Jakarta, they rushed to intercept it and then used flags to ask about the purpose of coming to Jakarta.
After Liu Hai received the report, he looked at the small patrol boat in the distance on the bridge and glanced disdainfully.
"Tell them we are adding coal in Jakarta and ask them to get out of my way."
Liu Hai was confident when he said this. He now understood that truth was within the range of a cannon.
After receiving the reply, the small patrol boats that blocked the Barbarian did not dare to block it any more. They could only send people back to report the message while accompanying the Barbarian to the Jakarta Pier.
By the time the Barbarian arrived at the Jakarta pier, the place was already crowded with people.
It turned out that I didn't know who leaked the news. The news that the Qing Dynasty's large warship was going to dock in Jakarta had spread throughout the city of Jakarta.
The overseas Chinese who were looking for a living in Jakarta were delighted to hear the news, so they came to the pier in droves with their young and old in tow.
Some old people couldn't help but burst into tears when they saw the majestic battleship approaching slowly. These wanderers in a foreign country could always hope that the motherland would be strong and provide them with protection, but those in charge in the Qing Dynasty only knew themselves.
How can we care about these overseas people when we are drunk and dreaming?
Now, finally, a large Qing warship is approaching. If this news spreads, it will also improve the social status of the local Chinese, and the Dutch devils will no longer dare to make things difficult for the Chinese.
Liu Hai did not stop the ship in Jakarta for a long time, but only sent people to purchase supplies and add coal at the Jakarta port.
Finally, we met several local Chinese leaders on the cabin.
It was the first time for these leaders to board such a giant ship, and they were still trembling when they boarded the ship.
But the further they walked, the straighter their backs became. After walking for a while on the battleship, they already felt confident. As long as they were protected by such a battleship, how could the Dutch dare to bully them?