Expedition to Europe

Money is indeed a good thing, but it is not omnipotent.

Even if Qin Zhiyuan has the financial resources to buy 20 battleships, just like Lloyd George said, Qin Zhiyuan can't find so many people to operate them.

A battleship requires about 1,400 people to ensure full combat effectiveness. 20 battleships require about 28,000 people. If you add the logistics support personnel, the number of people required has exceeded 50,000.

These 50,000 people cannot be recruited casually. They are all professionals. Even the auxiliary personnel on the shore need long-term training to be competent for the support work. As for the sailors on the ship, it requires a long-term investment. "One year for the army, ten years for the air force, and a hundred years for the navy" is not a joke.

Lan Fang's current navy is led by the old and the new. Former naval members with combat experience are recruited from France and Germany. After joining Lan Fang, they are mixed with newly recruited sailors. Only then can they have initial combat effectiveness. If they rely on Lan Fang's own training, it is unknown when Qin Zhiyuan will see the "Vladivostok" galloping.

Lloyd George also knew that Qin Zhiyuan's statement was a joke, so he laughed it off.

Qin Zhiyuan's goal is still to strive for more naval quotas. If Lan Fang goes to the Washington Naval Conference, it can be foreseen that the French will stand with Lan Fang to fight for more rights, the British will work with the Americans to try to limit Lan Fang's development, and the Italians will definitely be fence-sitters. Whoever gives more benefits, they will favor whoever.

Qin Zhiyuan doesn't want to pin his hopes for quotas on noodles.

"Your Majesty, I hope that before going to Washington, we can reach a certain consensus, which will be more conducive to reaching a contract." Lloyd George finally became pragmatic.

"I hope so too, so Lan Fang must get at least 500,000 tons. If the British Empire insists on 700,000 tons - I have a question. If you want 700,000 tons, it means that you have to continue to build more battleships. Is the situation facing the British Empire so dangerous?" Qin Zhiyuan asked back.

The British's old rival, the Germans, have already stopped, they will not get any quotas, and the world will not allow the Germans to have a navy again, so why do the British want so many battleships? The purpose is definitely not to target the British's own sons, the Americans, so it can only be France and Lan Fang.

If those old guys that have been sealed are added, the total tonnage of the main battleships that the British now have - that is, the battleships - can indeed reach 700,000 tons, but about 300,000 tons of them are on the verge of being scrapped, or there are already plans to dismantle them. If the British want to maintain the scale of 700,000 tons, it means that the British will continue to build, which is definitely a threat to Lan Fang.

"Of course it is necessary. We have a vast territory to patrol, from America to Asia to Oceania and Africa. As long as there are human inhabitants, there are interests of the British Empire. So we need more warships, at least more than the Lanfang Navy needs." When it comes to this issue, Lloyd George is indeed more confident.

"Then we also need more. Our merchant ships are now all over the world. As long as our merchant ships can reach a place, we also need more battleships." Qin Zhiyuan responded tit for tat.

Compared with the British, Lanfang is indeed not comparable to the colonies, but if it is compared to the number of merchant ships, Lanfang has not much less than the British. Qin Zhiyuan's "Royal Ocean" alone has more than 200 ocean-going freighters. From this aspect, Lanfang does have a demand.

"Battleships are not needed to escort merchant ships." Lloyd George pointed out the core of the problem.

Just as Lloyd George said, escorts need destroyers, as long as they can deal with pirates or submarines. Battleships are used to launch national wars, and as far as Lan Fang's national strength is concerned, there are not many countries in the world that are worthy of Lan Fang's battleships.

"So what? Not needing to dispatch does not mean there is no potential demand. If you ask for a quota of 700,000 tons of battleships, then we must have 500,000 tons, otherwise the Lan Fang Navy cannot guarantee Lan Fang's national interests. You know this very well. I don't ask for the same 700,000 tons as you, and the Lan Fang Navy has no intention of competing with the British Navy. What we want is self-protection, so 500,000 tons is not excessive." Qin Zhiyuan further stated his attitude.

"Then - if we maintain the scale of 500,000 tons -" Lloyd George chose his words carefully and was a little cautious.

"Then we can also reduce the establishment. If you want 500,000, then we only need 300,000." Qin Zhiyuan gave in as Lloyd George gave in, which was the proper rhythm for reaching a consensus.

"You don't have 300,000 tons now. This plan is not just about limiting the arms race, but also requires us to restrain each other. It would be best if we don't build any battleships in the next ten years, so as not to provoke an arms race." Lloyd George had an idea. He really wanted to focus on restoring the economy. Since the world war was over, soldiers should not continue to be the protagonists.

"Why not? Our existing 'Vladivostok' and 'Lan Fang' are both 43,000 tons, 'France' is 25,000 tons, 'Ningbei' is 35,000 tons, and the 'Legion Class' under construction is 30,000 tons. Three keels have been laid, which is already more than 260,000 tons. It is planned to build two more Legion Class ships, so 300,000 tons is not an excessive number." Qin Zhiyuan is still very familiar with these data.

"43,000 tons - it's really excessive. Why do you need such a big ship? This is really crazy!" Lloyd George rolled his eyes a little when he spoke. This very rude action truly reflected Lloyd George's inner collapse.

A 43,000-ton warship is absolutely an unprecedented behemoth on this planet. The British Navy only has one "Hood", but Lan Fang has two, which makes Lloyd George really feel the resentment of the British Navy.

"200,000 tons, it can only be 200,000 tons, no more. This number includes the 'legion-class' built by the French for Lan Fang. In addition, the two ships that Lan Fang has laid the keel can be used for other purposes, such as aircraft carriers. Hasn't Lan Fang's air force always been strong? This is the right path for Lan Fang." Lloyd George had an idea that coincided with Qin Zhiyuan's thinking.

Of course, this "coincidence" should be put in quotation marks.

The most popular saying in the world is very unfavorable to aircraft carriers. In general, many people admit that aircraft carriers have a bright future, but the fragile armor of aircraft carriers is really frightening. If a battleship with absolute firepower advantage approaches an aircraft carrier, it doesn't need more, it will hit the target with one shot!

Even including the Lan Fang Navy, many people think so, and only Qin Zhiyuan knows the embarrassment of battleships facing aircraft carriers.

Compared with the 30,000-40,000-ton armor of battleships, aircraft carriers are now generally around 20,000 tons. Because of their lighter weight, they have a higher speed. Under the condition that the Lan Fang Navy has developed radar, battleships have no chance to get close to aircraft carriers, and the carrier-based aircraft on aircraft carriers can calmly implement "kite tactics" against battleships at a long distance, which is enough to make battleship captains cry.

In a military exercise in Lan Fang last month, Lan Fang's Navy Minister Antonio had experienced that feeling.

Although Antonio was still stubborn after the exercise, it was not difficult to find Antonio's true attitude from the fact that Antonio no longer opposed the fact that one of the two newly laid keels belonged to an aircraft carrier.

"Since we are talking about aircraft carriers, let's talk about the issue of aircraft carriers. If Lan Fang gives up the requirement for a 500,000-ton battleship, what kind of compensation can Lan Fang get for aircraft carriers?" Qin Zhiyuan was not in a hurry to put aside the issues that could not be negotiated.

Lloyd George began to roll his eyes again. This was destined to be another heavy and long topic.

The original text can be found in the Six # 9 @Books/Bar!

It was indeed a long process. Qin Zhiyuan and Lloyd George had not reached a consensus until Julie came back.

Of course, there was some progress. At least Lloyd George was aware of Qin Zhiyuan's requirements, and Qin Zhiyuan also understood Lloyd George's purpose. Compared with the long negotiations, this was a good start.

After having afternoon tea, Julie came back in high spirits, holding a few paper bags in her hands. It seemed that she had gone shopping again. She was not very excited. Seeing Qin De, who was holding his hands and babbling for a hug, she perfunctorily reported one and then threw Qin De back to Qin Zhiyuan. She collapsed on the recliner and complained.

"Dear, let's go back to Lanfang. I really can't stand it. I feel that if I continue to stay in Europe, I will be suffocated by these poisonous gases. I really can't understand why I felt that Europe was so good before?" Julie's complaints were also very sharp.

The air quality in London - it's better not to talk about it.

"Soon, we will go back in a few days. How is your friendship going?" Qin Zhiyuan still cares about Julie.

During the time in the UK, Qin Zhiyuan was communicating with George V and Lloyd George, and Julie was also very close to those ladies. There were different activities almost every day, and she had to face different people every day.

"Don't mention it, it's really impossible to communicate. Mary is almost 60 years old. Can you imagine that there will be friendship between us? And there is David, he is really a bit rebellious. If David becomes the king of England in 20 years, it will undoubtedly be a disaster for Britain." Julie commented on the British royal family very impolitely.

"David" is the former Duke of Windsor. His affair with Mrs. Simpson has been talked about by people until the 21st century.

"He will indeed become king, and he is indeed not a good king." Qin Zhiyuan did not deny Julie's words.

David's reputation is still very good now. At least he has not started to fall in love with married women. In addition, David, who joined the army in the just-concluded World War, was widely praised, which undoubtedly gained a lot of points for the British royal family with German ancestry.

Yes, this is the British version of Zhou Gong's fear of rumors and Wang Mang's respect for the wise and humble.