Chapter 71

Gao Yang extinguished his cigarette, shook his head slightly, and said, "This price is impossible. Although I have money, I'm not a fool! The George V class battleships only cost 1.94 million pounds each when they were built, and they have been in service for over a decade. You still want to sell them to me at cost? Is your government trying to recoup the cost of building the Nelson-class battleships from me? Sir, you're not negotiating; you're trying to rip me off."

Sir Mackley knew in his heart that this price was pure nonsense. He puffed on his cigar, somewhat awkwardly, and said, "Mr. Gao, with this military purchase, you will gain the friendship of the British Empire!"

Gao Yang smiled again, cleared his throat, and said with a laugh, "Alright, Sir, let's get back to business. We can talk about friendship at the celebration banquet."

Sir Mackley's eyes narrowed, and his large mustache trembled as he said in a deep voice, "Mr. Gao, you must understand that on this planet, only the Royal Navy can meet your order!"

Gao Yang's face showed a strange expression as he said, "Is that so? Yes, that's true. The Royal Navy does have a lot of these old, second-hand ships." The few people beside him, including Lin Jianzhang, couldn't help but laugh.

Sir Mackley's face stiffened, but his diplomatic professionalism helped him suppress his anger. After a moment, he said seriously, "Mr. Gao, as I said, everything is negotiable! Don't the Chinese have a saying, 'ask for the sky and settle for the earth'?"

"Oh? Settle for the earth? Alright, let's negotiate!" Gao Yang's face turned serious, and his cold expression made everyone tense.

Gao Yang tapped his fingers lightly on the table and said in a deep voice, "Three existing George V class battleships, three Birmingham class cruisers—Birmingham, Lowestoft, and Adelaide. The lead ship of the Thornycroft type destroyers, Spencer, and the R-class destroyers—Intruder, Rowena, Restless, Severe, Rob Roy, Sable, Salmon, and Sturgeon. All the ships need to be overhauled and maintained at the shipyard! Also, the repair lines, spare parts for the main engines, three sets of spare barrels for the battleships, six sets for the cruisers and destroyers. And the production lines for various types of shells and torpedoes, along with all the design drawings!" Gao Yang finished speaking, a glint of something unusual in his eyes, and said lightly, "All of this, I will pay 6 million pounds."

Sir Mackley felt dizzy, and his large mustache trembled violently from excitement.

He stared at Gao Yang with wide eyes, gritted his teeth, and said word by word, "Mr. Gao, you just said that the British are the best at business. Now I return the compliment, you are the best negotiator I have ever met!"

The three cruisers, one destroyer leader, and eight destroyers alone would cost over a million pounds. Not to mention the spare parts, barrels, repair equipment, and production lines for various shells and torpedoes, and the design drawings! Many of these things can't be bought with money!

Gao Yang smiled and said lightly, "Sir, as you said, everything is negotiable."

Sir Mackley was speechless, his face turning red and then white. Gao Yang tapped the table lightly and watched him silently, waiting for his response. Everyone around him held their breath and didn't dare to speak.

After a long moment, Sir Mackley finally caught his breath. He looked at Gao Yang seriously and said, "Mr. Gao, you must understand that many of the things you mentioned cannot be bought with money!"

Gao Yang shrugged and said with a smile, "Sir, most of the ships I mentioned are ones the Royal Navy plans to scrap! Now I am willing to pay a large amount of pounds to buy these ships that are about to be sold as scrap. Your government will get pounds, and the Royal Navy will free up tonnage for new ships! Your government and the Royal Navy should be grateful to me, not treat me like a fat sheep to be slaughtered!"

He paused, a look of disdain on his face, and continued in a cold tone, "As for the things you say cannot be sold, I really don't know what can't be sold. You have them, and the Americans have them too! If your government is unwilling to sell, I don't mind going to America to buy them! I think the Americans would be very welcoming."

Sir Mackley was stunned. Gao Yang was right. These were not highly confidential items, and the Americans could also manufacture them. If Gao Yang gave up on this military purchase and went to the Americans, he wondered if the Royal Navy admirals waiting anxiously in the London Admiralty would eat him alive.

Sir Mackley took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead, mumbling to himself. He sighed helplessly, looked up at Gao Yang, and said, "Mr. Gao, the ships you want are not a problem, and the price can be negotiated. As for the spare parts, repair lines, and production lines for shells and torpedoes, I need to consult London before I can give you an answer. However, I think if you are willing to pay more pounds, it shouldn't be a big issue. But the drawings..."

Gao Yang waved his hand and said with a smile, "Forget the drawings." For Gao Yang, the drawings were irrelevant. Once he returned to the modern era, whether he had the Origin spend energy points to replicate them or buy them, it would be easy. After all, they were World War I era technologies, and there was no need for secrecy in the modern era.

Sir Mackley immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't afford to lose such a large military purchase order, and he certainly didn't want the Americans to get it!

Sir Mackley picked up his cigar and said with a smile to Gao Yang, "Mr. Gao, the Royal Navy has many excellent ships that will be forced to retire due to the accursed Washington Naval Treaty! If you are interested in any other ships, please let me know, and everything can be negotiated."

Gao Yang smiled faintly but said nothing. He just took out a cigarette. Lin Jianzhang, sitting beside him, stood up with a "whoosh" and, to everyone's surprise, picked up the lighter on the table and lit Gao Yang's cigarette! Lin Jianzhang's hand trembled slightly. After so many years, the Chinese Navy would finally have large ships!

Du Xigui immediately understood Lin Jianzhang's meaning. Although they were rivals in the Navy, it was clear that they needed to stand together now. Du Xigui quickly stood up, picked up Gao Yang's water glass, and ran to the side to refill it.

After placing the water glass gently in front of Gao Yang, he and Lin Jianzhang stood beside him, staring at him with burning eyes!

Gao Yang shook his head helplessly. He understood the Navy's intentions; the two generals hoped he would buy more ships! The reason for buying ships from the British now was the good timing of the Washington Naval Treaty, with the British scrapping a large number of ships. However, a strong navy cannot be built solely by buying ships!

Gao Yang rubbed his forehead, thinking, "What should I do? Should I seize this good opportunity and buy more ships? Or should I build shipyards and gradually build my own ships?" Gao Yang felt a bit confused.

"You should focus on the current threat, not think about things 10 or 20 years from now!" Origin suddenly said in his mind.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Gao Yang was puzzled and asked.

"First, when the news of your ship purchases spreads, your reputation in the country will soar! At least the Navy will largely support you, and your image in the eyes of the people will become much more impressive! This will greatly help you in your mission to unify China. Once the ships are bought, you can arrange for a large number of bio-warriors to serve as sailors to help you control this fleet. The importance of a strong navy in war is self-evident. Second, do you remember the mission to sabotage the naval armament treaty and advance the appearance of the Japanese Navy's Yamato-class battleships?"

"Ah, I forgot about that!" Gao Yang rubbed his forehead, thinking for a moment, and finally remembered.

Origin continued, "Who does your expansion of the navy directly threaten? The Japanese! The more noise you make, the higher the possibility that the Japanese will refuse to sign the London Naval Treaty in a few years! They might even withdraw from the Washington Naval Treaty. You must know that the Japanese can provide a lot of energy points. Finally, what are you worried about? Even if you want to develop your country's shipbuilding industry and use your own ships, it doesn't conflict with buying ships now. How long will it take to build shipyards and use your own ships? Do you want to buy ships in the modern era and bring them here? How likely is it that such a large military purchase will expose you? Are you unwilling to spend money? Is money important to you now? You need energy points! Your business is getting bigger, and more people are paying attention to you. Information shielding is not foolproof! The day your possession of black technology is exposed is inevitable! What will you do then? The time travel and storage space cannot carry living organisms with active cellular reactions. You can come to this era, but what about your parents, relatives, friends, and your beautiful little Crystal? Have you thought about it? Your only chance is to gain more energy points to create advanced weapons to protect yourself and your loved ones! Everything else is just a step towards achieving this goal!"

Origin's long speech made Gao Yang feel as if he had been enlightened! Gao Yang, who had been somewhat dazed by his sudden wealth, finally woke up!

The army, territory, power, and money in this era are not important because Gao Yang's family and loved ones are not here!

What Gao Yang needs to do in this era is to help China rise while gaining as many energy points as possible. Then, he will return to the modern era and use the energy points to create advanced weapons to protect his family and loved ones! This was decided the moment he obtained Origin!