The Rise of the Empire

"No matter from the perspective of technology, demand or strategic situation, we should not equip larger cruisers in the short term. This will cause tension and hostility in some powerful countries." Ruprecht said meaningfully.

"Damn the British! Damn the British fleet, they are robbers! They regard the whole world's oceans as their own backyard! Sooner or later, I will give those arrogant British a little color!" His Royal Highness naturally Know who Ruprecht is talking about. Ever since, William felt that he and Ruprecht had found one more thing in common, that is, they both hated the British very much!

"That's a matter for the future. Before we are strong enough, we must consider these things. What we want is benefits, not temporary pleasure!" Ruprecht knew the fighting power of William II's broken mouth! That is definitely taunting skill MAX! If the Kruger telegram is suspected of diverting domestic attention from the British government, then instigating Mexico to attack the United States during World War I would be a complete brain break! William II didn't look at what country Mexico is, what country is the United States? The difference between the two sides is N grades. Why is the United States so big now? Just because of the weak Mexican next to him!

"Our cruiser fleet is almost the strongest cruiser formation except the UK. The French and Russians are not as good as us. The 6 Munich-class armored cruisers are completely enough for us to contain the ocean-going sea power of other countries except the UK! That is to say, to a certain extent, our cruiser formation is enough for the time being!" Ruprecht said.

"But the Russians will soon overtake us, and the French may also expand their cruiser fleet, and the United States on the other side of the ocean, their number of various cruisers will exceed a dozen in the next three years!" William II said.

"It's like this, so our cruiser plan should best start in 1898. At this time, if everything goes well, Russia will have 3 10,000-ton armored cruisers and 2 Munich-class cruisers, and the Americans will also have a sufficient More than our cruiser formation, and if we exert our strength at this time, it will not arouse the vigilance of some countries! We must let the British focus all on the Far East, so that our plan can develop smoothly without external interference. "

William II belonged to the kind of person who would do things as soon as his head was congested, and often regret after doing things. He was not a reckless man who didn't know the seriousness and couldn't distinguish the situation. Once the wall, it's hard to turn back.... And from a historical point of view, William II is still a little afraid of the United Kingdom, otherwise he would not immediately admit counsel after the Kruger telegram incident fermented....

"Is there a way to update our cruiser fleet as early as possible without overly stimulating the British?" Although the ending of the Far East incident was not perfect for Germany, it was more about face, and the inside was not bad. . The powerful combat effectiveness of cruisers in ocean-going operations still fascinated William II. And for a person who has a strong desire for the colony, he also intends to use this fleet to gain some new benefits!

"There is an immature way. We now have 6 Munich-class cruisers. After the end of the Sino-Japanese War, the Qing Dynasty is very likely to rebuild its navy. With the performance of the Mainz, they will probably choose to buy the Munich-class armored cruisers. And they will be relatively short of money, we can completely sell them two Munich-class armored cruisers at a reduced price!" Ruprecht said.

What should I do if I want to buy something good but don't want to spend more money? That's easy! Buy second-hand goods directly! A Munich-class armored cruiser is about 650,000 pounds, and the Qing Dynasty can't afford it, so buy an old one that has been used for several years, and it is in stock! It's a cheap deal, and both parties are happy!

"If this is the case, we can start building new armored cruisers next year." William II is not stupid, if there are only 4 Munich-class armored cruisers,

Then no one can say anything about expanding the cruiser fleet by yourself!

"Aren't you in a hurry, Qingguo hasn't placed an order yet, so you started working first? Besides, I'm just saying it's possible, not certain!" Ruprecht complained inwardly.

"Well, actually, there is another way. The Russians ordered 2 new armored cruisers, but I am worried that they may give up in the end. Can these 2 half-built warships be handed over to the German Navy? I promise, The turrets and weapons of this class of cruiser are compatible with German-made weapons!" Ruprecht thought for a while, and finally confessed to William, and Ruprecht also prepared a backup, if the German Navy asked for a reduced price, it would Yes, after all, the Russian Navy also advanced one-third of the payment. If William wants some benefits, it's okay, just use it as a public relations fee!

In an instant, William II figured it out. "It turned out that the German navy was going to be the receiver!" Thinking about it carefully, the German navy will not suffer. First of all, Ruprecht has promised to make relevant reservations. The main guns of the battleship can be replaced by German artillery at any time, and The 4 secondary main guns can also be replaced with single-mounted main guns. It is basically the same as Plan 1, and the price is also very cheap. After all, even if the Russians give up, they must have paid part of the payment. The Imperial Navy can even buy it at a cost lower than the cost price!

From the purely cost-effective point of view, buying such a warship is no problem for the German Navy, let alone if everyone is friends, it is also possible to help each other. And the prince of Bavaria will definitely give a certain benefit fee! But there is a procedural problem with this matter!

There is no navy bill yet, what is the greatest use of the navy bill? That is, the shipbuilding funds allocated to the Navy every year are fixed in a legal situation, and there is no need to pass the parliamentary review every year! But there is no such bill now, so the military expenditure of the German Navy has to be reviewed by the parliament every year. If the Russians rejected the two warships in 1897, it would be impossible for the German Navy to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds to continue to complete this project. 2 battleships! There may be a surplus in the budget, but it will never be rich by hundreds of thousands of pounds!

And there is also a risk that if during this period of time, other design bureaus have better designs, or the Ministry of the Navy puts forward higher requirements, then these two warships may still be obsolete! Germany is not only a design bureau of Ruprecht, but if there is a design bureau that launches a better warship (for example, a cruiser with 6 260MM or even 280MM artillery on the central axis.) Then follow the principle of selecting the best, Ruprech Hit can't force it, can he?

The Russia is indeed good, but after all it is just a takeaway, Ruprecht still has reservations, and the plan for the No. 2 cruiser has been spread. If the German Navy wants the second plan by name, then Ruprecht has nothing to do! Now that Ruprecht regrets it, it seems that his step is a bit big?

"It's difficult, both in terms of design and program. I can only say my best!" William II gave a very vague answer!

Thanks for the rewards from book friends, the First Tank Guards Brigade, old students, lamp burners, and god Pauline~~~. The second is more ~~~, please collect and reward~~~.