The Rise of the Empire

"What I mean is very clear. If Russia wants to defeat Japan, it must now have a powerful naval force in the Far East to deter the Japanese navy. In particular, it needs a high speed, excellent firepower and defense, and a long range. Only in this way can your country have the opportunity to delay the completion of the Far East Railway and transport a large number of personnel and equipment to the Far East. The navy is not the only condition for victory in the war, but it is indeed a basic guarantee.”

"If a powerful navy cannot be built in a short period of time, then the Japanese can prepare for war according to their own timetable. Their navy is already sufficient to maintain the command of the sea in the Far East, so once the army is ready to fight, they can go to war at any time."

"Lack of money and supplies is not fatal to Japan. With the help of the British, Japan can obtain enough funds to prepare for war. Even when domestic production capacity is not enough, Japan can directly import from the UK. For Japan and the UK I think you can already see it from Japan’s purchase of four Asama-class armored cruisers.”

"Well, you can tell me now, are these four warships worth the price?" the prince said with a smile. "Even I think that before you came, your generals had already emphasized the seriousness of the situation in the Far East Sea, otherwise, you would not have asked the Kaiser to arrange this meeting. Wouldn't you?"

"Let's not talk about business, let's talk about the strategic value of our new warship to your country?" The prince took a step back and said. If you want to sell something to customers, you must first let customers agree with your philosophy. And think that you are thinking of him, only in this way, they will obediently take out their wallets.

"I think that General Makanov and Rozdvinsky can discuss this issue with you. If possible, I would like to invite them to participate in this meeting. Of course, you can also invite people from the German Navy or Bavaria. Come and listen." Nicholas II thought for a while and said.

"Please go ahead, I'm fine by myself." A smile appeared on the prince's lips. Nicholas II finally subconsciously recognized the importance of German warships to the future Russian Far East. This is a good start. As long as the two Russian admirals are really convinced, the price will no longer be an obstacle.

Of course, as a qualified "salesman", you can't just tell me how good and powerful this thing is, but also explain the importance of this thing and how to use it! Otherwise, why should the product come with instructions! And with the arrival of the two Russian generals, today's highlight finally begins!

"To some extent, the Japanese fleet has achieved high speed. Whether it is the Asama-class armored cruiser or the Fuji-class second-class battleship purchased from the United Kingdom, they can sail at a high speed of 20 knots. We say that the Japanese fleet is all The cruiser is not an exaggeration at all! In addition to the Spanish battleship Carlos V captured by the Japanese, the Japanese have 7 10,000-ton high-speed warships!"

"Such a high-speed fleet will be fatal to any fleet attempting to break the mission at sea! Breaking the enemy's home field requires not only endurance and speed, but also firepower and defense. Unfortunately, Japan's fast fleet is sufficient for most situations."

"As far as the warships available to Russia are concerned, no matter whether they are produced by your country or sold to you by the French, they are not enough to deal with such a fleet. There is no advantage at all," said the prince.

"But can we change this situation by having four new armored cruisers produced in your country? If not,

So what is the difference between buying and not buying? " Makanov asked back.

"Of course there is a difference! As I said, we guarantee that the speed of the battleship will be around 22 knots! And this speed is already nearly 3 knots higher than that of the Fuji-class battleship! Considering the aging and maintenance of the battleship, the gap will widen. It is really possible Only the four Asamas and the Spanish replica can barely keep up with the Rurik II. The speed of the latter is around 21.5 knots."

"Of course, such a small speed difference does not make the Russian naval officers and soldiers feel safe, so we have added another bargaining chip! We will equip this battleship with a heavy oil-fired coal-fired boiler! This system is not just an addition to the power system. At the same time, it will greatly reduce the labor force of adding coal to the battleship, reduce the work intensity of the stoker, and allow the battleship to maintain a higher speed for a longer time!"

"If you want to escape from the Asama-class armored cruiser, relying solely on high speed is not enough, because the Asama-class is already very fast! The most important thing is endurance, and the endurance of a battleship depends largely on the physical strength of the stoker. We We solved this problem with better fuel and less labor. Then in this long-distance race, your country’s warships can completely throw off all opponents including the Asama class!”

"Of course, if the opponent's main force does not exceed 5 ships, then with the combat power of 4 Rurik 2 battleships, it is no problem to turn around and fight back. The firepower and defense are enough to fight head-on with battleships. Such a team This fleet is enough to cause headaches for the Japanese. Especially if the Japanese Navy cannot acquire new Asama-class armored cruisers or better patrols in the foreseeable future."

"But for the same money, we can build six or more battleships. We can completely overwhelm the Japanese fleet in a frontal battle by relying on battleships, and win a clean and decisive battle in exchange for victory. Why bother to engage in a break-up battle?" Ma said. Karnov thought for a while and asked back.

"Because your country's navy has three fleets, while the Japanese have only one fleet! At the same time, the efficiency of the British in building warships for the Japanese is much higher than that of your country's own warships and the speed of purchasing warships from France." The prince said.

The meaning of this passage is very clear. The Russian fleet is divided into three, the Baltic Fleet, the Black Sea Fleet, and the Far East Fleet. Not to mention the Black Sea Fleet, there is no way to come out, just eliminate it, the Baltic Sea Fleet wants to go there, it is also an expedition, and the day lily may be cold after it passes. In fact, only the Far East Fleet can confront the Japanese at first.

The matter of war does not depend on how many things you have in total, but how many things you can use on the front line. How many warships Russia has in total is useless, what is useful is how many warships Russia can get in the Far East. Of course, some people say that Russia can deploy the Baltic Fleet into the Far East. This is true, but it involves another issue.

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