The Rise of the Empire

"Your Highness Ruprecht, this is a telegram from Blomfors Shipyard. Just yesterday, the shipyard received an inquiry telegram from Argentina. The Argentines are preparing to build two dreadnoughts." Earl Schelling said respectfully after delivering a telegram to the prince.

"Haha, battleship orders, it seems that we haven't received a battleship order for a long time." Ruprecht said with a bit of self-deprecation. I recall that back then, my first pot of gold was earned on a naval battleship. Battleships designed by Beiyang, Japanese, Argentinian, Russian, Bavarian, and produced by Blomfors Shipyard are sold all over the world, bringing tens of millions of pounds in sales to Ruprecht, as well as a large amount of profits. But times have changed, and it is not easy for Germany to export warships now.

The Russians switched to the British and French, and they also had a certain industrial base. The choice of warships was naturally built by themselves or purchased from the British. Not to mention the Japanese, even though they were raised in the UK, they still have to rely on the UK now and will rely on self-made products in the future. The conflicts between South American countries, especially Argentina and Chile, are not as big as before. Coupled with the huge naval construction costs, they are not very interested in the navy now. Visual inspection, this batch of warships should be the gunboats of the two countries. The final investment was made.

"When is this bidding expected to end?" Ruprecht asked with interest as he went down to the work in hand. If someone is willing to give money, the prince cannot stop him.

"It is expected to end in February 1909. Originally, we could have competed for orders from the Chileans, but the American bid was very cheap, and these countries are now buying these warships more for appearance, so they have no regard for performance. Not very concerned about it. We are really at a disadvantage in terms of price." Count Schelling said.

"Haha, there are still some changes." Ruprecht said in his heart. Historically, Brazil purchased British warships, and Chile purchased British warships. Only Argentina purchased American warships. But this is gross, except for Brazil. In addition to purchasing British warships, Chile chose the Americans, and this time, if Germany can grasp it, it should have a chance to win orders from Argentina.

"You go down first and leave the bid document. I'll think about it first." Ruprecht said. After a cursory look at the bid documents, the situation was exactly as Schelling said. They asked for more armaments and a cheaper cost, so the only things that could be manipulated were defense and power. The offered price was £2.2 million. How to put this price? Building a 25,000-ton dreadnought can be done well, but if you want to build a super-dreadnought, it is not enough...

Of course, if you make some small changes, such as making the armor thinner, reducing the coverage area, reducing the watertight compartments, and then applying the original template, the price can be reduced. You get what you pay for, everyone knows this...

"If the tender ends in February this year, the winner is decided, and related work is prepared, it will be good to start construction in May. According to the speed of Blomfors Shipyard, it can be completed by the middle of 1912. Well, It’s the middle of 1912, it’s the middle of 1912!”

Ruprecht, who suddenly reacted, realized that the completion of these two battleships should be very close to the final time of the Allies' war against the Allies! Although the specific time when the war broke out has not yet been determined, the prince is sure that if it can be operated, the completion time of these two warships can be set after the war breaks out! After the war broke out,

Naturally, it is impossible for these two warships to be handed over to the Argentine Navy. The German government will definitely seize them and may give the Argentines a refund or other compensation...

Ruprecht, who was already sinister enough, suddenly realized that this was a very important opportunity, an opportunity to obtain two battleships out of thin air! As for the issue of compensation? It's definitely not possible to confiscate the warships without giving a refund like the British did. Who knows whether the Argentines will directly join the Allies like the Turks in history? Although Argentines are not wary, they cannot be bullied like this. Moreover, there are large trade links between Argentina and Germany. For example, Argentine beef is very popular in Germany. The military canneries in Bavaria source 35% of their beef from Argentina.

A direct refund may not be realistic. After all, once a war breaks out, neither marks nor pounds will maintain their value, and it is even less possible to give gold. Then the only way that can be accepted by the other party is a physical mortgage. You can use Germany's assets in Argentina as security, or you can mortgage Germany's merchant ships offshore at that time to Argentina. No matter what, in this case, things can be very successful. solve!

Since we are building battleships for ourselves, with Argentina taking the big lead, we can also contribute a little to make this class of warships better. Ruprecht thought in his mind. "But, I don't know why, but it always feels less than perfect?" Ruprecht, who had already decided to trick his opponent in his heart, always felt that his plan was a little worse.

It's not that we can't seize these two battleships, but I always feel that this plan can be more perfect. And it can have unexpected effects at the right time. The prince felt that he had grasped the key to some of the problems, but he still felt that he was still a little short of the mark. "No matter what, let's get the order first." The prince decided.

"Tell Blomfors Shipyard, if Argentina orders Helgeland-class battleships from us, then we can reduce the price to the bottom line of 2 million pounds. As for the remaining funding gap, someone will naturally make up for them. On. And you must also pay attention to the actions of the British. You must ensure that our cost-effectiveness is much higher than that of the British. Of course, when necessary, some methods other than bidding can also be used." The prince said to the shipyard The letter read this.

Subsequently, Ruprecht wrote another letter to the Kaiser, in which he elaborated on the "important significance" of the two Chilean warships to the Imperial High Seas Fleet, "We only need a subsidy of about 200,000 pounds to build them in It is a very cost-effective move to have two more dreadnoughts during the war." At the end of the letter, Ruprecht bluntly stated the most fundamental goal and detained the battleships after the war broke out.

What needs to be done has been done, and the rest depends on the Kaiser's decision. Ruprecht finally has time to plan his own army, the future Bavarian Bohemian Army.

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