Chapter 1114: Speed Competition
Chapter 1093 – Speed
Now the Minister of the Navy, Swindin: “It is impossible for the Russians to procure such a large fleet, the Russo-Austrian Naval Agreement is just a cover-up, the Austrians’ real target is us.
The Empire must take countermeasures and use absolute strength to dispel the enemy’s unrealistic illusions.”
This was an open secret, and anyone with eyes could see it. To deal with the Japanese Navy, it was enough to use 2 super battleships as the main force.
The Shinra Navy’s size itself was not small, and if 13 super battleships were added to it, then the Royal Navy’s advantage would no longer exist.
Although strength on paper did not represent ultimate combat power, the Royal Navy could not afford to gamble. No one could guarantee that Shinra wouldn’t jump the gun after the balance was broken.
Although the Vienna government has been labeled “love of peace”, Franz Emperor also made a promise to the outside world: to ensure that they will not take the initiative to start a war.
But in the face of interests, these guarantees are not tested. The fact that no promises have been broken only proves that the lure of profit is not great enough.
If you really want to start a war, are you afraid that you will not be able to find a reason?
Finance Minister Asquith: “Countermeasures are necessary, but how can we be sure that the enemy is really building ships?
In the past years, our shipbuilding pace has been interrupted by the enemy’s deliberate release of false information.
A large number of warships appearing at the same time may seem to reduce the cost of shipbuilding, but in fact, it is at the expense of optimizing the performance of warships and increasing the cost of maintenance.
Once or twice does not matter, the number of times the overall performance of the Imperial Navy warships, the enemy with such a despicable means to pull down a grade.
If we can’t change the situation of passively responding to the war, then we will always be led by the nose by the enemy, and sooner or later there will be a day when we need to pay for it.”
There was no way around it, having run into that intelligence-focused opponent of Franz’s, all along Shinra had watched the shipyard to the death.
With the intelligence gathered and roughly judged, it was almost impossible to understand the kernel.
Even if infiltration was carried out, it was useless, there were more than a dozen shipyards where Shinra was able to build large warships, unless there were people in key positions in these factories at the same time.
Although Britannia had a lot of talent, it didn’t have the luxury of sending dozens of senior engineers to work as undercover agents.
General intelligence personnel, even if they are open to become management, the same can not get the specific parameters.
Most of the time, intelligence was gathered in a scrubby way and then analyzed. Unfortunately, all of this could be faked, and until the ship was launched, no one would know if what was being built was actually a merchant ship, or a warship.
Similar frauds have occurred many times over the years. From time to time, the London government has made misjudgments because of insufficiently accurate intelligence.
Of course, the inaccurate intelligence was mutual. The British government couldn’t figure out how Shinra was building its ships, and the Vienna government was similarly unable to figure out the parameters of British warships.
The reason that led the British government to be passive was mainly because they were the ones keeping the ring, and a lot of things were laid out in plain sight.
As a challenger, it didn’t matter if the Shinra Navy had a few more or fewer warships, they were no match for the Royal Navy anyway.
The same could not be said for the British, they had to make sure that the Royal Navy dominated one hundred percent of the time, and any time they were at a disadvantage could allow the enemy to take advantage of the situation.
In this context, many times know that may be fooled, the British government can only be hard on it.
Just fooled can be one or two, if a continuous trick, that is not reasonable.
Those who know, understand that the government is forced to do. But the world will always be a small number of knowledgeable people, the most still do not know.
It’s just as well that there are voices of dissent among the people, it’s Parliament that’s in trouble. Many MPs believe that these blunders are false information fabricated by the Royal Navy in order to cheat the shipbuilding funds.
It is not only the military that has to bear the brunt of this pressure, but also the Treasury, which is often criticized for “wasting taxpayers’ money”.
Minister of the Interior Azevedo explained: “There is no way out, the Austrians blocked the information very dead, our people can not get close.
Even if we had bribed the shipbuilders, we couldn’t stop the enemy from building merchant ships with the same technical standards used to build warships. It is important to know that before the hull is molded, there is a chance to change the use.
Unless we delay decisions for months at a time before making them, errors in judgment are inevitable.”
Not to mention the change of use before the hull is molded, even if the main structure is worked out, it can be modified just the same.
Warships were expensive not just because of the high construction costs, but most importantly because of the high maintenance costs in the later stages. In contrast, merchant ships were different, capable of creating value in their own right.
In this context, Shinra spends money on strategic deception, and the price Britannia needs to pay when it follows through is tenfold.
So much so that by now, the British government only cares about super battleships, and other small warships, simply ignore them and go directly at their own pace.
The British government was naturally angry at this unfavorable situation. If it wasn’t for the main force of the Shen Luo Navy, mostly hiding in the Mediterranean Sea as a tyrant, they would have gone up recklessly.
Unfortunately, the reality is cruel, the Shen Luo Navy seems to be determined, is harboring in the comfort zone does not come out.
Want to provoke it, but although the main force of the navy is not moving, but the land forces are more active than anyone else.
Britannia has the soft underbelly of Shinra in its hands, and Shinra also holds the key points of Britannia. If you really make a mess, the end result will most likely be a lose-lose situation.
Politicians are realistic, small life well, no one is willing to take the whole body to risk.
Prime Minister Campbell sighed and said, ”Delaying the decision making for a few months after things are finalized, that’s not possible.
The Holy Roman Empire is no ordinary enemy. Their industrial strength is very powerful, if they find a loophole and start work on a dozen super battleships at once, hitting a time lag, it will be too late for us to catch up.
Let’s make preparations first, and then have our intelligence officers confirm as much as possible, and if they don’t find any problems, then we’ll finalize our shipbuilding plan as soon as possible.
The situation isn’t that bad, except for the uncertainty of whether the Austrians are pulling a stunt or not, there is good news all the same.
The Russo-Japanese War has broken out, and the threat of India is sort of lifted for now. With such a good opportunity to weaken the Russians, I don’t believe the Vienna government will be unmoved.
Don’t look at Franz the Great’s promise to do his best to support his ally, that means just words.
Throughout the last few decades, the Russians have fought several foreign wars, when has there ever been a lack of them, and which time have they ever supported them to the fullest?
Shinra’s interests in the Far East were very small, and the enthusiasm shown by the Vienna government had long exceeded the boundaries of an ally, so there was definitely a problem here.
The Russians were no fools, and sooner or later they would come around. If it was because of Shinra’s lack of support that they lost a lot of money in the war, Russia and Austria were going to go their separate ways.
If we take the opportunity to maneuver a bit more, there’s a good chance that they’ll turn against each other. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs needs to be prepared to pull the Russians in, we need strong allies now.”
It was a shock not to compare. Although Britannia’s shipbuilding industry was well developed, the number of large shipyards was still very limited, and the ones that had the ability to build large warships were even fewer.
Really if the full outbreak of the spelling up the production capacity, their chances of winning are not high. After all, the gap between the industrial strength of both sides is huge, and no one knows exactly where the limits of Shen Luo are.
Without realizing it, Britain has put itself in an extremely awkward situation.
Realizing the crisis, the days still had to go on as usual. Whether the hegemony will fall or not, ultimately we have to see on the battlefield.
“Flowers don’t last a hundred days, people don’t last a thousand days.”
The situation is getting more and more serious, and what the British government can do now is to continue the Britannia splendor as much as possible and not to let the glory fall in its own hands.
Of course, the situation is not good, but the British Empire’s national strength is still strong, far from running out of gas.
The most crucial reason for the strategic passivity is the lack of strong fighters on the European continent, which makes it difficult to converge on the anti-God’s Law momentum.
With the French out of the picture, the Russians have become Britain’s only hope. However, the “hope” is also not very reliable, even if the alliance, the possibility of backlash is also very high.
Now the only way to choose a general is to take the long of the short. No matter how unreliable the Russians are, they are still more useful than the wallflowers in Europe.
With Britain and Russia in the lead, the anti-Shiraz alliance was almost born. Together with the United States, Japan, Chile, Colombia and other countries, the lineup is almost enough to look at.
Even if they couldn’t kill Shinra, they would still be able to continue Britain’s hegemony for many years. At least in their generation, the hegemony was able to be sustained.
Foreign Minister Adam Wingard: “Don’t worry, Prime Minister. We’ve done everything that needed to be done, and the Foreign Office has long since released goodwill to the Russians through a third party, but unfortunately, the Tsarist government isn’t buying it.
Now that they still have illusions about Shinra, especially after getting the loan from the Vienna government, the Russians don’t take us seriously.
Trying to change the Tsarist government’s political stance is not a matter of overnight, but hopefully this war will wake them up.”
Complaining as he did, it was still clear from the smile on his face that Winjard was not angry.
Britain and Russia were already enemies, and now Britain was supporting their enemy, the Japanese, the Tsar’s government, but whoever was not in their right mind, knew what to choose.
Knowing that it is not possible to do, naturally, is not Wen Jiade ate his fill, wanting to ask for trouble.
From the beginning, the British government did not expect to release the so-called “goodwill” to ease relations with the Russians.
Now, through the third party transit, the main purpose is to inform the Russians, so that the tsarist government to understand that in addition to the Holy Roman Empire, they have a choice, do not and Shen Luo a road to the black.
“Turning an enemy into a friend” was never a simple matter. This is true between people, and it is equally true between nations, requiring both timing and harmony.
Now the British Foreign Office just planted a seed in the heart of the Russian senior, as to whether it can take root and sprout, but also to wait for the future development of the situation.
……
The British were on the move, and the Vienna government was not idle. Although it did not go around pulling people to make alliances, it was also strengthening and consolidating the relationship with existing allies.
Under the pretext of sanctioning Britain’s unauthorized destruction of free trade, the world’s third economic summit was grandly held in Vienna on April 26, 1904, under the call of the Vienna government.
The scene was heavy, but unfortunately the word “world” became a misnomer. In addition to the European countries have sent important figures to participate, most of the other countries are just to deal with the matter.
Countries will be “wallflower” three words, that is the most vivid interpretation.
There is nothing to be angry about, this is to be expected. In this world of the weak and the strong, small countries have never been precarious, it can be said that every time to stand in line, is a choice of fate.
If you don’t become a wallflower, the grass will grow in your grave. In order to survive, everyone can only cling to the strong.
To be able to send someone to attend the meeting, that was giving face. Those who sent important people to attend can basically be regarded as “standing in line” by default.
In a sense, this Vienna Economic Summit is another verification of geopolitics.
Continental countries support Shen Luo, on the one hand, is optimistic that Shen Luo can win, more or no choice.
What if they don’t attend the meeting, what if they are treated as the British’s cohorts and given sanctions together?
This is still considered lucky, afraid of the fear that before the war for supremacy breaks out, the Vienna government clears the field in advance, first cleaned them up.
As for offending the British as a result, that was also something that could not be helped, and everyone could only try to remedy the situation as much as possible.
If Franz did not guess wrong, at the same time the delegation departed, there is also a secret representative rushed to London.
Knowing is knowing, when you should be confused, you should be confused. Weighing the pros and cons is human nature, and everyone plays this way just to survive.
To these allies, Franz never have too much expectation, as long as these guys can follow the usual period of time to wave the flag and shout, not in the critical moment to add chaos that is enough.
The struggle for hegemony, that still need to come on their own. Relying on allies, even if you achieve victory, the foundation will not be solid.
When friends come, they must be received. Franz is fine, as the oldest living member of the European monarchical world, he has enough privileges.
Being able to show up at the welcome banquet was enough to give everyone face, anything more would be a no-brainer.
In contrast, Frederick was tragic. As the Crown Prince of the Empire, he was the center of attention wherever he went, surrounded by a group of people every day.
In the face of these uninvited guests, Frederick can not be dismissed at will, and can only go out to socialize.
Looking at some haggard son, Franz do not know what to say. It seems that back then, he himself ……
Well, this comparison is not suitable. The situation is completely different, Franz is just adult to succeed the throne.
The Emperor and the Crown Prince are not the same, because of the difference in status, the way and method of handling things are also different.
“Put off the entertainments in the back if you can, don’t attend all the banquets, there’s no need for that.
If you really can’t wipe your face, let a few of your cousins deal with it, don’t carry everything yourself.”
Frankly speaking, Franz was also responsible for Frederick being so busy. If he hadn’t sent a few other sons overseas, Frederick wouldn’t have been so tired as a dog.
“Cousin”, although also a full member of the Habsburg dynasty, was still a step behind in status and could represent a different meaning.
Other than that, just from the knighthood alone. The Emperor’s son even if not the Crown Prince, a Grand Duke title is still inevitable, but the son of the Grand Duke is not necessarily a Grand Duke.
Especially after the completion of the reform of the aristocratic system, some nephews who have not yet completed the gold plating may only have a “Lord” on their heads.
Of course, the aristocratic world is not only look at the title, but also pay more attention to the back of the family name.
Let these little guys on the battlefield, although there is a suspicion of negligence, but Franz believe that can come over are friends, will not mind such a little flaws.
Tasting the reproach, Frederick explained, “I know father, I’ll take care of it. It’s mostly just a few old friends I haven’t seen in many years coming over and socializing a bit more.”
Hearing the word “friends”, Franz’s whole body became bad. After coming to this world for so many years, he had everything but no friends.
There was no way around it, the world of monarchs was a lonely place. When he was young, Franz showed extra maturity and couldn’t play with his peers.
Everyone was still reading and heckling, and he had already become the emperor. The gap in status added to the distance.
Not to mention the older generation, all of them are old foxes, together we have to guard against being counted, not to mention “friends”.
There are gains and losses, there is no perfect thing in this world. If not for Frederick mentioned, Franz almost forgot the word “friend”.
After regaining his senses, Franz waved his hand and said: “Well, you yourself have a good idea.
This economic summit is just a formality, it’s best to reach a few economic agreements, and don’t force yourself if you can’t reach an agreement.
The next focus of the work is to ‘build the ship’. Although we put out a fake news, it is estimated that it can not fool a few days.
The next step is to compete with the British for speed, whose warships are commissioned first, then in the next battle for hegemony, who will be able to take the first advantage.
Keep an eye on the shipyard. Speed up the progress as much as possible without compromising the quality.”
In order to fight for maritime hegemony, it was natural to “make dumplings”. The Holy Roman Empire’s several major shipyards had already begun operation.
Such a big movement, naturally can not keep secret, Franz also did not expect to keep secret.
Put out a smoke bomb, disturb the judgment of the British, but mainly for the British parliamentary quarrel to provide material.
True, false, false, multiple versions of the number of ships built, no matter which one the British believe, always have to discuss a few days.
To make a decision immediately, that is not in line with the basic national conditions of Britain. Even if the government was able to reach an agreement, Parliament would have to quarrel a few times.
For the Holy Roman Empire that wanted to grab time, every day now was crucial. Each additional day of time, the Navy’s chances of victory will be one point greater.
(End of chapter)