Jochen persuaded Leon, but Leon had no way to make a direct decision, and he needed to return to Brazil to convince the president to reconcile the forces within the Navy that supported the former Admiral Alencar, who was armed with large-caliber naval guns.

It seems that the heavens did not want the relics to disappear, and Leon did not leave orders in Germany, which gave the British an opportunity to maneuver.

"Damn, it's the Germans who are making trouble for us again." Sir Nobel, the president of Armstrong, was furious in his office.

Sir Nobel had reason to be angry, and the Vickers company received an order from Japan to build a super armored cruiser equipped with 14-inch naval guns, and assisted the Japanese in building a huge order for three ships of the same type on the mainland. However, with a long history, the Armstrong company, which has a great reputation in the international arena with its Armstrong-type protective cruisers, has only two Minas in the field of dreadnought foreign trade? Gillas, which made Sir Nobel, as president, anxious.

Having previously lost the Argentine order for 2 battleships, this time Brazil once again released its own pigeons, and there are those damn Germans behind the scenes. Taking money from people is like killing parents, and Sir Nobel now hates the Germans.

"The Brazilians have already decided to place an order with the Germans?" Sir Dain Cotter, Director of Design, Construction and Sales of Export Ships, asked anxiously.

"Not yet." Sir Nobel shook his head, sighed, and then said hatefully: "But the news from the Brazilian office in London that Leon had returned home persuaded President Fonseca that our design was too risky, and asked us to stop the construction work at the Ellswick shipyard. ”

"Stop again? This is the third time that the keel has been laid on the Rio de Janeiro! Daincourt exclaimed in disbelief.

As early as 1906, when Brazil ordered three battleships from Armstrong, the Rio de Janeiro had already begun laying keels, but with the appearance of the intrepid. The original scheme based on the Lord Nelson-class pre-dreadnoughts immediately became outdated.

The Brazilians immediately demanded a revision of the design scheme, requiring the design of the new ship to be improved on the basis of the Dreadnought, and the two completed ships were Minas? Gerais-class battleship. However, the original No. 3 ship, the Rio de Janeiro, was halted due to the difficulty of paying for the work by the Brazilian side, and Armstrong agreed to delay construction for a year.

However, with the news that the Argentines had ordered two battleships from Germany, the Brazilian Navy decided to immediately continue the construction of the No. 3 ship, so the Rio de Janeiro was once again keeled.

However, as the British began to build super-dreadnoughts armed with 343-mm naval guns. Once again, the Brazilians asked for a revision of the design, and this time the Brazilians chose the 653 design, and the Rio de Janeiro began laying the keel for the third time.

Now the construction work is about to be stopped, which makes Daincott, who is the director of construction, crazy: "Say my design is too risky? What do these Brazilians understand?! Vickers' development of a 14-inch naval gun for the Japanese was progressing well. The battleship built according to the 653 plan will become the world's No. 1 battleship with the largest tonnage, the largest caliber of main guns, and the strongest firepower with the powerful firepower of 12 14-inch naval guns!

Now I say that my design plan is too risky, and Barcela, the chairman of the Brazilian Naval Council, asked us to design a plan to equip us with 16-inch naval guns! There is not a single company in Great Britain that has a plan to develop a naval gun of this caliber! What is too risky is an excuse, it must be that the Brazilians were bewitched by the German emperor! ”

"You're right, the news coming back from Brazil is that the Brazilian Navy has indeed begun to organize personnel to review the German warship design plan and budget, and we are in big trouble. Fonseca is a former Minister of the Army. When that guy took office, he said that he would cut the cost of building naval ships, and the battleship that the Germans sold to the Argentines had a displacement of only 25,000 tons when it had 15 main guns, which was really advantageous in terms of price, which was very bad for us. ”

"If it's just a matter of funding, it's easier to solve. At the beginning, we provided the Brazilians with a displacement of 24,000 tons, and the design plan for the installation of 10 14-inch naval guns, if we gave some concessions on the price quoted to the Brazilians. I believe that in the offer it should be possible to lower than the Germans. "And if we continue to do the order, the Brazilian will save a penalty." ”

"You have a point. Now that we're worried that the Brazilians have submitted orders to the Germans, we need to move quickly and convince the Brazilians before it becomes a foregone conclusion! Sir Nobel said: "I'm afraid you will need to go to Brazil for yourself." ”

"It's my job, and it's not a small order, and it's the only way I can deal with the Brazilians myself." Daincott patted his chest and promised, "I will definitely come back with the order from the Brazilians." ”

But the idea is very plump, and the reality is very skinny. Daincourt, who crossed the Atlantic by ship with a large pile of materials and arrived in Rio de Janeiro to lobby León, was poured a bucket of cold water on Brazil before he arrived. Halfway through the ship's docking, Daincourt received a telegram from Brazil, and Armstrong's correspondent in Brazil sent a message that Leon had convinced Fonseca. The new battleship will install 12-inch naval guns.

This made the design plan of the two boxes of 14-inch and even 16-inch naval guns brought by Daincourt completely wasted, and all the preparatory work in the early stage became useless.

Fortunately, the person who went to Brazil was Daincourt, and if it was just a salesperson, it was obvious that it would have failed to communicate without even figuring out the customer's intentions, but at the same time, Daincourt, as a ship designer, immediately began to look for a solution.

He sent a telegram back to London, hoping that Sir Nobel could influence the Brazilian government in other ways, and that he would come up with an alternative to dealing with León before arriving in Rio de Janeiro.

"Hello, Your Excellency." When Daincourt finally stood in front of Leon, he had already figured out how to convince the Secretary of the Admiralty.

"Hello, Mr. Sir." Leon's attitude towards this knight of the British Empire is still very polite, but his words are not so polite: "I know very well the purpose of your visit, sir. But sir, you should already know the news that our new battleship has selected a 12-inch naval gun, right? ”

Straight to the point, Daincourt cut off the opportunity to sell him other design options, and among the ships now armed with 12-inch guns, there is no model that can boast more firepower and less tonnage and cheaper price than the Germans built for the Argentine. Leon believed that as long as the British could not come up with a comparable plan, then placing an order with the Germans would be a sure thing.

However, Daincourt had long expected this scene to happen, and immediately followed Leon's words: "I should have heard this news, although I regret that your navy has given up choosing the world's largest caliber naval gun. But personally, this is a good choice for your navy. ”

Dain Court's words made Leon stunned, it stands to reason that now this Englishman should persuade himself not to give up the most powerful naval gun in the world, what is the expression on his face that agrees with the good 12-inch naval gun? "Sir, too?"

"Yes." Daincourt nodded: "Considering that your country's two Minas Gerais-class battleships are equipped with our country's 12-inch naval guns, it is indeed easier for the new ship to use the same caliber naval guns to fight with the two ships, and the ammunition can also use the same model, which greatly reduces the pressure on logistics and supply." The power of the 12-inch naval gun is now sufficient to fully meet the needs of your navy, and even with the use of 12-inch naval guns. It is still possible to build the most powerful battleship in the world. Daincourt said, for the exact same reasons Jochen had said.

"It's great that you can understand this, sir, I'm really sorry that you have traveled thousands of miles this time." Leon said with a smile, even the British side said so, so it seems that the order for the new battleship is really going to be handed over to Germany. Leon naturally apologized to Daincourt for running in vain, and just wanted to say that although you came in vain, I will still welcome you warmly. You've been with us for a while before you go back when you're interrupted by Daincourt.

"Where, this is what I should do. Only if I come here in person can I better discuss the design of the new ship with you. Daincourt said with a laugh.

What does that mean? The British are still not giving up? Could they have come up with a better design than the Germans? Leon received a sketch of the new ship from the smiling old fox Daincourt. However, when I saw this sketch, I immediately sneered in my heart.

Looking at the design sketch in his hand, Leon's tone was full of doubts: "Your Excellency, this is the new design of Armstrong?" ”

"That's right, this is our new solution that has been carefully designed to meet the needs of your country." Daincourt laughed and lied, didn't you want to limit the 12-inch naval gun? Don't you want the most powerful firepower in the world? Don't you want to be cheap? A design sketch hastily completed on a cruise ship after receiving a telegram will satisfy you.

"7 twin turrets. 14 12-inch naval guns? Leon's tone was a little unkind: "This is also the most powerful firepower in the world?" She had one less gun than the two battleships being built by the Argentine! Moreover, the 7 turrets lengthened the hull, which also led to an increase in displacement, which increased the cost of building the hull! Is this your country's well-thought-out design? ”

The notion that Jochen had instilled in Leon, intentionally or unintentionally, is now Leon's reason to question Daincourt.

But how could a famous warship designer be stumped by such a question? Daincourt explained with a smile: "Your Excellency Leon, although this design scheme only has 14 naval guns, the actual effect of these 14 naval guns is much higher than the 15 naval guns of the Argentine. The triple turret of the Germans was indeed a very ingenious design. As you said, this design effectively shortens the hull and reduces the displacement. But there's a huge flaw in this design, you know? ”

"What flaw? Leon asked immediately.

Seeing Leon's reaction, Daincourt smiled in his heart and opened the breakthrough. After all, the Brazilians must pay attention to themselves as the world's number one naval power and the ship designer of the British Empire.

Instead of answering Leon's question directly, Daincourt asked unhurriedly: "Your Excellency, with the technical strength of my British Empire. Do you think that our country is not capable of developing a triple turret? ”

"No, of course not, we have full confidence in the technical capabilities of the British Empire." Leon explained with some urgency that Leon still has full awe of the world's number one naval power.

"Why do you think our country has never tried to develop such a turret?" Daincourt asked again slowly.

"Please sir." At this time, Leon's attitude was no longer what it used to be. Keep your posture very low and look like you're receptive to advice.

"Your Excellency, due to the limited size of the turret, the arrangement of the three main guns of the triple turret is very crowded, so the storm between the muzzles of each gun will interfere with each other when firing a salvo, which will seriously affect the flight trajectory of the shells, resulting in poor dispersion of the shells and unsatisfactory shooting accuracy. The Royal Navy has always been known for its gunpowder accuracy, and this design is naturally unacceptable. Dain Court said in a conclusive way

This theory has been very marketable for quite some time. When the Japanese Navy designed its own Fuso-class battleships, it also had a design scheme of four triple turrets similar to the American Pennsylvania-class, but the Japanese Navy firmly believed that gunnery was supreme and scoffed at this design, and finally chose the design of six twin turrets.

The British Navy had a similar view, and there were doubts within the Navy about the accuracy of the triple turret when the Nelson-class battleships were designed and built, but because of the compromise on the design specifications of the battleship, the triple turret was finally accepted. Therefore, the words now spoken by Dane Court, the ship designer of the British Empire, using the example of the Royal Navy, were very convincing, and Leon was immediately frightened.

Daincourt continues to find fault with the triple turret: "The front of the turret is the focus of the turret protection. However, the triple turret required three large holes in the front of the gun shield, which seriously affected the strength of the frontal protection. It is also extremely disadvantageous from the perspective of protection. ”

There was nothing wrong with this point of view, the Americans had the same concerns when installing triple turrets on Nevada-class battleships, so the Americans took a simple and crude approach, thickening the front of the turret directly to 457 mm, which was already far more than needed at the time, and the front of the turret of the Nevada-class, the previous New York-class, was only 356 mm.

"So the Germans pursued a firepower superior to the Royal Navy. This opportunistic approach can only be adopted, and this design is naturally disdainful of the Royal Navy. Danecourt concluded: "In practice, the design that best brings out the advantages of the Royal Navy's gunnery is the best design, and the pursuit of a design that looks powerful is nothing more than a trick that is not useful." ”

Dain Court's words are eloquent. Leon could not refute the conclusions of the British Royal Navy. Although extremely shaken, Daincourt still tried to argue with Daincourt: "But in tonnage and cost, the Germans still have an advantage. ”

"Your Excellency, even if 7 twin turrets are installed, the displacement of this battleship can still be compressed to about 26,000 tons, and the 7 twin turrets are arranged in a vertical row on the central axis, which will lengthen the hull and reduce the width of the ship, so that a large aspect ratio can bring a higher speed, at least 1-2 knots faster than the Argentine warship. And I have reached an agreement with Sir Nobel before I come that I can offer some concessions to your country, so that the cost of the battleship will be hundreds of thousands of pounds cheaper than the previous 653 plan, so the price of a single ship should be about the same as that of the Germans. Daincourt said.

The design of the new ship is about 1,000 tons larger than the Argentine's battleship, and Daincourt expects the battleship to be quoted at around 2.40-2.45 million pounds, compared to the Argentine's single ship price of 2.36 million pounds, which is still very suitable and within the range that the Brazilians can accept.

Of course, Daincourt was adamant about the fact that the main armor belt of the new ship's design was only 8 inches, a far cry from the Argentine's battleship of 11 inches. 8 inches, that is, 203 mm, this level of the main armor belt and the Japanese in Vickers ordered the Kongo class is a standard, that is to say, the battleship's protection capabilities are the same as that of the battlecruiser, even the 9.2-inch naval guns of the British can penetrate it.

But the Brazilians don't care about this, they only value the heavy artillery and the speed, as for the protection or something, you can ignore it.

Seeing that Leon's vacillation was beyond words, Daincourt decided to add the last weight: "Your Excellency, if your country chooses a German-made battleship, then even if it is also equipped with 12-inch naval guns, it will be different from the two battleships in service in your country in all respects. There is still a big difference between the naval guns of the two countries.

If China is chosen to build, then this problem will be solved, and your country's naval soldiers will be more familiar with our naval guns, and the installation of our naval guns on new ships will also be more conducive to training and combat. ”

Of course, Daincourt also knew that with so many naval guns, and the 7 turrets distributed the recoil almost to the entire hull, for the sake of hull strength, it was obvious that the main guns of the new ship could not use Minas? The Mark-X naval gun used in the Gilas class, the new naval gun must be modified on the basis of the Mark-X, and even change the propellant to reduce recoil, in fact, it is not exactly the same as I said, but now, the words still have to be said so.

There is another very important thing. "The agreement reached between your country and our company was that the construction of the Rio de Janeiro could be postponed for one year, and although your country asked us to change the design and construction of the 653 plan, it was still within this agreement period, so there is no problem in stopping the construction of the 653 plan."

However, now that the agreement period is about to expire, if your country wants to default, then you will need to pay us liquidated damages, and such an additional cost will also affect the final cost.

Sir Nobel has sent a telegram to your Government to inquire about the matter, and it will not be long before someone will check with you, Your Excellency the Minister. ”

Leon didn't hear the news at all, and Daincourt's words confirmed the news, which was the last straw that broke the camel's back for Leon.

"I'll submit your company's plan to the Admiralty for discussion as soon as possible." Eventually, Leon relented.

Leaving Leon's office, Dane Court immediately went to the telegraph station and sent a telegram to England: "Your telegram is fruitful, this ship is ours. (To be continued......)