Konstantin's request was entirely to be expected by Jochen. Historically, because the strength of the Ottoman Navy has not been strong, the Greek Navy's demand for dreadnoughts has not been urgent, and the performance of the two old Brandenburg-class dreadnoughts purchased by the Ottoman from Germany is really not very good, so the Greek Navy did not have to buy two American Mississippian-class dreadnoughts as an emergency while asking Germany and France for new ships after the failure to compete for the 7-turret relic.

Of course, Greece's purchase of two ex-dreadnoughts from the Americans was obviously cheated, and these two ex-dreadnoughts that threatened to capsize in the harsh weather in the Mediterranean were basically of little practical use, so the Americans actually sold the two defective ships for $11.5 million, which really slaughtered Greece. However, the Greeks can only knock out their teeth and swallow them in their stomachs, because this is the only two in the world that can be immediately available, and the two former dreadnoughts are new ships that were only completed in 1908.

But now the situation is completely different, and with the help of Germany, the Ottoman Navy will soon have a new dreadnought and a former dreadnought with decent performance. Although Jochen was not impressed by the performance of these two ships, they were an invincible enemy for the Greek navy, so it became urgent to order dreadnoughts from other countries immediately.

And it was logical to place an order with Germany, the Greek Navy has never been a user of British-made ships, the early Hydra-class coastal defense ironclads were produced by France, and the armored cruisers just ordered were from the famous Italian family. Even in the history of deeper cooperation between the Navy and Great Britain, in 1912 two super-dreadnoughts were ordered from Germany and Constantine from France.

Although the Greek Navy also had a move to buy the 7-turret relic. However, the main value was that the relic was a semi-finished ship that could be delivered immediately, and the Ottomans, Greece, Russia, and even France, who were eager to strengthen their own strength, wanted to buy it, but when the 7-turret relic was finally sold to the Ottomans, Greece immediately handed over the order to Germany and France.

And now France is just beginning to build its own first-class dreadnoughts, so it is not uncommon to choose a more experienced German manufacturer in Greece.

"Of course, it's no problem to order battleships, and I naturally have no reason to refuse such a big business." Jochen happily replied that this was another million-pound order. I'm afraid those shipyards in China are going to be excited about it again, right?

However, Konstantin's following words poured cold water on Jochen: "I want the German side to build the hull, but to use British artillery in the weapon system." ”

Well, why didn't I think of this, the armored cruiser that the Greeks just purchased from Italy did not choose the original Italian 10-inch naval guns, but went to England to install 9.2-inch naval guns after the Italians completed the construction work, which forced the firepower of the Pisa-class No. 3 ship, which was originally a fine work among armored cruisers, down a notch.

Moreover, the Salamis, which Greece ordered from Germany in history, also chose to install American-made 14-inch naval guns, but this may also have something to do with the 14-inch naval guns that Germany did not have at that time.

The weapon system is made in the British system, which means that at least about 10% of the funds will fall into the hands of the British, and Jochen is inexplicably a little unhappy. Maybe it was the expression on his face that Konstantin saw something. Or perhaps Konstantin himself knew that such a move might not be too face-saving for the Germans, and immediately explained: "The reason for choosing British naval guns is because the Greek Navy is now full of British instructors, and the use of British naval guns in gunnery is more conducive to their guidance of the Greek Navy." ”

Now the Italian-made armored cruiser has not yet been delivered, and the current capital ships of the Greek Navy are using legal weapons! Moreover, in the future, the naval guns of the Greek Navy will still be a mixture of Anglo-American and French. Although it is difficult for Jochen to understand the reason why the Konstantin ordered from France by Greece chose to install a French-made 340mm naval gun after choosing the American-made 14-inch main gun, isn't this causing trouble for its own logistics?

However, since his brother-in-law said so, Jochen is not easy to expose, and the Germans should be content to get 90% of the head. After all, Greece still has to take into account the feelings of the British, otherwise where will the British put their face? It's just that this kind of action will make Krupp and Skoda angry: isn't Lao Tzu's cannon as good as the rags of the British?

"Okay. You are the buyer, of course you have to meet any needs, and what other requirements are put forward and then let other shipyards bid. Jochen nodded.

"That's great." Konstantin saw that his brother-in-law did not dwell on this issue and let himself go, and he also breathed a sigh of relief, and then immediately said with a smile: "Regarding the order for battleships, I would like to hand it over to the Kiel Royal Marine Technical Shipyard." ”

Handed over the million-pound order to the shipyard of the brother-in-law. It can be regarded as a fertilizer that does not flow into the fields of outsiders, and this can be regarded as a compensation for not choosing German-made naval guns, lest the brother-in-law have any bad ideas. And the level of the Royal Ship Technical Shipyard is also obvious to all, and the two warships built for the Argentine Navy with the title of the strongest in the world are glittering golden signs, so there is no problem at all without any bidding.

However, Jochen was not interested in the order: "Your kindness is appreciated. However, there is no need for this, the two battleships of the Argentines have already taken up most of the shipyard's energy, and if you take your order, the construction schedule may not be very ideal, and if you bid for it, you can also look at the designs of other shipyards, make a comparison, and choose the one with the best price-performance ratio. ”

The order for two Argentine battleships has already fed the Royal Ship Technical Shipyard, although it is not a Greek order that cannot be eaten, but it is better to give this oil and water to other shipyards in the country. Only when these capitalists are happy can they spare no effort to support the navy. And the Royal Ships Technical Shipyard Jochen also hopes that the Argentines will have a break after the completion of the warship, digest the experience gained, and carry out some equipment updates before completing Jochen's own plan.

Constantine had no reason to refuse this very self-conscious proposal, and the Greek Navy was also very financially constrained, so Constantine accepted Jochen's proposal with ease.

However, when it came to the armored cruiser that the Greek Navy had purchased from Italy, Jochen remembered a question, so he asked Constantine for confirmation: "I heard that the initial capital of the armored cruiser you ordered from Italy seems to have been paid by a private merchant for the navy?" ”

Speaking of this, Konstantin was a little embarrassed: "It is true, at that time, the Italian government was only ready to buy two ships of the same type, so the No. 3 ship under construction was facing suspension and abandonment, and at that time we were anxious to buy a warship that could be completed as soon as possible, so we asked the Italian side not to stop the construction work."

However, at that time, the Navy would not be able to scrape together funds for a while, so George? Mr. Eflov made a donation to the Navy and paid a deposit to the Italian side, which allowed the construction of the battleship to continue. So the battleship will be delivered next year, so thanks to George? Mr. Eflov, the Navy is preparing this battleship to be named after him. ”

"What a good gentleman, and a patriot like him deserves such an honor." Jochen said this, but there were other thoughts in his head.

Konstantin, of course, did not know what Jochen was thinking about, but replied with great approval: "It is true, Mr. Evlov is the best businessman in Greece, and he is also a great patriot, and the venue for the opening ceremony of the first Olympic Games in 1896, the Panathinaikos Marble Stadium, was donated and built by this gentleman. And Mr. Eflov has also been a supporter of the Greek Navy, so the naming of the future flagship of the Hellenic Navy after him is the highest tribute to him. ”

Later republics also had patriotic acts such as the generous donation of fighter jets by non-governmental people during the Korean War. Eflov is the only one who has provided such a large sum of money to the Navy, and it is indeed admirable. Jochen, however, saw in it a way to increase the strength of the navy by bypassing the provisions of the Parliament in the Navy Act before the war.

Germany also has its own civilian naval support organization, but the main job of the Naval League is to expand the influence of the navy and win over high-level people to gain their support for the navy, so there is no fundraising activity at all, except for the payment of a membership fee of 1 mark per year, and there is no need for this at all, as long as these big men can exert a little influence in the parliament, they can take out more than a little money from the parliament's pocket.

But now, as Jochen's anxiety about the approach of war grows, and he desperately wants to continue to strengthen his navy, he has to endure the constraints of parliament like Nicholas II. Evlov's generosity gave Jochen an opportunity to go the wrong way.

"Konstantin, this time in the name of the Greek government, submit an order to Germany for two battleships." Jochen smiled and made a very unreasonable request.

"Huh?!" (To be continued......)