Just as the Germans were thinking about how to take out the Russians, the Russians were also thinking about how to take out the Germans! Even at the end of the Russo-Japanese War, the Russians had already begun to think about the future war against the Allies as a whole, but compared to the prince's foresight, the Russians knew nothing about the strategy of the Allies, and they could only formulate Russia's war plans through speculation!

But first, the Russians first have to solve their funding problem, well, that's right, it's the funding problem! In order to win the Russo-Japanese War, the Russians consumed up to 3.2 million rubles per day on the battlefield! (historically 2.6 million rubles) As the war continued, the already scarce treasury of the Russians soon became a running horse. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 After the end of the war, although Britain and France provided loans of more than 2 billion francs, most of this money was used to fill the financial loopholes and stabilize the domestic situation, and not much could be used for military spending.

The Russians are faced with a very serious problem, how to build an army that can meet the needs of future wars with limited military spending, after all, you have to fight for Britain and France with British and French money! In the palace in St. Petersburg, the top brass of the Russian military gathered to discuss the question of what to do with the Russian army in the future.

"I think that under the present circumstances, it is no longer appropriate for us to continue to maintain the principle of equal emphasis on the navy and the army, if before that, it was reasonable for the empire to invest a lot of money in building a navy in order to occupy the northeast of the country and suppress the Japanese navy, then now, in Europe, Russia needs a strong army more than a navy!" War Minister Kulopatkin was the first to stab his former naval comrade-in-arms.

"At a time when Britain, Germany, France, and the United States are building their navies in the hope of catching up with this wave of naval technological innovation, you, Kulopatkin, actually attack and slander the navy for personal gain, this is simply a crime! I admit that I have an unshirkable responsibility in the war in the Far East, but I would like to remind you here that the supremacy of the Baltic Sea is directly related to the security of our country along the Baltic coast, which is one of our most important industrial bases, and to the north of the Black Sea is the breadbasket of Russia, Ukraine. In order to ensure that these vital areas are secured, I believe that the construction of the Navy must not be left behind, but must be accelerated. Admiral Essen, who is now the head of the Russian Admiralty, said.

"Well, I have a few questions, can you answer me? First, can China build new dreadnoughts at present? Kulopatkin asked.

"Not yet, the Borodino-class battleship is already the largest and most advanced battleship we can build at the moment, and this battleship is still quite a distance from Dreadnought, so we have to fight to catch up." Admiral Essen said.

"Second, the Germans currently have 6 dreadnoughts, and there are no less than this number of warships being built on the slipway, so I would like to ask Admiral Essen, how much money does the Reich need to invest and how long will it take to build a fleet that can compete with the German High Seas Fleet in the Baltic Sea? The high cost of naval construction of the Germans is terrible! Just last year, the German Navy spent £12 million! I would like to ask His Excellency the Chancellor of the Exchequer again, can the Reich provide the same for the Navy? Kulopatkin had a triumphant smile on his face.

"Thirdly, I personally believe that the Black Sea Fleet is enough to suppress the broken Turkish Navy, and even if they get the Prince Albert armored cruiser, they will not be able to change this situation, so it doesn't really make much sense to update the shipbuilding system for the Black Sea Fleet to build larger dreadnoughts to deal with this weak enemy, at least not now, so I suggest that the expansion of the Black Sea Fleet can be put on hold for a while." Kulopatkin made up for the final cut!

Looking at Essen's angry, frustrated and speechless expression on the other side, Kulopatkin also felt a dark feeling in his heart, not that he and Essen had any personal enmity, it was completely because of the ass that decided the head, and as the Minister of War, he naturally had to run for the interests of the Army. And for a country's army, there are two biggest enemies in the country, one is the Ministry of Finance and the Duma, which determines the master of the money bag, and the other is the navy ....... And the lord who robs the money bag himself! And now this combination of his own punches is basically going to knock the second enemy to the ground, right?

"Ladies and gentlemen, I hope that you will put aside your preconceptions and think about the future of the Russian Empire, I admit that for a long time the Imperial fleet in the Baltic Sea will not be able to compete with the German Navy, but we still need a strong fleet as the most basic deterrent!" Essen calmed down his excitement and said.

"If we don't have even the most basic deterrent, then the German High Seas Fleet can open a gap on the Baltic coast at any time, and then the German Army, which is highly combative, can land in the Polish region, in the Gulf of Riga, or even near St. Petersburg! The strategic depth that we are so proud of will be greatly diminished because of the sea, and if we lose the Baltic coast, will Russia be able to hold on? Can you tolerate the German fleet flexing its muscles in the Baltic Sea, sweeping our cities again and again with heavy artillery? ”

"As long as the Army has access to sufficient resources, this will not happen at all, General Essen, you can't exaggerate the Germans and belittle the Russian Army for the sake of the Navy." Kulopatkin said dissatisfied. "And I'm not saying that we won't build a navy, I think we can build submarines, torpedo boats, destroyers, and develop mine tactics to defend against the Baltic Sea, which is very small, and mine warfare and mine strike ships are very useful in coastal defense, I think you must know it?"

Kulopatkin's words are thorny, which is obviously an allusion to the fact that before the outbreak of the Battle of the South China Sea, when Essen led the fleet on sail, the battleship hit a mine. But to be honest, there is some truth in what Kulopatkin said, in the Baltic Sea, submarines and mine warfare are indeed sharp weapons for coastal defense, and of course, more importantly, it is more economical .......

"We need a strong fleet in the Baltic, we need a strong fleet in the Black Sea, we can't let the Germans do whatever they want in the Baltic, and although the British promised that they would deal with the German Navy, we can't pin our safety on someone else! As for the Black Sea? I don't think there will be a need for expansion in a short period of time, at least for 4 years. Our Black Sea Fleet was enough to suppress the Turks. Compared to the Turks, there is not enough money to build a navy, right? Just as Essen was about to fight Kulopatkin again, Nicholas II made the final decision.

The second is more ~~~! Ask for subscription, ask for tips~~~! (To be continued.) )