"Your Excellency Haldane, I very much agree with what you have said, that the continuation of the shipbuilding race between our two countries will only plunge this Europe into unease and antagonism, and will be detrimental to both of us, and His Majesty the Emperor very much hopes that this race, which will not benefit either country in any way, can be stopped." Tirpitz said lightly in a mocking tone, "But are you fooling us?" The ratio of the number of dreadnought capital ships remained at the level of 2:1?

Your country currently has a total of 30 dreadnought capital ships, including those under construction, and China has a total of 28 dreadnought capital ships, including the new ships planned to be built this year. ”

After the revelations at the Hague Peace Conference in 1908, cruisers equipped with battleship-class guns were clearly defined as the main force, although the British still called them armored cruisers, and the Germans called them large cruisers, but all countries clearly classified these warships into the classification of dreadnoughts.

In the face of Haldane's proposal for a naval agreement, Tirpitz scoffed, there was only a difference in the number of 2 ships, and the 8 capital ships under construction and about to be built will be equipped with 380 mm naval guns in the future. 2:1 Quantity Comparison? Who are you British to make such a request to a naval power with only 2 ships less than you?!

Tirpitz's attitude made Haldan's face very uncomfortable, and the mockery and pride on his face severely stimulated the self-esteem of the British Empire War Secretary, but Haldane did not have a good seizure. Because what Tirpitz said was reality, the German Navy already had the strength to sit on an equal footing with the Royal Navy, and at this time, the other party did have a reason not to pay attention to his own requests.

With Haldane's self-cultivation, he could endure Tirpitz's ridicule, but Prince Battenberg on the side was not so good-tempered. In the face of Tirpitz's taunt, he immediately shot back: "Your Excellency Tirpitz means that the German Navy is determined to challenge the authority of the Royal Navy?" It seems that Your Excellency has overconfidence in the strength of the German Navy. From Lostoft to Trafalgar, from Spain to France, the Royal Navy has never been afraid of any challenge! If you want to insist on starting a ship-building race, then the Royal Navy will respond with twice the speed of shipbuilding, completely shattering your fantasies! ”

After a few days of contact, Tirpitz already knew that His Royal Highness the Prince, as His Majesty the Emperor had said, had long since ceased to regard himself as a German. Words must be called how the Royal Navy is. This attitude of seniority has long made Tirpitz unhappy, after all, in history and tradition, the German Navy and the British are more difficult to match, and now they naturally mock back angrily.

"Your Royal Highness, I must stress that it was your Royal Navy that provoked a naval race to undermine relations between the two countries, and at the Hague Peace Conference of 1908 my country showed great sincerity, but it was your country that ultimately blocked the signing of the disarmament agreement, as the whole world knows." Tirpitz hit back, and the phrase "the whole world knows" adds to the tone. Mocked back.

The Hague Peace Conference of 1908 was ultimately a comprehensive victory for the Germans in terms of public opinion, and the Germans were able to stand on the moral high ground and point fingers at the British, and that was also a rare victory in which the German media could suppress the cynicism of the British media and the British were weak in their response.

"As for whether your country can achieve twice the speed of our country's shipbuilding, I think Your Royal Highness you yourself should be very clear, if your country can really do it, I'm afraid we won't be sitting here today and wasting our tongues." Tirpitz teased lightly: "How much does your country's new ship cost?" At least £2 million or so, right? More than £20 million is spent on the construction of capital ships alone every year, and your country's parliament is really generous. ”

Prince Battenberg's face turned pale. As Tirpitz said, the rise in the cost of new ships made it impossible to repeat the madness of 1908. The cost of the newly started super-dreadnought with 13.5-inch guns was as high as 1.94 million pounds, and the armored cruiser with the same type of naval guns was even more outrageous 2.084 million pounds, which was exactly the right price for that damn German veteran ruffian.

Seeing that the two veteran ruffians were about to quarrel-for-tat, Machar on the side immediately opened his mouth to play a round: "Your Excellency, I believe in your sincerity in wanting to ease the tension between our two countries, and my country is very happy to see this. But your request is too strong. I think how about we take a step back? Our country is willing to accept 50% of the total number of capital ships of your country. What do you think? ”

For Machar's words, Haldane scolded shamelessly in his heart, if you count the old pre-dreadnoughts that are not useful at all, then the total number of capital ships of the Royal Navy is as high as 85, and the Germans only need to eliminate 4 second-class warships such as the Brandenburg class to reduce the size to 50% of the Royal Navy.

If calculated by 50% of the number of dreadnoughts. The Royal Navy can maintain the current pace of shipbuilding, while forcing Germany to stop the current shipbuilding work, so that the gap can be opened in about five years. However, if calculated according to the total number of capital ships, the Germans can maintain the speed of their new ships while decommissioning the old ships, while the Royal Navy has no way to reduce the number of new ships by eliminating the old ships like the Germans, and the security needs of their vast colonies do not allow the Royal Navy to reduce the former dreadnoughts on a large scale, and the 1:1 replacement of old ships with new ships will make the British Empire's finances collapse. So Mashal's words seem to be a concession, but in fact he is more aggressive and pushes himself into a corner.

Haldane looked at the German Prime Minister in front of him who looked sincere, and scolded in his heart, although the purpose of his visit was to find out the future shipbuilding plan of the Germans, but how to deal with the Germans' shipbuilding plan was a matter for the Royal Navy, and he knew that getting deeper and deeper into the quagmire of this shipbuilding race was definitely not a good result for the British Empire, and he still hoped to thwart the Germans' shipbuilding plan as much as possible at the negotiating table when he knew that the Germans could not be suppressed by force.

"Your Excellency Machar. I am very glad that you can think so, and I deeply admire your country's sincerity in putting an end to the shipbuilding race. Haldane complimented Machar with duplicitous words that he did not even believe: "I am very glad that your country is in agreement with my own principles on this matter. ”

"However, I think there are some disagreements between us on the details." Machar changed his words: "The performance of those old former dreadnoughts is less than that of new ships, and with the completion and commissioning of new dreadnoughts, these old ships have gradually become second-tier ships, so these ships cannot be regarded as the real workhorses of the navy." Therefore, the exclusion of these ships is a better indication of the true strength of the navy.

For the sake of friendship and peace between the two countries, and to put an end to the negative effects of the shipbuilding race, I believe that it is more reasonable to use the scale of the ship as a measure of the dreadnought warship that truly reflects the strength of the navy. In this way, good relations of mutual trust can be re-established between the two countries, and the friendship between the two countries can be strengthened, which will also preserve the permanent peace in Europe. ”

Tirpitz on the side laughed, he looked at the British Secretary of War in front of him who wanted to empty the white wolf, his eyes were full of ridicule and mockery, and he was still biting the request that he knew was impossible. Negotiations. There is nothing wrong with asking for a lot of money to pay back, but I still think that I have a big chip in my hand, and I am too unaware to refuse to make any concessions.

"Since Your Excellency believes that the old ships are no longer capable of shouldering the main combat mission of the Navy, you must realize that it is impossible for our country's existing maritime pressure to accede to your request. Both France and Russia are beginning to build their dreadnoughts, and our navy has so far not had a single dreadnought in the Mediterranean, all of which are second-tier ships, as you have spoken. Under these circumstances, the construction of new ships of our Navy will not be guaranteed at your request, and our security in the Mediterranean region will not be guaranteed. If your country is willing to accept a 9:10 ratio of the number of capital ships, we can continue to talk in depth. Tirpitz suggested an acceptable quantitative comparison on his side.

Since it was a negotiation, the price was all over the place to sit on the ground and pay back, Tirpitz unceremoniously opened his mouth, 9:10, that is, the current comparison of the number of dreadnoughts in the British and German Navy, the Germans could still pat their chests and say: "We have also canceled a new battleship that is planned to start construction this year." That's a huge concession. ”

"The number of new dreadnoughts in our country is even more insufficient compared with the maritime security pressure that our country is facing, and our country also only has second-tier ships available in the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean and Pacific regions, and is still willing to terminate the shipbuilding race with your country when the pressure on China's maritime security is much greater than that of your country, which is where our sincerity lies, and the 9:10 ratio of numbers will affect the Royal Navy's power investment in other regions. This will jeopardize the maritime security of our country, and your country, as a continental country, does not need to build such a powerful maritime force at all! Prince Battenberg immediately retorted.

"But the alliance you have concluded with France and Russia will leave you without any pressure in the Mediterranean, will you? However, our country needs to face three security pressures at the same time! Tirpitz responded coldly that the main forces of the British Royal Navy began to assemble from the Mediterranean Sea to Gibraltar and the mainland, while the main forces of the French Navy began to gather in the Mediterranean, which means that Britain began to assume the responsibility of defending the coast of France in the direction of the English Channel.

Knowing that the Germans could really slap the table and leave without making some compromises, the British Empire, which was surpassed by the Germans in the economic field, has been weak in this competition for national strength, and it is obvious that the Germans in front of them are very aware of the weight of the weight in their hands, so they can be aggressive everywhere in this confrontation, they want to exchange the weight in their hands for the benefits they want, want to make the British Empire compromise, let the British Empire make concessions, and let the British Empire bow its proud head.

But how could I let them do it so easily? "If you are worried about the security of the Mediterranean, you need not worry, the British Empire is more than willing to further demonstrate its sincerity and eliminate your worries." Haldane said with a smile.

Looking at Haldane's sincere smile, Machar was also full of distrust in his heart, the so-called sincerity and mutual trust have never existed between two excellent politicians: "I wonder how your country wants to show your sincerity?" ”

With an expression on his face that made an important decision, Haldane said to Marshall: "If your country is willing to keep the number of dreadnoughts within 50% of the Royal Navy, then Britain will promise to remain neutral in the face of external attacks in Germany!" ”

This sentence shook the hearts of Machar and Tirpitz. The purpose of Germany's naval development was to avoid a head-to-head confrontation with Britain, and now that the promise of neutrality was in front of them, how could the two not be excited!

"If the British are willing to come to an agreement with us that if one of the two sides intervenes in a war in which it cannot be regarded as an aggressor, the other side should at least remain neutral in good faith and exert all its power to localize the war, we may slow down the pace of our capital ship construction and make further concessions in the numerical comparison between the two sides." Machar said immediately.

Listening to Machar's words, Haldane's eyes immediately lit up. He didn't expect the Germans to agree so simply, and originally thought that he would have to spend a lot of time to publicize how difficult it was for the British Empire to make such a commitment to neutrality, and what a difficult decision it was, but he didn't expect the Germans to agree in one bite, and he felt a sense of powerlessness to punch the cotton.

But his excitement did not last long, as the German asked a crucial question: "We are very pleased that Britain is willing to commit to neutrality, but before that, there is another important question." Marcal stared at Haldane and said in a deep voice.

"Your Excellency, please speak." Haldane said lightly, in his opinion. As long as the Germans are willing to make concessions in the shipbuilding race, then some other minor issues can be discussed slowly.

"Since your country is willing to make a neutral commitment to our country, I wonder when your country is ready to withdraw from the alliance with France and Russia?" Machar asked in a deep voice.

Tirpitz added: "If your country can form an alliance with our country, the German Navy is willing to reduce the total number of capital ships, including the former dreadnoughts, to 45% of your navy, and the original old warships will not be retired and replacement ships will not be built according to the ratio of 1:1, and the construction rate of new ships will be reduced to a low level of three new ships every two years." ”

Tirpitz's price was not too high, the total number of warships was reduced to 45% of the Royal Navy, which means 4 Brandenburg and 5 Caesars? After the decommissioning of the Frederick III class battleships, Germany will no longer build replacement ships. And at the rate of only 1.5 new ships per year, with the retirement of the Braunschweig-class and Wittelsbach-class battleships. The number of capital ships of the German Navy will be further reduced in order to cope with the reduction in the number of old capital ships of the British Royal Navy, and maintain its own standard of only 45% of the Royal Navy.

However, all this was premised on Britain's withdrawal from the Triple Entente between Great Britain, France, and Russia and the alliance with Germany, and this demand immediately turned Haldane into a bitter melon face, and then began to look left and right to say to him: "I see the sincerity of your country's side. We are more than willing to reach such an agreement with you, but your request is not limited to Britain and Germany, and the relations between China and France and Russia are not something that can be taken lightly, nor is it suitable for discussion in this consultation, which is only between our two countries. ”

Watching Haldan's performance, Mashal and Tirpitz's hearts began to sink. Obviously, the so-called neutrality of the British has no sincerity at all, and this so-called promise is in fact a threat and blackmail! The subtext of this so-called "commitment to neutrality" is "If you don't give up the fleet, I won't remain neutral; As for whether your fleet is an enemy of mine or not, that doesn't matter at all. ”

His Majesty the Emperor confessed before the negotiations that "if the British are unwilling to withdraw from the Triple Entente, then any promise they make is the most hypocritical lie." "Now it's verified. Haldane's words clearly did not want to give Germany even the opportunity to discuss this issue.

Machar was well aware that the binding force of the pact concluded by Britain, France and Russia was far higher than the so-called "neutrality commitment" now given by Haldane, and that the so-called "neutrality commitment" under the constraints of the entente was like waste paper when the tripartite entente was not dissolved. Haldane wanted to use this piece of waste paper in exchange for Germany giving up its ability to protect itself from threats from the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Mediterranean.

Everything was expected by Jochen, because of the failure of the negotiations in 1912, many people in later generations used this to blame Germany, blame Wilhelm II, blame Tirpitz, and think that Germany personally broke the olive branch handed by Britain and deliberately sabotaged the negotiations and alliances, but they did not realize that it was the British who really sabotaged the negotiations.

If Tirpitz really tried to sabotage the negotiations, then he would not have given Haldane the details of the draft plan that had not yet been made public. Tirpitz's long-standing adherence to the risk fleet theory was to gain Britain's respect and attention, not to provoke suspicion or war. And Haldane's blackmail and Churchill's shamelessness are the culprits who broke the olive branch.

The so-called commitment to "neutrality" by the British is extremely difficult in view of the obligations that Britain has to other countries, and therefore the huge concessions that have been made on the part of the British are also nonsense. Britain has nothing to offer in this negotiation, a blank promise of "neutrality" is nothing at all, and the so-called "neutrality" is not an obligation at all. The Germans, on the other hand, had to bear the risk of losing their security at sea and on the coast in the event of a possible war.

"If you consider that this matter concerns relations between your country and France and Russia and cannot take a decision, then we can only express our regret that we cannot accept your comments. Or will you first give feedback on our views and return to China, and then we will continue our discussions after your country has a clear answer on the Franco-Russian issue? Knowing the insincerity of the British side, Machar said sarcastically.

Do you still need feedback on this question? It was impossible for Britain to withdraw from the Triple Entente, and Haldane, who understood this, was like a dumb eater at this time--he could not say what he was suffering, and Haldane, who knew that he could not deceive the Germans on this matter, could only return to the beginning: "I will give feedback to my country on the opinion of your country, but we cannot do nothing until then." Haha, "If the parliament agrees with you, then we are more than willing to reach an agreement with your country according to the criteria just mentioned by His Excellency Tirpitz."

If the parliament, which is a very regrettable decision, does not pass it, then we cannot give up our efforts to ease relations between the two countries and put an end to the shipbuilding race. What is the acceptable range of the number of dreadnoughts in your country? Please stop coming up with an insincere number like 9:10. ”

"7:9, this is the greatest concession that our country is willing to make to your country by abandoning the current balance of power in numbers. Moreover, there is another premise: both sides cancel this year's new ship construction work, on the one hand, to cool down the brakes for the current shipbuilding race between the two countries, and on the other hand, it can also better demonstrate the sincerity of both sides.

Starting next year, China will apportion the construction of the five new ships that originally started this year to 1912 and 1913, while your country can continue to maintain the speed of five new ships starting each year. And by 1914, our Brandenburg-class battleships will reach 20 years of service and will be decommissioned, presumably the same is true of your country's Sovereign class.

From 1914 onwards, the number of capital ships of Britain and Germany will no longer increase, and the old ships will be eliminated, and the new replacement ships will be counted in the total number of capital ships of 7:9. Tirpitz laughs.

Tirpitz knew that it was impossible for the British to agree to this demand, and it was impossible for the British to agree to such a quantity comparison of 7:9, and even if they could accept this quantitative comparison, it was impossible to agree to the demand that everyone stop work for a year. If acceding to the Germans' demands meant that the Royal Navy had high hopes that the construction of the 13.5-inch gunline super-dreadnought to regain its firepower superiority would be delayed by a year, which would be unacceptable for the Royal Navy.

Regardless, the Germans did slow down the pace of their shipbuilding, and the demand for a one-year halt would significantly ease the financial pressures that both countries are currently facing. If the British did not agree, it would be a military force that turned a blind eye to the financial pressures of their own country, and the Germans could once again stand on the moral high ground and dictate to the British. (To be continued......)