The German Empire and the Holy Alliance as a whole were preparing for war, just as the Chinese Empire and its allies were preparing for war. Shiploads of war materials were shipped to Europe and the Middle East, arming the allies of the Empire. Countries are already starting to mobilize secretly to avoid being caught off guard if war breaks out suddenly. As the core of the peace alliance, the war preparations of the Chinese Empire were particularly important. After all, the Chinese Empire was the main force that could confront and even defeat the Holy Alliance.

According to the requirements of the Imperial Emperor Long Yufei, the Imperial Army mainly developed in terms of armor and mechanization. In each group of armies was successively equipped with an armored brigade with two hundred tanks. In addition, the empire also fortified several armored corps that belonged only to the command of the General Staff. These armored corps will become the main force for tearing apart the enemy's defenses on the battlefield.

Now the shelves for these armored units have been erected. Just wait for the replenishment of personnel and tanks inside. Several of the main tank factories of the Reich were already producing tanks and armored vehicles at full capacity. In the event of war, the Reich could produce a thousand tanks and the same number of armored vehicles per month.

In addition to the Army, the Air Force was also a key development force for the Empire. The main tasks of the Air Force were to seize air supremacy after the outbreak of war, to provide intelligence support to army units, and to dispatch bombers to strike at key areas of the enemy. Therefore, the focus of the development of the Imperial Air Force is the fighter unit and the bomber unit. As for the aircraft for ground support, they were handed over to the army aviation, which was developed by the army itself. Their own ground attack aircraft are responsible. The Air Force is mainly responsible for strategic tasks.

The fighters and bombers of the Imperial Air Force also began to be updated. A fighter that was initially able to barely put into real combat. The performance is too backward. It was produced in small quantities to train pilots and ground crews of the Air Force. Now mass production of fighters and bombers. It is the real workhorse model in the war. In addition, more advanced fighters and bombers are also in full swing. To ensure that the Imperial Air Force would always maintain its superiority over the German Empire and the Holy Alliance in this regard. Only in this way can the air supremacy of the empire be ensured.

The Imperial Navy has always been the focus of the Empire's development. The empire was able to replace Britain as the world hegemon, and the navy can be said to have contributed a lot. This can be seen from the fact that the Reich spent a lot of money and financial resources to build battleships, and always maintained a double advantage over the capital ships of the German Navy. However, Emperor Long Yufei knew that the direction of the development of the navy would be from the confrontation of giant ships and cannons to aviation. So. He will suppress the construction of the 'Ming-class' battleships. Only 16 of the entire 'Ming-class' battleships and 'Ming-class' battleships were built, instead of the 32 that the Navy had hoped for. On the one hand, there are certainly reasons why the 'Ming-class' battleships and the 'Ming-class' battleships are too expensive to build. On the other hand, Long Yufei hopes to tilt limited resources in the direction of aircraft carriers. In addition, the Germans reduced their investment in the new capital ships, which was also the reason for his decision. Eight 'Ming-class' battleships will be commissioned this year, and eight 'Ming-class' battleships will be commissioned next year.

But. The construction of the next class of battleships of the "Ming Reform" battleship has not been put on the agenda for a long time, which has made the Minister of the Navy, Marshal Wei Yong, and the fleet commanders of the Navy very worried. The German Navy after the construction of four 'Helgoran-class' battleships and four 'Caesar-class' battleships. Construction of four new 'King-class' battleships has already begun. In addition, the 'King-class' battleships use more powerful 406 mm guns, which will make the 'King-class' battleships more powerful. Therefore. The Admiralty hoped that the Reich Navy would begin construction of new battleships as soon as possible to ensure the Reichs' superiority over the German Navy. But. After the report was submitted, Emperor Long Yufei did not approve it for a long time. This made the admirals of the Navy a little confused.

On this day, the Minister of the Navy, Marshal Wei Yong, once again entered the palace to meet Long Yufei and inquire about the construction plan of the next class of battleships of the Imperial Navy. It was also planned that the first class battleships of the Imperial Navy would be 'Imperial-class' battleships, which would have a full load displacement of more than 40,000 tons, three triple 406-mm guns, and a speed of 25 knots. They hoped that eight 'Reich-class' battleships would be built in order to gain an overwhelming advantage over the German Navy's 'King-class' battleships.

"Your Majesty, according to the latest information we have received, the Germans had begun construction of the 'King-class' battleship two months earlier, and it was expected that it would be commissioned by the end of 1863. This was a huge challenge for the Imperial Navy. Therefore, the Navy hopes that the construction of our 'Imperial-class' battleships will start as soon as possible to continue to maintain our superiority! Marshal Wei Yong said solemnly.

"Indeed, the German 'King-class' battleships were a great threat to us. However, the 'Imperial-class' battleships were too expensive to build, costing as much as $35 million each. Long Yufei said with a frown. If the construction of the Imperial Navy's eight 'Imperial-class' battleships is started, the Empire will have to invest 280 million Chinese dollars in them in the next two years. At a time when large-scale preparations are being made, it is too cost-effective to invest so much money in the construction of battleships. Not to mention, as aircraft carriers come to the stage of history, these battleships will soon be decommissioned. Under such circumstances, Long Yufei naturally would not want to spend so much money on building useless battleships.

Marshal Wei Yong was also shocked, could it be that the emperor Long Yufei didn't want to continue the arms race with the Germans? How good is that? Didn't His Majesty the Emperor know that once the arms race began, it could not be stopped? If the Reich did not build the 'Reich-class' battleships, once the Germans built the 'King-class' battleships, it would be a huge threat to the Reich Navy! Although the 5th Fleet had no fewer battleships than the Germans, once the 'King-class' battleships entered service, the 5th Fleet would probably not be able to resist it. Once the 5th Fleet is defeated, the Germans will be able to rush out of the North Sea and into the Atlantic, and the consequences will be unimaginable!

"Your Majesty, the 'Imperial-class' battleship, although expensive, is definitely a great value for money. The 50-caliber 406 mm gun has more power and armor-piercing ability than the German Navy's 45 times caliber 406 mm gun. The Imperial Navy's 'Reich-class' battleships were much more powerful than the Germans' 'King-class' battleships. In the event of a war, the German 'King-class' battleships would certainly not be a match for the Imperial Navy's 'Reich-class' battleships. The 'Reich-class' battleships ensured that the Reich would win the naval battle and continued to blockade Germany and cut off their overseas ties! "Marshal Wei Yong continued to persuade that he really didn't want to give up like this. The Empire-class battleships are undoubtedly their brainchild.

Long Yufei knew that the navy had great expectations for the 'Imperial-class' battleships. He also admits that the 'Imperial-class' battleship is undoubtedly the crowning achievement of the industry today. However, the construction of so many 'Imperial-class' battleships added a heavy burden to the Empire's already heavily burdened finances. Although the empire now has a high financial revenue, preparing for war is not only about the navy. The army still needs a few thousand tanks, and the Air Force also needs a lot of fighters. If all the money is given to the Navy, what will happen to the Army and Air Force.

"The German 'King-class' battleships would not be commissioned until the end of 1863 at the earliest. By that time, the empire might have already won a landslide victory. Even if the four 'King-class' battleships of the Germans were put into service, it would not have much impact on the tide of the war! Long Yufei said.

Wei Yong was stunned for a moment, and then asked, "What does your majesty mean that war will break out soon?" ”

"According to the progress of our war preparations, it is expected that by the middle of next year, our war preparations will be completed. When the time comes, even if the Germans do not take the initiative to challenge the war, we will take the initiative to go to war. In that case, we will have an even greater advantage! Long Yufei said.

Wei Yong nodded, if the war started next year, then, relying on the existing capital ships of the Imperial Navy, it would be able to achieve an overwhelming victory. However, it would be a pity to give up the construction of 'Imperial-class' battleships because of this, and it would make him and other admirals very unwilling.

"Your Majesty, even so, the 'Imperial-class' battleships can be built. I am afraid that this war will not end in 1863 or 1864. By that time, the German 'King-class' battleships should have been put into service. Even these 'King-class' battleships could not pose a threat to the Empire. However, they can also make the empire pay a heavy price. We must have advanced battleships that can restrain the enemy's 'King-class' battleships! Wei Yong insisted.

Long Yufei thought for a while, and then said, "Okay, the 'Imperial-class' battleship can be built!" ”

"Your Majesty is wise!" Seeing that Long Yufei was relieved, Wei Yong immediately became excited. If Long Yufei insisted on denying the construction of the 'Imperial-class' battleship, he would have no choice. Now, Long Yufei has actually relented, this is good news!

"Your plan is to build eight, though, and that's too many. Only four 'Imperial-class' battleships need to be built. These four 'Reich-class' battleships are exactly the four 'King-class' battleships that can be used specifically to restrain the Germans! Long Yufei said. (To be continued......)

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