Kaiser Wilhelm I did not stay long on the battleship 'Brandenburg' before leaving, and suddenly he found that the development of the German navy seemed to be far from what he had expected. The German Navy was about to have more than two dozen advanced battleships, however, so many battleships could not bring victory to the German Navy, which gave Wilhelm I a great blow to his confidence.

In the afternoon of the same day, Kaiser Wilhelm I and his entourage took a special train from the port of Kiel to Berlin. On the special train, William I summoned the Minister of the Navy, Prince Felix, the commander of the High Seas Fleet, Vice Admiral Philip, the director of shipbuilding, and the former British Admiralty. Sir Adam, discussing the future development path of the German Navy. Crown Prince Frederick. William was also allowed to attend the meeting.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased to see the German Navy grow from scratch and step by step. However, what I want is not just a strong German navy, I need a strong navy capable of defeating the Chinese navy! This is the goal of the German Reich, and it is what we must strive to achieve! Kaiser Wilhelm I said firmly. In fact, this had always been his goal, and he agreed to spend a lot of manpower, material and financial resources to build a navy in order to defeat the Chinese navy in the future and achieve victory for the German Empire.

"Your Majesty, the German Navy has also been striving for this goal ∞ a lifetime. It's just that we are facing the enemy Chinese, and their strength is much stronger than ours. The Chinese, who control half the world, have enough resources to build warships, on the contrary, Germany is much worse in this regard! "said the Minister of the Navy, Prince Felix. In a word. It's not that Germany is not strong, but the enemy is too strong!

Kaiser Wilhelm I frowned. He was obviously not satisfied with Prince Felix's answer.

"陛xià. The German Navy was not without a chance of winning. By the end of 1861 we would have 24 battleships. Although our enemy has 48 battleships, there are too many places for the Chinese to defend. The entire world's oceans are their defense zone. The main enemy we have to face is the 5th Fleet of the Chinese Navy in the early days. The defense zone of the 5th Fleet of the Chinese Navy is also divided into the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean. And we, we just need to concentrate the warships in the North Sea. In this way, we have a certain advantage in the North Sea battlefield! "said Vice Admiral Philip, commander of the High Seas Fleet.

William I nodded: "Don't forget, though. Our enemies are not only the Chinese Navy, but also their doglegs, the Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Belgium. The Spaniards now had eight battleships, and according to the intelligence we received, they also ordered four advanced 'Tang-class' battleships from the Chinese Navy. By then, they would have 12 battleships. Even if the Spaniards deployed their navy in the Mediterranean, it would be enough to change the 52nd Fleet of the Chinese Navy from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. When the time comes, our advantage will be gone. In addition, we have to consider the Navy of the Kingdom of Belgium. The Kingdom of Belgium now had only four battleships. They also ordered two advanced 'Tang-class' battleships from the Chinese Navy, and in the event of a war, we would face the main forces of the 5th Fleet of the Chinese Navy and six battleships of the Belgian Navy! ”

In this way, in terms of the number of battleships. The German Navy was not superior at all. This is also the reason why the Chinese Navy is only half of its strength. Once war breaks out, the Chinese Navy will definitely draw the main force from the 1st Fleet to the west to support the 5th Fleet. Even if only a part of the 1st Fleet is drawn. It was enough to be the last straw that broke the camel's back. So, Kaiser Wilhelm I had a vision for the German Navy. I'm really worried. If the German Navy could not open the way, Germany wanted to win the war. It's just too difficult.

"Your Majesty, in this case, Germany should build more battleships. The follow-up 'Nassau-class' battleships, the follow-up 'Helgolan-class' battleships, and the 'Caesar-class' battleships should all be on the agenda. Based on our design experience, starting with the 'Helgoran-class' battleships, they will be armed with 381 mm guns and become super battleships! The Chinese Navy's 'Ming-class' battleships are also said to be equipped with 381mm guns. "The director of the ship, Charles . Sir Adam said.

Wilhelm I's brow could not help but furrow, the caliber of the guns of the battleships was getting larger and larger, and the cost was getting higher and higher. The funds given by the British for the construction of ships have been spent cleanly. Then it was up to the Germans to invest themselves. However, in Germany now, it is clear that it can no longer stop.

'Alright!' The program for the construction of the Helgolan class 'battleships can begin. However, the number of buildings is also controlled. Start building four ships a year! "William I said. ' The Helgoland-class battleships were more than twice as expensive as the Brandenburg-class battleships. If construction continues to start on eight ships a year, Germany simply cannot afford it. At that time, I am afraid that the Chinese will not be dragged down, but Germany will be dragged down first. After all, having controlled half the world, the financial power of the Chinese Empire was not comparable to that of Germany. Even though China had twice as many battleships as Germany had built, the Chinese Empire still had the financial resources to maneuver.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Charles. Sir Adam nodded. The 'Helgoland-class' battleships will be epoch-making battleships of the German Navy, not only will the tonnage be increased to more than 30,000 tons, but the main guns will also be transformed into four twin-mounted 381 mm main guns. This will make the 'Helgolan-class' battleships extremely powerful, far exceeding any battleship in service or under construction.

"Your Majesty, starting this year, the number of battleships in the Imperial Navy will continue to increase, but in the same way, the number of sailors we need will continue to increase. Every battleship must be operated by qualified officers and men in order to be able to display its combat effectiveness. Otherwise, it will be difficult for the battleship to exert its full strength! Lieutenant General Philip said.

"So, Your Excellency, is there anything you can do to solve this problem?" William I asked. The pace of development of the German Navy was indeed too fast. If it were not for the full support of the British Navy, it would have been impossible to achieve such a rapid pace of development in a very short period of time.

On the one hand, the German Navy will strengthen the training of the fleet and train as many qualified officers and men as possible. On the other hand, the Navy wants to be able to recruit more soldiers. Lieutenant General Philip said. The German navy is undoubtedly much smaller than the army with a standing strength of more than a million.

"Yes!" William I said. At present, the total population of Germany is more than 120 million, and the number of soldiers is no longer a constraint on Germany. Of course, compared to the population of nearly 600 million people in the Chinese Empire, the population of Germany is still too small.

"Your Majesty, there are many qualified sailors and retired naval officers and sailors in Britain who can join the German Navy and serve in the German Navy. We have a common goal, and we are all about defeating the Chinese. I think those retired naval officers and sailors will be willing to join the German Navy! "Charles. Sir Adam said.

William I nodded: "In this way, this task will be handed over to Your Excellency!" ”

It takes a lot more time to train a Navy soldier than it takes to train an Army soldier. In order to make the German Navy as capable of forming combat effectiveness, it is undoubtedly a good supplement to absorb the retired British naval officers and men. The British navy officers and men were no worse than the Chinese navy, and with their joining, the German navy was soon able to form a combat force.

"陛xià, I also have a mention yì. The German Navy needed its own heavy cruisers. According to the information we have obtained, the Chinese Navy has built a completely new type of warship, named the 'Yangtze River-class' heavy cruiser, which has a displacement of nearly 10,000 tons and three triple 210 mm main guns. Although, the main guns of such heavy cruisers could not be compared with battleships, but they were stronger than light cruisers in terms of firepower and defense. In the event of war, such ships would become killers for light cruisers. We need to build our own heavy cruisers to restrain the heavy cruisers of the Chinese. In addition, this kind of high-speed, high-endurance warship can undoubtedly play a very good role in striking the sea transportation lines of the Chinese! Once the sea transport line from mainland China to Europe was attacked by the heavy cruisers of the Imperial Navy, the Chinese had to send more warships to intercept it. In this way, we will have more advantages! "Charles. Sir Adam said.

William I hesitated a little and agreed with Charles. Sir Adam's Build. Although, he did not look down on the firepower of heavy cruisers. But if such a battleship can drag the Chinese firepower, it will be worth the money.

"Your Majesty, an officer of the High Seas Fleet came up with an idea to build a small ship hidden underwater. The weapons of such ships are torpedoes, which attack enemy ships from underwater. In my opinion, the idea of such a warship is very good, if the German Navy can have such a warship, it will undoubtedly be able to threaten the Chinese Navy from under the water, and even sink the warship of the Chinese Navy by surprise! Lieutenant General Philip said.

The German Navy cannot be compared with the Chinese Navy in terms of the scale of capital ships, so they can only use their brains to think of other ways. Whether it is a high-speed and high-endurance heavy cruiser as a breaker, or a submarine, these are asymmetrical means. However, as long as it is possible to defeat the Chinese Navy, it is an effective means.

Although Wilhelm I did not look down on such a hidden warship, he was able to understand the power of this kind of warship, so he approved the development of such a warship for the High Seas Fleet, and if it was good, it could be installed. (To be continued......)

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