The sonorous sound is crisp, and the aroma of wine is overflowing; As William threw a bottle of champagne into the bow of the ship, the workers, who had been waiting on the deck for a long time, flipped a wooden plank painted with the word "Bayern" painted on the side of the ship. This means that this majestic giant ship with a standing displacement (including some fuel) of up to 40,000 tons has finally gotten rid of the identity of the black owner and has its own real title. Amid the tsunami-like roar of 100,000 citizens, the majestic hull of the ship began to move slowly on the slide rails, and after a while, its smooth bow curve burst into the sea, stirring up a large swaying and waving cascading water waves, and white foam sprayed.

"Your country's shipbuilding industry and naval lineup are truly enviable." Looking at the Bavaria, which had completely slid into the water below, Austro-Hungarian Crown Prince Ferdinand said with emotion. Although the Habsburgs were the oldest royal family in Europe, having ascended to the throne of the Holy Roman Empire 700 years ago, they are now forced to admit that they have been relegated to the bitter reality that Greater Germany has fallen to the hands of the Prussian Hohenzollern. If before the Great War the Viennese court was confident in its own strength on paper and considered itself to be no worse than its northern ally, the European war completely shattered the illusion of self-perception at the Austro-Hungarian leadership. This multi-ethnic dualist state is simply not adapted to modern nationwide mobilization warfare, and the combat power of the army is very different from that of its German counterparts; And even in the military heavy industry, which they are most proud of, its equipment production is desperately surpassed by Germany!

Under these circumstances, the Austro-Hungarian top leadership could only completely abandon the old feud with Prussia and make the alliance with Germany a core decision that could not be easier. When the Berlin government extended an invitation to Ferdinand to attend the launching ceremony. The latter immediately complied. and extended it to a week-long visit to Germany. The major chaebol giants of Austria-Hungary also accompanied the group. In order to carry out more in-depth trade and win-win with each other.

Hearing Ferdinand's words, Qingying responded with a smile: "Your Excellency, your country is also fully capable of having a powerful navy that will make the world look at it. A few years ago I visited the Liast shipyard (STT) in your country. found that the shipbuilding capacity there was not inferior to that of Germany's top shipbuilding bases such as Wilhelm and Bromfors; Almost none of the three Radetz-class and two combined-force battleships built by it have a construction period of more than three years, which is enough proof of the great potential of your country in the field of naval construction. As long as your government can continue to allocate its budget to the navy, then within 10 years, your navy will be able to achieve a qualitative leap forward, and it will not be a problem at all for your actual combat strength to surpass that of Italy. ”

Ferdinand thanked him politely. In his heart, there were already layers of ripples in his heart about the prospect outlined by Qingying.

With the complete victory of the Allies in the war on the Eastern Front, the Viennese court suddenly discovered that the sword of Damores, which had hung over its head for more than five centuries, had disappeared in an instant. Russia fell apart, France lost its vitality; Italy was not yet suited for war than its multi-ethnic self, and even the British Empire, which had once dominated the world, had regained its former position in successive defeats. Now, Austria-Hungary is surrounded by only small Balkan countries such as Romania, Serbia, and Bulgaria, and even if the fighting power of the Austro-Hungarian army is still strictly constrained by the nation, its power is not comparable to that of these countries!

Such an unprecedented strategic shape surprised the Austro-Hungarian high-level. With the cession of Ukraine by Germany, the Austro-Hungarian threat to the east has been completely eliminated, and for the first time in hundreds of years, they have found a peaceful rest in the land of the four wars. And as the pressure on land weakened, turning to the sea naturally became a new choice for the Austro-Hungarian leadership. For complete control of Ukraine. Germany handed over a large part of its colonies to Austria-Hungary, driven by tangible overseas interests. The Austro-Hungarian "fleet collection" is already the general trend.

"I was interested in developing the Habsburg fleet, but I never found the ideal path. I wonder if His Highness will be able to guide the Austrian Navy in the future as he did in 1906? After a long silence, Ferdinand finally spoke again. Although he and Qingying are both the number two people in their respective empires, it stands to reason that they should not say such words that damage their identity, but the other party's extraordinary attainments in the naval field are enough for him to let go of his reserve and dignity in front of others. As a central figure in the Allied camp, Ferdinand knew nothing more about the situation in the German navy; It was under the guidance of this young man in front of him that the German Navy was able to rise rapidly in just ten years, and finally completed the hegemony and subversion of the Royal Navy!

Qing Ying was slightly stunned when he heard this, he was originally going to ask Sher to confess it to the foreign crown prince who also supported the construction of the navy after the launching ceremony, but now, the other party had already raised these questions to him. As his mind turned, Qingying's face immediately showed a peaceful smile, and he said, "Thanks to His Excellency's trust, I also put forward some of my immature ideas for His Excellency's consideration. ”

"Eight years ago, I proposed to His Excellency the Grand Duke a strategy for the development of a decisive navy and the construction of a regular main fleet; And today, I still hope that your navy will continue to move forward along this goal. At present, there is no immediate pressure on your country on land as it was before the war, which undoubtedly enables your country to devote more funds to the naval field, so as to create a regular fleet with complete arms and balanced functions. ”

Qingying spoke unhurriedly, and her words were full of calmness and confidence: "In terms of specific technical implementation, it is also necessary for your country's naval design bureau to change its original thinking. Previously, the scope of activity of your navy was limited to a corner of the Eastern Mediterranean, and the seaworthiness and endurance of warships were even inferior to those of German ships of the North Sea type; Now that your country has overseas colonies in West Africa and has expanded its scope of activity to the Atlantic, all new ships must pay attention to and take into account these two capabilities. Speaking of this, the corners of his mouth hooked up a hint of understanding, and said: "What's more, in the future, your navy will still fight in the Indian Ocean, how can you do it if you don't have enough days of self-sustainment and seafaring ability?" ”

Ferdinand's eyes flashed, and he nodded slowly. For the information revealed by Qingying's last sentence, he had already expected it in his heart.

Since the opening of the Suez Canal in 1870, the Mediterranean Sea has been at the heart of the rivalry between European navies. Britain and France each deployed their most powerful fleets here, and the aborigines of this sea area, such as Italy and Austria, can also be called a hero for a while; Although the Russian fleet was blocked within the Bosphorus, its strong lineup was known for its ambitions, ready to storm Constantinople and break through the cage. However, this treacherous situation in the Mediterranean completely disappeared with the end of the war in Europe.

At present, the French navy, which has been copied by the Italians, has fallen to the seventh position in the world, and can no longer exist as a force that can stir up the situation in the Mediterranean. The British Mediterranean Fleet was devastated with the loss of bases in Egypt and Alexandria, and it is unclear whether it will retain this formation that has been passed down for centuries. Even if they continue to station a fleet in Gibraltar in the future, the strength of the fleet deployed in the Mediterranean Sea will definitely not be comparable to that of Austria-Hungary, the whole family of the head snake, given that the British Navy has fallen to the third largest in the world. The Russian Black Sea Fleet has become a historical term, and they who have lost the whole of Ukraine can no longer afford to dye the "warm ocean" of the Russian side. The only rival to the Austro-Hungarian navy in the Mediterranean was Italy, an old adversary a stone's throw away. However, although the strength of the Italian navy is good, its army combat power is no different from that of a weak chicken: once the German army swept south, Ferdinand had every reason to believe that this "military tour" would not last more than a month!

Under these circumstances, the Roman government would not dare to openly disobey the will of Berlin, even with the courage of the Italians; Therefore, no matter how strong the Italian navy is, it is impossible to aim its guns at the Austro-Hungarian ships as it did 50 years ago. And as the surrounding enemies fell or retreated one by one, the Austro-Hungarian Navy naturally had the aggressive motivation and objective conditions to enter the deeper ocean. In the event of another war, the fleet under the Red and White Crown was Germany's best proxy in the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean theaters; And judging by the role played by the Spee fleet, the Indian Ocean is completely vast for the Austro-Hungarian Navy!

"If you consider it from the perspective of ocean-going operations, none of your country's current capital ships can meet this need. Whether it is the 16,200-ton Radetz, or the two 20,000-ton combined force classes, their short legs and low freeboard characteristics are not satisfactory. And the 2 ships of your country that started construction in 1912? Although the Istvan-class battleship has good nautical characteristics, the range of 5,500 nautical miles is still its shortcoming. In addition, the speed of this new class of battleships is also suspected of being on the low side. Qingying sighed slightly, and there was a hint of regret in her words, "At the beginning, I used to build a new ship in your country with King-class drawings, but in order to pursue firepower, your country's naval design bureau changed the two turrets of AD to a triple, and thus increased the tonnage and cut the power. Now, this class of battleships with a standard displacement of 29,000 tons has 10 380-mm guns, as your country would like, but its speed has been reduced to 23 knots, and from our experience with the British in naval warfare, the maneuverability at this speed is somewhat unsatisfactory. (To be continued......)

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