"At present, you have four battleships under construction: two of them of the Nevada class, which began in 1912, are nearing completion, and two of the Pennsylvania class, built in 1913, will also complete the construction of their hulls. In good faith for the conclusion of the peace treaty, the German Government is able to accept the completion of these ships into service by your country. As for the capital ships planned by your country this year, they should be scrapped because they are almost negligible after the completion of the project. In exchange, the German Empire was to keep the four King-class battleships that had begun construction in 1912 and dismantle the four H-40-class battleships under construction. ”

Qing Ying's calm voice echoed in the negotiation hall, and there was a trace of sincerity in his eyes, "Your Excellency, this is already the biggest concession made by the German Imperial Government for peace. In terms of construction time, the number of warships that your country can keep is a full year ahead of ours; As for the completion of the scrapped battleships, the H-40 class, which has been built for more than a year, is undoubtedly much higher than the battleships of the 1914 year that your country has just finished laying the keel. ”

Listening to the other party's words, Wilson's heart sank suddenly: the Germans' conditions seemed to be fair and transparent, and even allowed themselves to take advantage of a considerable amount of money, but in fact this was a first-mover country that had completed the accumulation of armaments, and a typical suppression of the successor country that was developing its military strength. The reason why the Germans dared to abandon the new warships they had started in 1913 and 1914 was because the size of their fleet had reached a peak and it was insignificant to throw a few battleships; The U.S. Navy is in a critical period of ascent, and any act of cutting off its branches will be an unbearable blow to this ungrown sapling!

Current. The US Navy has only 10 dreadnoughts. Even the 4 new battleships with a high degree of completion were retained. Its total tonnage is also far from reaching the share of 400,000 tons. To fill this tonnage gap, the U.S. Navy had to keep a large number of former dreadnoughts, which are of little use in modern naval warfare other than giving away heads. Leaving behind the former dreadnoughts, which in itself is a disguised weakening of the US Navy.

And even if the Americans don't want these old guys anymore and are ready to build new ships to replace them, the "prime of life" of these former dreadnoughts will make their plan aborted. Because whether it's Virginia or Connecticut, these dreadnoughts are new products that only entered service in 1906. Based on the regular 25-year service period of the capital ship, these scum will stay in the first-line sequence of the US Navy for at least 17 years. In such a situation, where is the outcome acceptable to the Americans?

"Thank you for your country's efforts to achieve disarmament. However, our budget for this year's ship purchase has been allocated to the major shipyards, and if the order is suddenly cancelled, it will be a heavy blow to the financial and industrial affairs of the United States. Shipyard workers who had lost their jobs would march angrily in the capital, involving all industries involved in the construction of warships, and the consequences would be unbearable for the Government of the United States. In the face of Qing Ying's sharp gaze, Wilson's words also carried a hint of emptiness, "We are willing to cancel the future capital ship construction budget." But the contracts that have been signed this year need to be implemented. ”

Qingying's face gradually turned solemn, and he said categorically: "Your country has started construction of 7 capital ships this year. If it is not abolished, then the purpose of limiting naval armaments will lose any meaning. Not only Germany, but all the participating countries could not accept this insincere demand of your country.

Wilson looked around, and saw that the representatives of the countries looked at him with unkindness and anger in their eyes. The British looked at it coldly, and the Japanese were even more furious: if it weren't for the fact that the Americans present accounted for the overwhelming majority, they would have rushed up and punched each other. His throat moved slightly, and he seemed to swallow a mouthful of saliva with difficulty, but his words were still stubborn and tough: out of the needs of national security, the United States must complete all seven capital ships that will start construction this year. As compensation, the participating countries will also be able to retain more capital ships under construction.

Qingying suddenly stood up from her seat, a pair of shining star pupils piercing Wilson's eyes; Everyone in the venue was taken aback by this unusual behavior of the German crown prince, and they couldn't help but pay nervous attention. After a while, Qingying finally spoke in a blunt tone: "Your country's request is really beyond the scope of reasonableness. Delegates are here in Washington to seek a desire for a future peace, not to listen to your country's unbridled ambitions. If your country continues to make such statements without any sincerity, Germany will have no choice but to withdraw from the negotiations. And we will keep all the dreadnoughts in the near future. ”

The Germans have finally flipped the table! A strong storm instantly blew in the hearts of the delegates of various countries. The threat in Qing Ying's last words could not be more obvious, the only thing that can make the fleet "come in handy" is the battle with real guns and swords! For a moment, the faces of the American delegates, including Wilson, suddenly changed drastically: shock, anger, fear, and remorse...... Many expressions overlapped and changed on their faces, and they could not be calmed down for a long time. At present, the main German fleet alone is twice that of the United States, and the fast fleet is even more one-sided: the German battle cruiser can completely kill seven in and seven out of the American patrol detachment, and the blood-stained robe is still mighty!

And once the German fleet sailed to the East Coast of the United States, the whole United States would erupt in a catastrophic panic that seemed like the end of the world: in 1898, when faced with a small Spain, the frightened American people fled the East Coast because of the news of the Spanish fleet's expedition, and businessmen and entrepreneurs also sold their assets in the region, causing the New York stock index to plummet and triggering a national panic and turmoil. Now that the attacking opponent has become Germany, which even the British Navy has defeated, God knows what they will do driven by fear! At that time, without the Germans' hands, the American people will immediately depose Wilson, the warmonger president, and set up a new government to negotiate with the Germans!

"The United States will give serious consideration to your country's proposal." Faced with Qingying's undisguised fierce gaze, Wilson finally relented. He paused, and then said: "I suggest that today's talks end here for the time being, let us calm down first, and draw up a code acceptable to all parties in the mission of human peace." ”

The stars are shining, the stars are shining, and in the luxurious and spacious room, Qingying is lying on the chair and thinking about her next move. After today's threat of force, the Americans should be much more honest at the negotiating table; However, in the disagreement that followed, it was difficult for him to force the other party to comply. Unless Cheng wants to break down the negotiations, this kind of table-flipping move is a one-shot deal, and Germany still needs a naval agreement to buy 10 to 15 years of stable development.

"Your Highness, there is a guest visiting outside, and the other party claims to be the Japanese Minister of the Navy, Yuzaburo Kato." While he was muttering, the Guards officer suddenly knocked on the door of his room. Hearing this news, Qingying's heart suddenly moved: the Japanese actually sent it to the door by themselves, but this saved him a lot of money for making friends with the other party.

Qingying, who had a sense of opportunity, immediately asked the officer to invite someone in. Not long after, a thin old man in a suit appeared at the door of the room, and the face of a typical Oriental island country made Qingying recognize him at a glance as the military protagonist of the Japanese delegation at the negotiation site today.

"My friend, Yuzaburo Kato, is now the Minister of the Navy of the Imperial Japan, and it is a great honor to have the honor to meet His Royal Highness the German Crown Prince today." Yuzaburo Kato's hoarse voice sounded in the room, and an interpreter next to him immediately translated all his words, "Although our visit tonight is indeed a bit abrupt, I ask Your Highness not to have any suspicion or vigilance, because our arrival this time is to counter the common enemies of Germany and Japan in the future, and to safeguard our common interests." ”

Qingying took a sip of the mellow fragrance in the cup and quietly waited for the other party's further words.

"Since the seizure of the South Philippines, the United States has begun to greatly extend its tentacles of influence into East Asia, and has often grossly interfered in the internal affairs of other countries, and the vast number of Asian countries, including Japan, have been unbearable. Although the Japanese Government has made many solemn representations to the United States, the United States has always ignored them. At today's negotiation meeting, the Americans even put forward a request to keep the seven capital ships that they have just started, and their wolf ambition to dominate the world has been clearly exposed! These ships have just been designed, and even the keels have not yet been laid! ”

Kato Yuzaburo's slightly bowed body gradually straightened, and a pair of eyes also bloomed with a bit of sharpness: "The United States is rudely involved in the affairs of Asian countries, and it is already the object of defense of our Japanese empire; And their arrogant demands in the naval sphere are not worthy of your country's vigilance? The Imperial Government of Japan sincerely hopes that your country will cooperate with us in curbing the ambitions of the Americans in this negotiation. This is done both so that fairness and justice can be implemented, and at the same time to defend the common interests of our two countries. ”

Seeing the Japanese put forward their demands so straightforwardly, Qingying couldn't help but be a little surprised; Soon, however, he was relieved of the situation. Due to the rapid end of the European war, Japan was far from having the long-term and superior development opportunities that it had in history. Both the industrial output value and the national economy are still at a very weak level. In the face of the local tyrant spirit displayed by the Americans in the field of shipbuilding, Japan, which was shy in its pockets, felt for the first time a huge gap in national strength between itself and the world's top powers: the Americans were able to start construction of more than 20 capital ships for three consecutive years and still breathe calmly, while the current Japanese are building at most 4 ships a year, and afterwards they are so tired that they are out of breath like a dead dog, and they can't breathe for several years! (To be continued......)

PS: Thank you book friends ~ the monthly ticket support of the promise of a lifetime, and the reward of the tooth-eating tiger ~~~ Another reward book friend's vest contains sensitive words, and the author can't list it