Schell's authority is higher, and he will naturally see more content when he returns to Berlin. As for Tirpitz, he is one of the few people in Germany who can see almost all of the contents, but this will not help much for the upcoming "war of mouths", because too many things in Xu Jie's letter are contrary to his own views! "It's made for Sher!" Tirpitz later commented on the contents of the letter.

Scheer was very strategic, knowing that if he had a confrontation with the Admiralty Minister, the outcome might be tragic, and even if he was right, in the eyes of Wilhelm II, the "eternal Tirpitz" was obviously much heavier than his own. And more importantly, Wilhelm II is not essentially clear about how the navy will develop in the future, although sometimes there will be some good suggestions, but if only according to Wilhelm II's ideas, then the tragedy of the German navy is certain!

So Scheer decided to cooperate with Siperl and get Tirpitz to change his mind on his own. To do this, they need to first take out the Austro-Hungarian artillery test documents to hit the front station. IN THE FACE OF THE SUPERIORITY OF SKODA'S NEW 350MM HEAVY GUN, TIRPITZ FINALLY RECOGNIZED THE GREAT SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NEW HEAVY GUN. However, the Admiralty Chancellor tried to fight the Admiralty from the point of view of money and time.

"IT TAKES A LONG TIME FOR THE NEW 350MM GUN TO BE DESIGNED AND PRODUCED TO THE FINAL FINALIZATION, RELATIVELY SPEAKING, I THINK IT WILL BE FASTER TO DESIGN A 12-INCH 50L GUN BASED ON THE 12-INCH 45L MAIN GUN, AFTER ALL, OUR ENEMIES WILL NOT WAIT FOR THE NEW GUN TO ENTER SERVICE BEFORE COMPETING WITH US. After designing the Nassau-type dreadnought of the first rank based on the Longxing-class battleship. We need to start construction of second-class warships immediately. And before the second class of battleships are put into service, it is clear that we will not be able to complete the design and production of new guns. The financial and risk implications also need to be carefully considered. Tirpitz said as he looked at the two generals in front of him.

"So I have a compromise suggestion, the second class battleship still uses a 12-inch 50L main gun. THEN THE BATTLESHIPS OF THE THIRD RANK ADOPTED 320MM GUNS. This idea of small steps and quick guns is very suitable for our current situation. In addition, we must consider that if the German High Seas Fleet had adopted large-caliber artillery, the British would have adopted it as well, which would have led to a greater step for the British, who would have always been second in German military power compared to the United Kingdom, which put the navy first. Such competition is unnecessary and dangerous. Tirpitz offered a compromise proposal. (Historically, the king intended to use the 320 gun, but was forced to abandon this plan due to funding and development problems.) ）

"The Navy can allow second-tier battleships to still use the old 12-inch 50L guns, but third-tier battleships must use 14-inch guns. IN TERMS OF FUNDING, THE RESEARCH FUNDING FOR A NEW 14-INCH 45L MAIN GUN IS LOWER THAN THE COST OF A 12-INCH 50L MAIN GUN AND A 320MM MAIN GUN. I THINK THAT SINCE EVEN THE AUSTRIANS CAN NOW BE ARMED WITH 350MM CLASS GUNS. So why can't we? After all, we still have years to prepare. "Scheer still has a sentence to finish, that is, if you don't even have this bit of confidence, then you still have a lot of strength with the British Empire!

"As for the fear of a competition for the caliber of artillery between the High Seas Fleet and the British Grand Fleet? All I can say is that this situation is bound to take shape. Even if we don't irritate the British. But it does not mean that the Chinese Republic and the Americans will not do it. Our military attaché in China has repeatedly indicated to the Admiralty that the next step of the Huaxia Navy will be to directly increase the firepower of battleships from 12 to 14 inches. So even if the high seas fleet does nothing. Stimulated by other countries, the British Empire will definitely compete with us for artillery power. Sippel added.

"So what about the future, what will we do after we design the 14-inch gun? Continue to design larger caliber guns? 15-inch or even 16-inch level? "In 1906, Tirpitz couldn't imagine how big a battleship would have to be built in the future. Scheer, on the other hand, nodded his head to indicate that this might be the case in the future. Of course, in Scheer's opinion, 15 inches is enough, and no matter how big it is, even he thinks it is a bit excessive. After all, in history, BIG7 was a product of the end of World War 1. At that time, the Bavaria-class battleships also had a plan for 16-inch guns, but because of the huge risks and costs, Wilhelm II personally vetoed it.

"Okay, I agree with you in principle, so let's move on to the next topic. The fast battleships of the Huaxia Navy were very good, and their fast battleship formations achieved more than half of the hits and results in this naval battle. The British, on the other hand, were already planning to expand their fast fleet, and I did not think that the German Empire should lose to its opponents in such an area where the outcome of the war could be decided. Tirpitz decided to put aside the headache for a moment and talk about the choice of future ship types, a topic that he thought should be able to find some common ground with his generals. After all, the two sides will have to cooperate in the future, and it's not good to make too much trouble.

But to Tirpitz's surprise, today Scheer and Siperel seem to have come to trouble him, even if this topic he thinks everyone should have a lot in common, Scheer and Siperel actually have quite a disagreement with him! "The British have planned to build more and stronger fast capital ships, and they require the new ships to reach a speed of about 26 knots. Such a speed is enough to bite any sea target, whether it is a light cruiser or a capital ship, and I think that our new warships cannot be lower than this standard in speed. Tirpitz said with great interest.

"Honorable Lord of the Admiralty, do you have any other requirements for the new warship? For example, protection and firepower, and tonnage? IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A BATTLESHIP WITH A SPEED OF MORE THAN 26 KNOTS, EQUIPPED WITH 300MM ARMOR THAT IS ENOUGH TO WITHSTAND 12-INCH GUNS, AND HAS 9 12-INCH MAIN GUNS, THEN THE TONNAGE OF THIS BATTLESHIP MUST REACH AT LEAST 26,000 TONS, WHICH IS ONLY ABOUT 3 KNOTS FASTER THAN THE LONGTAI-CLASS BATTLESHIPS OF THE HUAXIA NAVY, AND WE WILL HAVE TO PAY THOUSANDS OF TONS MORE! Of course, with focused protection, we can reduce the weight a bit. Scheer thought for a moment and said.

"And if we want to put a 14-inch gun on this ship and keep the rest of the performance the same, how much tonnage do we need?" Apparently Scheer's words took Tirpitz by surprise. "According to the estimates of the Germania shipyard, the displacement of such a battleship will be at least between 30,000 tons and 32,000 tons, that is, it will be almost 10,000 tons larger than our current Longxing-class battleships, as for the cost? I'm afraid it's going to be more than £3 million. Hipper's answer surprised Tirpitz.

(Historically, Rütsov's cost was more than £2.6 million.) As for the tonnage of the Mackensen-class battleships equipped with larger caliber guns, the tonnage is 30,000 tons, although there is no exact data on the cost, but the reference is that the Lütsov is nearly 400,000 pounds more expensive than the Seydlitz, and it would be good if Mackensen's 3 million pounds can stop. ）

"In other words, our slipway and the security system of the first pass will have to be renovated and expanded to meet the needs of the future?" Tirpitz said weakly, now that he finally understood what his two men meant. What they need is not to revise their ship-building plans in some way, but to fundamentally overturn the naval development plans that they have painstakingly prepared to submit to His Majesty the Emperor, and then let the admiral take over the work himself, and then decide what the navy will be equipped with in the future!

"Didn't you just say a word?" Tirpitz's sudden remark left the two of them a little confused. "Do you think that as a naval minister, it is enough to take care of the political affairs for you and get enough money for you? It's up to you to decide what kind of ships to build and how to fight? Is that so? ”

"Dear ......." In the face of Tirpitz's questioning, Scheer didn't know how to answer the old superior's words for a while, maybe he had this idea in his heart, but it was just an idea, even if Tirpitz really delegated power, Scheer also expressed doubts about whether he could pick up this burden. After all, his energy is limited, and as the commander of the high seas fleet, Scheer bears too much pressure. He was confronted not only with Britain on the other side of the North Sea, but also with the intricacies of relations within the fleet. Of course, there is also the problem that Scheer was not born as a technical officer. It's too hard to get him to build a battleship.

"Honorable Lord of the Admiralty, we need your command and guidance. The navy is a system, and we can do our part as well as possible to improve our navy as much as possible in terms of warship design, naval strategy and tactics, and logistical support. We just put forward the question of what kind of weapons we need from the point of view of a military man. You need to come up with a goal for us, and we need to work around that goal. Hipper did not forget to immediately go up and pat the horses. Affirm Tirpitz's absolute leadership, and then try to get the other party to agree to your demands.

"Well, then, I can now tell you solemnly that within five years, our shipyards and funds will only be able to guarantee the production of warships with a unit price of no more than 2,200,000 pounds and a tonnage of less than 26,000 tons, and the expansion of the military port and related facilities will be a long-term process. So the 30,000-ton warship you imagined needs to be released so far. Now let's honestly get a more realistic plan for a new ship. To be precise, it is a plan to build 10 capital ships in the next 5 years. Tirpitz said with a calm face.

Thank you for the monthly pass support of the dog who played frog with the book friend ~~~. (To be continued......)