Why did the British fleet stand out from the crowd? Faced with this question, different people have different answers, some say it is because of the British Empire's maritime strategy, some say it is because of the appropriation of parliament, and some say it is because of the sophisticated design of warships. Of course, there is a more idealistic statement, that is, the spirit of countless generations of British Royal Navy ancestors supported the British fleet, and the British battleships may not be the best, but with the British officers and soldiers, the combat effectiveness is definitely the strongest!

As for these statements, Jericho believes that some have some truth, and some are somewhat hypothetical. For example, a good maritime strategy is really important. The British have been working hard to build a global fleet system as early as the sail age, which is not only the construction of sea fleets, but also naval bases around the world, and in this regard, the British have done a good job. It is correct to say that the advanced strategy pointed the way for British sea power.

Congressional appropriations also make sense, as a powerful country with colonies all over the world, the line of communication between the colonies and the mainland is the lifeline of this empire on which the sun never sets, and in order to protect this lifeline, the British Empire must be inclined to naval construction, fortunately, the pressure on the British Army is not very great, so the British have enough money to develop the navy, at least for now.

As for the well-made battleship? How to say it, there is also a certain truth, with the top industrial level of the world, the British fleet can indeed be called of high quality, but it is definitely not the highest, this is the case in the original plane, and even more so in this plane. As an officer of the Royal Navy who had participated in three large-scale naval encounters, Jerichale believed that the British Navy was by no means excellent in terms of ship design and combat experience.

Look at what the Navy has designed? When the Beiyang Fleet defeated the Japanese Combined Fleet with a fierce offensive. Jericho felt a little embarrassed, isn't this a slap in the face of the Royal Naval Design Institute? The Japanese cruisers Yoshino and Takasago were the best of the British cruisers of the second class at the time, and the Edgar-class protective cruisers were the main force of the British Empire's cruiser. As a result, in this war, the performance of these warships was a big surprise, the reality of the Takasago was sunk, and then the Edgar class was heavily damaged by the Guiyuan class in the case of superior forces. As soon as the PISA patrol of the Chinese Navy came, the Japanese Navy was completely finished, and the battleships of the British Empire were so unbearable, it was really a little ashamed.

And then. During the Spanish-American War, Jericho was depressed to discover that the battleships designed by his American cousins were also more advanced than those of the British Empire! Jericho's performance in the engagement of the USS Olympia caught Jericho's eye. According to his analysis, the Olympia could even fight the Edgar class, which was much larger than him. And the American battleship group represented by Indiana made Jericho feel a trace of terror, and the abundant firepower and powerful projection volume shocked Jericho. Compared to Indiana. The British Empire's Sovereign-class battleships with a displacement of more than 14,000 tons really have nothing to boast about. Since then, Jericho never thought that the warships of the British Empire were so advanced! Designers with aristocratic titles such as knighthood were also privately dissatisfied. The British Empire has given you glory and a lot of reward, but it really shouldn't have designed such a warship.

As for historical inheritance? Jericho doesn't deny the positives, such as boldness and a tendency to attack and so-called domineering, but at the same time, Jericho agrees that the overly glorious history puts a lot of pressure on the Royal Navy at the same time. For example, in the hearts of the people. Even a small defeat in the Royal Navy can cause an uproar! Randomly, this pressure will be transmitted to the Navy through Congress, which in turn will affect the Navy's deployment and strategy. This situation has been reflected many times in the Spanish-American War, and some of the US Navy's stupid tactics are actually caused by domestic pressure.

None of the above reasons are the fundamental reasons why the Royal Navy has stood for hundreds of years, in Jericho's view, the fundamental reason lies in the national strength of the British Empire, especially the strong industrial strength! The British made their fortune from the sea, and after defeating the Spanish Armada at the very beginning, the colonies of the British Empire began to expand into the world, the Americas, then India, and then Africa. The vast colonies brought unexpected profits to the British Empire, which in turn gradually turned into warships for the British Empire, which in turn protected the colonies and formed a virtuous circle.

In terms of industrial strength, as the leader of the first industrial revolution, British industry has always led the world, and a strong industrial system provides a solid material foundation for the British Navy! It can be said that without the Industrial Revolution, Britain would not be where it is now, and there would not be a powerful Royal Navy. But what about now? Things have changed, and the Royal Navy's strength and industry, which are the most fundamental sources of strength, have gradually declined.

There are many reasons for the decline, partly because Britain has slowed down somewhat in the era of great development and change in the Second Industrial Revolution, and partly because more and more British people have begun to benefit from finance and investment in the colonies rather than through the establishment of industries. Finance plays an important role in the development of the country, on the one hand, it provides sufficient financial support for industry, and on the other hand, it provides employment for a large number of people. But the problem is that finance is not industry after all. At the same time, the financial industry will squeeze a lot of money, which will lead to slow industrial development. At the same time, investing in the colonies further dispersed the capital of the British, so much so that some factory owners gave up their machinery and factories to engage in the financial industry, which was understandable from a personal point of view, but from a national point of view, it was almost tantamount to damaging one's own foundations! After all, any finance is a pavilion on the beach, and the real social wealth is created by the real economy.

And now, the laurels of European manufacturing have fallen to the Germans, who are fully capable of building a powerful navy with their strong national strength and top manufacturing industry, plus the current German ruler, Wilhelm II is a fanatical supporter of the theory of sea power, so, the rest of the matter falls into place, let an ambitious man serve as Minister of the Navy, and at the same time prepare for the future in terms of armaments and personnel, as early as the Spanish-American War, Jericho had already recognized the quality of Scheer and others, who also participated in the war, and also in terms of equipment, the performance of the King-class armored cruisers had also been tested, and in Jerichault's view, Germany had the ability and willingness to become a powerful naval power. And then become a potential enemy of the British Empire!

If it was from 1880 to 1890, such a challenger, Jericho would still not take it to heart, after all, the development of naval science and technology at this time was not fast, just a simple replacement of rapid-fire guns, can make an old ship continue to maintain considerable combat effectiveness, the strength of the navy depends not only on the number of cutting-edge warships, but also on the total number of warships. For a long time, the Germans could not catch up with the British.

But now it's different, the new dreadnoughts have thrown all the old battleships into the dustbin of history with their epoch-making significance, and in the face of the brand-new dreadnoughts, the value of the former dreadnoughts is greatly reduced, whether it is a battlecruiser or a battleship, and the British Empire is almost equal to the need to rebuild a fleet! The original accumulation is unreliable, so now the British Empire and Germany have to start a new contest with their own industry and national strength!

Some people may say that the British Empire does not have an urgent need for the army, so it can invest a lot of money in the navy, which does make sense, after all, no matter how strong the army is, it is impossible to cross the English Channel in front of the British Empire's fleet! But as a senior in the army, Jericho knew that the disastrous victory in the Boer War made the British Empire re-realize the importance of the army, and whether France alone could block the Germans' blow, the British still had doubts, if France was finished, I am afraid that Wilhelm II would become the second Napoleon! No, he will be even more powerful than the second Napoleon! Because at this time, Russia's position in the world was far inferior to that of Nicholas II in the Napoleonic era! All of Europe will surely succumb to the iron hooves of the German Empire! And once the European continent is under one flag, it will be impossible for Britain to maintain its current position!

Although it can be expected that Britain will invest more naval funds than Germany, this kind of strength is not at the crushing level, especially before the start of the war, the British Empire's superiority over the opponent's navy will be limited to a lower level, and this level is intolerable to the Admiralty! That's what happened, and Jericho had to find a way to build a more structured fleet. Although his status is not so high now, he must do his best!

"Now every subject of the British Empire must prepare for future wars, and we have an enemy even more powerful than Napoleon." Jericho muttered to himself as he looked at London at night.

"Your Excellency, General Lin Yongsheng of the Huaxia Republic will arrive in England in 3 days, ready to receive the Longxu-class battle cruisers. And he's your friend, so you should be treated with it. Sir Fisher intends for you to receive him. As the door opened, a familiar figure appeared in front of Jericho.

"Thomas, my friend, do you know what to say? Recently, I can feel the indifference of the Huaxia Navy. London has decided to compromise with the Russians at an opportune opportunity, and this will inevitably lead to a gradual distancing of our country from the Chinese. Jericho said.

"Also, I don't like the Longxu-class battlecruisers, they don't suit us, we need to deal with the Germanic heavy cavalry, not the Russian Cossack cavalry, which requires us to have thicker armor and stronger artillery, not speed. There will be a head-to-head fight between the two sides in the future, and we are not prepared for it. Jericho said worriedly.

Thank you for the light reward of Shuyou Mountain and the monthly pass support of the constellation of Shuyou soaring in the universe~~~. (To be continued......)