In the second half of 1903, the navies of various European countries received news that Italy had secretly built an epoch-making warship, which had four twin guns of more than 300 mm, and in addition to that, it was fast, with a speed of at least 21 knots. And its displacement is not small, it is estimated that there is a standard displacement of 18,000-20,000 tons, and the above is the information collected by the navies of various countries.

The new battleships, which Italy had been holding for so long, were still known to the navies of various countries. However, this is also normal, knowing that the Adriatic Sea is a very busy sea, and in addition to Italy, the Austro-Crarian maritime trade route also needs to pass through here. Therefore, it is impossible not to let people see the Intrepid after the sea trial, and since someone has seen it, how can it be kept secret, so it is purely normal for the news to spread.

Of course, the navies of various countries also have different attitudes towards this news from Italy, some scoff at it, some disdain, some hear about the big change, and some are bent on inquiring. However, in any case, the emergence of a new and distinctive battleship in Italy still needs to be carefully considered.

After all, although the total tonnage of the Italian navy is not outstanding, the quality of the warships is not bad, especially in the past two decades, the warships built by Italy can be regarded as leading the trend of naval shipbuilding.

Of course, no matter what other countries think, but for the Italian Navy it is a good time.

In Rome, the discussion about this epoch-making battleship was not over.

"At present, the test results of the Dreadnought are still continuing, but judging from the results of the current test, this battleship designed by Viscount Kuniberti is very good, much stronger than the latest Genoa-class battleship in our country, and in comprehensive comparison, it is at least 90% higher in combat effectiveness. Of course, the cost of the Dreadnought is 85% higher than that of the Genoa class, but the appearance of the dreadnought in general indicates that the warships that are not built according to its model are already behind the times. ”

A naval officer was in the conference hall, explaining to everyone the epoch-making nature of the Dreadnought. At least all the people in the audience were cabinet ministers, not to mention the honorable king, who was listening to him right in front of him. In addition, he also knew that this meeting was related to the overall situation of the navy's future, so even the officers who spoke calmly in the navy felt a little wet in their backs.

"Aren't those the three Genoa-class warships newly commissioned by the Navy, which are considered to be behind the times?"

At this point, a minister opened his mouth to point out a question from the officer's mouth.

The minister who spoke didn't need to look at everyone present to know him, and this was His Excellency Tejela, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Those who know the Chancellor well know that the Chancellor of the Exchequer is very sensitive when it comes to spending extra money.

"Yes, at least on the main battleships, the three Genoa-class ships that our country has just commissioned are outdated, but the same is true of the battleships of other countries, so to speak, this battleship pulls the navies of all countries to the same starting line."

Faced with the words of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the naval officer answered truthfully. However, he also cleverly used a little trick to bring other countries in, so that it was much better than the Italian navy.

"At present, China's navy has a very heavy task, and in addition to ensuring China's interests in the Mediterranean, the interests of East Africa, Southeast Asia, and even East Asia also need to have a naval presence."

No one doubts this statement, because it is true that Italy, apart from the Mediterranean, has very heavy overseas interests.

The mainland, Borneo and East Africa trade ring alone brings hundreds of millions of lira to the Italian government every year. In this case, it was indeed hard for the navy to fight piracy and demonstrate Italy's strength to maintain the trade routes. Not to mention the preservation of the interests of the Mediterranean, the navy was the first choice of the Kingdom of Italy.

At present, Britain and France, which are the main threat to Italy, have a strong navy in the Mediterranean, and the French Navy has 69 combat warships in the Mediterranean, with a total tonnage of 190,000 tons. The British Empire was less, with 47 warships and a total tonnage of 160,000 tons. As for Italy, it had 91 warships with a gross tonnage of 270,000 tons.

Doesn't it look like Italy is a notch higher than Britain and France?

Don't think about it, because 90% of Italy's naval warships are in the Mediterranean, while Britain and France have other seas besides the Mediterranean. Among other things, the number and total tonnage of warships on the Atlantic-facing side of France were much higher than in the Mediterranean. As for the British Empire, that's not to mention.

It can be said that the Mediterranean seems to be dominated by the Italian Navy, but in fact the Italian Navy is at a disadvantage in the Mediterranean.

It is also possible to compete with the French navy because it faces security needs on both sides of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, otherwise the pressure on the Italian navy would be even greater.

Of course, all the important ministers and even monarchs present knew that the navy was not easy, after all, there was no terrain to rely on at sea. Unlike land, although it shares a border with France, the high Alps make it possible for the two countries to have only a limited number of roads that can be used for military purposes. Therefore, the construction of the navy is a must, after all, the Italian coastline is too long, except for the British Empire, it belongs to the Italian coastline, so the pressure on Italy's coastal defense is not small.

If it weren't for the fact that the important ministers present also knew this, how could they have agreed to the king's plan to expand the navy. You must know that Italy's finances are not rich, and supporting the expansion of the navy is also money cut out of the teeth.

"And how large is the new fleet that the Navy is going to build?" The Chancellor of the Exchequer was questioning again.

In the face of the Chancellor's inquiry, without waiting for the officer to speak, the Admiralty Minister on the side immediately took over and spoke. "According to our Navy's analysis of the future situation, our Navy will need at least 15 new battleships, 6 new battle cruisers, 26 new cruisers, 80 new destroyers, and 60 other special auxiliary vessels within ten years."

As soon as he heard Admiral Yagill's words, Prime Minister Antonio immediately frowned. "Battlecruiser, what kind of ship is this?"

It's no wonder that the prime minister asked, although the government doesn't know much about the navy, but it still knows the basic types of battleships, and this battlecruiser has never heard of it.

In the face of the Prime Minister's inquiry, the introduced naval officer hurriedly answered. "This is a new warship designed by Viscount Kuniberti, the chief designer of our naval ships, which has the firepower of a battleship, the speed of a cruiser, and is mainly responsible for loading cruisers against the opposing side, as well as other warships. In addition, in the decisive battle, it can be forcibly reconnoitred by high speed, and if necessary in wartime, it can also be used as a battleship on the battle line, and the retreat is used as a cover task, and it is responsible for chasing and entangling the opponent during the pursuit. For example, in the Middle Ages, some characteristics of heavy cavalry and light cavalry were combined, and some of the best types of troops were combined. ”