Chapter 144 The King of England died (for collection)

In April 1910, Qin Tian submitted to the German Navy the design of the next level of battleships and battlecruisers, namely the "King-class" battleship and the "Derfflinger-class" battlecruiser.

Experts from the Ministry of the Navy and the Naval Technical Committee reviewed the design proposals for these two classes of capital ships, although there were some disputes in their construction because of the high cost. However, Marshal Earl Tirpitz's firm attitude allowed the design plans of these two classes of battleships to be approved. William II also respected Qin Tian's opinion and did not raise any objections.

At the end of April, the construction of the "King-class" battleship and the "Derfflinger-class" battlecruiser began one after another.

The "King-class" battleship is even bigger, with a displacement of 37,000 tons. It is equipped with three triple-mounted 50-caliber 380mm main guns. This will be the largest caliber main gun ever equipped by Germany and the world. Of course, there will be capital ships equipped with larger caliber main guns in the future. In terms of defense, the thickness of the main armor of the 'King-class' battleships has also reached 380 mm, greatly enhancing the defense. Compared with the "King-class" battleship in another time and space, it has undergone earth-shaking changes. In terms of maximum speed, it did not decrease due to the increase in displacement. By adopting more powerful oil-fired boilers and steam turbines, the maximum speed of the "King-class" battleships remained above 23 knots.

After the approval of William II, the "King Class" battleship also plans to build five ships, namely the first ship "King", the second ship "Great Kurführer", the third ship "Border Governor", and the fourth ship " ****', the fifth ship 'Queen Victoria'.

Compared with the battlecruisers of another time and space, the 'Derfflinger-class' battlecruisers are also completely different. Except for the same name, the rest are almost completely different. Not only has the displacement increased to 35,000 tons, but the main gun has also been replaced with three triple-mounted 380mm main guns, and the maximum speed has been increased to 27.5 knots. Compared with the "King-class" battleship, except for the slightly inferior defense, the rest are similar. It is even said that if the "Derfflinger-class" battlecruisers are placed on the battle line for battleship duels, there is no problem at all. The thick armor and powerful firepower have an overwhelming advantage once they encounter British battlecruisers. The thin-skinned British battlecruisers will be blown up one after another.

With Qin Tian's continuous efforts, the German Navy has finally completely changed the development trajectory of another time and space. Although most of the battleships have the same name, they are completely different in essence. Compared with the capital ships of the German High Seas Fleet in another time and space, these capital ships are now more powerful.

Of course, in order to build so many battleships, Germany is about to clean up its fortunes. If it weren't for Qin Tian and the royal family's continuous blood transfusion to the navy, the navy would have been unable to hold on long ago.

Even so, if the war fails to break out as scheduled, Germany's finances will only collapse. Therefore, Qin Tian and the German government will not let this war drag on for too long. By 1914 at the latest, it must erupt. Only in this way can domestic conflicts be transferred through war. At the same time, by plundering the defeated country, it can make up for its own consumption in the arms race.

It is not only Germany that faces such a choice, but other countries as well. A large amount of money is used in the arms race, making their fiscal deficit very serious. Once the finances fail, the country may collapse. At that time, war will become the only way to divert the public's attention. If you can defeat the enemy in the war, you can restore your own financial resources by plundering the enemy's wealth. Of course, if you lose, there will be no future.

By this time, it can be said that war is inevitable. Of course, no country wants to avoid war. In fact, everyone has a consensus on the upcoming war, but they don't know when the war will break out and how it will be detonated. Germany hopes to defeat the old world colonial system established by Britain and France through war and snatch more colonies. Britain and France hope to take advantage of this war to completely bring down Germany and relieve Germany's threat to them. As for Russia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it was for the hegemony of the Balkan Peninsula. The Americans on the other side of the ocean want to wait until the war breaks out, make a fortune from the war, and steal world hegemony at the same time. It can be said that every country has its own ghosts. Under such circumstances, war is naturally inevitable.

What countries can do is to accumulate as much strength as possible so that they can win in one fell swoop in future wars. Of course, attracting more allies is also an important strategy for winning. It is almost inevitable that the major powers in the world will be involved in this war.

On May 6, a major event that shocked countries all over the world broke out. King Edward VII died at Buckingham Palace from pneumonia. You must know that although the national strength of the United Kingdom has begun to decline, it is still facing challenges from countries such as the United States and Germany. However, with their powerful navy, they are still the world's most powerful country, and their position as the supremacy of the sea is as solid as gold. The death of Edward VII was a huge shock to the whole world.

Edward VII is the second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. His full name is Albert Edward von Saxon Coburg-Gotha. , Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rotersey, Earl of Dublin. Although he was unfaithful to his wife and his private life was extremely chaotic, he was still a very popular and amiable monarch and social leader.

Although, when he was young, Edward VII was a lazy, luxurious and lustful playboy. Even after becoming a prostitute, she also had many mistresses, including Sir Charlie's wife, Ms. Harriet Mordang. The wife of his entourage, Lord Eli Foster. And Miss Agnes, the spinster, and so on.

It wasn't until Queen Elizabeth died and became king that Edward VII began to restrain himself.

Edward VII has a distinguished status, and in terms of seniority, he can be regarded as the uncle of Kaiser Wilhelm II, and the monarchs of other European countries can be regarded as his juniors. His death has also become a major event in Europe.