Chapter 16 Friendship in the Navy

Qin Tian was taken aback for a moment, but then he understood. Marshal Count Tirpitz was talking about his promise to donate a battleship to the navy.

"Your Excellency Marshal, this is what I should have done. If Your Excellency the Dean hadn't agreed to my request, I would probably still be dawdling in the Naval Academy now, and I would never have achieved what I am now."

"Well, Your Royal Highness, I thought you were just fooling us because you didn't want to go to school. But now it seems that you can really fulfill your promise." Dean Ludwig Birkenhagen sighed.

Although after talking with Qin Tian at the beginning, he decided that Qin Tian was not an ignorant guy. But he also believes that it is undoubtedly very difficult for Qin Tian to truly donate a battleship to the German Navy. After all, the cost of battleships is too high! Even with German finances, it is difficult to afford. But he never expected that Qin Tian could earn so much money in such a short period of time. Although everyone didn't know exactly how much money Qin Tian made, the only thing that was certain was that building a battleship would be a breeze.

"Your Excellency, President, since I have already promised, of course I will fulfill it. Next year at the latest, the battleship I promised to donate to the navy can start construction."

Marshal Earl Tirpitz looked at Qin Tian with a hint of expectation.

"It seems that Prince Oscar's welfare lottery company has really made a huge fortune. Otherwise, he would not have promised to fulfill his promise without changing his face. The gap in the military expenditure of the navy is getting bigger and bigger. It would be very difficult to compete with the British in the world. It would be great if Prince Oscar could donate more battleships to the navy." Marshal Earl Tirpitz thought secretly. Obviously, he already regarded Qin Tian as a fat sheep, and wanted to get more support from Qin Tian. Of course, he also knew it was difficult. Battleships are not Chinese cabbage, they are sold by the catty. A battleship costs tens of millions of marks!

However, Marshal Earl Tirpitz decided to maintain a good relationship with Qin Tian. In this case, Qin Tian will probably not refuse if he needs to ask Qin Tian in the future.

"Your Highness, Dean Birkenhagen mentioned that you have unique insights into the development of the navy," said Marshal Earl Tirpitz.

"Your Excellency, Marshal, it's not really an opinion, it's more about worrying about the German Navy." A trace of worry flashed in Qin Tian's eyes.

"Can you talk about it in detail? Your Highness, we should have enough time tonight. Of course, it may be delayed for His Highness to dance with those noble ladies." Marshal Count Tirpitz smiled.

"Your Excellency Marshal, I am not interested in dancing. It is my honor to discuss with Your Excellency Marshal." Qin Tian shook his head.

Immediately, the three of them found a corner and started talking.

Qin Tian also tried his best to tell Marshal Earl Tirpitz and Dean Birkenhagen what he knew. In this case, it might be able to help the German Navy. If this can be used to allow the German Navy to win the decisive battle at sea in the future, it will undoubtedly be the best result.

"Your Excellency the Marshal, Your Excellency the Dean. Although we have successively built or are building the 'Brandenburg-class' battleships, the 'Kaiser Friedrich III-class' battleships, the 'Weichersbach-class' battleships, the 'Brunner-class' battleships, Gram-class battleships and German-class battleships. The total number of these battleships is as high as 24. Unfortunately, regardless of quantity or performance, we were unable to gain an overwhelming advantage in the face of the British Navy. German Imperial Navy Although the quality of the officers and soldiers is very good, it is also difficult to compare with the British navy that has dominated the world's oceans for hundreds of years. Therefore, once a war starts, it may be difficult for the German navy to defeat the British."

Marshal Earl Tirpitz and Dean Birkenhagen both looked unhappy. They also have a deep understanding of this, so they naturally know that Qin Tian is not just talking nonsense.

"The British navy is too powerful. It is indeed very difficult to challenge them. However, now that the arrow is on the line, it has to be launched. The British have formed an alliance with France and are getting closer and closer to Russia. Once war starts, They will definitely become the first enemy." Marshal Earl Tirpitz said.

Qin Tian nodded, and he also agreed with this. If it is said that William II still had illusions about the British, then he, who traveled back from later generations, can undoubtedly be sure that the British are determined to be enemies of Germany. Of course, William II hoped to make the German navy stronger, not really wanting to go to war with Britain. Instead, it is hoped that by virtue of its strong sea power, the British will surrender and achieve the goal of winning without a fight. But it turned out that William II was too stupid and naive. How could the British give up resistance when it was a matter of national interest? Once Germany wins the war and takes control of the European continent, even if Britain is alone abroad, it may not be able to survive alone.

"Your Highness, do you have any good ideas about this?" Dean Birkenhagen asked.

"The future war is very important. If Germany loses, the consequences will be disastrous. A strong German Empire will no longer exist. Therefore, we must do our best to win this war. In my opinion The key to winning this war lies in the navy. Only when the navy defeats the British navy and lifts the British navy's naval blockade against Germany can we continuously obtain the materials needed for the war through overseas trade. In this case , we can hold on." Qin Tian said. In the First World War, Germany was dragged to death, which is undoubtedly a pity.

"Your Highness, we can solve this problem by storing enough war supplies before the war." Marshal Earl Tirpitz frowned.

Qin Tian smiled. The high-ranking Germans in this period undoubtedly believed that once a war broke out, it would only last for a few hours at most. Just like the Franco-Prussian War back then, they won quickly. They also didn't realize how cruel this war was and how long it would last. This directly led to the fact that after the war broke out, they discovered that their preparations were not sufficient at all.

"Your Excellency Marshal, Your Excellency the Dean. I think that once the war breaks out, it will be a war that is more brutal than any previous war. Moreover, it will last for a long time. If we only rely on the pre-war reserves, we will not be able to It is impossible to reserve enough war supplies. Therefore, the most important thing is for the navy to defeat the British and break the British naval blockade." Qin Tian said with certainty.