Chapter 257 Crazy Shipbuilding Plan (1600 votes plus updates)

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, since the Royal Navy may lose this war, I think it is better to contact the Germans immediately, sacrifice certain interests, and end this damn war." A cabinet minister suggested.

This proposal has won the support of many cabinet ministers. In their view, the Royal Navy is the backbone of the British Empire. Now, even the Royal Navy can't beat the Germans, so it's better to negotiate peace as soon as possible. In this case, even if you will lose some benefits, you still haven't lost everything.

"Huh! Gentlemen, you seem so naive. How can it be possible to end the war now? The Germans have already taken the upper hand. Whether it is on land or at sea, they have the initiative. If they also win the next step If so, they will be able to completely win this war. At that time, they will get everything they want. It is much more cost-effective than negotiating with us." Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Gray said.

Immediately, those ministers stopped talking, and they also knew that it was indeed a bit whimsical to want to talk about peace now. If it were them, they would definitely not agree to peace talks at this time.

"The ambitions of the Germans are well known. They want to take advantage of this war to defeat us and become the hegemony of the world. They will never give up until this goal is achieved." Minister of War Richard Haldane also said.

"Okay, everyone. I don't think there is any need to argue about war or peace. If the British Empire doesn't want to lose its status as the world's hegemon and its vast overseas colonies, it has no choice but to continue the war." Asquid The Prime Minister said.

"Yes, Your Excellency the Prime Minister." All the cabinet ministers replied.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, how do we win the war? If we lose the war, we will lose nothing." Lloyd George, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, asked.

Since the war is to continue, it must find a way to win. What's the point of fighting if you're destined to lose?

Prime Minister Asquith did not answer immediately, but looked at Minister of the Navy Churchill.

"Your Excellency the Lord of the Navy, what is the Royal Navy going to do next to win the war?" Prime Minister Asquith asked.

"Your Excellency, the Royal Navy has lost a lot this time. However, our main force is still there. The Royal Navy needs to recover its strength, or even have a stronger strength, to be able to defeat the Germans. Next, we will urgently add a batch of warships The construction plan is to complete the construction of these warships in the fastest time. This requires the support of the cabinet." Churchill said.

Prime Minister Asquith nodded. The Royal Navy has lost so many capital ships, so it is natural that more capital ships need to be built to make up for the loss. Of course, to speed up the construction progress, this also means that more funds will be spent. However, now they have no other choice. If they want to strengthen the strength of the Royal Navy and win this war, they must invest more funds.

"The Ministry of the Admiralty should submit the construction plan as soon as possible. Even if it is a waste of money, the cabinet will fully support you. No matter what, we must win this war this time. This will be the biggest crisis in the history of the British Empire. ’ said Prime Minister Asquith.

"Yes, Your Excellency the Prime Minister." Churchill nodded, feeling very excited. Now that Prime Minister Asquith has made such a statement, it means that their huge shipbuilding plan will definitely be passed. In less than two years, the strength of the Royal Navy will be able to recover. If the war can be delayed until then, the Germans may not win.

"Everyone, now is the time when the British Empire is dying, and we can no longer have any illusions about the Germans. There is only one way for the British Empire to defend its own interests, and that is war. Only by defeating the Germans can we It can ensure the supremacy of the empire. Therefore, I hope that you can unite and do your best to ensure that the British Empire wins this war instead of dragging its feet." Prime Minister Asquith said.

"Yes, Your Excellency the Prime Minister!" Everyone replied. However, I am afraid that only they themselves know what they think in their hearts. After all, when the country is facing life and death, many people will make other considerations for the little ones in their hearts.

After the meeting, Churchill did not stay in the Prime Minister's Office for a moment, and immediately returned to the Admiralty. Admiral Jellicoe, as well as the generals and experts of the navy, are planning a batch of battleships that need to be built urgently.

It was busy until the evening before the preliminary planning was completed. After briefly looking at the plan, Churchill immediately rushed to the Prime Minister's Office and reported to Prime Minister Asquith, hoping to get his support immediately. He did this because he didn't want to waste even a minute.

Prime Minister Asquith also postponed his break to listen to Churchill's report.

"Your Excellency, in order to deal with the Germans, we plan to start building the following battleships and battlecruisers within a month. First, we will rebuild the 'Iron Duke-class' battleships. Of course, the specific design will no longer be the same as before. Designed, but modified, the 'Revenge-class' battleship with enhanced defense and power. It can be regarded as an improved version of the 'Revenge-class'. The new 'Iron Duke-class' battleship will be equipped with triple-mounted 381 mm main The main armor will reach more than 330mm. We will build four 'Iron Duke' battleships. Next, there will be a new 'King George V' battleship, although the previous 'George V' There is still one battleship left, but it has been proved by actual combat that it is no match for the Germans at all. Therefore, we plan to rebuild the battleship 'George V'. The specific performance is comparable to that of the 'Iron Duke'. In the subtle parts, it will Improvements will be made. After that, there will be the "Lion-class" battleship. The displacement of the "Lion-class" battleship will exceed 40,000 tons, equipped with three triple-mounted 406mm main guns, and the thickness of the main armor will be increased to more than 380mm. "Lion-class" The Navy also plans to build four battleships. There are a total of 12 battleships of the above three levels, and construction will start in the next month. We will strive to complete them within one and a half to two years. By then, we will have It is not impossible to have enough strength to confront the Germans, or even defeat them." Churchill seemed very confident.

Prime Minister Asquith nodded. He knows that the new 'King George V-class' battleships and the new 'Iron Duke-class' battleships are based on the 'Revenge-class' battleships with increased displacement, enhanced power and Armor to improve its defense. The "Lion-class" battleship is a brand new battleship.