Chapter 37 The Navy Act

Although the German navy has developed very rapidly over the years, compared with the established maritime powers, their disadvantages are still very obvious. Among other things, Germany is completely at a disadvantage in terms of the number of battleships alone. Once a war breaks out, the consequences can be imagined.

After listening to the words of Marshal Earl Tirpitz, the top German leaders were deeply hit. In such a disadvantaged situation, they want to ask the navy to break the blockade of the British navy, which is obviously difficult for the strong.

Crown Prince William bowed his head like a rooster who had lost a fight and said nothing. Only now did he realize that he seemed overly optimistic about Germany's military power. The strength of Germany's enemies should not be underestimated either!

"Gentlemen, there is no doubt that our enemy's military power is very strong. And the gap between us and them is also very large. Although, we are still catching up. However, if we want to catch up with them, That would take a lot of time. Therefore, at present we must avoid fighting the enemy as much as possible," William II said.

With William II's headstrong and conceited character, if he could win, he would certainly not hold back. It is precisely because they know that if they start a war, the chances of winning will be very small, so they forbear in every possible way, and there is no way to do it.

"I didn't expect that the gap between the navy and the British would be so large. It seems that it is necessary to increase investment in the navy. If the German navy can not be inferior to the British navy, will the British dare to support the French unscrupulously? "William II thought secretly.

The reason why the German navy was able to develop rapidly and even make the British, the maritime hegemon, feel the crisis was precisely because of the strong support of William II. However, because of the late start, William II faced great difficulties in catching up with the British Navy.

William II suddenly thought, isn't Qin Tian's German shipyard undergoing expansion? It is expected that the construction of a new battleship will start soon. William II is also very clear about Qin Tian's recent actions. After investing huge sums of money in the German shipyard, Qin Tian reached a cooperation agreement with the Kruger company, allowing Krupp to provide armor and large-caliber main guns. At the same time, Sulzer Boiler Company was asked to provide oil-fired boilers, as well as the German Engine Manufacturing Company established by Qin Tian himself. All of this is undoubtedly paving the way for the construction of new battleships.

William II was very moved and gratified that Qin Tian was able to make such a great career. He never thought that his son, who was the least valued and who was always thought to be a fool to eat and wait to die, would actually show such an outstanding talent. It has even overshadowed the brilliance of other sons, and even Crown Prince William cannot compare with him. If it weren't for Crown Prince William being his eldest son, William II would think that Qin Tian would be more suitable to be the Crown Prince of the empire than Crown Prince William.

Of course, such thoughts are only fleeting. It is impossible for William II to deprive Crown Prince William of his right of succession. Unless Crown Prince William himself is unable to fulfill the obligations of the Crown Prince. Such as serious illness, or death, etc. Otherwise, after a hundred years of William II, Crown Prince William will be the emperor of the German Empire, and it is impossible to change this point.

"Your Majesty, judging from the current situation, if we go to war, our chances of winning will be very small. Therefore, I think we should exercise restraint!" Prime Minister Bernhard von Bülow suggested.

Although, this is an unacceptable result. However, the current situation is like this. No matter how dissatisfied they are, for the sake of the overall situation, they can only endure it!

"Yes, Your Majesty. Temporary forbearance is for us to defeat all our enemies next time." Little Mao Qi also said.

Although the German army is powerful, it would be difficult to support without the cooperation of the navy.

William II nodded: "Well, let's leave it at that for the time being! On the Morocco issue, we try our best to avoid further aggravation of the conflict. However, on the surface, we must not show weakness to them, otherwise, they will make progress. In addition, our interests in Morocco must be guaranteed as much as possible."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Everyone replied.

Qin Tian didn't pay too much attention to the crisis in Morocco. Anyway, he already knew the result. Although Germany's attitude has become more and more tough, and even began to deploy heavy troops on the border. However, anyone with a discerning eye knows that this is nothing more than a bluff.

With the support of the British and Russians, the French are full of confidence. In the face of Germany's tough attitude, a tit-for-tat response was carried out. This also made the situation in Europe even more tense.

On November 18, 1905, the extension work of the Deutsches Werftwerk was completed. By recruiting a large number of engineers and skilled workers, the technical accumulation of the German shipyard in the construction of large warships has almost been completed. What they lack is nothing but practical experience.

The next day, Qin Tian rushed to the Deutschland Shipyard and presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for the 'Nassau-class' battleship. Four battleships were under construction on four large berths at the same time.

Of course, due to technical and experience reasons, the construction progress of the German shipyard will be relatively slow. But as long as the relevant technologies are fully understood through this construction, there is nothing to worry about.

The time Qin Tian set for Brutt was before November 1907, and all four battleships had to be launched.

If Qin Tian remembers correctly, the battleship "HMS Dreadnought" of the British Navy officially entered service on December 3, 1907. And, that's why it takes a lot of time to test out new equipment. However, the German side should have learned the relevant information about the "Dreadnought" battleship earlier than this. If the "Nassau-class" battleship can be launched at that time, it will be a boost to the German Navy. There will be no problem for the Navy to accept the "Nassau-class" battleship as the next-level capital ship of the Navy.

In January 1906, the Algeciras Conference was held. As Britain and Russia supported France, the conference concluded with a treaty in favor of France. Recognizes Morocco's independence, but also recognizes French and Spanish police control over Morocco. However, France is also committed to Germany's interests in Morocco, which must be guaranteed. German capital can enter Morocco.

The news spread back to Germany, and the German people were excited.

Under great pressure, the German Parliament took a break from the "Navy Act" and formed the first amendment. According to the content of this amendment, the German Navy's shipbuilding budget for the next ten years will be increased to 940 million marks. Starting from the following year, two battleships and one large cruiser (battlecruiser) will be built every year. By 1917, the German Navy will have a powerful fleet with 38 battleships, 20 large cruisers, and 38 small cruisers as the main force. This is an important milestone for the German Navy to formally challenge its maritime supremacy, and it is also a powerful counterattack by the Germans against the "Shame of Algeciras"-German public opinion cannot point the finger at William II's decision-making mistakes, but instead This failure was attributed to the arbitrary interference of countries such as Britain and Spain. If Germany had a fleet capable of competing with the Royal Navy, this tragedy would not have happened. Because the Algeciras resolution seriously damaged Germany's capital interests in Morocco and damaged the growing self-esteem of the Germans, everyone from big capitalists to soldiers and civilians in Germany demanded to speed up the construction of the navy with a shameful mentality.