Chapter 13: Christmas

  Qin Tian spent a lot of time perfecting the blueprint of the battleship he designed, and it was not completely completed until Christmas Eve. What appeared on the blueprint was a mighty and majestic battleship, a battleship with a very different style from the existing battleships.

  The battleships of various countries before the battleship "Dreadnought" of the British Navy generally had a displacement of only more than 10,000 tons, and the main guns were divided into two levels, namely, the first-level large-caliber main gun and the second-level smaller-caliber main gun. The fire rate of smaller caliber main guns is used to make up for the lack of firepower of large caliber main guns.

  However, starting from the battleship "Dreadnought", the battleship has entered the era of full heavy artillery. That is to say, the second-level main gun was cancelled, and all the first-level main guns were adopted, so as to further strengthen the strike capability of the battleship.

  The battleship designed by Qin Tian is also the same full-heavy artillery battleship. The shape is roughly the same as the "Nassau-class" battleship that the German Navy will build in the future. However, the number of main guns and deployment methods are different. The "Nassau-class" battleship of the German Navy has a total of six dual-mounted 280mm main guns, one on the front and rear decks, and the other four are deployed on both sides of the battleship. In this way, the four main guns of the "Nassau-class" battleship can be concentrated when firing to the side.

  The battleship shot by Qin Tian used three triple-mounted 305mm main guns instead of six double-mounted 280mm main guns. After all, Qin Tian, ​​who is familiar with the development trend of later generations, knows that triple-mounted main guns are the trend. The main battleships in World War II all adopted this deployment. For example, the "Yamato-class" battleships of the Japanese Navy and the "Iowa-class" battleships of the U.S. Navy are all like this.

  In addition, the use of triple-mounted main guns can also save space and length of the hull, which greatly improves the defense of the battleship.

   It is precisely because of this that the battleship Qin Tian shot, apart from having different main guns from the 'Nassau-class' battleship, has even improved in terms of defense.

   In terms of power, Qin Tian did not use a coal-fired boiler, but an oil-fired boiler. The steam engine is also converted from a triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine to a steam turbine. In this case, the speed of the battleship can be made faster.

"I hope William II will like this battleship. In this way, the German navy will be able to crush the British directly after entering the dreadnought. Once the two sides go to war, the German navy will have a better chance of winning." Qin Tian looked at The battleship on the drawing, murmured.

Now that he has money, he wants to fulfill his promise and donate battleships to the German Navy, so Qin Tian naturally hopes to provide the German Navy with powerful battleships instead of the garbage-like pre-dreadnoughts that he built more than 20 ships before. .

  In addition, Qin Tian also hopes to use this to gain the attention of William II. After all, Wilhelm II was an emperor who liked the navy. If he can reuse Qin Tian, ​​this will allow Qin Tian to gain greater power, and he will also have greater say in the royal family and state affairs. Maybe it could turn the fate of Germany around.

  If possible, Qin Tian would naturally not want to see the Second German Empire perish. When the empire was strong, he was the prince of the empire and had various privileges. And once the empire collapsed, he, the prince, would probably have to go into exile overseas. Even if it is rich, so what? It's not like it will become fat in the eyes of others.

  As for the right to inherit the throne, Qin Tian never thought about it. Because he knew that as long as Crown Prince William did not die, he would have no chance. Even if Crown Prince William died, he still had three older brothers waiting ahead.

  Time passed bit by bit, and the development of Deutsche Welfare Lottery Company was on the right track. Now, Shuangseqiu has become the favorite lottery ticket for German lottery players. Especially the lucky one who won the first prize inspired others to put money into the lottery one after another. However, the winners of the first prize are, after all, very few. The vast majority of people are investing non-stop, winning a small prize at most.

   This also made Qin Tian's wallet keep bulging. With the support of the royal family, no one dares to play their minds. Qin Tian and Karl plan to explore foreign markets from next year. It is less than ten years before the outbreak of the war. If more wealth can be plundered from other countries by issuing lottery tickets, this will also enhance Germany's strength in disguise. If there is an opportunity, Qin Tian certainly hopes to invest this wealth in military expansion and war preparations, so that Germany's military power will further reach its peak.

  Christmas is a very important festival for Westerners. It was also a day of reunion for the German royal family. In order to strengthen ties with all parties in the empire, Kaiser Wilhelm II will hold a banquet at the Imperial Palace in Potsdam on Christmas Eve. The royal families of the kingdoms of the Second German Empire, the grand duchies, the royal families of the principalities, senior government officials, The main generals of the military, celebrities and envoys of various countries stationed in Germany will be invited.

  Originally, Qin Tian thought that he would miss the dinner this time. However, I did not expect that some time ago, I learned from Karl that William II agreed with him to return to the palace. For Qin Tian, ​​this was undoubtedly a pleasant surprise.

   "Your Highness, I'm ready, when are we going?" Karl asked excitedly.

  Although, in previous years, he also participated in the dinner party held by the palace. However, this time his identity and status are different. Previously he was nothing more than a servant in the palace. Now, he is the general manager of the Deutsche Welfare Lottery Company, and his personal wealth has accumulated to five million marks.

   "Well, I'm ready, let's go." Qin Tian nodded, carrying a suitcase, and went out the door. Inside the suitcase are gifts Qin Tian prepared for his parents, brothers and sisters. Now he is already considered a rich man, and during the holidays, naturally, his actions should not be too shabby.

   After the two went downstairs, they boarded the Mercedes-Benz that had been prepared earlier, and rushed all the way to Potsdam.

  Although, Mercedes-Benz cars have been on the market for many years. However, in Qin Tian's view, the current cars are too simple in terms of appearance and interior, and there is no comparison with the cars of later generations.

   "Welfare lottery companies are constantly sucking in money. It's a waste to store so much money in the bank. Maybe we can consider the next investment direction. And the automobile field seems to be good." Qin Tian secretly thought.

  If you can design the beautiful cars of later generations, you will definitely be able to sell well. Qin Tian had no doubts about this.