Chapter 1066 Troubled Warship

After dismissing everyone, Franz's tense face eased instantly. It was obvious that he wasn't really angry.

The competition among the armed forces of the land, sea and air force for military expenditures is inherently justified, and this is also part of the balance of power. If the land, sea and air forces are all in contention, then that is the real problem.

Seeing that Franz was not angry, Frederick asked with concern: "Father, which of the three plans proposed by the military do you prefer?"

It had nothing to do with curiosity. Frederick really couldn't make up his mind and didn't know who to support.

On the surface, the strategic plans proposed by the army, navy and air force are all highly operable. The success of any plan can bring the Holy Roman Empire to its peak.

All of them are "high-quality strategies", and it is impossible to analyze the advantages and disadvantages at all, but it increases the difficulty of selection.

"Is it important?"

asked Franz.

As if being tortured by the soul, Frederick kept flashing "Is this important?" in Frederick's mind. It seems to be important, and it doesn't seem to be important at all.

The Shinra military is still qualified. Although the three proposals proposed have their own flaws, they still lead to the same goal in the end.

None of the other competitors have grown up. As long as the British are pulled down, Shinra will be the unique world hegemon.

After a while, Frederick slowly replied, "I understand."

Looking at his son with a serious face, Franz smiled and said: "No, you didn't understand. In fact, we have no choice at all.

Politics is never won or lost by right or wrong. Perhaps adopting a strategy alone can win the victory at the least cost, but we must consider the actual situation.

A few years ago, the army was the only one. In order to balance the strength of the military, I supported the navy and spun off the air force to establish the current triangular check and balance system.

Now the navy and the air force combined can barely compete with the army, and at the same time they have touched the bottom line of the army.

No matter how they make concessions, it is impossible for them to let the navy get the same amount of military expenditure as them. This is the pride of the army.

You should know how much influence the Army has. The establishment of the Holy Roman Empire was basically done by the army.

More than 90% of overseas fiefdom lords and emerging farmers are from the army, and more than seven levels of bureaucrats in the government have served in the army.

Not to mention civilians, our compulsory military service law is aimed at the army. Both the navy and the air force are technical arms, and it is simply impossible for everyone to serve.

With so many supporters, there's no way the Army can lose. As long as they insist on not making concessions, even if the air force and navy join forces, it will have no effect.

We can't end the game in person and go to the sidelines, right? "

The emperor himself went off the field to deflect the frame, just like a referee off the field to kick a ball. Just think about it, no mature monarch would do it.

Even before supporting the navy and divesting the air force, it was the cabinet that charged, and Franz never got off the scene himself, let alone now.

Perhaps for the army, navy and air force, this competition for military expenditure is crucial, and it is related to their development in the next ten years.

But for the emperor and the Holy Roman Empire, no matter which option is chosen, the final outcome is doomed.

This is determined by the overall national strength. Today, Shinra and Britain have widened the qualitative gap.

Counting the colonial citizens, the total population of the Holy Roman Empire has reached 160 million, 120 million in Europe alone.

In contrast to Britain, the total population of the British Isles is only over 30 million. Including the citizens of the overseas colonies, the total population is only a little over 40 million.

Of course, this ratio is reversed when the colonial aborigines are counted. India alone has 300 to 400 million people. The total population controlled by the entire British Empire exceeds 500 million, while Shinra has less than 180 million people.

It is true that the British Empire has a large population, but unfortunately the utilization rate is not high. The original colonial rule was good enough to search for wealth, but it was far from enough to enhance national power.

Comparing the data, we can see that the total economic volume of the Holy Roman Empire is one-fifth higher than that of the entire British Empire (including colonies), and the total industrial volume is 2.5 times that of Britain.

This is just the beginning, with the passage of time, this gap is still widening.

If he had such a big advantage, he would be able to lose in the end, and Franz would not have to mess around.

Deliberately expressing dissatisfaction, in addition to beating the military, the most important thing is that Franz hopes that the military can compromise with each other.

Unless the British admit defeat in advance, no matter which strategy they choose, they will need the cooperation of the army, navy and air force in the future, which is nothing more than a matter of priority.

Even if the three armies compromise, developing at the same time will waste a lot of financial resources, and Franz also recognizes it.

This is the helplessness of big countries. In order to balance the interests of all parties, almost every big country will face the problem of wasting resources.

...

The competition for military expenses continued, but the new "Roman" had problems first. When the armament and supporting equipment were completed, everyone suddenly discovered that the "Roma"'s ability to resist wind and waves was very average.

It's not surprising that almost all test ships have problems of one kind or another. Perfect products are produced at one time, which is not suitable for warships.

There has always been a saying in the Navy that "design leads, build lags behind".

The "Roman" is considered good, at least after its completion, it still maintains a world-leading level. The British "super battleship" is still being designed, other countries

Not even interested in following suit.

Despite its lack of wind and wave resistance and its minor flaws, it cannot conceal the "Roman"'s strong combat effectiveness, at least it is strong enough in the Mediterranean.

Being caught, the army naturally had to make use of the problem. As long as it is proved that the "Rome" does not have the capability of ocean-going naval warfare, the Ministry of the Navy's super battleship plan can only be aborted.

It's a pity that Franz has been familiar with this little trick for a long time, and he didn't give everyone a chance to speak: "Block the news, the problem of the Roman's defect will stop here, and there is no need to talk about it in the future.

The ability to resist wind and waves is insufficient, and it does not affect the use in the Mediterranean Sea. Pay attention when the navy arranges missions, just don't let it go out of the Mediterranean Sea.

The follow-up publicity continues, as long as the item of world cruise is removed.

The exploration of new technologies is inherently full of uncertainties, and we can still bear this risk. "

Originally, the Shinra Navy had the reputation of "Bathtub Navy", and Franz didn't mind making it well-deserved. If the British want to see a joke, let them see enough first.

Another way of thinking, being able to use the Mediterranean Sea as a bathtub is another kind of achievement.

Throughout human history, which country that uses the Mediterranean Sea as a bathtub is not awesome?

As long as it doesn't leave the Mediterranean Sea, the "Rome" is a genuine super battleship. Whether it is to support the facade or to scare people, it can be properly arranged.

Deep down in his heart, Franz had already made up his mind. If it was not really necessary, he would not send the "Roman" to the battlefield.

After all, it is a test ship, and no one knows how many holes it stepped on. For details, you can refer to the first-generation dreadnoughts of various countries in the original space-time world, which are all kinds of pits.

A century-old navy does not mean that the navy must develop for hundreds of years, but naval warships need to spend a hundred years, constantly stepping on pits and mines, and accumulating various experiences and lessons.

For Franz, as long as the test ship is unsinkable and can go to sea normally, it is qualified. As for other problems, we can wait for the second and third generations to improve.

Although Franz's words avoided in-depth investigation of responsibility, the "Super Battleship Project" of the Ministry of the Navy fell through first.

Everyone can bear a "Roma" that can't get out of the Mediterranean Sea, but if more than 20 ships are produced in one go, no one can bear it.

Even if the Ministry of the Navy has repeatedly assured that similar problems will not occur again in the following warships, everyone dare not accompany them on adventures.

Of course, the Roma is not without merit. At least the combat power is really strong, as long as it avoids the severe wind and weather, it is still the king in naval battles.

In the end, the Ministry of the Navy's "twenty-five ships in five years" super battleship plan was cut to "five ships in five years", and it was the first to be eliminated from this battle for military expenditure.

Looking at the unwilling eyes of Castagni leaving, Franz knew that the matter was not over yet, and reckoned that when the problem was resolved, the Navy would propose the "Super Battleship Project" again.

With the Royal Navy as a competitor to help set up the stage, I believe this day will not come too late.

...

Reducing the scale of shipbuilding does not mean reducing propaganda efforts. As the brightest "baby" this year, "Roman" is still the darling of the media.

After the supporting facilities were completed, the "Roma" wandered around the Mediterranean Sea, and under the guise of exchanging experience, it continued to visit countries along the Mediterranean Sea.

Every time I go to a country, there is a joint military exercise.

The most difficult thing is the newly independent Italian states, holding a joint exercise with a small destroyer of more than 1,000 tons and the "Roma" of more than 20,000 tons. The scene is simply...

If it weren't for the different national flags flying, everyone would probably regard them as little followers, and it would be impossible to believe that this was a joint military exercise.

There is no way, in order to stir up the heat, the Vienna government has to do this. Only when the momentum is built up can the British Parliament be willing to allocate funds to the Royal Navy.

Considering so thoroughly for the enemy, thinking about it is also drunk. However, in order to consume the national power of the British, Franz decided to do it.

Regardless of whether the Shinra Navy can surpass the British in the era of dreadnoughts, at least in this wave of warship replacements, the losses of the British are more than 70% greater than that of the Shinra.

Who made them have more warships?

Catching up with this era of naval technological revolution, whoever has the most warships will suffer the most.