The Rise of the Empire

"The prince just came back from the United States, and he sat on the boat for 2 weeks. You let your brother deal with things as soon as your feet stick to the ground? Is there any reason for this? Are you the boss or I am the boss? It's not an agreement, something has happened What are your subordinates doing? Do you know that your behavior is dereliction of duty? Your year-end award is in danger! Baron!" When the armored cruiser Munich arrived in Hamburg and the prince got off the ship, Baron Vittorio immediately said that the Russian representative had already waited. It has been more than a month, and you have to make a decision on how to deal with this matter!

And please make the prince very upset about this matter, the prince is a human being, not a machine! "Let them wait for another 5 days. They've been waiting for a month anyway, so what if you wait a few more days? If you don't want to buy the boat, why are you afraid that no one will buy the boat?" Ruprecht said angrily.

Ruprecht lost his temper not just because his subordinates did not understand the hard work of the leader. This little hard work is a bird in front of millions of pounds? The fundamental reason lies in the attitude and thinking of the Russians. During the two weeks of floating at sea, Ruprecht carefully sorted out the context based on the information he received, and finally understood what was going on.

The Russians still hesitated, partly because of the pressure from the French behind them, and partly because they wanted to build their own ships. These two problems caused them to waver on this order. The Russians like pirated copies very much. Historically, the Borodino-class battleship was a copy of the Prince Edward battleship built by France for the Russians. The Russians were very displeased with the suggestion that they only sell the ship but not the blueprints. Coupled with the threat of the French, this transaction brought huge financial pressure. It is natural for the Russians to hesitate.

But even so, Ruprecht still has no idea of ​​selling technology to retain customers.... Based on the principle that if the money I can earn flies away, it will be a loss. In terms of key matters, Ruprecht has never backed down. Ruprecht has already made up his mind. After returning, he will go to Berlin first to solve the problem of the back road first, and then talk to the Russians. If the Russians break the contract then, the prince will not be afraid at all.

So, after Ruprecht returned to Germany, he immediately took the train to Berlin without saying a word, and went to discuss some things with Crown Prince William and even the Prime Minister. As for the Russians? Take your time! And Ruprecht's obviously prevaricated attitude also made the Russians feel...a little nervous! That's right, nervousness, not dissatisfaction! Or very dissatisfied, and dare not show it!

In Makanov's view, since his third meeting with Baron Vittorio, who is in charge of the daily affairs of the design bureau, the attitude of the other party has changed immediately, and the opposite is the strategic issue in the negotiation process. Baron Vittorio is now refusing to give in an inch, and even plans to overturn the original concession. He made an expression of whether he wants to buy, buy, or get out, which makes the Russians feel very nervous.

Later, Makanov also specifically investigated the situation at the Brough-Forth Shipyard. The Russians found that the Germans seem to be really not in a hurry now. The berth is almost full of ships or ready to be placed on the ship. Build a ship for Russia, it's for your face, don't want other people's ships waiting to board! It's a seller's market right now? You should learn to be grateful!

"What should we do?" Makanov asked Parokin anxiously.

"Let's see the situation first, the Germans will not just give up this order." Parokin said.

And just when the Russians were uneasy, Ruprecht had already arrived in Berlin. In the Palace of Sanssouci, Ruprecht finally saw his "comrade-in-arms" His Royal Highness Crown Prince William again. And His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is thinking about the upcoming naval construction. Although it doesn’t have much effect, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is still very excited. This kind of enthusiasm is normal.

"To be honest, I am somewhat dissatisfied with some of the actions of your design bureau. How can such an advanced warship be given priority to the Russians?" William II's face was slightly dissatisfied.

Pointing to the model of the Russian armored cruiser on the table, he said. Quite a few mean that Ruprecht made black money.

"This battleship is more powerful and complex than the Munich-class armored cruiser. In fact, the standard displacement I set is more than 13,000 tons, and the hull length is close to 150 meters. In fact, I have no doubts about whether the Imperial Shipyard can successfully complete this battleship. There are certain doubts about the construction, and in order to ensure that all the warships obtained by the empire are qualified warships, we need to find a test product! And Russia is the test product." Who is Ruprecht? It's just coaxing a bear child, and the two lifetimes together are over 50 years old. Listen to this, how righteous and awe-inspiring! No one can find fault with it!

"For the future cruiser plan, I have two versions. The first version can be regarded as an enhanced version of the Russia, with a displacement of 13,500 tons, a length of 151 meters, and a width of 23 meters. The main guns are eight 260MM guns, and the arrangement is There are two double-mounted 260MM artillery turrets at the front and rear, and a single 260MM turret is arranged at each of the four corners of the hull. The secondary guns are 14 105MM artillery. The thickness of the side string armor belt is 7 inches. The upper armor belt is 6 inches. The front and rear armor belt of the hull is 3 inches To 4 inches. The front of the turret armor is 10 inches. The side is 7 inches! The conning tower armor is 12 inches. The inclined part of the battleship dome is 3 inches, and the horizontal part is 2.5 inches. The maximum output power is tentatively set at 20,000 horsepower. Water tube boiler and steam engine. Maximum speed around 21 knots!"

"This plan is equivalent to canceling the second-level main guns and replacing them with first-level main guns? This idea is very good, what do you think about it?" Prince William asked.

"The power of the 8-inch artillery is still too small. A shell of about 100KG is too light. In the case of being unable to penetrate the armor, the heavy artillery must rely on a strong impact to destroy the rear back plate and damage the battleship. The 260MM artillery shell is heavy. It should be around 220KG. This weight advantage is great, and with a single main gun, logistical supplies will be more convenient.” Ruprecht just said that the caliber is justice, and the weight of the bullet is the core!

"If we put it this way, we need to re-develop a new artillery. Our 240MM artillery shell weighs only 140KG, while the 280MM artillery shell is heavy enough, but the gun is too heavy. This matter will be very troublesome." William II as A naval enthusiast and one of Krupp's shareholders, he is naturally very clear about the current situation of Germany's naval heavy artillery. He has even guessed some of Ruprecht's thoughts. After all, the Bavarian-Austrian arms complex is not a secret.

"The navy is for the empire, not for certain arms dealers." Ruprecht said, looking at Crown Prince William who looked a little hesitant.

"I can understand your thoughts. If Krupp is still so unprogressive, I think the Admiralty will have other choices. The key is that your products must be good enough for you!" Now William is not the emperor, he naturally There is no confidence to take a stake in the Bavarian-Austrian arms complex. And what Ruprecht said is indeed reasonable. It is not a good thing for the empire to be dominated by a domestic company.

Thanks to the book friends Happy Xiongjun and SK Wolf Smoke for their rewards~~~. It's 100 chapters this afternoon, and the 100 chapters are directly on the shelves, and I continue to struggle with 100 chapters--!