Chapter 70

"Following the intervention in the Liaodong Peninsula affair, Russia has become even more eager for territories in the Far East; they dream of monopolizing all regions of Northeast China to achieve their goal of colonizing Yellow Russia and securing an ice-free port. Whether it is expanding their influence in the Far East or seizing an ice-free port, a powerful Far Eastern fleet is indispensable for Russia. Present-day Russia has crossed the threshold of industrialization, and the state's finances have significantly increased compared to the time of Alexander II. Financially, they are now capable of building a strong navy in the Far East. It can be foreseen that in the coming years, Russia will certainly expand its naval strength in the Far East to vie for dominance and secure the ice-free port they have long desired!"

Jodik paused and continued, "Russia has just entered the threshold of industrialization and has significant technological gaps in the forefront of precision industries. However, the main warships are a complete embodiment of a nation's most advanced industry. If Russia chooses to build warships on its own, the ships produced will inevitably be expensive and of poor quality compared to those of the leading powers. Deploying such warships in the Black Sea would not be a problem, as the Turkish warships are even worse. However, if they are to be deployed in the Far East to compete with your country's navy, they would be no match. Therefore, to obtain a powerful fleet, Russia must introduce foreign shipbuilding technology or directly order warships from abroad. Buying ships is always the best shortcut to enhancing naval strength."

"Indeed. Shipbuilding is a technical job. With Russia's industrial level, they can only build some dilapidated coastal defense ships in their Black Sea bathtub to bully the sick man of Europe, the Ottoman Empire. To build warships that can rival the main warships of the British Empire is simply a dream! However, I still don't understand what benefit it would bring to the British Empire for your country to build warships for Russia?" Prentice interjected. After speaking, he glanced at Cecil, only to meet the latter's cold and piercing gaze, which immediately silenced him like a child caught stealing candy.

Jodik smiled kindly at Prentice and continued, "The gentleman just now was absolutely right. In this context, Russia's foreign ship purchases are inevitable. To realize their ambitions, Russia needs a large number of main warships, and the list of foreign military purchases will certainly not be small. Even if Germany refuses to build warships for Russia, Russia can still turn to France! France is Russia's ally and has conflicts with your country in the seas and African colonies. If Russia requests France to help them build warships, the French will certainly do their utmost to assist." He paused and then said solemnly, "Rather than letting France build a batch of excellent warships specifically targeting your country, it would be better for Germany to share in this pie. Once Russia's warships are built by Germany, the performance of the warships will be under our control!"

Hearing Jodik's last sentence, Cecil's eyes narrowed slightly, and he instantly understood everything. Germany's purpose in building warships for Russia is clearly to push Russia eastward, thereby reducing the pressure on themselves in Europe. To achieve this goal, they will even actively encourage Russia to develop a Far Eastern fleet. As for who Russia's eastward advance targets, Germany does not care, as they will not face Russia's military aggression themselves! Now, in the face of British criticism, they have come up with this ridiculous excuse of 'controlling the performance of Russian warships' to evade responsibility! The Russians are not fools; if the German-built warships are of poor quality, would they still buy from Germany?

Cecil snorted coldly and said sarcastically, "Your country has gone through such a roundabout way, all for the sake of the British Empire, which is truly touching! However, I seem to have heard that your country was able to reach a deal with Russia precisely because the warships you built are of excellent performance? With a design displacement of less than 11,000 tons, they are equipped with 8 210mm main guns and 8 150mm secondary guns, a firepower that can overwhelm all of the British Empire's active cruisers!"

Jodik was taken aback. He had deliberately avoided mentioning the specific performance of the warships to minimize the impact of the sale on Russia. However, he did not expect the British to be so well-informed; the contract had been signed for less than a week, and the British already knew the tonnage and armament of the warships! Before coming here, Jodik had made thorough preparations, and this minor setback was well within his expectations.

He maintained a calm demeanor and said unhurriedly, "Mr. Prime Minister, what you said is entirely correct. If the performance of the German warships were poor, the Russians would not have ordered them from us. However, you must understand that besides the design performance, there is a more important design philosophy in warships. The most direct feeling is that, at the same technical level, some warships are what your country hopes to face, while others are what your country does not want to see! The firepower of the ship we sold to Russia is indeed very powerful, but the cost is that its protection and speed are unsatisfactory; this type of warship is precisely what your country hopes to face!"

Jodik's thoughts raced, always focusing on the clear main idea, and he continued, "Your country's navy is invincible, with an absolute numerical advantage over the Russian navy. Therefore, your country does not fear any form of direct confrontation; the only concern is not being able to catch the enemy's warships. The ship Germany sold to Russia happens to be the type that cannot escape! Once your country's fleet discovers it, it will be surrounded and sunk without a doubt. This is the advantage of Germany building warships for Russia for your country. If Germany were to wholeheartedly help Russia, we would not build such powerful warships for them but would design a ship with relatively weak firepower and extremely fast speed to disrupt your country's maritime traffic. Which type of warship poses a greater threat to your country, I don't need to elaborate, do I?"

Cecil's pupils constricted slightly, and for the first time, a look of surprise appeared in his eyes. As a politician, he only had a superficial understanding of naval matters and had never considered that there were so many intricacies in warship design. He turned to Prentice and asked, "Is this true?"

Prentice nodded slightly and said, "As a Royal Navy captain, I can discern this. In ship design, the design philosophy is clearly more important than the technical aspects; it is the soul and core of the entire warship. The Royal Navy's fleet tonnage has long exceeded the limits set by the two-power standard and is almost at the scale of the three-power standard. No country's naval power on this planet dares to engage the Royal Navy in a direct confrontation. Therefore, the focus of the Royal Navy has shifted from maintaining sea power to protecting maritime traffic. If Russia develops fast cruisers to threaten the empire's maritime shipping, we will have to mobilize a large number of forces to conduct searches; this is an extremely troublesome task, time-consuming and labor-intensive, and no one can guarantee capturing these fast warships with strong endurance. Conversely, if Russian warships are large, slow targets, they can only engage in fleet battles with us, which is the best scenario for the Royal Navy! We can deal with those few Russian ships with just a finger!"

Seeing the lingering doubt on Cecil's face, Prentice explained again, "The warship Germany is building for Russia is precisely the type the Royal Navy hopes to face. Its half-loaded displacement is only 10,700 tons, but it is equipped with 8 210mm main guns and 8 150mm secondary guns. To achieve such powerful firepower, the ship's protection and speed have been greatly sacrificed. If the Royal Navy were to build this armored cruiser, even with the minimum defense, its speed would not exceed 18.5 knots. At this speed or lower, it cannot pose any threat to our maritime shipping."

PS: There will be another chapter tonight... Please give some recommendations and favorites...