Chapter 71

Upon hearing Prentis's words, Cecil finally understood the crux of the matter. Prentis had been in charge of ship design and procurement for several years and was well-versed in shipbuilding. Cecil had no doubt about Prentis's judgment in his field of expertise. Prentis had already explained the performance of this warship clearly: it was powerful in firepower but lacked in everything else; even the Royal Navy could only achieve the minimum level of protection and a speed of 18.5 knots when building this type of vessel! Cecil understood that Prentis had left something unsaid: the Royal Navy had ruled the seas for over 300 years, with more shipyards and designers than could be counted; how could Germany, a land country that had only been unified for less than 30 years, have superior shipbuilding technology to Britain? If the world's top Royal Navy was like this, then the land-based Germans must be even worse!

Seeing Cecil's expression soften, Jodik quickly seized the opportunity. He put on a look of surprise and admiration and said, "Sir, you must be an officer of the Royal Navy? To immediately see through the core of this ship is truly admirable. However, there is a small inaccuracy in your estimation. The Russians are a race that values direct combat; mere powerful firepower is not enough to win their favor. Therefore, our country has also raised the protection level of this warship to a considerable height. As a result, the design speed of this armored cruiser is only 18 knots, which is even less than the latest battleships of your country."

"What? 18 knots?" Hearing this crucial number, Prentis's eyes lit up with surprise and joy. In the Royal Navy's active fleet, there were two "Bulwark" class second-rate battleships: their design displacement was 10,500 tons, equipped with four 254mm main guns, and could reach a speed of 18.5 knots, surpassing this Russian ship in both firepower and speed. These two second-rate battleships, built specifically to counter Russian armored cruisers, were well-suited for the Far East, where they could display their power. Three years after this ship was commissioned, the British Navy would also receive a 12,350-ton Renown-class second-rate battleship and two 14,200-ton Powerful-class super cruisers. Even if only a part of them were sent to the Far East, they would form an overwhelming numerical advantage over this German-built warship. If that didn't work, Britain still had two 9,150-ton Black-class and eight 7,350-ton Edgar-class (the last one not yet in service) main cruisers, all of which were fast ships with speeds between 20 and 22 knots. Once this Russian warship was discovered, it would have no chance of escaping!

Jodik sighed deeply and said to Cecil with a tone full of sorrow and reflection, "Prime Minister, as you know, Germany is currently facing a two-front threat from France and Russia, making the land situation extremely tense. For the fundamental interests of Germany's survival and development, we have no choice but to push Russia eastward to secure a space for our survival. By helping Russia build warships, we can exert influence on Russia, ensuring it does not become hostile to Germany under French influence. Additionally, this will consume a large amount of Russian funds, further reducing the pressure on Germany's eastern front. Germany is selling warships to Russia for the sake of survival."

Jodik continued, "However, Germany has never forgotten the kindness of the British Empire. Therefore, when building warships for Russia, we have designed them in a way that benefits the Royal Navy. Moreover, Russia has already invested heavily in naval development. If Germany does not secure this order, it will go to France! If France builds warships for Russia, they will certainly not produce an armored cruiser with a speed of less than 18 knots! That is why I said that Germany building warships for Russia is not only harmless but beneficial to the British Empire."

Cecil's mouth opened slightly, his face stiff, and he found it hard to find words to counter.

Jodik did not give Cecil any time to think and continued, "Germany has made sincere efforts to protect the interests of the British Empire. For the Prime Minister to consider Germany's actions as betrayal and even threaten with tariffs is truly heartbreaking. Currently, Britain and Germany are each other's largest trading partners. Not only does your country grant tariff preferences to our goods, but the tax rate for your goods entering our customs is the lowest among all countries! As for the trade deficit, it is the result of fair transactions, is it not? If both sides raise tariff barriers, it will be a heavy blow to the economies of both countries. I hope the Prime Minister will carefully consider this self-destructive behavior." Jodik subtly hinted that if Britain unilaterally raised tariffs, Germany would not remain passive.

After hearing the German's words, Cecil frowned and remained silent. He knew that all of Jodik's expressions were feigned and could hear the underlying threat in his last words. He completely dismissed Jodik's veiled threat. If tariffs were used to sanction Germany, Britain would indeed suffer economically, but compared to Germany, Britain's losses would be much lighter. Germany had no overseas colonies, and its relationship with its traditional trade ally Russia was becoming increasingly complex. A significant portion of Germany's rapid growth in foreign trade profits came from selling goods to Britain and countries within the British Commonwealth. If Britain tightened this channel, Germany's goods would struggle to find buyers, severely impacting their economic growth. In contrast, Britain, with its numerous overseas colonies, received a large amount of cheap raw materials daily. Moreover, India and Qing, with their large populations, were excellent markets for British goods. If Britain and Germany engaged in a trade war, Germany would suffer far more than Britain!

However, Jodik was right about one thing: Britain and Germany were each other's largest trading partners, and raising tariffs would harm both. If Germany harbored ill intentions, Britain's sanctions would be justified. But if Germany was truly loyal to the British Empire, as Jodik claimed, then Britain's sanctions would be meaningless. Based on the current situation, it seemed that Germany was not acting against Britain as he had initially thought; instead, they were protecting British interests.

To be fair, Germany's active shipbuilding for Russia would indeed stimulate Russia's naval construction to some extent. However, due to Russia's limited financial resources, this stimulation would be limited. Given the overall unchanged expansion plan of the Russian Navy, this additional portion would be within the acceptable range of the British Navy. France and Britain had conflicts over the seas and colonies, and France's shipbuilding technology was commendable. France had both the motive and the capability to build warships for Russia. It would be better to let Germany share in the order and build some slower warships for Russia. The Royal Navy, with its overwhelming numbers, preferred fleet battles!

For some reason, looking at the German ambassador's kind and sincere face, Cecil felt something was off, his political intuition strongly stimulating his nerves. But upon closer examination, every point and detail seemed reasonable, and he could find no grounds to refute them. The Russians were known for their roughness, and equipping the ship with eight 210mm main guns was undoubtedly their choice. However, with such a design, how could the speed be increased? The two British Bulwark-class battleships were the best examples, with similar displacement and firepower!

Could it be that he was overthinking it? Was the Emperor William, who had polio, deeply attached to his family ties and always loyal to the British Empire? But if that wasn't the case, how could the ship they built for Russia be explained? An armored cruiser with a speed of only 18 knots was clearly designed to be easy prey for the Royal Navy! Even if Russia mobilized all its resources to develop its Pacific Navy, the Royal Navy and the Japanese Navy, as close allies, could easily assemble a fleet three times the size of Russia's in the Far East. In such a situation, the slight firepower advantage of a single Russian ship would be insignificant!

Cecil thought and thought but could not figure out what the Germans were up to. After a while, seeing that Prentis and Jodik were still looking at him, he realized it was time to make a statement. He sighed deeply and said, "Germany's sincerity towards the British Empire is truly touching. If Germany builds more warships for Russia in the future, please ensure they are powerful in firepower but slow in speed. If so, the British Commonwealth market will always welcome your goods with low taxes."

Jodik felt a great weight lifted from his heart and respectfully replied, "Prime Minister, your wisdom and insight are a blessing to both Germany and the British Empire! Our country will certainly follow your will in this matter."

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