Chapter 98

When William spoke these words, Qingying was greatly astonished. Was this still the Wilhelm II he knew? In order to obtain colonies under the sun overseas, Wilhelm had greatly expanded the naval fleet, daringly challenging the British Empire's centuries-long maritime hegemony, directly igniting a world war that affected the entire globe. How could such an ambitious person utter such disheartened words? For a moment, Qingying even thought that Wilhelm had been possessed by a later-generation soul just like himself! He walked up to Wilhelm, staring straight at him, and said, "Father, this doesn't seem like the usual you! Didn't you tell me that Germany's rise in Central Europe has already made it the world's third-largest industrial power and economic center; the era when Germany was content with the sky while other countries vied for the oceans has long passed! Why are you now the first to back down?"

Faced with Qingying's slightly displeased questioning, Wilhelm surprisingly did not get angry. He shook his head and said, "Eitel, I have never given up my desire for the sea and colonies. However, I believe our target of challenge needs to be changed. France also has vast colonies, and we can easily make the French our primary target. If we were to oppose Britain, the difficulty would be too great."

Seeing the dejected Wilhelm, Qingying was extremely puzzled. After returning from the naval review yesterday, Wilhelm was still fine, so why did he become like this today? Thinking about his recent experience as a diplomat, a flash of insight struck Qingying. His ambition to challenge British hegemony must have been shaken by something the British Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury, said during their discussion about the Philippines. With this thought, Qingying could not help but say, "Father, have you forgotten? Ever since Germany embarked on the path of great power, it was destined to have a life-and-death struggle with the world's hegemon, Britain. Even if we back down now, this battle cannot be avoided!"

Wilhelm nodded slightly, remaining silent. Due to the butterfly effect caused by Qingying, he had already understood the environment in which his Germany was situated.

Germany lacked resources and had limited demand. To develop, it had to import large amounts of raw materials from overseas and then export the produced goods in large quantities. In the previous 100 years, Britain, having completed the Industrial Revolution first and possessing the world's largest transport fleet, had always dominated the world market. Whether it was the acquisition of cheap raw materials or the dumping of industrial products, these were long-standing interests of the British Empire, the core economic fields on which its world hegemony depended. Now, with Germany also completing its industrial transformation, it had a great demand for cheap raw materials and vast overseas markets, directly impacting Britain's core interests.

If it were just this, it would be manageable. After all, with the passage of time, France, the United States, Italy, Austria-Hungary, and even Russia had all entered the industrial age, leading to a surge in the demand for raw materials and the world market. In this context, Britain was destined to no longer be able to enjoy the cake alone and had to cede part of it, making compromises with the major powers. As one of the many countries demanding a redivision of the cake, Germany should not have been singled out by Britain; but the key was that Germany had the largest appetite! To meet its development needs, Germany had to seize Britain's raw materials and squeeze into Britain's overseas markets. Due to Germany's advanced industry and excellent technology, its products had stronger competitiveness than those of British counterparts, causing particularly severe damage to British interests. Currently, German products were already replacing British market interests in large quantities, even in the traditional light industry where Britain took pride, German products were playing an increasingly important role.

If it were just this, it would still be manageable. The British Empire had vast colonies and could tap into the internal demand of the Commonwealth, solving a large part of the problem of excess goods through internal sales. The purely economic challenge posed by Germany was not enough to make Britain decide to resolve the issue through war. However, Germany's comprehensive national strength far exceeded that of France and Russia, and it already had the power to challenge British world hegemony. With the industrialized Austria-Hungary further disrupting the balance of power in Europe, how could Britain allow a country to become the hegemon of Europe, let alone one that could overthrow its world hegemony? Under these combined factors, even if Germany did not intend to challenge Britain, Britain would stand against Germany in the final showdown to protect its own interests!

Qingying walked up to Wilhelm and said, "The industrial level of the French is far inferior to that of the German Empire. Now, these Gauls are not thinking about how to revitalize their country's strength, but are instead throwing large sums of money abroad in the form of loans. As a result, while their country appears economically prosperous on the surface, its actual strength in war is extremely limited. If the enemy we face is only France, then as soon as our army moves, victory will be imminent! But the British will never allow any country to become the hegemon of Europe, let alone a Germany that can overthrow their world hegemony. Therefore, they will not sit idly by and let us defeat France, but will stand on France's side in our war with France and oppose us."

Wilhelm's expression changed, and finally, a determined look appeared on his face. "You're right, I was overthinking it. For years, Britain has always been pragmatic in international politics. If anyone poses a threat to them, they can ally with their most hated enemies to deal with the threat. Now, France and Russia are only superficially powerful, but their actual national strength is limited. The only country in Europe that can truly threaten British world hegemony is the German Empire. Even if the Royal Navy is powerful, Germany must rise to the challenge. If we back down, the world's sea power will never belong to Germany!"

Seeing this, Qingying felt greatly relieved. A powerful enemy is not to be feared; what is to be feared is the lack of courage and belief to defeat the enemy. He smiled slightly and said, "As for the British Navy, I have a different perspective. At present, the British Navy is indeed invincible in the world; but for Germany, there is still a chance to defeat them!"

Wilhelm was taken aback and said, "Defeat the British Navy? How can we do that? After all, we are far inferior to the British in terms of fleet size and shipbuilding speed!"

"Indeed, as you said. As an island nation, Britain can invest the majority of its strength in the sea, while Germany, being in Central Europe, must focus its main efforts on defending against the land threats from France and Russia. In terms of sea control, Britain does have an absolute advantage over Germany. However, Britain also faces the reality that they have too many places to protect at sea."

Qingying continued, "Britain has the most colonies in the world, with its influence spanning every region. Therefore, they need to build a large number of cruisers capable of long-range operations to patrol the colonies, protect maritime routes, and demonstrate British naval power in distant waters. The 25 second- and third-class cruisers and countless fourth-class cruisers that appeared at the naval review were built for this purpose. These cruisers, due to their pursuit of speed, are always the most expensive, but they are only suitable for overseas missions and are of little use in fleet battles."

Wilhelm's eyes gradually brightened, and he interjected, "On the contrary, Germany's situation is the opposite of Britain's. We do not have as many colonies to protect, and our current overseas patrol ships are sufficient to safeguard our interests in distant waters. Therefore, we do not need to build any long-range cruisers, but only focus on building a main fleet for the final battle. If Germany's naval spear can defeat the British main fleet in the final battle, we will naturally win the naval war!"

Qingying nodded and said, "Exactly. Since cruisers require high-power propulsion systems to achieve high speeds, their cost per ton is much higher than that of battleships. Long-range cruisers, in particular, need long-range capabilities and high freeboard to complete their missions, which inevitably reduces their combat effectiveness. This time, Germany has only a budget for four small cruisers over seven years, and all the ships are low-freeboard designs, all aimed at enhancing the combat strength of the German Navy in direct battles. Unless our overseas patrol ships have been in service for more than 20 years and are too old to be replaced, building any more long-range cruisers would be an unforgivable crime against the 60 million German people!"

After a brief moment of excitement, Wilhelm's expression suddenly changed. He seemed to have thought of something and said, "However, even so, for Germany to build a fleet capable of defeating the British Navy in a fleet battle, the naval budget must be at least 60% of Britain's. Currently, our naval budget is only one-fifth of Britain's, far from meeting this requirement. Since Germany must prioritize the army's budget, to achieve this amount, our economy and industry must reach 150% of Britain's!"

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