() "Boss, your wish has finally come true, 3-unit, central axis layout, piggyback battleship." After seeing off the satisfied Tirpitz, Yan Boxun said. "In this way, you have at least completed the order for 3 battleships.

If it is handed over to Deutsche Werft, will this cause dissatisfaction in Italy?" Yan Boxun said with some concern.

"No, from the perspective of Italian manufacturers, they can make more money by selling ships to other countries than selling them to Beiyang. Since the Made in Italy brand has been established, they are naturally unwilling to continue selling ships to Beiyang warships at low prices.

.More importantly, the Italian Navy now has money, and they want to reorganize their armaments. In the foreseeable future, Italian shipyards will be filled with orders from the Italian Navy!" Xu Jie said with a wry smile...

"Can the Germans build these 23,000-ton warships? In terms of experience, the Germans are far inferior to the Italians." Yan Boxun said with some worry.

"The Germans have five years to complete and demonstrate this class of battleship. If our design is OK, this battleship will be the strongest battleship in the world! The fearless king is well-deserved!" Xu Jie said with a smile.

"Boss, what kind of new battleships will we add in that war?" Yan Boxun asked.

"Two 12-gun 12-inch 45L battleships, two 10-gun 12-inch 45L battleships, two four-seat twin-mounted main gun quadrangular layout battlecruisers, plus two nine-gun fast battleships," Xu Jie said at the end.

, smiled slightly.

"Fast battleship? What is this? Isn't it a battleship with a speed between a battleship and a battlecruiser, but a firepower and protection equal to that of a battleship?" Yan Boxun asked...

"But in terms of tonnage, these two fast battleships will not be much lower than the 12-gun battleship. According to my estimation, the actual speed of the battlecruiser may reach 24 knots or even higher. The battleship speed will be 20 knots.

Around 22 knots, while a fast battleship will be able to reach around 22 knots." Xu Jie thought for a while and said.

"It's only two knots short of speed. It's a bit too high and too low." Yan Boxun curled his lips and said.

"This is to take into account the needs of the decisive battle fleet and the fast fleet. It is true that the three battleships have to face the Russian armored cruiser brigade and undertake the avant-garde mission of the main fleet, but we only have so little funds, so,

We can only make some battleships have multiple uses. Before the decisive battle, they will join the battlecruiser fleet to attack the opponent's armored cruisers. During the decisive battle, they will be incorporated into the battleship formation according to the situation." Xu Jie thought for a while and said.

"A bit nondescript. Unless the speed of the battlecruiser can be further improved, the speed of the fast battleship can reach between 24 and 25 knots. Only in this way will it have sufficient strategic significance. The speed difference of 2 knots is likely to be offset by the ship's condition.

In other words, the speed advantage is not obvious." Yan Boxun said.

"There is no way, this is the current situation. The cost of increasing the speed of the battlecruiser is too high, and we do not have enough battleships to form with it. Moreover, the fragile side string waterline armor of the battlecruiser faces heavy naval gun defense.

The force is not enough. This directly leads to an easy stalling. Therefore, there must be battleships in the fast fleet that can resist." Xu Jie explained.

"Which battleships do you plan to change to match the battlecruiser? Will it not be the king?" Yan Boxun asked.

"It can only be the King. The King's ship is very young now, and the power of the original equipment is strong enough. As long as the wheelbase of the propeller is adjusted, the speed will have a chance to increase. I was careless at the time and did not bring this attention to the Germans.

Click." Xu Jie was also a little depressed.

"In addition to the main battleships, we lack enough lightning strike ships and anti-mineralization ships. The original lightning strike ships cannot accompany the fleet on long voyages due to seaworthiness issues. The old anti-lightning strike ships are generally ordinary third-class protected cruisers.

The firepower of these warships is sufficient, but their speed and endurance are very problematic. They are fine when performing missions in offshore waters, but if they want to cross the entire South China Sea, they may not be able to do it." Yan Boxun expressed his worries.

"Then what do you think of torpedo boats and anti-torpedo ships?" Xu Jie asked.

"If you want to fight in the ocean, the torpedo boat should not be too small, about 500 tons will be better. It can carry enough torpedoes, and it can also take into account seaworthiness. A 500-ton torpedo boat is equipped with five 12-pound fast guns.

to deal with each other's fish

The mine boat is also equipped with 3 twin torpedo tubes and uses 14-inch torpedoes. For power, it uses a new steam turbine with a maximum speed of 30 knots." Yan Boxun thought for a while and said. (Historically, there were already 30 knots in 1900.

torpedo boats)

"As for the light cruiser, it is better to have a displacement of about 3,000 tons. It is equipped with a large number of 120mm rapid fire cannons and 12-pound guns, and is protected by dome armor. It is specially used to fight against the opponent's torpedo boats and light reconnaissance warships. It also uses steam turbines to ensure that the speed is within

Above 25 knots, the original third-class protected cruisers are no longer able to provide timely cover for the battleships due to speed issues, and these battleships must be replaced." Yan Boxun took out an auxiliary battleship plan as he spoke.

"Show it to Mr. Yang and the others. If you don't have any objections, then draw up a plan. How much equipment will be used and how it will be rotated. Write it down clearly. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, all of this will have to be approved by the budget." Xu Jie said.

"In addition, let's contact Dalian to see if they can build large battleships exceeding 15,000 tons. If possible, I hope we can build 1 or 2 of the 8 battleships." Xu Jie thought about it.

Want to say.

"This is a bit difficult. If the shipyard is improved for one to one and a half years, it should be possible. But it is obviously difficult to complete such a giant ship in less than four years. And the so-called construction is estimated to use materials and processing.

To be more specific, Germany's steam turbine units may all be imported from the UK, let alone us." Yan Boxun shook his head and said.

"These are all minor issues. The biggest question is, boss, is your wallet enough?" Yan Boxun asked. "This is just a navy issue. The army's armaments will definitely not be less than the navy's. Even if the Germans give us a discount

Price, 1.5 million pounds for a battleship is definitely unaffordable. Plus various auxiliaries

A battleship cannot be purchased without 20 million pounds. If converted into silver, it would be more than 120 million taels! The annual income of various places in Beiyang, including both overt and covert income, is 80 million taels?

This navy and army can eat up more than half of it in one go, unless you find other ways to make money."

"Actually, I think there is no need for the navy to expand its forces on such a large scale. The army will play a key role in the next war with Russia, and the navy's importance will decrease." Yan Boxun thought for a while and said this.

"If it were just against Russia, the navy would not need to prepare for war with such fanfare. But our target is not just Russia. Even if the Netherlands does not help the Russians this time, we will eventually expand our sphere of influence to Southeast Asia." Xu Jie smiled.

Said. A big plan is gradually taking shape in Xu Jie's mind!
Chapter completed!