Holy Roman Empire

The naval shipbuilding plan might not have been approved, but Frederick highly praised the strategic plan that sparked the Anglo-Russian War.

Any country's greatest fear is a bureaucracy that is mindless and inactive. Only a bureaucracy that gets busy is a good one.

Despite the fact in some instances the Naval Department might have been slightly overly ambitious, failing to consider all aspects thoroughly, considering the actual situation, Frederick also understood the department's approach.

Although the Holy Roman Empire Navy had already reached the second rank in the world, the distance from the first was still far.

Originally, the Shinra Navy had hoped to catch up with the British, but it was unfortunate that the French had sold their ships to the British, further widening the naval power gap between the two nations.

Of course, there are two sides to everything; there are disadvantages and advantages. The Royal Navy, having acquired the French ships, did not fare well either.

The purpose of purchasing these ships was initially to suppress the Shinra Navy and consolidate maritime supremacy.

To their dismay, the situation subsequently evolved slightly, and the anticipated arms race did not erupt, leaving the Royal Navy with no choice but to decommission some of its ships.

Buying a bunch of big toys home only to lock them in the drawer, the British, too, had their own unspoken hardships.

However, that was something unavoidable; knowing it was a trap, the British could only jump in, for if the ships fell into the hands of the Shinra Navy, it would be difficult to maintain the Royal Navy's advantageous position.

After all, building ships takes time. If the Royal Navy lost its advantage and one day the Vienna Government rashly decided to challenge the Royal Navy, tragedy would ensue.

Shinra, being a land power, could afford to lose a battle, but Britannia could not withstand the pressure. Should the Royal Navy suffer a heavy loss, the international situation could be completely reset, and it would be difficult for Britannia to reclaim its maritime dominance.

After missing one opportunity for rapid catch-up, mankind was then faced with the biggest economic crisis in history, as money was diverted to manage the economy, naturally reducing the military budget.

Since the end of the European wars, Shinra's military spending had been stagnant. The total military budget did not increase, and naturally, neither did the amount allocated to the navy.

After the war, to raise funds for the military, the army and air force began selling second-hand equipment. They might not have made a fortune out of it, but it at least provided a means to improve their livelihoods.

The navy had it tough, as due to the previous mass sell-off of ships, the international market was already saturated, leaving no room for them to make sales.

In fact, even if there had been a space to exploit, it would have been useless. The army and air force were aggressively selling off equipment left from the anti-French war; disposing of it in a tearful fire sale was still better than scrapping it for steel.

It was different for the navy; they did not have a surplus of ships and also had to deal with competition from the British.

The Shinra Navy's budget had not increased, but its competitors' naval budgets were growing year by year. The Naval Department watch this happen with great concern.

But simply being "concerned" was of no help when the government's annual fiscal budget was a fixed amount, and they had to prioritize more urgent needs.

Without a doubt, the Shinra Navy was clearly not the most urgent priority for development. The Royal Navy was already significantly superior; a further increase in their advantage would not matter much, as they also did not dare enter the Mediterranean.

The Royal Navy's prestige was so great that many high-ranking individuals in the Vienna Government, including Frederick, lacked confidence in the navy.

Within the Vienna Government, there had always been another voice regarding the confrontation with the British, which was: to build more airfields in the coastal areas for defensive air force deployment, while also heavily developing submarines as a complement.

There was no need to sink all the enemy's ships; if the air force could inflict damage on the enemy's vessels, then the navy could come in to reap the benefits.

With such modest requirements, the challenge became significantly less daunting. The Royal Navy's main forces dared not enter the Mediterranean, precisely because of this theory.

After all, in terms of mobility, the air force greatly surpasses the navy. The Vienna Government was also building a large number of rudimentary airfields along the coast.

If the Vienna Government so desired, they could muster hundreds, even thousands of planes in any given area.

Faced with a dense flock of aircraft, anyone's scalp would tingle with fear. The Royal Navy, formidable as it was, still held a degree of fear for the enemies above.

The Air Force had even developed a strategic bombing plan against England, which consisted of concentrating thousands of bombers in a single attack to eradicate the British maritime dominance.

Although this was not viable with current technology, considering the pace of advancements in aviation technology, it might be possible within the next twenty to thirty years.

After all, the English Channel spanned only so far, and as the dominant power in Europe, Shinra could easily deploy its fighters in France and Belgium for an airstrike, which would not be difficult.

Although the plan was filled with idealism, compared to engaging the British in a naval battle, people had more confidence in the air force.

Under these circumstances, the Shinra Navy naturally had a hard time. It was normal for them to be anxious when they were unable to compete with the army for funding, let alone the air force encroaching on their resources.

The military budget was limited, and the original plan of the Navy Department to "rely on Shinra's industrial advantage and crush the British with sheer numbers" clearly lacked feasibility.

Once again thwarted by Frederick, Castagni presented a new document: "Your Highness, this is an alternative plan prepared by our Navy Department."

The gap between the Imperial Navy and the British Royal Navy is vast, and it's inevitable to invest a large amount of financial resources to catch up.

Considering the limited fiscal revenue of the Empire, in order to save on military expenses, the Navy Department is ready to promote a naval industrial technological revolution.
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This is a New Battleship designed with an entirely new design concept, unlike any previous warships.

We have abandoned the concept of a mix of various types of guns and instead equipped all heavy artillery. The firepower intensity is three times that of traditional battleships.

If this trial is successful, then all the past traditional battleships will be swept into the dustbin of history.

The "Trial Ship" is very important. Although the Vienna Government is frugal with naval expenditures, they are exceptionally generous with "Trial Ships" that adopt new technologies.

The direct consequence is that the Shinra Navy sees the emergence of quite a few bizarre designs every year. However, to push the development of naval technology, these efforts are necessary.

Looking through the history of human naval development, one can see that every technological revolution has been achieved by stepping on mines over and over again.

For this, Franz even set up a Navy Bizarre Design Exhibition, specifically to showcase the various technological innovations on the path of naval development. Both successful and failed attempts were unreservedly included.

There was no blaming, no criticism; it was as if everything were taken for granted. Over time, people got used to it, the designers unleashed their imaginations, and they played more vigorously on the path of creative failure.

Of course, more than ninety-nine percent of the ship design blueprints end up archived, and those that actually become ships are not even one percent.

Being bold enough to attempt is different from mindlessly attempting. At the very least, they have to conform to the most basic principles of mechanics, to ensure that the ships won't sink once built, before advancing to the next stage of argumentation.

After internal screening, the ultimate design plans put into use are actually the more reliable ones.

Frederick's understanding of naval technology was not deep, but he still had the most basic common sense. Looking at the ship design in front of him, Frederick asked with uncertainty, "Sweep all the past battleships into the trash heap, are you sure that's feasible?"

It's not about grieving over the obsolescence of ships; in fact, no matter how naval technology changes, it won't affect the value of previous ships.

After all, not every country can keep up with a naval technology revolution. The current contenders are only Shinra and Britain; the rest are still juniors.

They can think about joining the naval technology revolution when they've grown; it's not their turn to join the excitement now.

If a naval technology revolution were to erupt, like when the Ironclad ship was born, it would be all benefits and no disadvantages for the Holy Roman Empire.

Times have changed; starting from the same starting line, with its powerful industrial strength, Shinra is not afraid to compete with the British.

Although the obsolescence of old battleships will lead to heavy losses, the British will lose the most. "In hurting the enemy a thousand, self-harming eight hundred," it's still worth a try for Shinra.

Navy Minister Castagni shook his head: "Your Highness, the birth of new technology always involves accidents. No one can guarantee its feasibility before it emerges.

I can only tell you that this New Battleship has such potential. With three times the firepower of traditional battleships, theoretically, it could indeed achieve overwhelming victory."

Just "potential" is enough. For a chance to quickly close the power gap with the British Navy, spending over four million Divine Shields on a trial is entirely acceptable.

After a moment of contemplation, Frederick slowly said, "I will keep this document for now, and in principle, I am not opposed.

As for when to start the plan, let's discuss it in the Cabinet!"

Four million Divine Shields is not a small figure; it's nearly one percent of the Vienna Government's fiscal revenue, occupying a significant proportion of the government's budget.

Frederick felt it was better to be cautious. No one knows whether there will be more important projects to come. He couldn't afford to botch the allocation of the budget on his first time overseeing it.

Especially since a successful new ship trial would bring about an unprecedented scale of arms race, more care is needed.

Frederick does not believe that ships Shinra can build, the British cannot. Although Shinra's industrial capacity is stronger, Britain is the king of naval technology.

Even after the European wars had ended and Shinra inherited the naval technology from the French, filling some gaps, that only brought the two sides to the same level but still did not surpass the British.