Any open secret was not a secret. Hoarding ordinary strategic materials and labeling it as aiding Russia was fine. Big things like warships could not be kept secret at all.
Finding a hidden port to secretly produce was a joke. Today was different from the past. Today's warships moved tens of thousands of tons and needed to mobilize a lot of manpower and material resources.
Unless Shinra closed the country, once the normal flow of goods reached a certain scale, it would be impossible to keep secrets.
Hiding it was just a child's way of thinking. In reality, it was impossible to do so.
The era of free trade accelerated the flow of goods and capital. At the same time, it created conditions for spies to lurk.
Since the signing of the Russian-Austrian Naval Agreement, the major shipyards in Shinra became the focus of spies.
It was naturally impossible to directly check inside. Such stupid spies had long been eliminated in the last century.
Now everyone learned to attack from the side. For example, by counting the number of workers entering and leaving the shipyard every day, transport vehicles, and price fluctuations in the raw material market, they analyzed and drew conclusions.
Needless to say, the accuracy was not much higher than guessing riddles. The raw materials were transported in, but what were they used for? This was not something the outside world could know.
The shipyard not only built warships but also merchant ships. Even if it was building warships, it was also impossible to determine the specifications of warships to build.
It was not the first time that Britain had made a wrong judgment due to a lack of intelligence. Except for a few real mistakes, most of the time it was deliberate mistakes made by the Royal Navy.
Thinking back to the previous arms races, the Government of Vienna always had an ambitious warship building plan. Although there was no strong start and weak finish, the warship building time would be extended by "a little bit."
The same warship building plan was completed in two or three years and completed in more than ten years. It was a completely different concept.
Technology was constantly improving. For warships, the later it was built, the better the performance.
At a certain time, building warships seemed very impressive, but in fact, it was giving up the opportunity to optimize the performance of warships.
A fall into the pit, a gain in wisdom.
After being fooled many times, the Government of the United Kingdom also learned its lesson. No matter how serious the Royal Navy said, the Government of London had to investigate before deciding whether to follow up.
This time was no exception. After receiving the naval treaty signed by Russia and Austria, the Government of the United Kingdom immediately ordered – investigate.
…
Ever since the unification of the Holy Roman Empire, this ancient port city had become one of the shipbuilding centers of Shinra.
Especially after Shinra established the North Sea Fleet, the importance of Hamburg further increased, and it became the production and maintenance place for the North Sea Fleet.
Once their strategic position was raised, more people would pay attention to them. As a member of the Naval Intelligence Department, Kaba was stationed in the Free City of Hamburg to collect intelligence on the construction of warships of the Shinra Navy.
Without a doubt, compared to the vast majority of his peers, Ka Ba was in charge of collecting information on the construction of warships. This was definitely a cushy job.
Unlike ordinary people, Ka Ba did not go directly to the shipyard. Instead, he chose to open a coffee shop in the steel wholesale market.
In the beginning, Ka Ba was still very serious about recording the information and analyzing it in detail. In the end, because of his misjudgment, the information he submitted was inaccurate, and he was severely criticized by his superiors.
After a few consecutive failures, Ka Ba, who had suffered a setback, started to slack off. It was too risky to make a judgment in advance, so they might as well wait for the warship to enter the water before reporting.
The news was a little late, but it was 100% accurate. Moreover, no matter how slow it was, it was faster than the London newspaper, right?
Although Ka Ba did not receive any praise, he did not receive any criticism either. After realizing that in the eyes of his superiors, no mistakes were achievements, Ka Ba's fighting spirit was completely gone.
Thanks to the rapid economic development of Shinra, Ka Ba did not have much success in collecting intelligence. Instead, the coffee shop business was booming.
If it wasn't for the Naval Intelligence Department's subsidy, which required him to report information every once in a while, he would have almost forgotten that he was an intelligence officer.
Unfortunately, things always went against one's wishes. When Ka Ba did not want to work hard, the orders from his superiors came.
In theory, if the Russian-Austrian Naval Treaty was true, for the convenience of delivery, the construction of warships should be in the north.
As an intelligence officer stationed in Hamburg, the order Ka Ba received was: Find out if the local shipyards were accepting the construction of warships, and the specifications of the warships.
In short, the more detailed the information, the better. As for how to get the information, it was the matter of the intelligence officers, and the superiors did not care.
Closing the Bible and burning the translated notes, Ka Ba's face was full of bitterness.
After being in Hamburg for so many years, he naturally did not live in vain. Naturally, there was an underground development, but it had never been used.
To be precise, these underground people themselves did not know when they became Britannia's intelligence officers. The connection between them and Ka Ba was just a normal friendship.
The only difference was that most of these people were shipyard staff, or people who could enter and leave the shipyard for various reasons.
Well, it was just to get a few more salaries. Those who worked in the intelligence field usually communicated through a single line. London had no idea how many people there were under them.
It was impossible to verify, because the investigation would cause the identity of the hidden personnel to be exposed. Those who were a little more clever would get a few more salaries.
Fake it together, then crematorium afterwards.
Now, Ka Ba felt like he was rushing to the "crematorium." Perhaps because of his outstanding performance, his superiors overestimated his ability and issued this almost impossible order.
Did the shipyards in Hamburg accept the construction of warships?
Without thinking, Ka Ba could answer – yes. There were orders for warships every year, and the only difference was the size of the order.
It was not difficult to even figure out the number of warships to be built. There would always be clues from the surroundings.
The trouble was to figure out the specifications of the warships, and this thing could not be done. It was estimated that before the parameters were found out, the police would come to the door first.
Not to mention the outside, even the shipyard workers did not know the specific parameters of the warships. Before the warships were launched, the number of people who knew was in the single digits. If you wanted to bribe them, you would know where to start.
No matter how difficult it was, Ka Ba had to investigate. This was a death order.
After receiving the salary of the Marine Intelligence for so many years, now that it was time to shed blood for Britannia, how could he be allowed to retreat.
Looking at his sleeping wife and children, Ka Ba sighed helplessly. There was no hiding, no organization would be lenient to traitors.
A sleepless night.
The next day, Ka Ba forced himself to pick up the abandoned old business and began to pay attention to the vehicles coming in and out.
Unfortunately, today was different from the past. With the vigorous development of the maritime industry, the shipbuilding industry also rose.
The most prominent was the demand for steel. The Hamburg steel wholesale center had thousands of tons of steel coming in and out every day, most of which flowed into the shipyard.
Today, civil merchant ships also used a lot of steel. It was no longer appropriate to judge whether to build warships purely from the consumption of steel.
The most taboo in intelligence work was impetuous. After all, he had received professional training, and Ka Ba's mentality was still very calm.
…
Holding his little son and playing with him for a while, Ka Ba pretended to be calm and said, "Dear, there is a reception in the evening, and I need to socialize. You don't have to leave me a meal."
In the past, he took his wife with him to this kind of social event. But not now. He resumed his old business, and Ka Ba did not want to involve his family.
Although there were some doubts, his wife looked at the child and did not say anything. She just said, "Come back early, don't drink too much."
"Got it."
Ka Ba replied.
The relationship between middle-aged couples was often so simple and unpretentious. It was just a few simple words, but it was filled with endless concern.
Driving the car slowly out, Ka Ba's heart was not calm. Although Hamburg was a free city, it did not mean that Shinra's anti-espionage ability was weak.
Everyone knew that it was a crucial moment in the battle between Shinra and Britannia. If they won, everyone would enjoy the dividends together. If they lost, they would have to suffer together.
In a sense, it was also the most united time in the Holy Roman Empire. All social classes were waiting to receive the legacy of Britannia.
The free city was no exception. Many people who had missed out on the great development of Shinra were rubbing their fists, ready to make a big show in this last wave.
Under such a big background, the life of a spy was naturally not easy. Once a clue was exposed, it could be exchanged for credit at any time.
In the Holy Roman Empire, meritorious service could be accumulated, and no one would complain about having too much of it.
No matter how good a friend was, they could not resist the temptation of benefits, especially when it involved the interests of the country and the nation.
As night fell, the banquet also began. Ka Ba, who was absent-minded, held his glass motionlessly as if he had fallen into a trance.
"Bang."
The sound of glasses clinking brought Ka Ba back to the real world. A familiar voice rang in his ears.
"What's wrong, my friend? You don't seem to be in a good state of mind today. Are you in trouble? "
Ka Ba looked at the person and replied calmly, "It's nothing. I just didn't sleep well last night, so I'm not in a good state today.
I'm not like before. Once I get older, I don't have the energy to do anything.
Back then, I could still stay awake after staying up for three days and three nights. Now, I can't even last one night.
By the way, White. What have you been busy with recently? I haven't seen you for a long time. "
After such an interruption, White was too embarrassed to get to the bottom of the matter. "Then you have to take care of yourself. We can't afford to toss and turn when we're middle-aged.
Look at me, I don't forget to take a vacation no matter how busy I am. Recently, the shipyard's missions are getting more and more urgent. I still have to take some time out to relax. "
The speaker spoke casually, but the listener listened attentively.
The phrase "the shipyard's missions are urgent" made Ka Ba think of many things. However, he knew that this seemingly carefree friend of his would be absolutely tight-lipped when it came to confidentiality.
In order not to arouse suspicion, Ka Ba pretended to be an amateur and probed, "Don't worry, I know how to take care of my body. If it wasn't for the child making a fuss in the middle of the night, I wouldn't have insomnia.
On the contrary, you have a heavy workload, so you should give it to your apprentices.
It just so happens that young people need opportunities to train. Give them more opportunities, and you can also relax.
Don't be so nervous that you don't even participate in your daily activities. "
White also wanted to do the same thing by giving the work to his apprentices. Everyone wanted to be a hands-off boss, but unfortunately, the reality was cruel.
Students who had just graduated from school had no work experience. White didn't feel at ease giving important work tasks to these fledgling kids.
White rolled his eyes and made a helpless expression, "Do you think it's making coffee? Anyone can do it.
My job is to build the most advanced ships in the world. Every technology and every plan used was verified and deliberated many times before it was finally decided.
Not to mention those kids, even an old engineer like me can only follow along and be responsible for some simple processes.
… "
Without waiting for White to finish, Ka Ba interrupted, "Don't say it. There is no point in talking to me about these professional things.
If we have the time, we might as well research … "
He ended the topic prematurely. That was the information that could be found out. Now that he knew everything, White would not say anything deeper.
Instead of taking the risk of being exposed, it was better to stop and continue to play the role of a coffee shop owner.
As for the task, the in-depth interpretation of the conversation just now was enough to write a report.
After being friends for so many years, Ka Ba still had some understanding of White's position in the shipyard.
Although he wasn't one of the top people, he was definitely a core engineer. White independently presided over the construction of most ships.
As a core engineer, there was only one situation – building a warship, and not an ordinary warship.
After confirming the construction site of a super battleship, this information was enough to last them for a while. As for the specific parameters, it could be said "not yet determined."
This wasn't a joke. At the beginning of the construction of many warships, the parameters and performance were only known by the designers and senior executives of the Navy. The shipyard engineers made a rough judgment based on their experience.
Experience was undoubtedly unreliable. Shipbuilding technology was advancing. The same size of warships often had a huge difference in displacement.
When it came to tonnage utilization, even if it was only a few percent increase, the final parameters of the warship would be completely different.
Ka Ba could responsibly say that even if he found a professional to analyze and judge, the accuracy wouldn't be much higher than him.
After returning home, Ka Ba scratched his head and pondered for a while. Then, he wrote down on the paper that Kelut Shipyard seemed to have received an order for a super battleship, with a displacement of about "25000 to 28000 tons."
After pausing for a moment, Ka Ba crossed out the displacement judgment, leaving only a suspected super battleship.
The information couldn't be submitted all at once. Only by doing it slowly could they let their superiors know the hardships of the frontline.
Ka Ba didn't expect to get a lot of bonuses. He just looked forward to taking fewer tasks to reduce the risk of exposure so he could safely retire.
As for the "intelligence elites" who were often praised internally, they seemed to have a bright future, but Ka Ba knew that these intelligence stars would change every once in a while.
Although there was no explanation from above, Ka Ba knew what was going on. It was nothing more than working too hard and being exposed in the process of collecting intelligence.
As an organization that couldn't be seen, once the identity of the intelligence personnel was exposed, not only did it mean the failure of the mission, but it also meant the end of their lives.
If it was a small or weak country, with the name of Britannia, it was possible to be fished out.
If it fell into the hands of a big country, unless it met a boss with a conscience, it might be possible to return to China during the exchange of intelligence personnel. Otherwise, it would be a problem of when to step into the gates of hell.
In his many years of intelligence career, Ka Ba had seen too much cruelty in the world. He didn't want to hand his fate to others.
…
There were idle intelligence personnel, but there were also hard-working intelligence personnel. With an order from the Government of London, several major intelligence organizations in Britannia became active.
Specifically, in recent times, the number of spies arrested by the Shinra police reached new highs.
Facts once again proved the truth of "the more you do, the more mistakes you make."
Not to mention at the beginning of the 20th century, even in the 21st century, it was very easy for spies to lurk.
It could be said that as long as they didn't cause trouble, there was no way to identify who was a spy. There was often only one reason to be exposed, and that was "moving."
Where there was effort, there would be returns. Although many of the intelligence personnel had been exposed, it was still worth it when compared to the information that had been sent back.
Downing Street, in the Prime Minister's residence.
Looking at the intelligence gathered from all over the world, Prime Minister Campbell's face became more and more unsightly.
The most worrisome situation still happened. Shinra did begin to build ships like crazy, but the number of super battleships built was not eight, but thirteen.
There was no way to verify the authenticity of this number in a short time. But whether it was eight or thirteen, once so many super battleships were put into service, it would break Britannia's sea power advantage.
Shinra was different from Britannia. As a land power country, as long as there was a fifty percent chance, the Government of Vienna dared to play at sea.
If they won the bet for world hegemony, if they lost the bet, they could just work hard in the Mediterranean for five years and then fight a second battle.
This was something Britannia absolutely could not do. Not to mention the Royal Navy was defeated, even if both sides suffered losses, Britannia would fall from heaven to hell.
After confirming that Shinra began to destroy warships, there was only one choice left for the Government of the United Kingdom – follow up.
Not only did they have to follow up, but they also had to build more warships to ensure the Royal Navy's dominant position.
As for the Russian-Austrian Naval Agreement, Campbell treated it as bullsh * t. Even if the agreement was true, the Government of Vienna would fulfill it according to the agreement.
But once the war for world hegemony broke out, the Shinra Navy could also be requisitioned first and then handed over to Russia after the war. Could the Tsarist government say "no"?
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