Chapter 686

The "dumplings" game for warships was never fun. Not only did it test a country's industry, but it also tested the country's pockets.

Looking at the military budget, the Shinra Navy's 1904 military budget increased by one hundred million due to the shipbuilding competition.

Obviously, this amount of money could not be used to build warships. It would not cost that much to build a dozen battleships. Most of the money was spent on supporting and expanding the military.

Since the end of the European War, the Shinra Navy began its rapid development. In order to compete for military funds, the navy and air force worked together to force the army to abdicate.

Although they did not succeed, the navy's share of the military budget was increased. With the advent of the "Super Battleship Era," the Shinra Navy also entered a golden age.

Since 1900, several naval academies in Shinra began to recruit more people. From the initial annual enrollment of about two thousand people, it gradually expanded to the current annual enrollment of more than three thousand people.

It was naturally incomparable to the army's annual enrollment of tens of thousands of people. However, the navy's demand for officers was far less than the army's.

The reason was very simple. The main strategic goal of the Shinra Navy was to defeat the British, not to maintain world hegemony.

To achieve this goal, the most cost-effective way was to build battleships. The others, such as battlecruisers, seemed to be very useful, but it was not cost-effective to use them in a decisive battle.

It was not that there was no advanced technology, but it was not safe enough. For example, aircraft carriers. For example, submarines.

Both were very powerful, but they needed a specific battlefield. No one could guarantee that the British could be lured to a specific battlefield. Naturally, they could not pin their hopes on the British being stupid.

If the battlefield was in the Atlantic Ocean, the wind and waves alone would be enough to destroy aircraft carriers. It was not impossible to force them to fight, but the outcome would be a tragedy.

Needless to say, submarines could not be too far from the battlefield. Otherwise, the war would be over before they arrived.

Being unable to participate in a decisive battle did not mean that these assets were useless.

One had to know that Shinra was also a colonial power. Although the overseas colonies were not the core and could be abandoned at any time, it was better to protect them.

Aircraft carriers could not fight the British in the Atlantic Ocean, but it did not mean that they could not be used in the Pacific Ocean. Sending them to the Pacific Ocean to bully the Japanese Navy or the US Navy was a good choice.

Needless to say, relying on Shinra's colonies on all five continents, they could attack the entire world.

Of course, it was better not to use this kind of table-flipping method. After all, Shenluo was also a large sea trading country, and it was also easy for others to target it.

It mainly depended on the naval battle. If they won the naval battle, then they could just accept the hegemony. If they lost the naval battle, then there was nothing they could do. They could only break the rules and smash the pot.

In fact, Franz had put up so many smoke bombs to cover up these covertly built submarines and aircraft carriers.

Unlike battleships, aircraft carriers could be disguised as a merchant ships. Although it looked a little out of the ordinary, as long as no weapons were installed, it was still possible to fool amateurs.

There was no need to mention submarines. They weren't that big. If they could leave the shipyard underwater, it was entirely possible to avoid the eyes of the intelligence agents.

Not to mention after the military service, once they were dispersed to the colonies, who knew how many submarines Shinro had equipped?

There was no other way, who made the Royal Navy's reputation too great?

Other than the self-hypnotizing guys in the Admiralty, no one in the world believed that they could win.

Other than the self-hypnotized guys in the Navy, no one in the world thinks they can win. Although he was not sure, Franz still looked confident.

"Times are changing. In the 20th century, the competition for hegemony has evolved from a simple competition of military strength to a competition of comprehensive national strength.

"If a direct battle can't be won, then national strength will be used." "Failure is not scary. As long as there is the determination to" fight again and again ", they will be able to pull the British down."

In fact, one of the main reasons why the Vienna government dared to challenge the British was that they were already in an invincible position.

As a country with land power, no matter how many times they failed at sea, as long as the mainland was not attacked, their foundation would not be shaken.

It did not matter if they lost the naval battle. They could go back to the Mediterranean to rest for a year and a half, and then come back for a second battle.

If the second time didn't work, they could try a third, fourth, fifth time. Anyway, they could lose countless times, but they only needed to win once.

Just like the Pacific War between the United States and Japan in World War II, the Japanese Navy cheated and lost the war.

Although the gap between Shinra and Britannia was not as wide as the gap between the United States and Japan, the industrial strength was still three to one.

In addition, Britannia was an island country. Their own resources did not need to support industrial needs. Industrial raw materials were heavily dependent on imports, so the advantage was even more obvious.

Once the backup plan was activated, it would not be able to completely abolish the British's maritime trade, but it would not be a problem to significantly reduce their trade volume.

In the original timeline, the German submarines, within the limited space to move around, had caused the Allies to suffer greatly. Now that Shinra submarines could travel around the world, there was no reason for their lethality to be weaker.

It was always easier to destroy than to build. The speed of building ships could not keep up with the consumption. Once there was a problem with the trade line, the British would have to starve.

If there was a problem in the mainland, it would be useless no matter how good the Royal Navy was. If it was consumed in the war, it would be dragged to death because of the lack of logistics.

Although the tactics were a bit wretched, the strategy was absolutely upright. He was purely using his power to oppress others, without the slightest bit of trickery.

…

While Shinra and Britannia were racing against time, Japan and Russia were also racing against time, or even more intensely.

No matter what, Shinra and Britannia were only fighting in the dark, while Japan and Russia were fighting for real.

In order to speed up the construction of the Siberian Railway, the Tsarist government, for the first time, adopted three shifts and a 24-hour working system.

Don't think that it would be easy. The construction site was Siberia. In this godforsaken place, all kinds of weather existed.

Even though it was already April, there were still many places that maintained a low temperature of minus ten degrees at night, which was not suitable for construction at all.

Even if it was not suitable for construction, it had to be done. In the Russian Empire, there was no such thing as "construction cannot be done in winter." If construction could not be done in winter, the Siberian Railway would not need to be built.

The reputation of "frozen earth" was not just for show. In many areas of Siberia, the snow did not melt all year round.

Although the Siberian Railway was planned to avoid these harsh weather areas as much as possible, there were still many places that could not be avoided.

Human wisdom was powerful, and the engineers still found a way to overcome the harsh weather; human wisdom was also limited, and the safety of the workers could not be guaranteed.

Affected by the harsh weather at night, with the implementation of the 24-hour rotation system, the death rate of the workers did not decrease, but increased.

Especially at night, it was the peak period of death. Not to mention the frontline workers, even many of the Russian Army soldiers responsible for supervision were sick from the cold.

No matter how difficult it was, it could not shake the determination of the Tsarist government to hurry. The workers suffered heavy casualties, and the Russian Army at the frontline also suffered heavy casualties.

The earlier the railway was opened, the earlier the main force could arrive, and the earlier victory could come.

In the face of the overall strategic situation, they could abandon their own people, let alone a group of worthless French workers.

The Tsarist government was anxious, but the Government of Japan was even more anxious. Unlike the Tsarist government who was not afraid of boiling water, the Government of Japan was the representative of diligence and thriftiness.

There was no other way, the money had to be repaid, and it was a high-interest loan, so it was better to borrow as little as possible.

Looking at the equipment of the Japanese Army, there was no fundamental change compared to the Sino-Japanese War. Many troops were still using the spoils of war, it could be said that "diligence and thriftiness" was carried to the extreme.

Fortunately, the equipment of the Russian Army was not very good, only a little better than theirs. Although their firepower was stronger, they were limited by the lack of logistics, so they could only use ammunition sparingly.

The Far East, in the Russian Empire, was also known as the "exile zone." Not only were criminals exiled, but also the unlucky people who lost in the political struggle.

If the officials were the losers of the political struggle, then the army here was the marginalized of the Russian Army.

Whether it was weapons, equipment, or daily training, they could not compare with the main force, and their combat power was naturally at the bottom of the Russian Army.

In the face of such an enemy, the Japanese Army, which had the advantage of military strength, could not defeat them. The Government of Japan was naturally anxious.

Even the self-restrained Emperor Meiji could not help but swear, and at several Imperial Conferences, he caught the senior officers of the Army and cursed them.

He could not help but be angry, the Army's record was indeed not good. After besieging Lushun Fortress for a few months, in addition to leaving a ground full of corpses, they were still on the periphery.

According to the military, it was because the Russians used the most advanced trenches, machine guns, and steel wire defense line, which was very difficult to break through.

They found the problem, but was there any meaning to it?

The answer was: no.

The influence of the butterfly effect was strong. As the wind vane of the Army, the armies of other countries could not help but look up to the Shinra Army.

The Russians, who were the most deeply influenced by Shinra, were naturally no exception. With the efforts of generations of overseas students, the tactics of the Shinra Army were naturally spread to the Russian Army.

This made Lushun Fortress, which was easy to defend and difficult to attack, even more terrible. As a result, the traditional charge tactic of the Japanese Army became a tactic of sending people to die.

If there was no accident, General Nogi Kidian would not be able to become the God of War. Although the commander of the Third Army of the Japanese Army had just arrived at the front line to replace an unlucky man who committed suicide before him.

There was no other reason, but the main reason was that the brave "tank tactic" he advocated had lost its threat in the face of the well-fortified Lushun Fortress.

In Japan, a country that respected the strong, the loser was not qualified to be worshipped. If he could not complete the combat mission, the fate of Nogi Kidian would be similar to that of his predecessor.

Not only did the battle in Lushun Fortress not go smoothly, but even the battles in East Manchuria and South Manchuria did not develop as expected.

Although the Japanese Army gained the upper hand and forced the Russians to retreat, the Japanese Army also paid a heavy price.

Whether it was a loss or an advantage, it was estimated that it would be difficult to determine in a short time.

Different from the original time and space, the Russian people have been fighting in recent decades. Even the Russian Army in the Far East has improved its combat effectiveness. The most typical example is the overall quality of the officers, which is obviously higher.

The equipment is better, the quality of the officers has improved, and the combat effectiveness has naturally increased.

Becoming stronger when facing the strong is just a fantasy. Although the Japanese Army is also learning, it is not as thorough as the Russians.

Although the Japanese Army has higher morale, the Russian Army's morale is not low either! It is not that the Russian Army officers and soldiers like to fight, but more because of face.

How can the arrogant Russians accept losing to the Japanese?

Even if the Japanese Army is more numerous, the innate psychological advantage makes the Russian Army officers and soldiers feel that they can do it, and they are not afraid at all.

In the original time and space, the victory of Japan was largely due to the contribution of the Navy. The victory of the naval war strengthened the determination of the Japanese Army officers and soldiers to win, but it also shook the morale of the Russian Army.

Now it is just the beginning. Although there have been many defeats on the battlefield, the Russian Army has not yet reached the point where the morale of the army is shaken.

There is no way to lose, who told the Government of Japan to be "diligent and thrifty"?

In the case of insufficient military funds, it is normal for the development of the Army to not keep up with the times.

Especially under the influence of the traditional "Bushido" ideology, many Japanese Army generals think that relying on "bravery" can make up for the lack of equipment, and they despise the army that only plays with firepower.

In this context, with limited military funds, the first thing everyone thinks about is to maintain the size of the Army, not to use it to improve weapons and equipment.

Now that they have suffered a loss and realized the importance of firepower, the Army is embarrassed to say it!

For all this, as a Prime Minister of the Army, Katsura Taro is anxious in his heart.

The reason why the Army is embarrassed to say it is not only because of face. Worrying that admitting mistakes will be laughed at by the Navy is only one of the reasons, but more importantly, they are afraid of affecting the future right to speak in the Empire.

There is no other way, this is also one of the characteristics of Japan, no mistakes are allowed.

Since the guard handed over a battle report, Emperor Meiji's face became gloomy. Katsura Taro knew that there is bad news, so he hurriedly said:

"Your Majesty, please calm down. The enemy we are facing this time is Russia, and it is understandable that the frontline troops are making slow progress.

In order to speed up the progress of the troops, I propose to purchase a batch of equipment from the British to increase the strength of the troops.

For example, tanks and armored vehicles are good, and they can play a great role when attacking a position.

Although it is a little expensive, we only need to purchase a small amount, and it should not cost much. "

Russia and Austria are allies, and the war between Japan and Russia has already broken out, the Government of Vienna will naturally not sell arms to the Government of Japan.

In this context, although the British-made Army equipment, whether it is performance or price, is not competitive in the market, the Government of Japan still has no choice.

In addition to these two countries, the weapons and equipment of other countries can only be worse, there is no worst.

So far, in the world, only Shinra's armored forces have a division level, and the armored forces of other countries are at most at the regiment level.

On the one hand, it is expensive, the equipment is expensive, and the maintenance costs are even more expensive; on the other hand, it is because the technology is not up to standard, and the core components cannot be produced.

Not to mention a poor country like Japan, in addition to a few to maintain a facade, it is impossible to large-scale equipment.

Otherwise, after the outbreak of the war, there is no armored force that can break through the enemy's line of defense.

Emperor Meiji nodded: "Then purchase, it must be fast, it is best to directly purchase the British active equipment."

Emperor Meiji is not clear whether the armored forces can break through the enemy's line of defense, but according to the experience from Europe, it is indeed so.

At least, the anti-French alliance used armored forces to open the way, tear the French line of defense, and then drove all the way.