"Commander-in-chief, we are at peace." At the meeting of the Military Commission, the Navy's political commissar said with a smile.
Vézé didn't seem to understand the meaning of the words at all. He smiled and said, "North America is at peace, East Africa is about to be at peace, and the Indian Ocean will also be at peace with East Africa. The situation is good, not small, but great."
Everyone knew that the Commander-in-chief's skin was so thick that it was almost non-existent. From the results, it seemed that the Commander-in-chief was not lying. It was just that the means to achieve peace was surprising. Military Governor Of Vaize pushed the conflict back to the source of the conflict.
Vézé continued, "There are now sixteen battleships of more than 10,000 tons and more than 20,000 tons. Fortunately, the British don't know."
Sixteen battleships of more than 10,000 tons to more than 20,000 tons were indeed a formidable naval force in the world, but it was not enough to make the British afraid to challenge them. The number of battleships in the British Royal Navy was several times that of the Min dynasty Navy. The British did not dare to attack the Min dynasty because the British did not have the courage to challenge the Liberation Army.
The Navy Commander and the political commissar immediately became spirited. Their eyes flashed with excitement, and they asked with a trembling voice, "Commander-in-chief, are you going to build ships?"
With a relaxed expression unique to those who had given up treatment, Vézé nodded readily. "I'm going to build eighteen new battleships with a displacement of 32,000 tons."
The Navy's eyes lit up when they heard the tonnage. The development of North America and the war in North America had made all the docks run at full capacity. In the past decade, the docks had grown larger and larger, and the gantry cranes had grown larger and larger. The Navy could only watch as civilian ships came down from the docks. Military Governor Of Vaize had a stance of living off his past achievements. He used the old battleships as much as he could and launched an experimental new battleship a few years ago. Chairman Yao Bang, who had previously stepped down, directly clashed with the Navy because he let the Germans go to the battleship to watch.
"The new warship has proved a few of my conjectures. If the calculation is sufficient, the difference between a three-turret and a four-turret is very limited." There was a hint of regret in Vézé's calm voice. He had already thought of the result, but without a computer, he had to build a battleship to verify Vézé's idea.
The Navy's political commissar and commander were shocked. The political commissar probed, "Commander-in-chief, are you going to let us use three turrets to deal with five turrets?"
"That's right," Vézé replied.
The Navy Commander's voice was a little out of tune. "28,000 tons, and it's already equipped with four twin 380-caliber cannons. Thirty-two thousand tons, three twin 380s? "
"If we lose one of the twin 380mm turrets, the equipment and related personnel will also be reduced. Compared to 28,000 tons, we can save a few thousand tons to lengthen the hull, improve its seaworthiness, and strengthen its propulsion system. That way, we can reach 26.5 knots, "Vézé said confidently. The 28,000-ton battleship was actually a copy of the Queen Elizabeth-class battleship. The 32,000-ton battleship was an enhanced version.
The British prestige battlecruiser was also 32,000-ton, had three turrets, and could reach 28 knots. However, the two prestige battleships in history had been undergoing long-term maintenance and adjustment, so they were nicknamed "Refit" and "Repair" among the British navy. Vézé had always believed that the public's eyes were sharp, and it was best not to touch such a delicate thing.
"I think it's okay." The comrade in charge of the equipment expressed a certain degree of support. This comrade was chosen by Vézé, and he never did things like flattery. As soon as he said this, the other comrades who supported also expressed their support. The comrade who opposed heard this and began to refute. "This warship needs to be redesigned, and it will take a lot of time. From design to construction, it will take 1910! "
Originally, Vézé thought that as long as he could live until the 20th century, the Min dynasty would probably have aircraft carriers, computers, and easily dominate the world. In reality, the Min dynasty had just had an experimental transistor computer, and the supporting computer theory and practice had just taken shape under the guidance of Vézé, and it was still far from becoming a system. Vézé felt that if he could see the Navy equipped with artillery calculators and radar before he died, it would be Amitabha, and God bless him.
After the navy discussed for a while, the naval commander asked, "Commander-in-chief, if we enter the Mediterranean Sea, do we need to go through the Atlantic Ocean?"
"I have already widened the New Suez Canal to ensure the passage of 50,000 tons of warships with a draft of 15 meters. The comrades in the Suez Canal management department will probably not be happy. The hard-earned money has to be invested again. "Vézé laughed.
The comrades in the Military Commission also laughed. It was easy to know that such a place that made money every day and night suddenly needed to be repaired. The comrades there must be very unhappy.
When the comrade from the Military Intelligence Department saw that these important matters were almost finished, he interrupted, "We have news that Peru and Brazil are accepting Japanese immigrants. It is said that the reason for accepting them is that the Japanese can defeat the Americans. The Japanese officials are bragging about this, and Peru and Brazil seem to believe it. It is said that the two countries promised Japan that if they can drive the United States from the south coast of the Caribbean, they will give Japan a piece of land. "
This news was so shocking that the people in the Military Commission did not have time to react until they heard it. The comrade from the Military Intelligence Department took a breath and continued to report, "In the latest news, Peru even drew a small base for the Japanese on the border, promising that if the Japanese attack the United States, they will have a foot and an inch."
The meeting continued to be quiet for a while, and then someone whispered, "Aren't the Peruvians worried that the Japanese will turn around and attack Peru?"
This caused some chuckles, and then Deng Shichang, the Deputy Commander of the Navy, replied seriously, "That won't happen. If Japan and Peru fight fiercely, the United States will not miss this opportunity to deal with the Japanese immigrants and Peru at the same time."
Deng Shichang's response was too serious, which made it difficult for everyone to participate. In the view of these members of the Central Military Commission, no matter how Japan, the United States, and South American countries fought each other, the Min dynasty did not care. If there was anything to worry about, it was probably the Ecuador Canal that was about to start construction after the signing of the agreement.
Vézé's mood was more complicated, and a feeling of unpredictability lingered in his heart. Before the war in North America, Vézé did not expect that Britain would eventually come out to swallow New England, nor did he expect that the Americans would be brave enough to use Cuba as a base to continue the existence of the Stars and Stripes Flag. In the current world situation, maybe after the war in Europe broke out, South America would also be involved in the war. Vézé had thought that the Min dynasty could sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, but …
"… …
The fleet being reviewed was several miles long, and the flags flying on the ships stretched all the way to the sky. 165 warships of the Royal Navy gathered at Spithead on June 26, 1897, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria's reign as Queen of Great Britain, Ireland, and the Overseas Territories, as well as the 23rd year of Queen of India.
A total of 21 battleships and 44 cruisers were reviewed, and their names showed the confidence of a world empire: HMS Victory, HMS Prestige, HMS Might, HMS Dignity, and HMS Warlord. This spectacular and deterrent parade was for both allies and enemies to see, to let them understand the power of the British Empire. More importantly, the assembly of such a large fleet did not require the transfer of a ship from the fleet defending the Mediterranean Sea and other shipping lines of the Empire … "
This description of the British naval parade and a large number of photos could not deter the Navy of the Liberation Army, but it was still shocking. Now, the ship-building competition between Germany and Britain made the Min dynasty and Vézé feel uneasy, and they had to start a major ship-building project.
The Military Commission had no objections to the 20,000-ton heavy cruiser and the 3,500-ton destroyer. Vézé also had no objections. The heavy cruiser was copied from the Des Moines-class heavy cruiser, and the destroyer was naturally the Killing-class destroyer. The Killing-class destroyer could be modified into a guided missile destroyer and could be used in the United States until it was retired after 1980. In the second decade of the 21st century, when Vézé traveled through time, there were still several warships modified from the Killing-class destroyer active in the active navies of other countries. It could already be considered an artifact.
The 12,000-ton light cruiser was also approved in the end. This was the parameters Vézé "borrowed" from the Fargo-class. The focus of the Military Commission's discussion was not the parameters, but the idea of designing for air defense, but not installing air defense weapons after the design. In the end, everyone actually accepted it, leaving Vézé very helpless. He understood that it was not reason that convinced everyone, but Vézé's reputation.
Eighteen battleships, twenty-four heavy cruisers, twenty-four light cruisers, forty-eight destroyers, and six reconnaissance aircraft carriers. The preliminary plan for the large-scale shipbuilding plan was released. Just as Vézé was about to end the meeting, the Navy Commander hurriedly stopped him. "Commander-in-chief, aren't we going to build some battlecruisers?"
As soon as this remark came out, the navy members stared nervously at Vézé. Both Britain and Germany had plans to build battlecruisers. This kind of fast, powerful warship was also very attractive to the Min dynasty navy. Vézé pondered for a moment, wrote a few words in his notebook, tore off the page, and handed it to the Navy Commander. Then he got up and announced that the meeting was adjourned!
The paper was folded. After the Military Governor Vaize left the conference room, the navy members who stood up immediately surrounded the Navy Commander and stretched their necks to see what the Commander-in-chief's final decision was.
The paper was opened, and inside it was written, "Build two battleships of 28,000 tons, and three battleships of 32,000 tons." The navy was of course very happy to increase the number of battleships to 24. Based on the theoretical service life of a new warship of 40 years, these cutting-edge warships commissioned before 1920 could be used until 1960. But the Commander-in-chief's attitude towards battlecruisers surprised the Min dynasty navy.
Building a ship required money, and large-scale shipbuilding required a lot of investment. Twenty-four battleships, heavy cruisers, and light cruisers each. In addition to the forty-eight destroyers, this artillery fleet had as many as 120 ships. Adding the aircraft carriers, landing ships, transport and supply ships, and the many warships built before, the total number of Min dynasty warships was close to 200, not inferior to the British Grand Fleet.
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