Beiyang Dream

Chapter 39 The Battle of Jutland: Is it my turn to get "slapped" now?

Tirpitz stared at Chang Desheng without saying a word.

It's not that he doesn't want to talk; it's just that he's busy doing calculations in his head!

The German Army was truly formidable. From the end of the Franco-Prussian War to the present day, it has firmly held its position as the world's number one army, without any controversy!

But what about the German Navy? It was utterly incompetent!

The British Royal Navy was truly number one. In May 1889, they passed the Naval Defense Act, which stipulated in black and white that the number of battleships in the British Royal Navy must be no less than the combined fleets of the world's second and third strongest navies.

What does that mean?

In layman's terms: My family is going to beat up both of your families.

Moreover, Germany has absolutely no place in their "second" or "third" rankings.

France is second in the world, Russia is third, Italy is fourth, and Germany is fifth.

fifth.

A leading power on the European continent, whose industrial output is poised to surpass that of Britain, and whose navy ranks fifth.

Tirpitz's teeth ached just thinking about it.

The shipbuilding industry is in even more trouble.

The British alone account for 80% of global orders. Germany? 5% to 10%, depending on the year. Their warship production is even further behind; Britain launches four or five 10,000-ton ironclad warships a year without batting an eye. Germany? Tightening their belts, they manage to produce only one Brandenburg-class warship every three years, treating it like a precious gem.

How can we pursue them now?

Tirpitz had done the math.

Staff officers at the German Naval Command had conducted simulations: if Germany could build 20% to 30% of the size of Britain's shipbuilding fleet, and concentrate its efforts on building warships, it could quickly increase the size of the German Navy to about 50% of Britain's.

50%, that sounds alright.

But the problem is... what about the quality? What about the technology?

The British were wealthy, with colonies to exploit them, allowing them to spend lavishly on their navy and experiment with any new technology. Germany, on the other hand, had to carefully calculate every penny of its naval budget. This calculation led to conservatism, and conservatism led to falling behind.

Take that recoil-type rapid-fire cannon for example.

Is Krupp really incapable of it?

How could that be? The technology for the breech-loading cannon was invented by the Germans themselves, and the patent has been expired for several years. Krupp is still using the breech-loading cannon to fool people.

Why try to fool us?

Because there are no orders.

But what if the Qing Dynasty could come up with a huge number of orders?

Krupp had to immediately begin research and development to secure orders.

This is tantamount to using the Qing Dynasty's silver to force German military factories to move forward.

The battlefields of the Far East were used to test Germany's new technologies.

Using orders from the Qing Dynasty to sustain Germany's industrial chain.

This account...

Tirpitz took a deep breath and looked at Chang Desheng again, still with the air of a client meeting a major client.

"Committee Member Chang," he began slowly, his voice an octave lower than before, "your line of thinking... is very interesting."

Chang Desheng was secretly pleased.

interesting?

That's quite interesting.

It might even distort history!

A picture suddenly flashed through his mind.

It's not from this life, it's from a previous life.

He was new to the industry, working overtime at the design institute. In the dead of night, CAD was running on his computer screen, and a military forum was open in his browser—his only form of relaxation. There was a post on the forum discussing naval development models, and someone replied: "When you don't have money or technology, you have to take small, rapid steps. Don't recklessly ramp up production. Wait until you have a mature model before mass-producing ships."

The post also said, "If the German Navy had understood this before World War I, the outcome of the Battle of Jutland might have been different..."

Jutland.

1916 years.

North Sea.

The main fleets of Britain and Germany clashed.

Chang Desheng didn't remember the details clearly, only the general outline: German ships were tough, while British ships were fast. The Germans had better tactics, while the British had more ships. In the end, the Germans had a tactical advantage, but strategically they were still blockaded in port.

Why is this happening?

Because the Germans built ships too slowly, their technology couldn't keep up with the pace of innovation.

By the time their Bavaria-class super-dreadnoughts were built, the war was almost over. If only they had been built sooner, if only the German fleet had had four Bavaria-class ships during the Battle of Jutland…

and many more.

It seems he's... rehashing history again?

Sigh, let it be "fan" it is.

Since I've already slapped him so many times, one more won't make a difference.

Besides, the more imperialists die, the more likely human liberation might be achieved...

He quickly stopped.

forget about it.

If he thought about it any further, he would probably start to think of himself as God.

"Colonel," Chang Desheng leaned back, adopting the posture of a client negotiating terms, "think about it, if this 'stepped-ship' proves its worth in the Far East and demonstrates the advanced nature of German technology, won't there be fewer follow-up orders?"

He counted on his fingers: "What if Japan wants to buy them too? They're building ships like crazy right now, trying to compete with the Qing Dynasty. If the Qing Dynasty buys German ships and beats Japan, won't Japan come back to you to buy them too?"

"And then there are Austria-Hungary, Italy, Turkey, and even those South American countries—Chile, Argentina, Brazil—each one dreams of having a navy and has some money to spare. How could they not be tempted by German ships?"

He paused, looked at Tirpitz, and grinned: "Furthermore, from now on, if your German Navy has any projects it wants to develop but the higher-ups won't approve in marks, we, the Beiyang Fleet, can submit them. Just say... it's a technology that the Qing Dynasty absolutely needs!"

Tirpitz's breathing became noticeably heavier.

He stared at Chang Desheng for a full ten seconds.

Then, he slowly stood up, walked to the row of model shelves by the wall, picked up the Brandenburg-class model, and weighed it in his hand.

"Staircase ship..." he muttered to himself, "small steps, quick pace..."

He turned around and looked at Chang Desheng.

"Committee Member," he said, "we need to renegotiate. From technical parameters to cost, to construction period, to subsequent technical support... everything needs to be renegotiated."

Chang Desheng smiled.

He knew that the fire had been started.

But he wasn't in a hurry to discuss the technical details with Tirpitz; he had to deal with another matter first.

"Colonel," he lowered his voice, "there's something I need to discuss with you before we get to the technical details."

Tirpitz sat down as well: "Please speak."

"This ship...is not just a warship," Chang Desheng said. "It is also a gift. A gift...to celebrate the Empress Dowager's sixtieth birthday."

Tirpitz was taken aback: "A congratulatory gift?"

"Yes." Chang Desheng nodded. "In 1894, it will be the sixtieth birthday of our Empress Dowager. This ship is planned to be launched in 1893 and commissioned in 1894, just in time for the birthday celebration. We have already thought of a name for it—'Longevity' or 'Compassionate Longevity'."

Tirpitz frowned. "Does this... have anything to do with the technical negotiations?"

"Yes," Chang Desheng said decisively, "and it's a big deal."

He glanced at Guo Shigui.

Guo Shigui understood and quickly came over, his face beaming with a smile, and said in his fluent German, "Colonel, think about it... if this ship were simply a transaction, then it would just be a business deal, and once it's done, that's it."

He paused, then continued, "But if it's a birthday gift, that's different. It's a symbol of friendship between the two countries, a political event. If our Emperor and Empress Dowager are happy and have a better impression of Germany, then from now on... when the Qing Dynasty buys ships, will it only accept German ships?"

Chang Desheng continued, "Colonel, we don't just want this one ship. What we want is a long-term cooperation that lasts ten or twenty years. During this period, the Qing Navy's ship modernization, technology upgrades, and personnel training will all prioritize Germany."

He held up three fingers: "At least three classes of capital ships, five to six cruisers, a dozen or so auxiliary vessels, plus a complete coastal defense system, training system, and logistics system... This adds up to a huge order worth tens of millions of taels of silver."

Tens of millions of taels.

A long-term partnership... that's making a really big promise!

"But," Tirpitz still hesitated, "wouldn't using a birthday celebration as a pretext... be too..."

"Too what?" Chang Desheng interrupted him, "Too obsequious?"

He chuckled. "Colonel, being an official means knowing how to flatter! Our Empress Dowager loves pomp and circumstance, she loves face, she loves the feeling of all nations paying tribute. Isn't your German Emperor the same?"

Tirpitz fell silent.

Chang Desheng continued, "Just imagine, if the 'Longevity' ship had been delivered on time in 1894, becoming part of the Empress Dowager's birthday gift, and His Majesty the German Emperor had personally written a greeting card to express his congratulations on her birthday... how happy the Empress Dowager would have been!"

"At that time, the entire Qing Dynasty will remember Germany's kindness. Won't any future cooperation between China and Germany go much more smoothly?"

Tirpitz stared at Chang Desheng for a long time.

"Committee Member Chang, what you said... makes sense."

He paused, then continued, "I can report this matter to His Majesty the Emperor under the pretext of offering birthday greetings. His Majesty has always been very concerned about affairs in the Far East, and if this ship can serve as a symbol of friendship between our two countries, His Majesty should support it."

It's finally done!

Chang Desheng was overjoyed.

But he still had to keep a straight face.

"That would be wonderful," he said. "However, Colonel, to show that this ship is a congratulatory gift, we can't make it appear on the books that it was purchased in full by the Qing Dynasty. We have to say... I mean! Say that His Majesty the German Emperor gave it a special discount, practically giving it away, to express his congratulations on the Empress Dowager's birthday."

He blinked. "You know what I mean, right?"

Tirpitz certainly understood.

"I understand." Tirpitz nodded. "When we quote a price, we'll inflate it a bit, then offer a discount under the guise of 'birthday celebration.' We'll tell the public that it's His Majesty the German Emperor's gesture."

"That's right!" Chang Desheng slapped his thigh. "That's exactly what I mean."

Guo Shigui, standing to the side, was all smiles despite his dark expression.

He had figured out the situation in his mind: once the pretext of "birthday celebration" was settled, the Beiyang Fleet's use of naval donations to purchase ships would proceed smoothly. With the Empress Dowager in a good mood, who would dare utter a word of dissent?