Chapter 256: Crazy Ship Building Plan (1600 votes plus update)
"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, since the Royal Navy is likely to lose this war, I think it is better to immediately engage with the Germans, sacrifice certain interests, and end this damned war. Pen "Fun" Cabinet www.biquge.info" a cabinet minister proposed.
This proposal was supported by many cabinet ministers. In their opinion, the Royal Navy was the backbone of the British Empire. Now, even the Royal Navy can't beat the Germans, so it's better to negotiate peace as soon as possible. In this way, even if you will lose some benefits, you will not lose yet.
"Humph! Ladies and gentlemen, you seem to be naïve. How is it possible to end the war now? The Germans already had the upper hand. Whether on land or at sea, they have taken the initiative. If they win the next step, they will be able to win the war once and for all. When the time comes, they will get everything they want. It's much more cost-effective than making peace with us. "Foreign Secretary Edward? Sir Grey said.
Suddenly, those ministers stopped talking, and they also knew that it was indeed a bit whimsical to want peace talks now. If it were them, they would certainly not agree to peace talks at this time.
"The ambitions of the Germans, as well as they are known. They want to take advantage of this big war to defeat us and become the world hegemon. They will never give up until this is achieved. "Secretary of War Richard? Hardan also said.
"All right, everybody. I don't think there is any need to argue about whether to fight or to fight. If the British Empire did not want to lose its position as the world hegemon and its vast overseas colonies, it had no choice but to continue the war. Prime Minister Asquith said.
"Yes, Your Excellency Prime Minister." All the cabinet ministers replied.
"Your Excellency, how do we go about winning the war? If you lose the war, you will really lose everything. "Chancellor of the Exchequer Lloyd's? George asked.
If you want to go on with the war, you have to find a way to win. If you're destined to lose, what's the point of fighting?
Prime Minister Asquith did not answer immediately, but looked at Churchill, the Minister of the Admiralty.
"Your Excellency, Lord of the Admiralty, what is the Royal Navy going to do next to win the war?" Prime Minister Asquith asked.
"Your Excellency Prime Minister, this time the Royal Navy has suffered heavy losses. However, our main force is still there. The Royal Navy needed to regain its strength, if not more powerful, to be able to defeat the Germans. Next, we will urgently add a batch of warship construction plans to complete the construction of these warships in the fastest time. This requires the support of the Cabinet. Churchill said.
Prime Minister Asquith nodded, the Royal Navy has lost so many capital ships, naturally it is necessary to build more capital ships to make up for the losses. Of course, if you want to speed up the construction schedule, this also means that more money will be spent. However, now they have no other choice, and if they want to strengthen the Royal Navy and win this war, they must invest more money.
"The Admiralty should submit the construction plan as soon as possible. Even if you smash the pot and sell iron, the cabinet will fully support you. Either way, this time we must win this war. This would be the greatest crisis the British Empire has ever faced. Prime Minister Asquith said.
"Yes, Your Excellency Prime Minister." Churchill nodded, excited. Since Prime Minister Asquith has already stated this way, this means that their huge shipbuilding plan will definitely be passed. It will not take two years for the Royal Navy to regain its strength. If the war had dragged on until that time, it would not have been the Germans who would have won.
"Ladies and gentlemen, at a time when the survival of the British Empire is at stake, we can no longer have any illusions about the Germans. There was only one way for the British Empire to defend its interests, and that was war, and only by defeating the Germans could we ensure the supremacy of the Empire. So, I hope that you will unite and do everything in your power to ensure that the British Empire wins this war, not that it is delayed. Prime Minister Asquith said.
"Yes, Your Excellency, Prime Minister!" Everyone replied. It's just that what they think in their hearts is probably only known to them. After all, when the country is facing life and death, many people will do other considerations for the sake of the little ninety-nine in their hearts.
After the meeting, Churchill did not stay in the Prime Minister's Office for a moment, and immediately returned to the Admiralty. Admiral Jericho, along with the admirals and experts of the Navy, were planning a batch of battleships that needed to be built urgently.
It was busy until the evening, and the preliminary planning was completed. After a brief look at the plan, Churchill immediately rushed to the Prime Minister's Office to report to Prime Minister Asquith, hoping to get his support immediately. He did this because he didn't want to waste even a minute.
Prime Minister Asquith also postponed his break to listen specifically to Churchill's briefing.
"Your Excellency, in order to deal with the Germans, we intend to start construction of the following battleships and battlecruisers within a month. First of all, we will rebuild the 'Iron Duke-class' battleships, and of course, the specific design will not be the previous design, but the 'Vengeance-class' battleships that have been modified to enhance defense and power. It can be regarded as an improved version of the 'revenge class'. The new 'Iron Duke-class' battleships will be equipped with triple 381 mm guns, and the main armor will also reach 330 mm or more. 'Iron Duke class' battleships, we will build four. Next, there are the new 'King George V-class' battleships, although there is still one remaining of the previous 'George V-class' battleships, but it has proven in actual combat that they are no match for the Germans at all. So, we intend to rebuild the battleship 'George V'. The specific performance is comparable to that of the 'Iron Duke Class', and in the subtle parts, it will be improved. After that, there were the 'Lion-class' battleships. The Lion-class battleships will have a displacement of more than 40,000 tons, be armed with three triple 406 mm guns, and the thickness of the main armor will be increased to more than 380 mm. 'Lion-class' battleships, the Navy also plans to build four. A total of 12 battleships of the above three classes will be built in the next month. Strive to complete the project within one and a half to two years. At that time, we will have enough strength to confront the Germans, and it is not impossible to even defeat them. "Churchill appeared confident.
Prime Minister Asquith nodded, he knew that the new 'King George V-class' battleships and the new 'Iron Duke-class' battleships were based on the 'Vengeance-class' battleships with increased displacement, increased power and armor, and improved their defensive power. The 'Lion-class' battleship, on the other hand, is a brand new battleship.