Chapter 12: The Emperor's Return

  Witnessing the British fleet's grandeur, Feng Chengqian didn't feel much. Not because he had seen British warships in Portsmouth, but this was an era of change.

  Modern navies went through the age of sail, the ironclad era and the dreadnought era. The late 19th century to early 20th century was the end of the ironclad era. Ironclads powered by steam engines completely replaced sailing warships, only to be quickly supplanted by the even more powerful dreadnoughts.

  The British fleet is by no means weak.

  In Feng Chengqian's eyes, in more than a decade, this seemingly powerful fleet would be completely eliminated in the naval armament competition.

  At this time, strength is nothing.

  Whoever seizes the opportunity of military technological revolution first will take the lead in the next round of competition.

  Reviewing the fleet is nothing but Britain showing off its military power.

  It can be seen that Frederick III was very moved.

  A small island nation, able to become the world's number one power, with overseas colonies exceeding its own land area by more than a hundred times, controlling hundreds of millions of people, the British Empire relied on this powerful and invincible fleet. Without this fleet, the British Empire might still be a small country on the British Isles.

  Queen Victoria's deliberate arrangements have achieved their purpose.

  However, Frederick III, after recognizing the power of the British Empire, also had the idea of replacing it, and recognized the importance of the navy.

  After reviewing the Royal Navy fleet, Frederick III did not return to London and boarded "Brandenburg" directly.

  Compared with those massive warships of the British Royal Navy, "Brandenburg" and her escort "Irene" looked extremely small.

  Such a huge contrast left an extremely deep impression on Frederick III once again.

  It's not hard to imagine why Crown Prince Wilhelm would wholeheartedly support the development of the navy after becoming emperor.

  Any emperor of any empire who saw the British Empire's fleet would have had the same thought, that a powerful empire must have a powerful fleet.

  The German Empire is no exception, and Tsarist Russia is also no exception.

  On his way back home, Frederick III repeatedly found Feng Chengqian and asked questions related to the navy, especially those concerning long-term plans for naval construction.

  Feng Chengqian did not flatter the emperor but spoke out the facts.

  The navy is not like the army, it's not a simple matter of recruiting a batch of soldiers, distributing guns and conducting several months of intensive training to form a troop.

  The three elements that make up naval strength are: theory, personnel and warships.

  Although Mahan is still the president of the US Naval Academy, it will take two years for the first part of "The Influence of Sea Power upon History" trilogy to be published. The other two parts, "The Influence of Sea Power upon the French Revolution and Empire: 1793-1812" and "Sea Power in Relation to the War of 1812", will not be completed until around 1905. However, there have been many works related to sea power, and Mahan has already developed a systematic understanding of it. More importantly, Feng Congchun deeply understands the impact of "The Influence of Sea Power upon History" on history. Even if Feng Congchun does not understand the trilogy, he still has the ability to influence and change history.

  In terms of personnel, even without Feng Chonggan, the German Empire was not lacking in excellent officers and soldiers.

  In the familiar history of Feng Chengqian, the naval officers and men of the Second German Empire were significantly superior to their opponents in terms of skills, cultivation, and morale.

  The key is still material foundation, namely warships.

  Building a warship is a test of a country's comprehensive national strength with industrial and technological capabilities as its core.

  Reality is cruel. As a rising industrial power, the industrial strength of the Second German Empire was not strong enough and its science and technology were not advanced enough.

  Feng Chengqian said it very clearly, even if the empire makes a comeback, it will take ten years to see initial results.

  To put it more simply, even if Frederick III had fully supported the construction of a navy, it would have taken ten years to consolidate and solidify the foundation.

  As for Frederick III's expenditure, it was an astronomical figure.

  Feng Chengqian did not expect the emperor to make an immediate decision, but only hoped that Frederick III would think deeply about it and soon recognize the importance of the navy.

  Fortunately, Frederick III was not a hesitant emperor.

  As the "Brandenburg" was about to enter Wilhelmshaven, Frederick III summoned von Tirpitz again.

  "I've thought it over, and when I get back, I'll discuss it with the prime minister." Frederick III hadn't had a good rest for two days either, probably thinking about naval matters all along. "Maybe not as much as you asked for, but definitely much better than now. I will fight for you, and I hope you won't disappoint me."

  "What is your wish, Your Majesty?"

  "Build a powerful navy."

  Feng Chengqian smiled and didn't respond to this sentence.

  Frederick III also smiled and said: "No need for a navy like the Queen's, just one that can counter it and play its role when necessary."

  "So, Your Majesty only needs a 'fleet of risk'?"

  "Risk Fleet?"

  Feng Chengqian was taken aback, knowing he had misspoken again.

  In the familiar history of von Freytag-Loringhoven, it would not be until more than a decade later that Admiral Tirpitz, who was to receive heavy use, would propose the "Risk Fleet" theory.

  "In short, it is a fleet that makes the enemy have some fear and dare not easily declare war on the empire."

  "More specifically."

  Feng Chengqian thought for a moment and said, "The rise and fall of the British Empire depends on its navy, and national interests also depend on the navy. If our fleet can severely damage the British Navy in a sea battle, even if we cannot replace Britain, we can still make Britain lose its global dominance and be replaced by other powers. As long as this risk exists, Britain will have some fear, and therefore dare not to be an enemy of ours, let alone declare war on us."

  "This is just an assumption."

  "If Britain wages war on us, we can force Britain out of the war through a decisive naval battle, at least making Britain lose its ability to intervene in the European continent."

  Frederick III nodded thoughtfully, as if he understood Feng Chengqian's meaning.

  "If Your Majesty needs such a fleet, it is not difficult to accomplish."

  "Really?"

  "The British Navy adheres to the two-power standard, namely that its fleet size should be greater than the combined total of the next two largest competitors. So if our Imperial Navy can reach half the size of the British Navy, or slightly more, it will force Britain to change its fundamental policy and give up on confronting us." Feng Chengqian smiled and said, "Even if Britain remains hostile towards us, we still have a chance to defeat their fleet in naval battles."

  "If you were given ten percent of the army's budget, could you do it?"

  "This..."

  "Of course, this is just the beginning, and it will increase year by year."

  Feng Chengqian thought for a moment and said: "In that case, the construction of the navy needs to be replanned, try to reduce the initial investment as much as possible, and focus on the back end."

  "Why?"

  "The technological revolution is coming, and the replacement cycle of warships will be shortened. The warships being built now may become outdated in a few years."

  "You mean, first build a solid foundation and then expand the construction scale?"

  Feng Chengqian nodded and said, "The budget is limited, so the best steel must be used on the blade. We don't compete with the British Empire for a day's gain, we have to plan for the long term."

  "It seems that having your assistance is indeed an honor for the empire."

  "Your Majesty is overpraising me, I'm just doing what's expected of me."

  Frederick III nodded and said: "A few days ago, I received news that the Qing Dynasty proposed to purchase military supplies from us. I have told the Prime Minister to consider it carefully."

  "Your Majesty..."

  "Although I don't know your background, judging from your surname, you must have something to do with the Qing Dynasty."

  "This..."

  "You don't need to tell me, and I won't ask. You made a blood oath with me, and I will trust you completely." Frederick III paused for a moment before continuing, "I also believe that you are wholeheartedly serving the Empire, but I am even more certain that one day you will leave the Empire."

  Feng Chengqian secretly sighed, and he indeed had no intention of serving the German Empire for a long time.

  "Consider it a return gift." Frederick III smiled and said, "The Qing Envoy Chen Jitong is in Berlin recently, you can spare some time to see him."

  "Chen Jitong?"

  "He was the Qing ambassador to France, concurrently serving as a minister to Germany. I met him once and we had a good conversation. However, this person is naturally arrogant and frivolous." Frederick III chuckled and shook his head, saying, "In his eyes, the Qing dynasty is still powerful, always doing its own thing, showing great individuality."

  "This is indeed extremely rare."

  "Yes, in the Qing dynasty, there definitely aren't many people like him."

  "If I have the chance, I will meet him again."

  "It's almost time, you'd better get ready." Frederick III yawned, "Tomorrow night, there will be an imperial conference to discuss the matter you mentioned with Salisbury, don't be late."

  Feng Chengqian nodded, indicating that he understood the emperor's meaning.

  The most pressing matter at present is to implement the secret agreement of Anglo-German joint opposition to France and Russia.

  Although this should be the premier's job, Feng Zhongjian first proposed to the British Prime Minister to build the Baghdad Railway, and there is no reason to exclude him.

  It was already late at night when I returned to Berlin.

  Feng Chengqian had dinner on the road and was ready to take a bath before going to bed.

  Just then, before the servant had even prepared hot water, someone came to visit.

  "Who would come looking for me so late?"

  "He just said his name was Karl."

  "Karl?" Feng Chengqian was a bit overwhelmed, as there were many people named "Karl" in Germany.

  "He said he was representing Deutsche Bank and Württembergische Bank to see Your Excellency."

  Feng Chengqian was suddenly startled and only then remembered that Karl was the front-line representative of Deutsche Bank and Württembergische Bank, which actively promoted the construction of the Baghdad Railway.

  "Earl, shall we drive him away?"

  "No, never mind, let him come in." Feng Chengqian exhaled slowly.

  The banker's nose is indeed sensitive. Feng Chengqian had just proposed to Salisbury the construction of the Baghdad Railway a few days ago, and the news has already come back.

  Of course, this is nothing strange, telegrams have long been popular and communication no longer relies on messengers.

  ;