Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 1063: Chapter 77, Problematic Warship

After dismissing everyone, Franz’s tense face instantly relaxed. It was evident he wasn’t truly angry.

The competition for military funding among the army, navy, and air force is natural, and it is a part of maintaining the balance of power. If none of the forces were competing, that would be the real problem.

Seeing that Franz wasn’t angry, Frederick asked with concern, “Father, of the three proposals the military just presented, which do you favor?”

It was not out of mere curiosity, Frederick truly couldn’t make up his mind and had no idea which side to support.

On the surface, the strategic plans proposed by the army, navy, and air force all seemed highly feasible. Any successful plan could take the Holy Roman Empire to its zenith.

All being “top-quality strategies,” determining the best and worst was impossible, which only added to the difficulty of choosing.

...

“Is that important?”

Franz countered.

As if undergoing a soul-searching interrogation, Frederick’s mind was inundated with the question “Is this important?” It seemed very important and yet not at all important at the same time.

The Shinra military was qualified after all; even though the three proposed plans each had their flaws, they essentially converged to the same end.

As long as the British were beaten, Shinda would become the unrivaled ruler of the world, regardless of other competitors’ growth.

After a long pause, Friedrich slowly replied, “I understand now.”

Looking at his earnest son, Franz smiled and said, “No, you haven’t understood. In fact, we don’t really have a choice.

Politics is never about winning or losing based on right or wrong. Perhaps adopting one strategy alone could allow us to win with the least cost, but we must consider the actual situation.

In recent years, the army has been dominant alone. To balance military power, I propped up the navy and separated the air force, establishing a tripartite system of checks and balances.

Now, combined, the navy and the air force can barely contend with the army, and they have also touched the bottom line of the army.

No matter how much they concede, they will never allow the navy to get the same amount of military funds—that is the pride of the army.

You should know how influential the army is. The Holy Roman Empire was essentially built by the army.

Over ninety percent of lords of overseas fiefdoms and new farmers come from army backgrounds, and more than seventy percent of officials in the government have served in the army.

Not to mention the civilian sector, where our conscription law is aimed at the army. The navy and air force, being technical branches, cannot possibly achieve universal service.

With so many supporters, it’s impossible for the army to lose. As long as they refuse to budge, even if the air force joins forces with the navy, it would be to no avail.

We can’t personally step in to take sides, can we?”

The Emperor personally taking sides would be like a referee playing football—it’s absurd and no mature monarch would do such a thing.

Even the earlier support for the navy and the separation of the air force was led by the Cabinet; Franz had never personally intervened, and the same applied now.

Perhaps this struggle for military funding is crucial for the army, navy, and air force, affecting their development for the next decade.

But for the Emperor and for the Holy Roman Empire, regardless of which option is chosen, the end result is predetermined.

This is a determination of comprehensive national power. To this day, Shinra and Britannia have created a qualitative gap.

Including colonial citizens, the total population of the Holy Roman Empire has reached 160 million, with 120 million just in the European Region.

Meanwhile, the population of Britain, The British Isles combined, is just over thirty million, and with overseas colonial citizens, it doesn’t surpass forty million.

Of course, if we count the indigenous colonial populations, the ratio is reversed. India alone has three to four hundred million, and the total population under British Empire control exceeds half a billion, while Shinra is less than 180 million.

The British Empire may have a larger population under its jurisdiction, but its utilization rate is disappointingly low. Primitive colonial rule might be good for plundering wealth but is far from sufficient for strengthening national power.

A simple comparison of data reveals that the economic output of the Holy Roman Empire exceeds that of the entire Great Britain Empire (including colonies) by a fifth, with an industrial output 2.5 times greater than Britannia’s.

And this is just the beginning; as time goes on, this gap is still widening.

With such a massive advantage, if Franz somehow managed to lose, he might as well retire.

Displaying dissatisfaction was meant not only to admonish the military, but most importantly, Franz hoped the military would compromise with each other.

Unless the British capitulated in advance, whatever strategy is selected, future cooperation among the army, navy, and air force will be needed; it is only a question of primary versus secondary roles.

Even if it means all three services compromise and develop simultaneously, costing a significant amount of funds, Franz was prepared to accept it.

This is the dilemma of a great nation, to balance the interests of all parties, almost every major power faces the issue of resource waste.

…

The struggle for military funding continued, yet the newly born “Roma” faced problems from the start. It was only after the armaments and accompanying fittings were completed that everyone suddenly realized the “Roma’s” capability to withstand rough seas was quite ordinary.

There was nothing surprising about it; nearly all trial ships encountered this or that issue. It was not possible to produce a perfect product in one go, especially not for warships.

The saying “leading in design, behind in construction” had always been circulating in the navy.

The “Roma” was actually one of the better cases, for it still upheld a world-leading standard even after its construction. The British’s “super battleship” was still under design, and other countries did not even show interest in following suit.

Despite the insufficient resistance to rough seas and a host of minor issues, these could not overshadow the “Roma’s” powerful combat capabilities, which were certainly strong enough for the Mediterranean.

With a vulnerability exposed, the army naturally sought to take advantage. If it was proven that the “Roma” lacked the capability for deep-sea combat, then the Naval Department’s super battleship plan would be dead in the water.

Unfortunately for them, Franz was well-versed in such petty tricks and didn’t give anyone the chance to speak out: “Let’s suppress this information. The issue with Roma’s defects ends here, and there’ll be no further discussion needed.

Its inadequate capability to withstand rough seas does not affect its deployment in the Mediterranean. The navy simply needs to be mindful when assigning tasks, ensuring it does not leave the Mediterranean.

The subsequent propaganda efforts will continue, just scrap the aspect of world cruising.

Exploration of new technology is inherently full of uncertainties, and we are more than capable of taking on this bit of risk.”

Initially, the Shinra Navy was nicknamed the “Bathtub Navy,” an epithet Franz did not mind fitting to a T. If the British wanted to scoff, he would let them have their fill.

From a different perspective, the ability to treat the Mediterranean as a bathtub was in its own way an achievement.

Looking through human history, which nation that treated the Mediterranean as its bathtub wasn’t a formidable force?

As long as it stayed within the Mediterranean, the “Roma” was indeed an authentic super battleship. Whether for show or for intimidation, it could be deployed with perfect ease.

Deep down, Franz had made up his mind: unless it was truly necessary, he had no intention of sending the “Roma” into battle.

After all, being a trial ship, who could really know how many pitfalls it had stepped into? One could refer to the experiences of the first generation of dreadnoughts from various countries in the original timeline; those were truly a motley crew of pitfalls.

A century’s navy did not mean the navy had to develop for a hundred years but that naval ships needed a century to encounter and overcome countless pitfalls, tread on landmines, and accumulate various lessons.

For Franz, a trial ship that did not sink and could sail normally was considered passable. Other issues could be resolved in the second or third generations.

Although Franz’s word spared further in-depth investigation of the responsibilities involved, the Naval Department’s super battleship plan fell through prematurely.

A “Roma” that could not leave the Mediterranean could be tolerated by everyone, but producing over twenty of them all at once would be truly unbearable for anyone.

Even with the Naval Department’s repeated assurances that subsequent ships would not have similar issues, no one was willing to risk accompanying them on such ventures.

Of course, the Roma had its strengths. Its combat capabilities were truly formidable, and as long as it could avoid severe stormy weather, it still reigned supreme in naval battles.

In the end, the Naval Department’s “twenty-five super battleships in five years” plan was slashed to “five ships in five years,” falling out of the military funding race first.

Seeing the reluctant look in Castagni’s eyes as he departed, Franz knew the matter was far from over, estimating that once the issues were resolved, the navy would propose the super battleship plan again.

With the Royal Navy as a rival helping to set the stage, Franz believed that day would not be too far off.

…

Cutting down the scale of shipbuilding did not mean reducing the intensity of propaganda. As this year’s brightest new “kid,” the “Roma” remained the media’s darling.

After completing its support facilities, the “Roma” started its rounds in the Mediterranean under the pretext of exchanging experience, constantly visiting various Mediterranean coastal nations.

In every country visited, joint military exercises were indispensable.

The most beleaguered were the newly independent Italian States, conducting joint drills with their thousand-ton destroyers alongside the twenty-thousand-ton “Roma,” making for a rather… peculiar scene.

If not for the differences in the flags they flew, one might easily mistake them for mere followers, scarcely believing they were participating in a joint military exercise.

Without options, the Vienna Government had to proceed in this manner to stir excitement. Only by hyping up the situation would the British Parliament be willing to appropriate funds for the Royal Navy.

It was almost comical to think how thoroughly they considered their enemy’s position; however, determined to drain the British of their national strength, Franz decided to proceed.

During the era of dreadnoughts, whether or not the Shinra Navy could surpass the British, at the very least in this round of naval updates, the British losses were set to exceed those of Shinra by over seventy percent.

Who could fault them for having more ships? In the age of this naval technological revolution, the more ships a nation had, the greater its losses would be.