After sending everyone away, Franz's tense face instantly eased. It was obvious that he wasn't really angry.
The army, navy and air force compete for military spending as it should be, and this is also part of the balance of power. If the army, navy and air force are no longer in contention, that is the real problem.
Seeing that Franz was not angry, Frederick asked with concern: "Father, which of the three schemes proposed by the military just now do you prefer?"
It had nothing to do with curiosity, Frederick was really undecided and had absolutely no idea who to support.
On the surface, the strategic plans proposed by the Army, Navy, and Air Force are all very maneuverable. The success of any plan can bring the Holy Roman Empire to its peak.
All of them are "high-quality strategies", which can't analyze the advantages and disadvantages at all, but increase the difficulty of selection.
"Is that important?"
Franz asked back.
As if being tortured by the soul, "Is this important" kept flashing in Frederick's mind. It seems important, and it doesn't seem to matter at all.
The Shinra military is still qualified. Although the three proposed schemes have their own shortcomings, they ultimately reach the same goal.
Other competitors have not grown up, as long as the British are pulled down, Shinra is the unique world hegemony.
After a while, Frederick replied slowly, "I understand."
Looking at the cautious son, Franz smiled: "No, you didn't understand. In fact, we have no choice at all.
Politics is never about winning or losing. Perhaps a strategy alone can win with minimal cost, but we have to consider the actual situation.
A few years ago, the army was the dominant force. In order to balance the strength of the military, I supported the navy and spun off the air force to establish the current triangular system of checks and balances.
Now the navy and the air force combined, can barely compete with the army, but also touched the bottom line of the army.
No matter how much they make concessions, it is impossible for them to let the Navy get the same amount of military spending as they do. This is the pride of the Army.
You should know how influential the Army is. The Holy Roman Empire can be established, basically it is played by the army.
More than 90 percent of overseas fiefdoms and emerging farmers are from the army, and more than seven levels of government bureaucrats have served in the army.
Not to mention the private sector, our compulsory military service law is aimed at the army. Both the navy and the air force are technical arms, and it is simply impossible for everyone to serve.
With so many supporters, the Army can't possibly lose. Even if the Air Force and the Navy join forces, as long as they insist on not giving in, it will have no effect.
We can't end the game in person and go to the sidelines, right? "
The emperor himself went off the court and pulled the sidelines, just like the referee off the court to play the ball. Just think about it, no mature monarch would do this.
Even before supporting the navy and stripping off the air force, the cabinet was charging, and Franz never went off the court personally, let alone now.
Perhaps for the army, navy and air force, this competition for military spending is crucial, and it is related to their development in the next ten years.
But for the emperor and the Holy Roman Empire, no matter which option is chosen, the final outcome is doomed.
This is a decision of comprehensive national strength. Today, Shinra and Britain have widened the qualitative gap.
Including the colonial citizens, the total population of the Holy Roman Empire has reached 160 million, and there are 120 million in Europe alone.
On the other hand, in Britain, the total population of the British Isles is only more than 30 million, plus the citizens of overseas colonies, the total population is only in the early 40s.
Of course, when the colonial natives are included, the ratio is reversed. India alone has 300 million to 400 million people. The total population controlled by the entire British Empire exceeds 500 million, while Shinra is less than 180 million.
The British Empire has a large population, but unfortunately the utilization rate is not high. Primitive colonial rule is okay to search for wealth, but it is far from enough to increase national strength.
If you compare the data, you can see that the total economic volume of the Holy Roman Empire is one-fifth higher than that of the entire British Empire (including colonies), and the total industrial volume is 2.5 times that of Britain.
This is just the beginning, and as time goes by, the gap continues to widen.
If such a big advantage, in the end can play and lose, Franz does not need to mix.
Deliberately expressing dissatisfaction, in addition to beating the military, the most important thing is that Franz hopes that the military can compromise with each other.
Unless the British admit defeat in advance, no matter which strategy they choose, they will need the cooperation of the army, navy and air force in the future, which is nothing more than a primary and secondary issue.
Even if the three armies compromise and develop at the same time, a lot of money will be wasted, Franz also recognizes it.
This is the helplessness of big countries. In order to balance the interests of all parties, almost every big country will face the problem of wasting resources.
…
The competition for military spending continues, but the new "Roma" has problems first. When the armament and supporting facilities were completed, everyone suddenly discovered that the "Roma"'s ability to resist wind and waves is very general.
It's not surprising that almost all test ships have problems of one kind or another. The perfect product is produced at one time, not suitable for warships.
There has always been a saying in the navy that "design ahead, build behind".
"Roma" is a good thing, at least after it is built, it still maintains the world's leading level. The British "super battleship" is still being designed, and other countries are not even interested in following the trend.
Despite the lack of ability to resist wind and waves, and a small problem, it cannot hide the strong combat effectiveness of the "Roma", at least it is strong enough in the Mediterranean.
Being caught, the Army will naturally take advantage of it. As long as it is proved that the "Roma" does not have the capability of ocean-going naval warfare, the Admiralty's super battleship program can only be aborted.
It's a pity that Franz was already familiar with this little trick, so he didn't give everyone a chance to speak: "Block the news, the problem of the Roman's defect has been stopped, and there is no need to talk about it in the future.
The ability to resist wind and waves is insufficient, and it does not affect the use in the Mediterranean. When the navy arranges missions, be careful not to let it go out of the Mediterranean.
The follow-up publicity continues, as long as the world cruise is removed.
The exploration of new technologies is inherently full of uncertainty, and we can still take this risk. "
Originally, the Shinra Navy had the reputation of "bath navy", and Franz didn't mind making it worthy of its name. If the British want to see a joke, let them see enough.
Another way of thinking, being able to use the Mediterranean as a bathtub is another achievement.
Throughout human history, which country has used the Mediterranean Sea as a bathtub and is not arrogant
As long as it doesn't leave the Mediterranean, the "Roma" is a real super battleship. Whether it is to hold the facade or take it out to be scary, it can be arranged properly.
Deep down Franz had already made up his mind that if it wasn't really necessary, he would not let the "Roma" go into battle.
After all, it is a test ship, and no one knows how many pits have been stepped on. For details, you can refer to the first-generation dreadnoughts of various countries in the original space-time world, which are all kinds of flower-style stepping pits.
The century-old navy does not mean that the navy must develop for a hundred years, but it takes a hundred years for naval warships to constantly step on pits and mines to accumulate various experiences and lessons.
For Franz, the test ship is qualified as long as it does not sink and can go to sea normally. As for other issues, it is entirely possible to wait for the second and third generations to improve.
Although Franz's words avoided in-depth investigation of responsibility, the "super battleship plan" of the Admiralty was the first to fall through.
A "Rome" that cannot leave the Mediterranean Sea can be tolerated by everyone, but if more than 20 ships are built in one go, no one can really endure it.
Even if the Admiralty has repeatedly assured that similar problems will not occur on the following warships, no one dares to accompany them on their adventures.
Of course, the Roma is not without merit. At least the combat power is really strong. As long as the bad windy weather is avoided, it is still the king in the naval battle.
In the end, the Ministry of the Navy's "five years and twenty-five" super battleship plan was cut down to "five years in five years" and was the first to be eliminated from this military spending battle.
Looking at Castagni's unwilling eyes, Franz knew that the matter was not over, and estimated that when the problem was solved, the Navy would once again propose the "Super Battleship Plan".
With the Royal Navy as a competitor to help set up the stage and sing, I believe this day will not come too late.
…
Reducing the scale of shipbuilding does not mean reducing publicity efforts. As the brightest "cub" this year, "Roma" is still the darling of the media.
After the supporting facilities were perfected, the "Roma" started wandering in the Mediterranean Sea, and under the guise of exchanging experiences, it continued to visit countries along the Mediterranean Sea.
Every time I go to a country, it is indispensable to have a joint military exercise.
The hardest part was the newly independent Italian states, holding a joint exercise with a little destroyer of more than 1,000 tons and the "Roma" of more than 20,000 tons. That scene was simply...
If it weren't for the different national flags flying, it is estimated that everyone would treat them as little followers, and it would be impossible to believe that this was a joint military exercise.
There is no way, in order to increase the heat, the Vienna government has to do this. Only when the momentum is built up, the British Parliament is willing to allocate funds to the Royal Navy.
Thinking so thoroughly for the enemy makes me drunk. However, in order to consume the national strength of the British, Franz decided to do it.
Regardless of whether the Shinra Navy can surpass the British in the age of dreadnoughts, at least in this wave of warship replacements, the losses of the British are more than 70% greater than that of Shinra.
Who made their warships more
Catching up with this era of naval technological revolution, whoever has more warships will suffer the most.