"Dear Remito, are you serious?"
Chrysler Isori, Chief of Naval Staff of Emperor Candela's Ministry, put down the document in his hand, frowned and looked at Remito Russell opposite, his face full of confusion. ↖,
The deputy chief of staff in front of him was the subordinate he had always admired and relied on most, and was recognized by everyone as the perfect candidate to take over the position of chief of naval staff after he retired.
Many times, he would safely hand over major affairs of the Naval Staff directly to Russell. Firstly, it was a test for Russell, and secondly, it was to strengthen Russell's prestige in the Naval Staff in advance and prepare for him to take over in the future.
Russell has always handled these matters very well and has never made any mistakes, which makes Chief of Staff Isori very satisfied and relieved.
But this time, the report he submitted made Chief of Staff Isori feel... a little weird after reading it.
What a joke!
The Candela Imperial Navy faces its worst crisis ever
If changes are not made immediately, the Candela Imperial Navy will completely lose control of all sea areas
This is simply alarmist!
On this continent, apart from the Malo Empire, not to mention any country's navy would pose a threat to the Candela Empire's navy. Many countries even do not have a navy at all!
What makes Chief of Staff Isori even more surprised and ridiculous is that in this report, it is actually claimed that the biggest threat comes from... from the escort fleet of a bullshit New Flying Chamber of Commerce!
When he saw this line in the report, Chief of Staff Isori almost spit out all the tea he drank.
It's just a chamber of commerce, what qualifications does it have to be compared with the mighty Candela Imperial Navy? Can it even pose a threat to the Candela Empire Navy
However, years of cultivation and trust in Russell. But Chief of Staff Isori finally calmed down slowly.
Russell has been on his staff for more than two decades. He knew Russell very well. I know that Russell is definitely not an alarmist, and I know even more that Russell has a deep love for the Candela Imperial Navy.
Since he handed over this report so solemnly, he would definitely not be deliberately alarmist or sensationalizing.
What's more, if such a thick report is complete nonsense, it is simply impossible.
But after reading the entire report, Chief of Staff Isori fell into deep thinking.
He believed that the report Russell submitted was absolutely true. Because Russell would definitely not and there was no need to lie to him.
But if what is said in this report is true, then it is really astonishing that this ship escorting the fleet of the New Flying Chamber of Commerce has such terrifying strength.
If a ship made entirely of iron is acceptable, then an iron ship with a total weight of several hundred tons and a volume larger than a Thunder-class battleship is completely fantasy.
Chief of Staff Isori thought about it for a long time, but could not imagine what a sea-going ship described in the report as "larger than the Thunder-class battleship, made entirely of steel, with a streamlined shape and a pure white appearance" was. What does it look like.
And aside from the appearance, what the hell are the various novel so-called "magic artillery", "magic repeating crossbows", "magic rockets" and so on described in the report
Chief of Staff Isori has heard of magic weapons, but isn't this kind of thing only owned by a very small number of super powerful magicians? Why does this Xinfei Chamber of Commerce have so many
And judging from the power of these military magic machines described in the report. They are even more powerful than legendary magical weapons.
If even a Thunder-class battleship cannot survive such a fierce attack for less than five minutes, then this New Flying Chamber of Commerce escort fleet may really be what the report says. It will definitely be invincible on the sea.
Thinking of this, Chief of Staff Isori suddenly thought that he seemed to have received a report before, saying that a mysterious fleet appeared in the southern waters of the empire, attacking pirates everywhere, and frightening the pirates in the southern waters. The sea area is much calmer and peaceful.
Could this mysterious fleet be the escort fleet of the New Flying Chamber of Commerce
"Mr. Chrysler, I am very serious." Russell stared at Chief of Staff Isori with a serious expression and nodded slowly: "Actually, from this report alone, you cannot intuitively feel the escort fleet of the New Aircraft Chamber of Commerce. It gave me a shocking feeling. During the more than half a month I spent with them, I saw them defeat pirates one after another, and I have a very intuitive feeling about the power they exerted. This fleet has even surpassed this era. If we do not respond quickly, once the Maro Empire discovers the existence of such a fleet and equips it with the same ships, then we will face Maro again on the endless sea. The Luo Empire will have no power to fight back."
Seeing Russell speaking extremely solemnly, Chief of Staff Isori fell into silence.
After a while, he nodded slightly and said: "Remito, I trust your judgment. If this frigate is really so powerful, then of course we should own it immediately. But a ship with two million gold coins... this price… "
Chief of Staff Isori smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"In order for the Imperial Navy to continue to remain strong, price should not be an obstacle." Russell said seriously. "And I think there is still the possibility of continued negotiations with the Xinfei Chamber of Commerce. After all, apart from us, they can't find anyone else who will buy these frigates."
What Russell said is actually very correct.
On the entire continent of Sainz, the only ones that have the conditions and need to establish a navy are the Candela Empire, the Malo Empire and a few other smaller kingdoms.
But except for the Candela Empire and the Malo Empire, which have the conditions to invest heavily in naval fleets, it is impossible for other small countries to invest more of their precious funds in this.
The Malo Empire is located in the north of the mainland and is too far away from the Principality of Standing. It is very difficult for the New Flying Chamber of Commerce to get in touch with them. Therefore, the only customers it can find at present are the Candela Empire Navy.
The Candela Imperial Navy had no choice, and the New Flying Chamber of Commerce also had no choice.
"Even if it can be negotiated, I think the price is still too high." Chief of Staff Isori was not as confident as Russell, and sighed: "Russell, I have a piece of news for you. I just finished joining the army three days ago. According to what was revealed at the Ministry of Defense budget meeting, the Ministry of Military Affairs will reduce the budget investment of our navy in the coming year.”
Russell was startled: "We still need to cut it? Is there any mistake? The budget of our military department is already very low. If we cut it further, won't we not plan to have a navy?"
Chief of Staff Isori smiled bitterly and shook his head: "There is no way. The main force of the military is concentrated on dealing with the Maro Empire, so the budget should focus on the army. In addition, the empire's own budget for the military has been declining in recent years. In order to maintain the combat effectiveness of the Army, of course, our Navy's budget will be reduced. "
Russell could only remain silent.
As the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Naval Staff, he not only understands the situation of the Navy, but also knows the situation of the entire Imperial Ministry very well.
He knew very well that the overall policy of the Candela Empire's headquarters was to fight against the Maro Empire, and the focus had always been on the north of the empire, and the confrontation with the army at the border with the Maro Empire.
The Navy has always been questioned since its establishment, because many people felt that the Navy was of no use at all.
Now that the empire is cutting the budget of the military, the military will naturally cut the budget of the navy.
"Mr. Chrysler, can I take the liberty to ask, what is the total budget of the Navy for the coming year?" Russell thought for a while and asked.
"Well... this is not a secret for you. You will know it in a few days anyway." Chief of Staff Isori held out three fingers. "Thirty million gold coins will only be less, not more."
"Only 30 million gold coins?" Russell was surprised. "Last year there were 50 million gold coins, and now it's cut in half?"
"The empire's overall budget for the military has been cut by 70 million gold coins. So in fact, the budget cut by our navy is much less than that of the army..." Chief of Staff Isori said with a self-deprecating smile.
"The problem is that there are only a few of us, and if we cut so many..." Russell frowned, made a quick calculation in his mind, and then found a question that made his face gloomy. "Based on this calculation, won't our navy be able to barely maintain the status quo next year?"
"Yes." Chief of Staff Isori nodded. "So, it's completely impossible to buy these frigates, each of which costs two million gold coins."
Russell couldn't help but be stunned.
Although he had anticipated that it might be difficult to purchase such an expensive frigate due to budget issues.
But he never imagined that the Imperial Navy would be so poor.
With a budget of only 30 million gold coins a year, it can really only barely maintain the status quo, and even if something happens, it will simply not make ends meet.
Under such circumstances, how could it be possible to spend a large sum of gold coins to buy such an expensive frigate
After being silent for a while, Russell still felt unwilling to give up. After thinking about it for a while, he said to Chief of Staff Isori: "Mr. Chrysler, I still insist on my opinion. No matter what, the Imperial Navy must equip these frigates. Because only In this way, we can ensure that the Imperial Navy remains the most powerful navy on this continent.”
Chief of Staff Isori frowned: "The problem is that there is no money..."
"Then squeeze out the money!" Russell took a step forward and said loudly. "Mr. Chrysler, I solemnly suggest that you directly cut off the original naval fleet and replace them all with this latest type of powerful frigate!" (To be continued...)