() Regarding the decision of Rozdvinsky and the Admiralty behind him, Makanov believed that although the result was unexpected, it was absolutely reasonable. The reason is simple. Whether it was the Admiralty or the Tsar, they both

The navy must be considered from a country's perspective. They need to balance various expenditures. Although they are actively preparing for war,

Yes, it does not mean that everything in the Tsarist Empire can be used for military expenditure, coupled with the constraints brought by the entire rotten system. It is already a blessing to pass the first phase of the naval capital ship expansion plan, and now, 5

The share of 10,000-ton cruisers is definitely something that other big figures in the Navy Department strive for. It will be difficult for Makanov to increase it any further.

"50,000 tons is simply not enough. It can only make up for our losses in the last war. The various types of cruisers we lost in the last war were no less than this tonnage. It is not enough to compete with the fast battleships of the Chinese fleet.

Fight." Essen said with some frustration.

"A maximum of four armored cruisers can be built with 50,000 tons. Facts have proved that warships below 10,000 tons will be simply cannon fodder in future naval battles. A mere four armored cruisers will be a piece of cake against the battlecruisers of the Chinese Navy." Essen

He kept complaining, while Makanov on the side went like an old monk in meditation, without expressing any opinions...

"General, you are the best commander in the Imperial Navy. You cannot watch tens of thousands of marines and a fleet built with heavy money be defeated. This is our last chance. If we fail again, we will never be able to access the ocean of the Far East.

." Essen finally became anxious. He even thought that Makanov had given up on winning the war. If that was the case, it would be terrible.

"I'm not as pessimistic as you. Although the Navy Department doesn't pay much attention to fast battleships, it leaves some loopholes for us to exploit. For example, we can add new capital ships in the second naval expansion plan.

The firepower of these capital ships can be slightly weaker, maintain a higher speed, and can fight together with armored cruisers. In this way, I think we can integrate them into a fast fleet." Makanov said with a smile.

"This idea is very similar to Beiyang's fast battleship. Beiyang's fast battleship requires firepower and protection close to that of a battleship. Its speed is between battlecruisers and battleships. It can be used for guerrilla operations and vanguard. It can also be used

Fight on the battle line." Essen said after a moment of thought.

"Yes, we are also following this idea. The fast fleet emphasizes the word "fast", as long as the battleships in the fleet can maintain a high speed. Do I call it a battleship or an armored cruiser? We can completely ask the Navy Department to add more ships.

Purchase two fast battleships

.And then organize it into an armored patrol formation when it is used. In fact, this idea has been around for a long time. Of course, the armored cruiser leader we built is actually such a battleship. We can call it a battleship or an armored patrol leader. Hmm.

That’s it,” Makanov said.

"But after adding the two new fast battleships, we still can't compete with the Chinese Navy. With only 6 battleships, it is estimated that we can't even defeat the 4 fearless fast battleships of the Chinese Navy. The fast battleships ordered by Germany are fully equipped

Nine 12-inch heavy guns, with a displacement of more than 21,000 tons." Essen said after thinking for a moment.

"This is not a problem that we can control, but it's okay. This time the Imperial Navy will not fight alone. We have an ally that can fight side by side. Although this ally is not strong, one more friend is better than one more enemy.

I can’t get on." Makanov sighed and said.

"You mean the Dutch? Will they go to war with the powerful Chinese Navy for the Russian Empire? I don't think they have the courage!" Essen's face was full of disbelief.

"If they are not at war with the Chinese navy, then why are they preparing their naval armaments? In Europe, no matter how hard they try, they can't escape the fate of a third-rate country. In the Far East, it is simply a waste to use new patrols to attack the indigenous people, so their goal

There is only one, and that is for the United Empire to defeat the Chinese Navy." Makarnov paused and continued.

"If they didn't have allies, they wouldn't dare to do this. But now, the Dutch, who have been holding back for a long time, see an opportunity, an opportunity to use the Imperial Navy to defeat their old enemy. Even if there is no lease of the port, I dare

It is guaranteed that China will still find ways to seize the Dutch colonies after becoming truly powerful. In other words, the result is certain, so whether the Dutch are willing or not, they will have to fight to the death, and the chance to fight is now."

"The Dutch's national strength is not enough to support them in building large capital ships and maintaining a strong fleet. I think the most they can do is build some fast battleships. If so, can integration make up for the lack of strength in our fast fleet? This is a good way.

"Essen's face finally showed an expression of joy.

"Okay, don't get too happy too early. Let's first talk about what kind of warships the French and Americans plan to provide us." Makanov decided to talk about something more practical.

"Battleships over 20,000 tons have been rejected. The French and Americans have given designs respectively. Among them, the French have given two types, one is a fast battleship with a central axis layout and equipped with 8 274mm guns.

The plan adopts a long forecastle ship type, the second turret at the bow is designed to be carried on the back, the last turret at the stern is lowered by one level, and the thickness of the main armor belt

It is 280mm, but the height is low, only more than 2 meters, with 6-inch armor on top. At the same time, in order to reduce displacement, the front and rear armor belts are also relatively thin, and can only resist 6-inch artillery. However, the power is good, and it is expected to reach 24 knots.

speed, and the displacement is estimated to be 20,000 tons." Essen said, handing the first plan to Makanov.

"In terms of layout, the other one is a replica of the battlecruiser built by the Chinese Navy in the UK, but with smaller guns and thicker armor. The biggest advantage of this plan is that it will not be restricted by the port at all. No.

With a displacement of more than 18,000 tons, it can fully use the berths and docks of Batavia Port. And although the armor thickness is only 250mm,

But the height of the armored belt has reached more than 3 meters. The thickness of the front and rear armor is 150mm. It can already resist the attack of the 8-inch gun. The only problem is that the firepower is slightly weaker. In short, it is a very difficult choice." Essen couldn't help but wrinkled.

Frowning. Essen himself doesn't like this asymmetrical layout, but in terms of performance and weight, it is very outstanding.

"Tell me about the American plan. Maybe they will come up with a better design in the future." Makanov asked while comparing the two French design plans.

"The American design, how should I put it, is very clever and lazy." Essen couldn't help but sweat. This design is very similar to the difference between the Chinese Navy's fast battleships and main battleships. "The United States has lost one turret.

Then install the power system in the free space, and you can just treat it as a fast battleship with 6 12-inch guns."

"This idea is indeed very simple, but very efficient. What is the specific performance? It is not just as simple as missing a turret and adding some boilers?" Makanov asked.

"The armor belt has also been weakened. The main armor thickness is 250mm and the height is 3 meters. The turret protection and gun mount protection are better than those of the French battleships. The front turret protection is 300mm and the gun mount protection is 280mm. However, the front turret and gun mount protection of the French battleships are

Then it is 230m

m. From the perspective of lightning protection, Americans like to use multiple thin steel plates to block debris, while the French like to use a single layer of thick steel plates to block debris. From the depth of the lightning protection system, the two sides are roughly the same." Essen

Report the rest of the situation together and wait for Makanov's decision.

"This is really a difficult thing to decide, but I personally still like the American design, the 12-inch gun with a full central axis layout. There is also enough protection. From the perspective of firepower projection, the French warships are obviously

has more advantages. Although the caliber of the artillery is smaller, the French gun

The speed of the tower gun is still worthy of recognition. As for the power, the French one is more advanced. If possible, I hope that the ship built in the United States will use French power and turret structure, and the original design uses the American 6-piece 12-inch gun central axis

Layout plan," Makanov said.

"I will coordinate in this regard, but what are we going to do with the remaining 50,000 tons? If we still build dreadnought battleships, I'm afraid it will only be enough to build two." Essen asked.

"We can build fearless armored cruisers. Obviously, the remaining tonnage is no longer enough to equip these battleships with battleship-level firepower. If possible, I plan to equip them with 10-inch-level artillery. Although these artillery can be slightly difficult to deal with battleships,

, but it is still very good against the seven armored cruisers of the West China Navy." Makanov said.

"If each ship is built according to the standard of about 13,000 tons, it should be no problem to install about 8 artillery pieces. But it may be necessary to adopt a quadrilateral layout. The advantages of 8 artillery pieces can only be used under certain circumstances. And

Visual inspection of armor thickness

It will not exceed 8 inches, and the speed may not reach more than 23 knots. The most important thing is the cost and tonnage. The tonnage of 50,000 tons will definitely exceed a lot. The cost will not be low, especially if it is made in France.

"Essen expressed his concerns.

"Send out the plan first, and then we will put it into operation. If possible, we can persuade the Navy Department to allocate the budget for submarines and coastal defense warships to fill this gap. It is impossible to equip the fleet with these things to go to the Far East. If it still doesn't work,

, the remaining battleships of the Far East Fleet can consider entering the second line to save money." Makanov said. Then he signaled Essen to leave to prepare. He was already very tired today and did not want to say anything more. (To be continued.
Chapter completed!