Another World: Naval Storm

"System, are these the only things in the primary store?" Leo had a headache looking at the three items on the shelf in the system store.

【Limited time offer Commander】

"I don't believe you! Why is the price of level 1 God's Perspective the same as level 2 Firearms Specialization? Both are 5000 Merit Points! I only have 1000 Merit Points now!"

【Report to Commander】

[The God's Perspective is very useful. In the era when radars have not yet appeared, the God's Perspective can replace radars to detect the enemy's position in advance.]

[System products are updated monthly, please redeem the required items as soon as possible]

"Exchange your head! Save it for later!" Leo's eyes were filled with items that could be exchanged with the existing merit points.

****

Time flies, and graduation season is here in the blink of an eye!

In October 1897, the auditorium of Carey College was packed with people, and Nicholas's defense received thunderous applause from teachers and students.

Principal Brightman gave him a high score of 9.5. "Piltz, how are your fellow students?"

"Nicholas's paper is very good and has unique insights in ship applications. He has a strategic vision and will definitely be an outstanding fleet commander in the future." Piltz expressed his affirmation of Nicholas.

"Haha, then you must arrange a good position for him and don't let them waste their time." Principal Brightman continued: "You are now the Minister of the Imperial Navy and the Minister of the Navy. As a senior, you must take care of them more!"

"Principal, I have a piece of news for you. His Majesty has agreed to expand the navy. These graduating classes have caught up with a good era. They will all become the cornerstone of the navy." Major General Piltz whispered in Principal Breiman's ear.

"The next student, Leo."

The internship experience on the light cruiser allowed Leo to systematically learn command, naval gunnery and torpedo science. Combining the knowledge from his previous life, he published several papers, which caused a great response. He also became friends with Gunvotel-Gernara and exchanged ideas on topics such as the future development of the navy.

Returning to the academy again, Leo was full of energy and was sure that he would make a big splash.

"My thesis title is "What kind of warships does the empire need today? Battlecruisers are indispensable."

In late October, a cold wind blew across Kaili Bay.

Next to the Kaili Naval Academy dock, forty-one naval cadets lined up in a neat square, all wearing naval uniforms, waiting to be awarded titles by Principal Brightman.

The elderly Principal Brightman was dressed in a general's uniform and looked solemn. He turned sideways, picked up the lieutenant's epaulettes from the adjutant's tray, and pinned them on Leo's shoulders.

"Kid, sometimes being too radical is not a good thing. For some things, the slower the better." Principal Brightman kindly warned the most outstanding student of this class.

"Children, in the past few years, you have met challenges and difficulties with your sweat and wisdom. Now you have become the elite of the navy, and the sea is beckoning you! As the principal, I am proud of you. I hope that one day Kaili College will be proud to have students like you! Children, you have graduated!"

"Long live!" They hugged each other, some threw their hats into the sky, some hugged their classmates tightly, and some threw their classmates up and down.

The military band played the national anthem of the Drake Empire and the Navy's military song again, and the students sang the military song for the last time at Kaili College. After today, they will go to various positions in the navy, including the navigator, gunner, and fleet staff officer.

Alcohol is not prohibited tonight, and the naval cadets who have no desire to sleep plan to get drunk. They don't know when they will meet again.

[Congratulations to the Commander for his promotion to the rank of Second Lieutenant]

[System opens new function - ship status panel]

[You can check the status of your ship's armament, crew, damage, etc. from the ship status panel]

****

The Drake Empire is beautiful and the Mecklenburg Palace is brightly lit.

"Do battlecruisers need equipment? They can't beat battleships, so I think it's best to build battleships!"

"I think there is still a need for battlecruisers. On the sea, Osmaga, Flanders, and Volas are nothing to be afraid of. Our main opponents are Talen, Fran, and Yemelica. Our total naval tonnage is less than a fraction of theirs. Even if we start building from now on, we can't catch up with their quantity. We can only win by quality!"

"Then why don't we build more battleships?"

"Battlecruisers have the powerful firepower of battleships and the high speed of cruisers. They can perform long-range combat and rapid response missions in wartime! We can build battleships and battlecruisers at the same time. Battlecruisers can also join the battle line for a decisive battle in an emergency!"

"I agree. Battlecruisers can hunt down the enemy's numerous old cruisers! They can also cut off the enemy's sea transportation lines!"

"No, no, no, battleships are the future of the navy, Germany's funds cannot be wasted!"

"Didn't you read the paper? The dreadnought is the future of the navy! By reducing the secondary main guns of different calibers and equipping them with main guns of the same caliber and a diameter ratio, the dreadnought will be faster than ordinary battleships and its firepower projection will be more effective!"

"The armor is also thicker. Once our dreadnoughts are released, all of Talen's warships will be outdated!"

"The Empire has allocated only so much military funds to the Navy. Which one should we build, the dreadnought or the battlecruiser?"

"Of course we want both! Why not just ask for more from the Imperial Parliament?"

"Oh~ It's so simple, will the insects in the parliament agree?"

The debate among the Admiralty officials was fruitless, and they had no choice but to wait for the decision of the Emperor of the Drake Empire.

"There is some truth in the paper, but the empire cannot bet everything on battlecruisers. Let's put it this way. We will initially plan to cut the budget for all battleships and use it to build dreadnoughts and battlecruisers!" The German Emperor made the final decision. He wanted both adults!

The German Emperor remembered Leo's name, and he used his golden fingers in his paper to create both dreadnoughts and battlecruisers.

"This is a talent."

"Yes, Your Majesty, he might be the future Minister of the Navy!" Piltz said.

"That's not necessarily true, my Minister of the Navy!" Then the German Emperor put Leo's paper into the drawer.

"The future of the Drake Empire lies on the sea! I hope the members of the Imperial Parliament have some sense of responsibility!" The Kaiser's eyes were unusually cold.

"Your Majesty! We have already spread the word in advance that most of the parliamentarians agree to expand the army!"

"The empire needs unity! Disharmonious factors must be eliminated!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

In 1898, the Drak Empire Parliament passed the first naval expansion bill. It was to build a fleet of 19 battleships, 10 coastal armored ships and 12 large cruisers. In the same year, the Drak Empire Naval Association was established, marking the beginning of a larger-scale military expansion. The battleships in this bill were actually pre-dreadnoughts, which were kept secret from the outside world and called battleships to confuse spies from other countries.

Under the urging of the German Emperor, the Imperial Design Bureau is working day and night. I believe that the drawings of the dreadnought and armored cruiser will come out soon!