Another World: Naval Storm

On January 1904, 1, the Kaili Naval Port was crowded with people just after the New Year. The entire port was hung with ribbons and Kaili people were waving naval and national flags.

The emperor came here in person to preside over the commissioning ceremony of the newly launched first ship of the Nassau class, the Nassau. Senior officials stood behind the emperor and looked at the giant ship docked at the port.

The cold hull gives a great visual impact. Even the experienced old navy will marvel at the huge size of the Nassau.

The emperor looked at the Dreadnought with great satisfaction, "Only a warship like this can bring glory to the world!"

Hearing the emperor say this, a group of senior naval officers standing behind him all smiled, and the little captain Leo was honored to be among them.

"The gentlemen of the Imperial Parliament will also be very satisfied!"

"Haha, I hope the Imperial Parliament can approve the new naval bill as soon as possible!" The emperor was already imagining the next round of military expansion.

"Of course, I believe Parliament will recognize the importance of the Naval Bill to the Empire!" Before he finished speaking, a major squeezed through the crowd and whispered something in Piltz's ear.

"What's the matter?" The emperor waited until the major left before asking.

"Your Majesty, bad news. Several of the Empire's oil tankers were intercepted and searched by the Talen Navy in the southern Felix Sea." Piltz told the news he had just received.

The veins on the hand holding the scepter were exposed, showing that the emperor was not calm at the moment.

"Let the parliament approve it as soon as possible. I believe the reasons given by the Talens will impress them!"

Then the emperor in navy uniform began to speak, "The image of Neptune holding a trident is a symbol of the new mission we must accomplish. No matter where in the world, we must protect the citizens of the Drake Empire; and no matter where in the world, we must also uphold the honor of the Drake Empire!"

"The launching of the Dreadnought marks the beginning of Drake's conquest of the ocean. The future of the Drake people lies on the sea!" Amid the cheers of the Drake people, the emperor personally smashed champagne on the hull of the Nassau.

The Dreadnought responded to the people's call and fired 21 cannon salutes to pay tribute to the emperor and the people.

Ambassador Tarun, who was invited to visit, understood very well the mood of the Emperor of the Drake Empire at this moment, because he was also feeling very uncomfortable.

"What is MI6 doing? They get so much funding every year, but they don't get much useful information!" Ambassador Talen Odo-Nasser cursed.

The MI6 intelligence officers he mentioned were dressed up as reporters, holding up cameras to take pictures, trying to capture all the details of the Nassau into the small cameras.

"The Drake Navy has become stronger, and the Talen people will probably have a headache." The ambassador of the Itli Kingdom was a little gloating.

"When will the empire be able to own such a majestic warship? The Japanese have been making moves in the Far East recently. I have to ask the Drake Empire if it is willing to sell such warships!" The ambassador of the Rakshasa Empire planned to go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to inquire about the news later.

"The caliber of the main gun is too small. The kingdom's dreadnoughts must use large-caliber main guns, preferably 360 mm and above." The ambassador of the Kingdom of Wa Nu Xian was already imagining how mighty and majestic his country's battleships would be.

"It doesn't matter. The great Fran Republic will soon build its own dreadnought!" Ambassador Fran was as confident as ever.

The next day, the news of the launch of the Dekla Empire's new warship spread throughout the world.

Yemelika Republic, White House.

The Yemelika people didn't know about the "Winter Letter" plan yet, otherwise they would have assembled their troops and fought the Drak people to the death.

"The Drakes' new warships have made the Republic's entire fleet obsolete." Theodore stated this fact calmly.

"Yes, Mr. President. According to intelligence, four dreadnoughts will be in service in the High Seas Fleet by the end of this year." Navy Secretary Moody hadn't said anything else. If an incident similar to Bolivar happened again, these four dreadnoughts would be able to send a Yemelica fleet to the bottom of the sea.

"The warships that are almost completed on the slipway will continue to be built, and the construction of other ships whose keels have just been laid will be stopped. I hope the design department can quickly come up with a plan for building dreadnoughts!" Theodore continued, "I will persuade Congress to support the new military expansion bill. We must build more dreadnoughts to protect the interests of Yemelica. Which powerful country does not have a decent navy!" The new military expansion bill must ensure that the construction of at least four dreadnoughts will be started every year.

"Mr. President, the impact of the dreadnought on the world may not be that great in the eyes of Congress. Now the number of warships in Yemelica is second only to Taren, Drake, Fran and Rakshasa, and the total tonnage is only lower than Taren and Drake." Treasury Secretary Yellen was not so optimistic. "Congress will not be so happy. The Democrats will definitely block the passage of the bill!"

1903年，美国已有舰船102艘42.4万吨，拥有12艘战列舰、26艘装甲巡洋舰、3艘重装甲巡洋舰、3艘非装甲巡洋舰及其他舰船在内的舰艇。

Rakshasa Empire, St. Petersburg.

The Tsar, who is loved by all the citizens of the Rakshasa Empire, couldn't let go of the model of the dreadnought in his hand.

The Russians have always regarded battleships as the main force in fleet decisive battles, and this idea is the mainstream in the world. Cruisers have always been used for reconnaissance, breaking up commerce, and dealing with small warships. They are not valued by the Russians who like big, black and rough things.

"Order the ambassador to Drake to contact the Drake people and see if he can buy two dreadnoughts and their blueprints." The Tsar was a little too optimistic about his country's industrial base and wanted to build dreadnoughts himself.

Wanu Kingdom, cabinet meeting.

"According to the information from the embassy, ​​the Drakes have very good warships. I wonder how many will be assigned to the Far East." Mutsu Mitsumoto was quite worried. "Will the Drakes join forces with the Rakshasa to deal with us?"

"Don't worry. There won't be too many ships commissioned this year. Before the Drakes' high seas fleet is built, there shouldn't be any new warships added to the Far East. Besides, the Drakes are not like the Russians who have always been our mortal enemies. They have no core interests in the Far East. They just want to make more money in the Far East." Ito Hirobumi's analysis was very thorough.

"There are only so many markets in the empire. Do we have to buy all the goods from the Drake Empire? The Taren people will not agree to that!" Saionji Kimmochi said excitedly.

"Of course not entirely. The industrial products and arms of the Drake people are still good. We can buy some. We can also actively show goodwill in diplomacy. I believe that the Drake government will gradually reduce its hostility towards Japan." Ito Hirobumi is very confident about this. As for whether the Drake Empire will let Japan go, it depends on the situation.