The Navy's Friendship

Oscar froze for a moment, then immediately understood. Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz was referring to his promise to donate a battleship to the navy.

"Your Excellency, it was something I should have done in the first place. If Your Excellency had not agreed to my request, I would probably still be muddling through my days at the Naval Academy. I would never have achieved what I have today."

"Mm, Your Highness, I originally thought you were merely stringing us along because you did not want to attend school. But now it seems you truly can fulfill your promise." Director Birkenhagen sighed.

Although, after his conversation with Oscar, he had concluded that Oscar was not some good-for-nothing wastrel, he had likewise believed that actually donating a battleship to the German Navy would be exceedingly difficult for Oscar. After all, battleships were simply too expensive! Even Germany's finances found them hard to bear. Yet he had never expected Oscar to earn so much money in such a short time. Though no one knew exactly how much Oscar had made, one thing was certain: building a battleship would be as easy as turning over his hand.

"Your Excellency, since I have made the promise, I will naturally fulfill it. At the latest, construction on the battleship I promised to donate to the navy can begin next year."

There was now a trace of expectation in Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz's gaze as he looked at Oscar.

"It seems Prince Oskar's Welfare Lottery Company has truly amassed enormous wealth. Otherwise, he would not have agreed to fulfill his promise without changing expression. The navy's funding gap is growing ever larger. Competing with the British in Capital Ships is extremely difficult. If Prince Oskar could donate a few more battleships to the navy, that would be even better." Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz thought to himself. Clearly, he had already begun to see Oscar as a fat sheep, hoping to gain greater support from him. Of course, he also knew that would be difficult. Battleships were not cabbages, sold by the pound. A single battleship cost tens of millions of Mark!

Still, Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz decided to maintain a good relationship with Oscar. That way, if he needed to ask Oscar for help in the future, Oscar probably would not refuse.

"Your Highness, Director Birkenhagen has mentioned that you possess unique insights into the development of the navy," Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz said.

"Your Excellency, they can hardly be called insights. They are more concerns for the German Navy." A flicker of worry passed through Oscar's eyes.

"Could you speak of them in detail, Your Highness? We should have plenty of time tonight. Of course, it may delay Your Highness from dancing with those noble ladies." Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz smiled.

"Your Excellency, I have no interest in dancing. It would be my honor to discuss this with you." Oscar shook his head.

The three of them then found a corner and began to talk.

Oscar also did his utmost to tell Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz and Director Birkenhagen everything he knew. Perhaps it could be of some help to the German Navy. If this could enable the German Navy to win the future naval decisive battle, that would undoubtedly be the best possible outcome.

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency. Although we have successively completed or are constructing the Brandenburg-class battleships, Kaiser Frederick III-class battleships, Wittelsbach-class battleships, Braunschweig-class battleships, and Deutschland-class battleships, totaling as many as twenty-four vessels, regrettably, whether in numbers or performance, we cannot gain an overwhelming advantage when facing the British Navy. The officers and men of the German Empire Navy are certainly of high quality, but they still find it difficult to compare with the British Navy, which has ruled the world's seas for centuries. Therefore, once war breaks out, the German Navy will likely find it hard to defeat the British."

Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz and Director Birkenhagen both looked rather grim. They had a deep understanding of this as well, and naturally knew Oscar was not speaking nonsense off the cuff.

"The British Navy is simply too powerful. Challenging them is indeed extremely difficult. But the arrow is already on the string; it must be loosed. The British have formed an alliance with France and are drawing ever closer to Russia. Once war begins, they will inevitably become Germany's enemies," Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz said.

Oscar nodded, agreeing with this. If Wilhelm II still harbored illusions about the British, then Oscar, who had traveled back from later generations, could say with certainty that the British were determined to make enemies of Germany. Of course, Wilhelm II's desire to strengthen the German Navy was not truly meant to wage war against Britain. Rather, he hoped to use powerful sea power to force the British to yield and achieve victory without fighting. But in the end, it was proven that Wilhelm II had been too foolish and too naïve. When national interests were at stake, how could the British possibly give up resistance? Once Germany won the war and controlled the European continent, even if Britain stood alone offshore, it would likely be unable to remain untouched.

"Your Highness, do you have any good ideas on this matter?" Director Birkenhagen asked.

"The future war will be of vital importance. If Germany loses, the consequences will be too dreadful to contemplate. A powerful German Empire will cease to exist. Therefore, we must exhaust every effort to win this war. In my view, the key to winning lies with the navy. Only if the navy defeats the British Navy and lifts the British naval blockade of Germany can we obtain, through overseas trade, an unceasing supply of the materials needed for war. Only then can we hold on." Oscar spoke of the matter. In World War I, Germany had been dragged to death alive, which was undoubtedly a regrettable thing.

"Your Highness, could we not solve that by stockpiling sufficient war materials before the war?" Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz frowned.

Oscar smiled. The German leadership of this era undoubtedly believed that once war broke out, it would last only a few months at most. Just like the Franco-Prussian War of those days, they would swiftly achieve victory. They simply had not recognized how cruel this war would be, nor how long it would last. This directly led to them discovering, only after the war began, that their preparations had been nowhere near sufficient.

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency. I believe that once war breaks out, it will be a war more brutal than any before it. Moreover, it will last a very long time. Relying solely on prewar stockpiles, we simply cannot store enough war materials. Therefore, the navy defeating the British and breaking their naval blockade is the true key." Oscar spoke with absolute certainty.