Persuasion

Oscar appeared in Wilhelm II's office with sleepy eyes. To him, attending a banquet was worse than going back to sleep. In any case, he was not the sort of person who was welcomed there. Banquets were simply far too boring for him.

"Essen, prepare a cup of coffee for Oskar." Seeing the exhaustion on Oskar's face, Wilhelm II suddenly regretted waking him so late. Even though he was the Emperor, he loved his son dearly all the same.

"Your Highness, the banquet is at its height right now, yet you left. That is undoubtedly a loss! For a young man your age, this is precisely the time to enjoy banquets. Do not make yourself seem like an old man." Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz smiled broadly.

"Uh, Your Excellency, I am not suited to that kind of occasion. I feel out of place there, so I might as well go back to sleep." Oscar shook his head.

"Oskar, that will not do. Personal connections are extremely important. Banquets are the best places to build and expand your own network of relationships. Your life ahead is still very long; you need to establish your own network."

"Yes, Father Emperor!" Oscar nodded. He knew Wilhelm II was doing this for his own good.

"Your Highness, your coffee." Essen von Jonath brought Oscar a cup of coffee.

"Thank you!" Oscar accepted the coffee. Only after downing the rich cup of coffee did he feel considerably more alert.

"All right, Oskar, let us discuss business now. I am very satisfied with the Christmas gift you gave me. However, Your Excellency and I both have deep doubts about it, and we hope you can clear them up for us," Wilhelm II said.

"Father Emperor, it is best if you like it. That Battleship was merely one of my conjectures about the future development of naval Capital Ships." Oscar appeared very modest.

"Your Highness, the Battleship you designed is exceptionally fine. However, it differs greatly from the mainstream Battleships of today. Why do you believe an All-big-gun Armament layout will become the trend of development?" Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz asked.

"Your Excellency, as artillery range continues to increase, its power is also growing greater and greater. This means that long-range engagements will become the norm in naval warfare. Once engagement distances generally reach ten kilometers or even farther, aside from large-caliber main guns being able to threaten the enemy, smaller-caliber guns simply cannot pose a threat at all. One could say this is an inevitable development for the navy's Capital Ships."

Although Oscar's view had not been proven, both Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz nodded repeatedly. Given the intelligence they possessed, they naturally knew that what Oscar said was true.

"Your Majesty, the latest intelligence obtained by the navy indicates that the British are designing their newest class of Battleship. That Battleship has also been called an epoch-making advanced Battleship," Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz said.

Wilhelm II's expression could not help growing even more solemn.

"The British already possess an enormous advantage at sea. If their Next-class Battleship leads us once again, suppressing them will become even more difficult." Wilhelm II was deeply worried about this as well. Though he was somewhat headstrong and arrogant, he did not believe the German Navy would stand any chance against the British Navy.

"Father Emperor, Your Excellency. The British Next-class Battleship should also be an All-big-gun Armament Battleship. We cannot let them get ahead of us again. Otherwise, the gap between us will only grow wider," Oscar said.

"Oskar, is that true? Where did you get this information?" Wilhelm II asked.

"Father Emperor, it is my guess. However, I believe it is highly possible." Oscar dearly wanted to say that the British would definitely build All-big-gun Armament Battleships. But he had insufficient evidence to support his words. He could hardly tell Wilhelm II outright that he had traveled back from the future, and that historically the British had done exactly that, could he? If he did, Wilhelm II certainly would not let him off.

Wilhelm II nodded. In his eyes, Oscar was merely a sixteen-year-old child. For him to have guessed this much was already exceedingly rare.

"Your Excellency, spare no effort in investigating the British's newest class of Battleship. Once it is confirmed, the Empire cannot fall behind them again," Wilhelm II said.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz nodded.

"Your Highness, why do you advocate using Oil-fired Boilers and Steam Turbines on the New-style Battleship? Germany is a nation severely lacking in petroleum, but we do not lack coal. If we use Coal-fired Boilers, they would better suit our national conditions. Furthermore, we have not made much progress in the development of Steam Turbines. We severely lack experience in using Steam Turbines aboard large warships. If we use them directly on Battleships, many problems may arise. If we use Triple-expansion Steam Engines instead, there will be no such problem. After all, we possess highly mature technology in that field," Tirpitz said.

Oscar shook his head. "Your Excellency, Oil-fired Boilers perform better than Coal-fired Boilers. At the same time, fuel oil is easier and more convenient to store than coal. Using Oil-fired Boilers would give our warships greater power and longer range. Steam Turbines have greater output than Triple-expansion Steam Engines and can give Battleships greater speed. The advantage of speed in naval warfare is becoming increasingly important. If the battle goes badly, we can use our speed advantage to withdraw quickly and preserve our strength. If the battle goes well and the enemy flees, only then will our warships be able to catch them. You must know that the British Navy places great importance on Battleship speed. Although we have not yet made a breakthrough in Steam Turbine development, we still have time. From construction to launching, a Battleship takes roughly two years. If we spend those two years specifically making a breakthrough in this area, it should not be too much of a problem."

"As for the Battleship's main guns, I chose 305mm Main Guns. I need not say much about that, should I? The larger the caliber, the longer the range and the greater the power. In naval warfare, using main guns of the largest possible caliber offers a greater advantage," Oscar continued.

"Your Excellency, what do you think of Oskar's proposal?" Wilhelm II asked.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness's proposal is very good. However, we need to make breakthroughs in all of these areas." Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz frowned.