Demonstration Conference

Oscar spoke with Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz until two in the morning. Although Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz both approved of Oscar's design, it was still unlikely that they would immediately make up their minds to build the battleship he had designed.

Building a battleship was no child's play. Each one took two or three years to construct. Of course, the British Navy's Dreadnought had taken only a year from the start of construction to launching. But once fitting-out and sea trials were included, two years had passed by the time she entered service.

Therefore, before construction on a battleship could begin, it had to undergo thorough demonstration. Everything had to be made foolproof, lest all manner of problems emerge after work had started. If that happened, resolving those problems would undoubtedly become extremely troublesome.

Germany's naval budget was already very limited. If anything went wrong, it would be a heavy blow to the German Navy. The gap between them and the British Navy would only widen further. Thus, Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz had no choice but to proceed with utmost caution.

"Looks like tomorrow afternoon's Demonstration Conference won't be easy to get through. I wonder what choice those old fossils in the Naval Technical Committee will make." Oscar muttered a few words before finally falling into a deep sleep.

That was right. Wilhelm II had decided to have the Naval Technical Committee evaluate Oscar's design and determine whether construction should begin on the battleship he had designed. However, the people in the Naval Technical Committee were famous for being rigid and old-fashioned. Getting them to accept something new—especially a New-style Battleship designed by Oscar, a boy who had only just turned sixteen—would undoubtedly be extremely difficult. If they chose Oscar's design, would that not prove that all the Navy's experts were useless? They could not afford to lose that much face.

Although Christmas was the next day, this concerned the German Navy's Next-class Battleship. For the German Navy, nothing could have been more important. Thus, the senior officials of the Naval Technical Committee had all been notified and gathered in the committee's conference room at two in the afternoon. Whether the battleship designed by Oscar could become reality depended on these people's decision. Naturally, as its designer, Oscar would also attend this evaluation, explain his design philosophy to the experts, and convince them.

Count von Warren, chairman of the Naval Technical Committee, sat in the seat of honor. Also present were Sir Dietrich, Shipbuilding Director; Commodore Gussad, the Navy's weapons expert; Bruckner, chief engineer of the Naval Technical Committee; Erich Dawson, designer of Naval Warships; and General Müller, Chief of the Naval Cabinet.

"Your Excellency, why have His Majesty and the Grand Admiral been so hasty this time, asking us to evaluate a battleship designed by a teenage boy? Since when could young boys design battleships? If that is the case, what use are the rest of us?" Sir Dietrich complained. As the German Navy's most senior Shipbuilding Director and its finest naval engineer, he had his own pride. He believed this Demonstration Conference was pure farce. Besides, it was Christmas. Instead of spending the holiday reunited with their families, they had to waste time here. Naturally, he was deeply dissatisfied.

"Indeed, Your Excellency. Prince Oskar is only sixteen. At his age, he should be studying in school. Designing a battleship—is that not a joke? What is more, I have heard that Your Highness is exceptionally unruly and has tried every possible means to avoid attending the Kiel Naval Academy. Could someone like that possibly design a breathtaking battleship? I remain deeply skeptical." Bruckner, the Naval Technical Committee's chief engineer, also wore a look of utter disdain.

"Enough, gentlemen. Prince Oskar may well be a genius," Count von Warren said. As chairman of the Naval Technical Committee, he had always upheld the belief that the German Navy must advance with care and caution, ensuring everything was foolproof whenever possible. For if their decisions were wrong, they would inflict enormous losses on the German Navy. Now that Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz had asked them to evaluate Oscar's battleship design, Count von Warren had already made up his mind: he would apply strict standards and never allow this design to pass easily.

"Your Excellency, Prince Oskar is indeed a genius. But he is a genius in business, not in shipbuilding." Erich Dawson, designer of Naval Warships, also spoke. Naturally, there was a trace of mockery in his voice. In the eyes of technical experts like them, Oscar's Welfare Lottery Company was nothing more than a company that relied on clever tricks. Even if it had earned a mountain of wealth, what did that matter?

"Enough. Everyone, be quiet. The Demonstration Conference begins in five minutes," General Müller, Chief of the Naval Cabinet, reminded them. Although Oscar and the others had not yet arrived, speaking behind the backs of members of the royal family was never a good thing.

Two minutes later, a group entered the conference room. At their head was none other than Crown Prince Wilhelm. Wilhelm II was busy with affairs that day and had not come personally to attend the Demonstration Conference. Yet to show the importance he attached to it, he had still sent Crown Prince Wilhelm as his representative.

Following close behind was Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz. As the man at the helm of the German Navy, he naturally had to attend when it concerned something as significant as the German Navy's Next-class Capital Ships.

Prince Heinrich, Commander of the High Seas Fleet, had also come. He was German Emperor Wilhelm II's younger brother and had served in the German Navy for many years, wielding enormous influence within it. The battleships built by the German Navy were almost all assigned to the High Seas Fleet. Therefore, he had a right to speak when it came to the next class of Capital Ships.

Walking at the very end was Oscar. He had not expected such a grand array. Originally, he had thought that once Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz nodded their approval, everything would be as solid as a nail driven into wood. But now it seemed things were not so simple. To convince those old fossils, Oscar felt tremendous pressure. After all, he was still too young. He had merely enrolled in the Naval Academy in name, let alone attended university. Making these experts accept him would undoubtedly be extraordinarily difficult.

However, Oscar had already made up his mind. Even if the evaluation did not pass, he would insist on having it built. At worst, he would pay for everything himself. It was not as though he lacked money now!