'Nassau-class' Battleship

"Father Emperor, the shipyard needs to be expanded—adding large berths and recruiting enough skilled workers and engineers—which also requires substantial funds. A conservative estimate puts it at around one hundred and twenty million Marks. That sum is equally astronomical. If Father Emperor could lend me this money, then I'll consider taking over the Imperial Shipyard," Oscar said.

Since taking over the Imperial Shipyard had become a foregone conclusion, Oscar naturally wanted to squeeze out as many benefits as possible.

"One hundred and twenty million Marks? Is that much really necessary?" Wilhelm II frowned.

"Of course. If I take over the Imperial Shipyard, I plan to build eight berths capable of constructing warships over thirty thousand tons, along with some additional medium and small berths. All of this requires a hefty investment," Oscar explained.

"Eight berths for battleships over thirty thousand tons? Even the other major shipyards don't have that many large berths! Besides, is there even a need for berths over thirty thousand tons?" Wilhelm II asked, incredulous.

After all, current battleships generally displaced under twenty thousand tons. Even the New-style Battleship Oscar had designed came in at exactly twenty thousand tons. In Wilhelm II's view, building berths over thirty thousand tons was a sheer waste.

"Father Emperor, as technology advances, the power of large-caliber guns will only grow. To mount even larger guns and install thicker armor, battleship displacement will naturally keep increasing. A battleship displacing over thirty thousand tons may seem enormous now, but I believe that within at most ten years, all major powers will be building ships of that size. So we must prepare early. Otherwise, we'll be scrambling to upgrade berths later, wasting a lot of time," Oscar said.

Everything he did was for the German Navy and for Germany's victory in future wars. Strengthening the German Navy as much as possible would give it a greater chance of success in future naval battles.

Wilhelm II hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. "Alright, I'll allocate one hundred and twenty million Marks from the imperial treasury to you. Including the fifty million Mark transfer fee for the Imperial Shipyard, that makes one hundred and seventy million Marks total. Repay it all within three years, plus interest, for a total of two hundred million Marks. You have no objections to that, do you?"

Two hundred million Marks was no small sum, but for Oscar, it was merely one year's profit from the German Welfare Lottery Company. Moreover, Oscar's future ventures wouldn't stop there. Once the shipyard matters were settled, he planned to invest in other fields. In his view, the early twentieth century, though backward, was also full of opportunities. There were plenty of ways to make money.

"Alright, Oscar, then it's settled. I'll have the lawyers draft the agreement quickly and help you handle the formalities." Wilhelm II wore a broad smile. Offloading the Imperial Shipyard made him very pleased.

But then Oscar thought of another idea.

"Father Emperor, what do you think of the battleship I designed this time? If, after construction, its performance matches my design specs, could it become the German Navy's next main battleship class?" Oscar asked.

Wilhelm II nodded. "Of course. Even though the Naval Technical Committee rejected your design, I think it has many merits. If the battleship built actually achieves the paper specs, it would be far more powerful than any existing German Navy battleship. It would be perfectly suitable as the next class."

Oscar nodded and broke into a cheerful grin.

"Father Emperor, how about this: since I owe you one hundred and seventy million Marks—two hundred million with interest—let my shipyard build four battleships for you! That way, I'll have paid off my entire debt." Oscar smiled brightly.

"Ah!" Wilhelm II was taken aback, not expecting Oscar to be angling for this.

But he quickly frowned. The navy's next main battleship class was far too important to entrust to Oscar's shipyard so easily. Even if Oscar poured huge investments into it, the Imperial Shipyard was still just a medium-sized yard. Even after expansion, it would lack experience in building battleships. Moreover, constructing capital ships involved major interests—the profits of various shipyards and internal political entanglements. If Wilhelm II did that, it would inevitably provoke fierce opposition from vested interests. That would cause serious problems.

"Father Emperor, the Imperial Shipyard has been running at a loss. Without enough orders, even if I spend a fortune to expand, it will still go bankrupt from losses. As for the Naval Technical Committee and other shipyards' opinions, once they see how excellent the battleships we build are, what can they say? More importantly, this will save us a lot of time catching up to the British.

Besides, Father Emperor, the Naval Technical Committee has grown stale. I won't deny they played a huge role during the German Navy's rapid expansion years. But now their experience is outdated, stuck in the last century. That's very detrimental to the German Empire Navy's future development. If the navy adopts the battleships my shipyard builds as the next main class, it will serve as a lesson for them."

Oscar pleaded earnestly. He was giving it his all to secure enough orders for his shipyard.

Wilhelm II thought it over for a long while before finally nodding. He, too, was somewhat dissatisfied with the Naval Technical Committee's recent performance.

"Alright, Oscar, let's do it your way! But the precondition is that the battleships your shipyard builds must match the performance you've promised—at least not deviate too much. Otherwise, I won't accept them!" Wilhelm II said sternly.

If the battleships Oscar built turned out to be junk, they certainly couldn't join the German Navy and become a burden to the fleet.

"Don't worry, Father Emperor, there's absolutely no problem," Oscar vowed, thumping his chest.

Afterward, Oscar asked Wilhelm II to name the New-style Battleship. Wilhelm II thought for a moment and christened it the "Nassau-class" battleship.