Slap in the Face (Seeking Collection)

Sufficient financial resources, combined with formidable shipbuilding capabilities and highly skilled naval personnel, had kept the German Navy ahead of all other navies for centuries, dominating the world's oceans.

During that time, many powerful rivals had challenged their maritime supremacy. But in the end, they all ran aground. Sea power remained firmly in the grip of the British Empire. And this, in turn, allowed Britain to seize the largest colonies on earth, bringing it enormous profits.

"Naval Minister, I'm dying to know what the Germans are thinking right now. If they find out that all their battleships—already built or under construction—are completely obsolete, Wilhelm II will probably go mad with rage! You know, the Germans have poured in almost every last Mark to develop their navy. And now, all those battleships they built are nothing but junk." Sir Bannerman laughed unrestrainedly, his laughter dripping with arrogance.

Germany's industrial strength had already surpassed Britain's. If not for Britain's vast colonies serving as markets for its goods, it would likely have buckled long ago. Germany's massive investment in its navy had also stirred deep unease in Britain. After all, the British had built their empire on sea power. The Germans daring to challenge the British Empire's maritime supremacy was something they simply could not accept.

"Prime Minister, you don't need to imagine it—Wilhelm II is bound to fly into a rage." Admiral Sir John Fisher was also all smiles. On matters concerning Germany, every member of the British Cabinet shared the same stance: to safeguard the British Empire's interests, Germany must be crushed at all costs. Only then would the British Empire's hegemony remain secure.

"But, Naval Minister, our New-style Battleship probably can't stay secret for long. German spies are everywhere." Sir Bannerman sounded a bit worried. He naturally hoped this new battleship could remain shrouded in mystery. That way, once war broke out, they could easily defeat the German Navy and secure the British Empire's sea power.

"Prime Minister, keeping it completely secret is almost impossible—especially after the battleship is launched. That huge thing floating on the sea is like a small mountain. Unless German spies are complete idiots, they'll likely find out soon enough." Admiral Fisher looked troubled.

"Then, Naval Minister, do we have any countermeasures?" Sir Bannerman asked.

"Prime Minister, even if the Germans learn we're building a New-style Battleship and manage to photograph it, so what? They won't get our new battleship's data anytime soon. Even if they start designing immediately, it'll take a year or two. By the time their new battleships are built and in service, several years will have passed. By then, we'll already be mass-producing our new battleships. The next generation of New-style Battleships will even be under construction. We're more than one step ahead of the Germans. The gap will only widen, not shrink." Admiral Fisher smiled confidently.

Sir Bannerman nodded. Hearing Fisher's words, he felt much more at ease.

"Prime Minister, we've already completed the design for the next class, the 'Bellerophon-class' battleship. Construction is expected to begin in the second half of the year. We'll build three at once. Design work for the class after that is also underway. Additionally, our gun factories are researching 13.5-inch naval guns. These will be the main armament for our next batch of capital ships. If we call battleships with 12-inch main guns Dreadnoughts, then those with 13.5-inch guns will be super-Dreadnoughts!" Admiral Fisher said.

"Excellent, very good! We need to maintain our edge over the Germans. This advantage must be reflected not only in the number of capital ships but also in quality. We must crush any delusion the Germans have of challenging our sea power. If they dare act on it, we'll annihilate their navy completely and ensure they never rise again!" Sir Bannerman declared with authority.

"Yes, Prime Minister. The Navy will see to it." Admiral Fisher was brimming with confidence.

Germany's intelligence-gathering in Britain was indeed thorough. Both the German Army and the German Navy had intelligence agencies operating in Britain, though their focuses differed. In particular, after the German Navy set its goal of challenging British naval supremacy, it intensified its collection of intelligence on the British Navy.

The launch and fitting-out of HMS Dreadnought was a major event within the British Navy. Although the British Admiralty demanded strict secrecy, no wall is completely airtight. News of a new British battleship's launch soon reached German naval intelligence. After some time and expense, they obtained the relevant data on HMS Dreadnought.

When this intelligence was sent back to the German Naval Ministry, Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz flew into a rage on the spot.

"Are those idiots on the Naval Technical Committee complete fools? The design they rejected has become the British next-generation capital ship. If not for them, our own next-generation capital ship might be close to launch by now! This was a rare chance to close the gap with the British Navy!" Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz was deeply regretful and also filled with self-blame. If he had been firmer when Oscar's design was rejected by the Naval Technical Committee and fought harder for him, the outcome might have been very different.

"Hmph! But this time, those rigid fossils on the Naval Committee will have their faces thoroughly slapped!" Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz sneered.

Such intelligence could not, of course, be kept from Wilhelm II. When naval intelligence obtained the relevant information, they informed Wilhelm II immediately.

"Incompetents! Are those people on the Naval Technical Committee all useless? With all their experience and so-called deep expertise in shipbuilding, they can't even match a boy? What a joke!" Wilhelm II raged in his office.

He ordered an Imperial Council to be convened immediately. The chairman of the Naval Technical Committee, Count von Warren, was also required to attend. For the entire Naval Technical Committee, this was certainly not good news.