The Name of Genius

"Your Majesty, we must admit that Prince Oskar has extraordinary talent in warship design. As it turns out, everything he predicted has come true. Although we wasted over a year, if we strive to catch up, it is not impossible for us to overtake the British." Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz also spoke.

Wilhelm II nodded. Forcing the stubborn members of the Naval Technical Committee to bow their heads and admit their mistake served to vindicate Oscar. At the same time, their complete reversal in attitude pleased him greatly. At the very least, from now on, those men on the Naval Technical Committee would no longer act so high and mighty, as if they alone represented authority.

"Since the Naval Technical Committee has recognized its error, I will not pursue this matter further. However, I hope you will take this as a lesson and let nothing like this happen again. After all, it damages the interests of the German Navy and the entire German Empire, putting us at a disadvantage in future wars!" Wilhelm II said sternly.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Count von Warren replied hastily, breathing a sigh of relief inside.

That Wilhelm II could raise the matter so heavily yet set it down so lightly was undoubtedly a good thing for the Naval Technical Committee. At least it meant they would not suffer too severe a blow. Of course, after this incident, the Committee's prestige had taken a serious hit. Those experts would no longer dare to presume themselves the ultimate authority and dismiss all other opinions.

"Gentlemen, I have something to inform you of. After his design was rejected, Oskar refused to give up and insisted on building the battleships he had designed. So he used his own funds to acquire the Imperial Shipyard and expanded it into a large-scale shipyard. Starting last November, Oskar's German Shipyard began constructing the battleships he designed—four of them at once. Since he insisted on bearing all the costs himself, I did not stop him. What are your thoughts on this?" Wilhelm II looked around at the assembled men.

None of the German dignitaries present were fools. They knew full well that Oscar could not have accomplished this without Wilhelm II's support. But now, the battleships under construction at Oscar's shipyard had become the hope of the German Navy—the hope of catching up to or even surpassing the British Navy. At this moment, no one was foolish enough to dig into the details.

"Your Majesty, it seems God is blessing the German Empire by sending us a genius warship designer like Prince Oskar. Thanks to his persistence, our navy will not be left too far behind by the British. Since Prince Oskar's shipyard has already begun building four New-style Battleships, why not simply have the Navy accept them as the next class of capital ships? That would save the time needed for redesign and new construction. Of course, the Navy can pay Prince Oskar the appropriate price." Prince Heinrich suggested.

This would undoubtedly be the best outcome for the German Navy. As for the Naval Technical Committee and the other large shipyards, it would not be so favorable. Naval ship orders, especially for large battleships, had always been the main source of profit those shipyards fought over. If the Navy now accepted the battleships under construction at Oscar's German Shipyard as the next class of capital ships, it would be like snatching meat from their bowls.

Count von Warren opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing. Although the major shipyards had close ties with the Naval Technical Committee and provided it with considerable extra support each year, now that they had made such a grave mistake, they clearly had no leverage to bargain on this issue.

Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz frowned, also considering this problem. But since the German Shipyard had already begun building four New-style Battleships, there was naturally no way to allocate additional battleship orders to other shipyards. Of course, the other shipyards still had their previous battleship orders. Though profits would be somewhat reduced, the overall impact would not be significant.

"Your Majesty, the Navy is willing to accept the battleships being built at Prince Oskar's German Shipyard as the next class of new capital ships." Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz said.

The other ministers, though aware this would cause some losses for the other shipyards, also knew the tide had turned. Raising the issue further would only displease Wilhelm II. Besides, while the next class of capital ships was out of reach, there would be orders for the class after that. After all, if the German Navy intended to challenge British naval supremacy, they would not stop at just one class of New-style Battleships—more would surely follow.

"Since no one objects, it is decided. Tirpitz, tomorrow I will have Oskar return and sign a contract with the Navy." Wilhelm II said.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz nodded. He had no objections whatsoever. In his view, the battleships Oscar had designed and built had bought the German Navy precious time to catch up to the British. Even if their New-style Battleships entered service later than the British Navy's, commissioning four at once—with performance clearly superior to the British HMS Dreadnought—would give the German Navy a significant advantage.

As the head of the German Navy, Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz cared about its interests. He hoped the German Navy would defeat the British in a future war, topple them from their throne as masters of the seas, and fulfill his long-cherished wish. As for everything else, he could not afford to worry about it.

Although this matter was only circulated within a small circle, the news that the Naval Technical Committee had been reprimanded and that the Navy would accept the New-style Battleships built at the German Shipyard as capital ships caused a great stir.

Of course, this added another accolade to Prince Oscar of the German Empire: beyond being a business genius, he now also bore the reputation of a shipbuilding prodigy.