The Crown Prince's Wrath

"Oskar, how many of the British Navy's Invincible-class battlecruisers will they build?" Wilhelm II suddenly asked.

"Father Emperor, according to the intelligence we've received, the British Navy will build three Invincible-class battlecruisers: the lead ship Invincible, the second Indomitable, and the third Indefatigable," Oskar said.

"Since the British are building three Invincible-class battlecruisers, our battlecruisers must not fall short—we'll build three as well." Wilhelm II waved his hand grandly, exuding boldness.

Of course, in Oskar's eyes, this was clearly the demeanor of a nouveau riche. The German Welfare Lottery Company funneled substantial funds to the royal family each year, and coupled with the naval loans Oskar had promised, the navy's budget was no longer so strained. This naturally gave Wilhelm II enough confidence to engage in a naval arms race with the British. After all, battleships and battlecruisers weren't easy to build—they required not only long construction times but also enormous sums of money. Aside from a few top-tier world powers, other nations simply lacked the financial resources and technology to construct these massive vessels.

"Three? That's absolutely wonderful!" Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz nearly cheered. Four Nassau-class battleships, five Helgoland-class battleships, and three battlecruisers meant the German Navy would suddenly have twelve new capital ships—all top-of-the-line dreadnoughts. This would undoubtedly bring the German Navy's strength nearly on par with the British Navy, and might even surpass it in combat power. This was something the German Navy had never achieved in all its years!

Oskar was all smiles too. If three battlecruisers were built, the German Shipyard's remaining three large slipways would come in handy. Several of the previous Helgoland-class battleships had been outsourced to other shipyards, so for these three battlecruisers, they'd insist on taking the whole order.

"Your Majesty, building three battlecruisers at once will put even more pressure on our finances," Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz reminded him, despite his excitement. After all, the navy needed to construct not only capital ships but also a large number of medium and small warships.

"I'll handle the funding. The royal family will provide a loan to the navy, just like Oskar. Let's tentatively set it at 100 million Marks per year. After the war ends, we'll repay it with the war dividends," Wilhelm II said.

Wilhelm II had thought this through clearly. Even vast wealth now didn't guarantee permanence. To truly endure, he had to find a way to win the future war. Only by winning could he remain emperor; if he lost, he'd be nothing but a ruler of a fallen nation.

Besides, Oskar's German Welfare Lottery Company funneled enormous riches to the royal family each year, giving Wilhelm II more leeway. He had the funds to support the navy's development.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! With the support of Your Majesty and His Highness the Prince, the navy will develop rapidly. In the future war, we will surely prevail!" Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz declared with full confidence. With so much backing, if the German Navy still lost, they'd have no face left to show anyone.

"Father Emperor, what should we name this class of battlecruisers?" Oskar asked.

Wilhelm II thought for a moment, then said, "I recall the navy wanted to name a large cruiser after Field Marshal Blücher, didn't they?"

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

"In that case, let this class of battlecruisers be called the Blücher-class battlecruisers!" Wilhelm II decided.

Neither Oskar nor Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz raised any objections.

Thus, this class of battlecruisers was officially named: the lead ship Blücher, the second Von der Tann, and the third Lothringen.

"Father Emperor, let the Blücher-class battlecruisers be built at my shipyard. We still have three large slipways left, just enough for these three battlecruisers," Oskar said with a grin.

Wilhelm II thought it over and looked at Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz.

"Of course, there's no problem. All three classes of our new capital ships were designed by His Highness the Prince. The navy has also received substantial loans from His Highness. Entrusting the Blücher-class battlecruisers to His Highness's shipyard is only fitting," Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz fully agreed. By now, Oskar had become the navy's great benefactor. For the navy, handing these battleships to any shipyard was fine, so they might as well do Oskar a favor.

"Alright, Oskar, the Blücher-class battlecruisers will be built at the German Shipyard. But future warships won't be so heavily allocated to the German Shipyard. You still need to win more civilian ship orders to turn a profit—don't rely solely on military contracts," Wilhelm II reminded him.

"Yes, Father Emperor," Oskar nodded.

Building civilian ships was inevitable. Once this batch of warships was completed, the shipyard would free up some slipways for constructing large merchant vessels and ocean liners, preparing further for the war.

Wilhelm II, Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz, and Oskar's discussions lasted an entire day, with dinner eaten right in the office. This naturally drew surprise and even speculation from others.

Crown Prince Wilhelm, in particular, was deeply displeased. In his view, as the Crown Prince of the German Empire, why should anything be kept from him? He guessed that Oskar and the others were surely discussing the construction of the navy's next class of capital ships. The British Navy's commissioning of HMS Dreadnought had caught the German Navy off guard, and the experts on the Naval Technical Committee had been humiliated.

Of course, Crown Prince Wilhelm had also suffered a severe loss of face. When Oskar's design was rejected, he had gloated. Now, he too had been slapped hard. This naturally enraged the notoriously petty Crown Prince Wilhelm.

"Bastards! I am the Crown Prince of the German Empire—are they trying to ignore my existence?" Crown Prince Wilhelm roared in fury.