The two Blücher-class battlecruisers had fetched only 89 million Marks, which left Vice Admiral Hipper somewhat dissatisfied. After all, battlecruisers cost a little more to build than battleships of the same class. But those people were only willing to pay that much, and there was nothing Vice Admiral Hipper could do about it. He could hardly force them to offer a higher price.
However, Vice Admiral Hipper believed that the competition for the Capital Ships up for auction next would certainly be fiercer. After all, the Capital Ships to be auctioned next were all powerful vessels armed with 343mm Main Guns, and their performance far surpassed that of the Capital Ships auctioned earlier.
"General Anton Haus, go all out from here on. We did not secure a single one of the previous six Capital Ships. For the next twelve, we must give it everything we have!" Crown Prince Karl ordered.
The earlier battleships and battlecruisers had all been armed with 305mm Main Guns. Crown Prince Karl had not cared too much about them. It would naturally have been best if they could acquire them, but it did not matter if they failed. The battleships and battlecruisers equipped with 343mm Main Guns, however, were different. He regarded these warships as the backbone of the Austro-Hungarian Empire Navy's efforts to strengthen itself.
"Yes, Your Highness." Admiral Anton Haus nodded. Having received Crown Prince Karl's explicit instructions, he naturally knew what to do.
The other nations were likewise deeply interested in the more powerful Capital Ships about to be auctioned. It was foreseeable that this auction would become even more fiercely contested.
"The Capital Ships up for auction next are the Imperial Navy's Helgoland-class battleships. There are four vessels in this class: Helgoland, Ostfriesland, Oldenburg, and East Prussia." Hipper introduced the performance of