On May 15, Oscar left Berlin together with Foreign Minister von Kidron Wachth and took the train to Wilhelmshaven. There they will board Imperial Navy's 'Nassau' number Battleship, bound for Britain.
Although, he is somewhat reluctant to leave his wife. Especially when Princess Gundelinde is pregnant, Oscar doesn't want to leave Germany. However, as Crown Prince, while enjoying power, he must also bear corresponding obligations, which forced him to complete this trip. Fortunately, it doesn't take much time to visit Britain. Including the time spent on the road, it only takes about half a month in total.
On the morning of May 16, Oscar and Foreign Minister boarded the USS Nassau Battleship, which was German Navy's first dreadnought. Even after the subsequent more powerful 'Wittelsbach-class' Battleship has entered service, the 'Nassau' Battleship is still German Navy's well-deserved Capital Ships. What's more, compared to British Navy and Battleship, apart from the 'Orion-class' Battleship that is under construction, the 'Nassau' Battleship is a rare rival.
Even though the 'Orion-class class' Battleship is equipped with a 45 times caliber 343mm Main Gun, in terms of performance, it is not necessarily stronger than the 50 times caliber 305mm Main Gun of the 'Nassau'. Not to mention, the armor of the 'Nassau' Battleship is thicker and the defense is more powerful than the armor of the 'Orion-class' Battleship. Once a war breaks out, the 'Nassau' Battleship might be able to resist the 'Orion-class' Battleship.
The 'Nassau' Battleship began to vibrate, and the propeller was driven by Steam Turbine to rotate rapidly. Battleship also gradually changes from stillness to movement. When the warship left the military port and entered North Sea, the warship began to accelerate.
Although the maximum speed of the 'Nassau' Battleship is as high as 21 knots, except when such a speed is erupted during testing and in future naval battles, it usually cruises at a speed of ten knots. From Wilhelmshaven to London, the 'Nassau' Battleship takes two full days to sail.
However, Edward VII's funeral is held in a week, and they still have enough time to arrive at London.
Standing on the deck of the Nassau Battleship, feeling the oncoming sea breeze and experiencing the feeling of a huge warship riding the wind and waves, Oscar felt very emotional. In his previous life, he was just an otaku, but now he has become the heir to one of the most powerful Empire in the world. All this is like in a dream.
More importantly, this Empire is completely different from another time and space. With the unremitting efforts of Oscar, this Empire is becoming more powerful. Oscar believes that once the war breaks out, they will definitely win in the future.
"Crown Prince!" A voice sounded behind Oscar.
Oscar looked back and saw that it was Imperial Foreign Minister von Kidron Wachth. The specific name of the Foreign Minister position in Germany was actually Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
"Hello, Your Excellency Foreign Minister!" Oscar nodded.
Oscar also hopes to win over the important ministers of the Empire's civilian faction. However, neither Prime Minister Bernhardt von Bülow nor Foreign Minister von Kidron Wachth in front of him clearly stated their support for him! They are more like staying neutral, or they will support whoever Wilhelm II decides is the successor of the Empire.
This is undoubtedly somewhat unfavorable for Oscar. Although, Oscar has received great support from the military. The navy has completely turned to him. In the army, at least half of the people supported him. However, Moltke the Younger clearly expressed his opposition to him. If the civilian faction can support him, then his position will be truly impregnable. Otherwise, Wilhelm II's words might make him fail to be Crown Prince. Of course, even if it is Wilhelm II, it will not be easily replaced by Imperial Crown Prince. But, who let Oscar still have the word "generation" on his head? This makes his position relatively unstable.
"Your Highness, it's hard to imagine that this giant ship under our feet belongs to the Empire. Imperial Navy caught up with Britain in an extremely short time, and even overtook it. This is a complete miracle." Feng Kidron Wachth sighed.
As an important minister of the Empire, Feng Kidron Wachth naturally knows the true situation of Imperial Navy. In order to prevent the outside world from knowing the true situation of its own navy, German Navy did a lot of deceptive work. The main gun's coat is always on the cannon except during training. As a result, the outside world does not know the main gun caliber of German Navy and Capital Ships.
Major shipyards have also stepped up their vigilance, making it impossible for spies from various countries to detect the true situation. Once a war breaks out, German Navy's true strength will definitely surprise other countries.
"This is the joint effort of everyone at Imperial Navy. Of course, the support of Cabinet is also indispensable. After all, these big guys are very expensive." Oscar said with a smile.
The navy is a money-burning service. One Battleship costs tens of millions of Marks. Without strong financial support, it cannot function at all. Even Germany almost couldn't hold on anymore.
"Your Highness, I know the true situation of the navy. If it weren't for Your Highness, Imperial Navy wouldn't be here today." Von Kidron Wachth shook his head.
Oscar smiled and said nothing more. Indeed, it was precisely because of his strong promotion that German Navy was able to develop by leaps and bounds. Otherwise, Imperial Navy will always be suppressed by Britain people.
"Only based on these achievements of Your Highness, I personally think that Your Highness should become the successor of the Empire. This is what it should be. In the entire Empire, no one It is more suitable for this position than Your Highness. Even the previous Crown Prince Wilhelm is far inferior to Your Highness," Feng Kidron Wachth continued.
Oscar couldn't help but start thinking, what does von Kidron? Wachth mean. Is it possible that the attitude of the civil servant faction will change due to this? If this is the case, this is undoubtedly a good thing for him. With the support of the civilian faction, his position will be more stable.
Although he thought so in his heart, Oscar still acted calmly until it was really determined.
"Your Excellency Foreign Minister, you are very grateful. Whether I can become Crown Prince is decided by Father Emperor. I personally support any decision he makes!" Oscar said.