The ministers of British Cabinet, including Prime Minister Asquith, all looked at Churchill, wondering if there was any way he could quickly restore Royal Navy's strength. After all, it takes almost two years for a Capital Ships to start construction and enter service. Even if you work overtime, a year and a half is always necessary. And Germany people obviously won't give them so much time.
Churchill naturally knew what everyone's doubts were, so he went on to explain. He knows that if his plan wants to succeed, it must get the consent of all Cabinet staff. Otherwise, his plan would never succeed.
"Prime Minister, Your Excellencies, ministers. There are only 7 Battleship and 1 Battlecruiser left in Royal Navy. I want to cooperate with It is simply impossible and unrealistic for Germany people to fight. However, we can strengthen Royal Navy's strength through other methods, such as purchasing warships from other countries." Churchill said.
"Buying a battleship? How is this possible?" All the ministers were stunned.
You know, when we were the maritime overlord in the past, other countries had always purchased warships from Britain, but Britain had never purchased warships from other countries. What's more, under the current situation, which other country can provide them with warships, and provide a large number of warships that can compete with German Navy's Capital Ships?
"Mr. Churchill, which country can we buy warships from?" Edward? Sir Gray asked.
"United States! Now only United States has enough warships to sell to us." Churchill said.
"Americans? Although their shipbuilding industry is very developed, if they want to provide us with warships, the water far away cannot quench our thirst!" Richard Haldan said.
Churchill nodded. "Indeed, if we place another order for Americans now, it will be too late. Therefore, it is best for us to purchase their active warships. If we can buy all the twelve Capital Shipss they have in service, this will restore more than half of Royal Navy's strength."
"How could they sell Capital Ships, who purchased Americans, in active duty, to me? If they sold it to us, what would happen to their own coastal defense?" Cabinet Minister immediately raised a question.
"With the barrier of the Atlantic Ocean, the mainland of the United States is undoubtedly safe. What's more, according to the intelligence we have received, after the war broke out, the Americans have begun to build a series of new battleships. Selling old battleships to us will also help them return funds to build more new battleships. In this case, it will also be of great benefit to the Americans. Now that the United States is a neutral country, they have not participated in the war. So, even if the Germans are very angry about this , There is no way for the Germans to cross the Atlantic to attack the United States. Let's not talk about whether the Germans have such great capabilities. At least it is very uneconomical. Even if the Germans finally win this war, they will be exhausted. When the time comes, it is very possible for the Americans to sell those warships to us.
"Everyone, what's more, Americans has always had ambitions. If we can continue the war with the Germany people, it will undoubtedly be of great benefit to them. Otherwise, once the Germany people easily win this war, their strength will inevitably expand to This is a situation that worries even Americans. By then, it will be impossible for Americans to dominate Americas. Therefore, for their own benefit, Americans will definitely help us overcome this difficulty." Churchill said.
"Prime Minister, this is very possible. Before the war broke out, the Germany people were competing with Americans for South America, and the two countries were very unhappy about this. Americans has always regarded South America as its own back garden and will never allow others to do so. The country is involved. And the Germany people need more markets and sources of raw materials, which makes the two countries almost irreconcilable. For the sake of the future, the possibility of Americans helping us is very high," said Colonial Secretary Lewis Vernon Harcourt.
"If this is the case, then contact Americans and ask them to sell those battleships to us!" Prime Minister Asquith said. As long as there is a chance to defeat the Germany people, they will not let it go easily.
"Yes, Prime Minister." Churchill's eyes flashed with excitement. He is not a person who is willing to give up easily. Even in this difficult situation, he is still thinking about defeating Germany and winning.
"Prime Minister and Americans are not good things. Now, if we beg them, they will definitely not let go of this opportunity. I'm worried that Americans will put forward some conditions that we simply cannot accept. In addition, our finances do not allow us to spend so much money to buy warships." Lloyd George reminded.
All the ministers nodded. They undoubtedly looked down upon Americans. Even if United States's industrial output value becomes the world's largest, it will only be regarded as a nouveau riche by them. In addition, Britain has never wanted the country composed of the descendants of criminals to surpass them, so it has been looking for trouble for United States. If Germany hadn't suddenly emerged, Britain would still be suppressing United States.
You don't need to think about it to know that US government will naturally not give up this good opportunity! After all, United States is the only one in the world who can provide these battleships to Britain. Therefore, there is almost no doubt that they will kill Britain severely.
"As long as we can defeat the Germany people, no matter how high the price is, it will be worth it. If we don't have enough funds, we can even transfer some unimportant colonies to Americans in exchange for these warships." Churchill has a firm attitude.
"How can it be possible to transfer the colonies to Americans? Those colonies are the foundation of the British Empire!" Colonial Secretary Lewis Vernon Harcourt immediately objected. He agreed to purchase Americans warships, but did not agree to exchange colonies for them.
"We are just exchanging unimportant colonies for Americans. It is impossible to give the truly elite colonies to Americans. What's more, if we don't try our best to win the war, if we lose, those colonies will not be saved either." Churchill said.
Prime Minister Asquith hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded. "Defeating Germany people is the most important thing. Everything else can be abandoned temporarily!"