Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was 1914. The arms race was still raging like a blazing fire, with every country competing to launch warships like dumplings into a pot.
Without question, the British Empire still took first place, its formidable shipbuilding industry keeping every nation in the world firmly beneath it.
The Germans close behind were no less impressive, setting a record by launching a hundred warships in a single year and leaving the whole world astonished!
Against the backdrop of the arms race, even news that Bulgaria had completed the "Third Five-Year Plan" was drowned out. Ferdinand had always kept a low profile, and he naturally had no intention of trumpeting it everywhere. Making a fortune in silence was the true way.
Of course, that was impossible. Ordinary people had had their attention drawn away, but politicians in every country still took notice—though that was all they did!
Quite a few people were still waiting to see Bulgaria make a fool of itself. If it was merely a matter of increasing industrial capacity, then so long as the British Empire was willing, it could surpass Germany and America at any time. The problem was, what would they do with all those industrial goods after producing them?
Overproduction had already plagued America and Germany for a long time. One mishandling, and a new economic crisis would erupt. Could Bulgaria truly be an exception?
Fortunately, Ferdinand had kept the financial sector's growth in check. Otherwise, Bulgaria's securities market would have gone mad long ago.
Yet the price paid was also severe. In terms of total economic output, without a stock market to prop it up, by the end of 1913 Bulgaria had merely drawn level with Italy. One had to remember that Italy at present