dtnovels Chapter 142 Speech
Chapter 142 Speech
"Needless to say! The Battle of Shipwreck Bay has proved the value of battlecruisers. We will tap into the potential of battlecruisers! Our new battlecruisers will be equipped with 350mm main guns, which means they are not powerless!" Marshal Apewen said firmly: "Even if they are fast battleships, so what? The defense and firepower of our new battlecruisers may not be worse than those of the Queen Elizabeth class. Moreover, the limit of battleships is there. No matter how fast they are, can they outrun battlecruisers? Only weapons that have been tested on the battlefield are good weapons!"
"What does the Marshal mean?" asked Admiral Bollinger, Chief of the General Staff.
"The design institute has accelerated the design progress of the Mackensen-class battlecruisers, and the drawings will be out soon! The navy needs Mackensen-class battlecruisers, the more the better!" Marshal Apewen said in an unquestionable tone.
“元帅这是对帝国的不负责任！德弗林格尔级战巡造价超5600万金马克，而装备380㎜主炮的拜恩级无畏舰也只不过5000万金马克！”弗朗茨马维中将差点没跳起来掀桌子，愠怒道：“我们现在需要数量！数量！没有数量怎么跟大舰队列阵对轰？马肯森级的造价会不会超过6000万金马克？要是超过我们能买得起几艘？6艘或者更少？”
"It's all worth it! You get what you pay for, Mackensen is worth our investment!" Apewen still insisted on his opinion.
"I don't agree. If we build all Byrn-class dreadnoughts, what's the difference except speed? Apewen, do you want to have the final say just after you were promoted to marshal?" Malawi was furious and started talking without thinking.
"Watch your words, General!" Admiral Bollinger was very happy to see the excitement, but he still pretended to be calm and maintained order in the venue.
The atmosphere paused for a moment and then became noisy again. Most people still firmly believed that huge ships and big guns were the symbol of a strong navy, while battlecruisers were teenagers with serious academic imbalances and were not yet capable of challenging the status of dreadnoughts.
On the other hand, there are also many people who support the construction of the Mackensen class. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the number of battleships is undoubtedly overestimating their capabilities compared with the terrifying shipbuilding capabilities of the Tarun people. The limited resources should be transformed into the greatest combat power.
"Enough, what can you expect from such noise? The man who advocated the construction of dreadnoughts and battlecruisers is right in the conference room. He is the one who allowed us to catch up in the military competition with the Talens. His experience in using battlecruisers is unmatched. Why don't you idiots ask for his opinion?" Admiral Leon, the new commander-in-chief of the Ocean Fleet, who had finally reached his limit with the noisy environment, shouted angrily.
The quiet atmosphere finally returned, and everyone's eyes were focused on Leo. Allies and admirers hoped that he could convince the old stubborn people in the meeting room.
Leo has proved himself with his strength. Although those old stubborn people will no longer look at him with disdain, they are all watching to see what shocking words he can say.
The appearance of dreadnoughts and battlecruisers made Leo famous, but the theory of asymmetric warfare was sneered at by Drake's top brass and put on the shelf; during his service career, Leo performed well in the battles against the Japanese, Russians, and Tarens and was promoted step by step; after the war broke out, Drake's war did not go smoothly, and Leo's asymmetric warfare was remembered again. The power of unrestricted submarine warfare was surprising, and the circulation of asymmetric warfare within the navy made him gain a group of fans.
After the Battle of Shipwreck Bay, Leo and his supporters have had enough say, and now is the time for him to make his voice heard at the Naval Headquarters.
After tidying up his appearance, with the encouraging gazes of Nicolas and Vasir, Leo took a deep breath and felt like he was back at the graduation ceremony of Kaili College.
After organizing his thoughts, Leo walked to the podium with great speed.
"Gentlemen, what choice do we have? Time is not on our side!" Admiral Bollinger and the conservative generals sneered. Leo's words were too absolute. In their eyes, the situation had not yet deteriorated to that point.
"Before the dreadnoughts and battlecruisers came out, we had been learning from the Royal Navy. This is a regrettable thing! Xunyang has a saying, live like me, die like me! The Ocean Fleet was suppressed by the Royal Navy in this way!"
During Marshal Piltz's tenure, he idealistically believed that as long as he built a powerful fleet that could threaten the Tarens, he could keep them neutral in the continental war. But what was the reality? The Tarens would rather give up some of their interests and join forces with the Franks and the Rokshasas to deal with the Draks!
Originally, with the launch of dreadnoughts and battlecruisers, the High Ocean Fleet was ahead of the Royal Navy for the first time. According to the theory of asymmetric warfare, Drake could mobilize the Royal Navy through commerce disruption and win with the quality advantage of dreadnoughts and battlecruisers.
However, when the war came, the Drakes shrank again. They would rather rely on their huge army to win than let the navy try.
Leo was disappointed with the conservative Drake Navy, and he scoffed at their ridiculous idea of hoping that the Talen people would take the initiative to attack the ocean fleet protected by the North Sea minefield.
The fate of the navy should be left in the hands of the navy, rather than letting the army fight desperately. They are doing nothing in the port. The advantage of the Tarens will continue to expand with the long-range blockade of the Drak people. The Drak Empire cannot afford a protracted war.
All kinds of dissatisfaction accumulated in Leo's heart have caused a lot more white hair. This time he wants to speak freely.
"We have been competing with the Royal Navy for nearly twenty years! Every time we launch dreadnoughts and battlecruisers before the Talens, the Drake people are excited and think that our strength will soon catch up with the Royal Navy. This is an illusion! The Drake Empire has always been a land power, and the rise of the Ocean Fleet cannot change that! Our strength is much worse than that of the Royal Navy, but the Royal Navy's power is too dispersed, and the Ocean Fleet can indeed threaten the Talen homeland!"
"The three islands of Taren are so small, and their resources are even more scarce. The core mission of the Ocean Fleet is to use the war of breaking trade to block and weaken the Taren people's resource transportation channels as much as possible, tie down the main fleet of the Royal Navy around the world, and then weaken the strength of the Taren local fleet through a decisive battle at sea, break the blockade of the Grand Fleet, drag down Taren's economy, and use slow bleeding to make Taren unable to fight, forcing them to surrender or negotiate."
"You know, the most important thing in modern warfare is resources! Talen is surrounded by the sea, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage!"
"Our disadvantage is more obvious!" Someone in the audience suddenly spoke up, and Nicholas and others were dissatisfied with this. Wouldn't it be better to just listen to it? These conservatives are making trouble again.