Such an answer is very smart, but it is also very pleasing. Earl von delbrück couldn't help asking: "Is the geologist mentioned by Your Highness Reynaults, who discovered the Maasgid Lehman oil field? Or... His Highness has organized an oil exploration team to visit the Persian region?"

"I just granted a fund to the University of Dublin's geology major to allow them to conduct field research on oil resources in the Middle East. The professors should set off with their personnel and equipment as soon as possible. In this regard, I hope to get the care of His Excellency of the Earl." Xia Shu's words not only answered the question of Earl von delbrück, but also took the opportunity to act as a weak person, so as to avoid resentment from the powerful ministers and military leaders of the imperial court. After all, with Ireland's current strength, it is impossible to make a difference in the interests of powerful countries alone and the complex pattern of Persian Gulf.

"From the past situation, Your Highness's prophecy has always been very accurate." Von Bateman's words were probably half complimentary and half ulterior motives.

Xia Shu smiled and said, "The vision is a prophecy. If the Prime Minister is interested, you might as well consider jointly developing Bahrain with Ireland. After all, Ireland is short of both funds and technology now, so it is really difficult to operate a distant island independently."

Von Batemann turned his head to see the German Emperor with a calm expression. Since Bismarck's resignation, all German prime ministers have basically acted on the emperor's face, and rarely have distinct personalities and bold political views.

William II did not hesitate much. He said generously: "Indeed, the oil resources explored by Iran are enough to use for hundreds of years in the world. Germany will focus on the Mesopotamia region for a long time in the future. In this case, Bahrain will be a reward for loyalty to Ireland to follow the German Empire. The Imperial Navy General Staff Headquarters is responsible for notifying our expeditionary fleet and sending a marine to occupy Bahrain as soon as possible, and handing over properly after our Irish allies arrive."

General Von Boer, chief of staff of the Navy, stood up and said, "As you wish, my Majesty."

William II then asked again, "Well, the Armistice Treaty should not limit the clause that we cannot hand over to Ireland after taking over the British colony, right?"

"There is no such thing at all, my Majesty." Count von delbrück replied loudly, "It doesn't matter if there is. The British no longer have the strength to compete with us. Now we have the final say."

The gentlemen present burst into laughter.

William II nodded with satisfaction and said to Natsuki: "Ireland has now established a relatively harmonious relationship with France. We can use this condition to buy shipyards and ships from the French that they cannot operate, especially oil tankers that transport oil and fuel. At that time, we will rent them at a preferential price."

"This is a good idea." Natsuki faced the German Emperor with a respectful smile, "Thank you for your reminder."

"Things are settled. Now, except for Willy, Johen, Alfred, Orger, Hugo, the rest can leave." William II said to everyone who came to his office. Without soliciting opinions from the parties or consulting with the protectors, the fate of Bahrain was determined in this way. The hegemony and unreasonable hegemony has not changed for thousands of years.

The German Emperor left only the crown prince William, Xia Shu and the three giants of the Imperial Navy, and the discussion was naturally the naval topic. After everyone left in a row, William II rang the bell on the table, and a servant led a naval colonel into the office. They uncovered the mask placed near the wall, and more than a dozen ship design drawings of different angles and proportions were immediately displayed in front of everyone.

This naval colonel is a member of the Imperial Navy Technical Committee. Natsuki has a close relationship with him. However, on such occasions, the two simply salute each other when their eyes meet.

The colonel introduced: "After the UK signed the armistice treaty, our shipbuilding engineers surveyed the ships under construction in various British shipyards. Although their Queen Elizabeth-class battleships were slightly inferior to the Bavarian-class we were under construction, they were faster than our construction progress. In order to absolutely ensure the maritime advantage of the empire, we readjusted the work plans of the major shipyards, and the construction of the Bavarian-class takes priority to the maintenance of the active ships. In addition, we refer to the Queen Elizabeth-class design and prepare to upgrade the Bavarian-class technical design to a certain extent. The pictures on the left are the improved Bavarian-class."

The Bavarian class is the new generation of battleships of the German Navy after the King-class dreadnought. The original version was designed under the auspices of Xia Shu. Since it was his own masterpiece, Xia Shu was familiar with the lines and data on the drawings. He looked carefully twice. The so-called upgrades were basically focused on power, and the purpose was to obtain a higher speed than the British Queen Elizabeth class. The Queen Elizabeth class in history had a maximum speed of 25 knots before the major modifications in the 1930s. It was the fastest super dreadnought at that time. The powerful power came from the excellent performance of the full-heavy oil boiler and the Parsons gear reduction steam turbine. The design work of the Bavarian class began as early as 1912. At that time, no one could guarantee that Germany would definitely gain an advantage in future wars.

To obtain a stable source of oil, the Bavarian class adopts some oil-fired boilers with coal-fired boilers, and designs and installs the impulse gear reduction steam turbine produced by the country. The maximum speed calculated based on the design data is equivalent to that of the King's class, that is, about 24 knots. Now the war is coming to an end. It is still unknown whether the Allies can seize the Baku oil field in Russia, but the occupation of the Persian Gulf has entered a substantial stage and there should be no big variables. In this case, it is reasonable to replace Bavaria with a full set of oil-fired boilers, but such changes will slow down the construction progress of the warships. Unless the British shipbuilding project is interfering with, no matter how hard the Germans work, the Bavarian class will be more than half a year later than the Queen Elizabeth class.

"This improvement should be technically fine. If nothing unexpected happens, the improved Bavarian class can successfully break through 25 knots, and the endurance will also be improved. The price is that the construction period is delayed. In my personal opinion, the sacrifice in time is worth it. After all, the British Navy cannot use one or two Queen Elizabeth class to cause big storms."

Natsuki gave his opinion in a realistic manner. He noticed that the German Emperor had a proud look on his face. It seemed that this improvement plan was implemented under his insistence.

The remaining drawings belong to the new main battleships after the Bavarian class. They belong to battle cruisers or can separate the types of fast battleships for them, because they have the speed of battle cruisers and the defense of the dreadnought.

The colonel continued to introduce: "The military potential of Britain and France has been greatly weakened by the armistice treaty. Our number one imaginary enemy in the future should be the United States with strong industrial power, and the future decisive battle will also be transferred from the North Sea to the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, we have made significant adjustments to the design of the Markensen-class battle cruiser, with airworthiness and endurance mentioned first. The first two ships that are about to lay keels still use 13-point 8-inch main guns, with a design tonnage increased to 33,500 tons; the latter five ships have increased the caliber of the main guns to 15 inches and a design tonnage increased to 34,500 tons."

The Markensen-class is the last work of Xia Shu in the German Navy. Now it seems that the original design has been greatly adjusted, and three eyes and two eyes are not enough to see whether it has technical defects.

"The design idea is definitely correct. Once it is built, they will definitely become the best main battleships in the world, but..." Xia Shu said while looking, "I always believe that future naval battles will not only be the world of large ships and giant cannons, but the role of carrier-based aviation will become increasingly important. The construction cost of an aircraft carrier is only half of the battleship. However, its carrier-based aircraft has the opportunity to sink multiple battleships with torpedoes and bombs. This foreseeable trend should attract enough attention from you."
Chapter completed!