In midsummer, by the stream, the gurgling water, the green shade, and the cool breeze. The busy summer tree is wearing a loose and comfortable silk nightgown, sitting in a wheelchair very comfortably, sometimes looking down at the books in its hands, sometimes looking up at the beautiful figures of the Oldenburg princesses.

The crash was shocked. Xia Shu broke her calf bones and had to follow the imperial edict of Queen Victoria to rest in the territory. Elsa's limbs were not seriously damaged, and the wound on her head was treated well after suture. Because she was worried that the impact would leave her physical and psychological sequelae, Xia Shu invited the best brain experts and rehabilitation doctors from Berlin and suggested that she take care of her body. Queen Victoria and the oldenburg couple happily agreed to Xia Shu's suggestion, and Sophie naturally stayed to take care of her sister.

Due to this accidental injury, Natsuki missed the opportunity to go to the UK to study. Regrets are regrets. He used this rare leisure time to study the British naval textbooks and technical and tactical theory books obtained by the intelligence department, thereby understanding the educational content received by British naval officers and finding out the tactical thinking patterns of British naval commanders, so as to make reasonable and well-founded judgments when they meet on the battlefield in the future. This is actually the same as going to the UK to study, and it also eliminates the various concerns that Tirpitz has caused.

Hearing the laughter like a silver bell, Xia Shu's eyes left the information in her hand. Aisha, in a white dress, was a naughty and cute rabbit. She squatted by the stream and lifted the clear stream with her hands. Sophie smiled and ran in the opposite direction. Her slender waist was as graceful as willow branches, and the full waves surging with a tempting amplitude. Her light makeup and sketched face also emitted the angel light in the sun.

Putting aside personality factors, Sophie is still a very beautiful Western beauty. Her tall and plump figure is called an "ideal clothes hanger". Paired with different clothing and makeup, you can show different styles of subtlety, unrestrained, elegant and fresh...

In contrast, Aisha is just a budding little loli, with a playful temperament somewhat similar to Charlotte a few years ago. Under her shy and restrained appearance, there is a heart that is radiant in spring. The more she gets along, the more Xia Shu can feel her admiration for herself. This admiration is not like love. It is simple and ignorant. Staying in a dream will be much better than entering reality.

The princesses played and soon became intimate with each other. They realized that Xia Shu was looking at her, and they stumbled, with malicious smiles on their faces.

However, even if they have a heart, the saying that love will not come true with Xia Shu.

"His Royal Highness Joachim, Prince of Prussia, can we give you a little suggestion?" The speaker was Aisha, her voice was very crisp. When she was in a good mood, she felt the pleasure of drinking iced juice in summer when she heard her words.

Natsuki closed the page: "Of course."

"My sister and I think the scenery here is beautiful, but unfortunately you are usually busy with naval and shipyard affairs and have no time to take care of it." Aisha said with a smile, "Since that's the case, you can consider hiring us as your designers, and we will definitely help you turn this place into a beautiful paradise. You can invite people here to visit when spring is in full bloom or when the autumn is clear."

Xia Shu smiled slightly. He was indeed very busy on weekdays, but he was not too busy to manage his territory. The reason why he allowed it to maintain his old style is that Xia Shu likes this original thing, and secondly, in order to establish a good image of thrift and simplicity, he also used limited funds to the places where he needed it most. In addition, there is another very important reason, that is, he hopes that his warm home will be created by his future partner.

"The quiet and pleasant scenery alone is certainly not enough to attract tourists." The light and sweet voice like honey water comes from Sophie. In front of strangers, it is a good cover-up, making people feel that this must be a gentle and virtuous lady.

"The scenery here is different from the cold and steepness of the Alps, and the warmth and surging seashore. After living in big cities or large ports for a long time, you can experience a different scenery. The ancient castle is surrounded by mysterious legends. The vast grassland is suitable for horseback wandering, the beautiful streamside is suitable for couples to walk in hand, and the dense woods allow those who like hunting to show their skills. Princes and nobles and government officials will find a long-lost novel feeling here."

Sophie's verbal words are nothing more than trying to prove that she is more intelligent than Aisha and more suitable for a good wife, and her suggestions are not completely meaningless. If Natsuki is a member of the royal family who is passionate about communicating, then having a unique territory is indeed his natural advantage in making friends with people from all walks of life, but Natsuki's current goal is very targeted: everything is to win the coming world war!

"The idea is a good idea," Natsuki said tactfully, "but it takes a lot of money to turn from a plan into reality. It takes a lot of money to keep the shipyard running, and for this reason I can't even get the money to redecorate the castle now."

Elsa pouted in disappointment, while Sophie said calmly: "As long as your highness is willing, we can help you with the funds."

Is this showing off the Oldenburg family's outstanding economic strength? Xia Shu smiled.

"In this case, I probably have to sell the shipyard to afford it!"

In just a few years, the value of Friedrich's shipyard has increased by more than ten times. Considering its excellent profitability, its market value should be an astronomical figure that ordinary people can't imagine. Of course, Sophie wouldn't be unable to hear what Xia Shu meant. She snorted a little unhappy, turned around and left Xia Shu and left.

Xia Shu turned to look at Elsa, and the little princess of Oldenburg was still looking at her.

"You must think I'm a very boring person, right?" said Xia Shu.

"Well... you are a very special person, unlike those I know. Well... I have a very strange feeling, as if you are not living in our world, but... but a hero who came from the God Realm to the world."

After saying the last sentence, the little loli's tender face was shy and blushed.

"Yes, we are all heroes who fell from the divine realm, but we were not very successful when we landed." Xia Shu moved his legs with difficulty, deliberately making a strange look.

The little loli burst into laughter.

In order to make Elsa's heart not leave any shadows, Xia Shu took the opportunity to resolve: "Everything will be unexpected. The ship may be stranded, the train may derail, and even trained horses may fail. It is normal for aircraft with insufficient technology to fail. This will never stop people from flying in the sky and become a reality. It won't take long to make planes one of the main tools for people to travel. At that time, my aviation club may become the number one signboard to attract guests!"

The little loli nodded seriously.

Natsuki then extended his thoughts: "If you like adventure and excitement, we can let him fly a single plane at high altitude; if you like romance, we can let him take his lover to shuttle between the clouds. How great, isn't it?"

"Yes!" Elsa thought for a while, "It's a pity that we didn't fly high enough that we haven't hit Yun Duo yet!"

Xia Shu tentatively said: "If you have a chance, will you dare to fly again?"

Elsa nipped her lip: "If I were flying with you, I... wouldn't be afraid."

Xia Shu did not respond, but subconsciously scratched his head. Elsa lowered her head and remained silent, her face turned red like a ripe big apple. This situation reminded Xia Shu of Princess Sissi. This may be what Elsa thought more than half a century ago, Princess Sissi, who was 15 years old, accompanied her 19-year-old sister Helena to a family party. The parents' original intention was to match Helena and Joseph, but Joseph fell in love with Princess Sissi at a glance, thus creating a world-famous romantic marriage.

If he could only choose one of his companions between Elsa and Sophie, Natsu would definitely choose the innocent Elsa, but this premise did not exist. Elsa is the kind of loli who is lolita, and Natsu, a member of the appearance association, does not have a special lolita plot, not to mention that he already has a heart for someone.

Thinking of Charlotte on the other side, Xia Shu couldn't help but feel a little irritated. The day after he confirmed his injury, he mentioned his injury in a letter to Charlotte, but the expected reply had not arrived for a long time, and the telegram to London was like a rock sinking to the sea. Because a similar situation had happened once, the misunderstanding between the two almost brought the relationship to the end. Therefore, Xia Shu paid special attention to the interval between Charlotte's letters. In terms of behavior style, Charlotte is the kind of quick and decisive. Her reply usually does not exceed the third day of receiving the letter, and the email transmission between Yingde is also very powerful. At the fastest time, the two can communicate in full once every five days.

In this era when even wired phones are not yet popular, it is difficult to contact someone in real time. Xia Shu ordered people to go to Elizabeth Women's College to find out the news. After several twists and turns, the situation he learned was that Charlotte Hill had already left school for some reason. Xia Shu was surprised and wanted to leave for England immediately, but was subject to leg injuries and Queen Victoria's "eye-liner" Princess Sophie. In desperation, she could only hope that the business intelligence officers working for Friedrich's shipyard could complete the cross-field task.

Private matters will be difficult to settle for a while, and official affairs will also plague the "Hohenzollern genius" who does not have a genius heart. After accepting the appointment of the German Navy's shipbuilding director, Xia Shu took on the corresponding responsibilities, and reviewing the shipbuilding budget plan was one of them. After the technical plan of the third-class dreadnought of the German Navy was confirmed, the shipbuilding work immediately entered the implementation stage. Unlike the bidding construction of light ships, the German Navy was not prepared to use the strategically significant dreadnought.

The construction was handed over to foreign shipyards, and there were only a handful of docks that could be used to build 20,000-ton warships in China. The German Navy Office determined the construction tasks based on the construction capabilities of these large docks. In order to ensure that the construction of five Caesar-class battleships started at the same time, the German Navy has arranged in advance that the Kiel-Germanian Shipyard and William Royal Shipyard and other shipyards to expand and upgrade the corresponding docks. For this strategic expansion and upgrading project, the national finance has borne most of the costs.

The business model of these German shipyards that received the shipbuilding order has not changed regardless of whether they are state-controlled or not. Therefore, each shipyard quickly submitted its own budget plan according to the naval shipbuilding plan. Since weapons, armor, power, electrical and other major raw materials and equipment are purchased in Germany, the final total budget of each shipyard is not much different. When the pre-adjusted plan was sent to Xiashu for review, the Caesar-class cost budget was basically determined to be 4,600 marks, equivalent to about 2.25 million pounds, which is basically the same as the Helgolan-class battleship under construction.

.In a vertical comparison, the actual cost of the four Nassau class is an average of 38.35 million marks per ship. Considering that their displacement is 20,000 tons, they use the mature technology and large output of Krupp's 11-inch 45-caliber naval gun, while the Caesar class's designed displacement is 26,000 tons. Using the 12-inch 50-caliber naval gun specially developed by Krupp, the cost is one fifth of which is completely acceptable. However, in a horizontal comparison, the British went from the Palerfen class to the St. Vincent class to the latest Giant class, and the tonnage and firepower were gradually increased, but the cost was not greatly improved.

At any period, the construction cost of naval ships is an important secret comparable to technical performance. The reason why Xia Shu can clearly compare the cost of the main battleships of the two countries is that on the one hand, it is due to his previous life's military model enthusiast. On the other hand, the British commercial intelligence officers sent by Friedrich's shipyard also collected some information through various channels. Based on this information, Xia Shu came up with a very tangled inference: With the scale and technological advantages of the shipbuilding industry, the cost of British battleships with the same tonnage is 20% lower than that of German battleships. In other words, with the funds for the Germans to build four dreadnoughts, the British can build five dreadnoughts of the same level!

Not only that, in order to meet the needs of building and using dreadnoughts, the German government also needs to invest a lot of additional funds to carry out large-scale reconstruction of infrastructure such as canals, ports, docks, etc. In contrast, Britain, which has extremely developed shipbuilding and shipping industries, spent less money on this aspect, but the problem also exists as battleships and battlecruisers become larger and longer, even if the ships can be empty, other conditions will be useless. For example: In 1914, when the counterattack battlecruisers changed from battleships to construction, the main reason was that the original Palmes Shipyard, as the original builder, could not provide a 242-meter-long

The outfitting berth of warships had to be changed to John Brown Shipyard. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, which had built the Queen Elizabeth-class super-dreadnought, was unable to build the Lion-class battlecruiser because the length of the ship was not enough. By 1914, there were no shipyards in the UK in the Tyne and Clyde River basins that could build the super-dreadnought. According to statistics, in 1906, there were 11 shipyards in the UK that could build the dreadnoughtnought, but in 1916, there were only 5 left to build the latest super-dreadnoughtnought. The cost of expanding the shipyard and ship platform, dredging the river channel and widening the drainage space was much greater than the cost of a dreadnoughtnought.

Since the 20th century, although Germany's economic and industrial growth rate has been higher than that of Britain, its total economic volume is not as good as that of the British Empire, with extremely prosperous overseas trade. The shipbuilding competition has put the British government under tremendous fiscal pressure. The German government's deficit is even more serious. It can only rely on the issuance of additional national bonds to maintain Tirpitz's naval supplementary bill. In addition, the cost of shipbuilding has been rising steadily. No matter when Britain and Germany start war, the German navy will not be able to surpass its opponents in terms of fleet strength. If the shipbuilding competition drags on for eight or even ten years, the German government's finances will tend to collapse. At that time, the German navy will inevitably withdraw from the competition due to shortage of funds. This is why Natsuki told Tirpitz that the German navy will not be able to defeat the British navy within three or eight years.

After delving into the high cost of German dreadnoughts, Xia Shu felt that this should not be the result of German shipbuilding companies falsely reporting costs and making huge profits. On the one hand, it is attributed to the innate disadvantages of the German shipbuilding industry, and on the other hand, it is a common problem in German weapons manufacturing: excessive pursuit of performance indicators and neglecting cost-effectiveness!

Judging from the historical battle of Jutland, the German fleet was bombarded by the opponent's super-hard firepower, but in the end it only lost one front dreadnought and several light ships. The lost front dreadnought was sunk by torpedoes. This was obviously due to their heavy armor defense and sophisticated internal structure. From a certain perspective, it was able to obtain better survivability at a higher cost. The improvement of survivability also maximized the protection of well-trained officers and sailors. However, as many main battleships were almost scrapped, the Germans had to use a large amount of steel to repair them when resources were becoming increasingly tight. After that, the construction speed of the under-construction ships was greatly slowed down. The latter two Bavarian-class and all the Markensen-class battlecruisers were not completed until the end of the war. However, they suddenly appeared on the Allied extradition list for compensation and extradition. The opponent thought they had been completed and put into service long ago!

In addition to the high cost, the construction cycle of German battleships is also a problem that exists simultaneously. The average construction period of the Palerolfen class in the UK only takes 27 months from start of construction to service, while the average construction period of the Nassau class in the Germany is 30 months; the British St. Vincent class in the UK only takes 9 months from laying the keel to launching the hull, and the German Helgolan class basically takes 11 to 12 months; this time, the five major German shipyards with experience in dreadnought construction have booked a construction period of 32 to 35 months, which is 5 to 6 months longer than the British Navy's Orion class.
Chapter completed!