The Rise of the Empire

"Let's take a look at the Japanese Navy first." If nothing unexpected happens, the U.S. Navy should be able to play a role in World War I. The probability of the United States joining the Allied Powers is infinitely close to zero. But it is impossible for the United States to completely side with the Allies, so the U.S. Navy will put it aside for the first time.

"Isn't this impossible?" After Ruprecht had just read a few pages, he suddenly realized that he seemed to have ignored an important side information, a country that had been a source of soy sauce in history, this plane. Seems like he wants to make some big news!

"The Japanese Hanoi-class battleship has been launched and outfitted and is about to be completed?" Ruprecht said in shock.

"That's right. This class of battleships refers to our Nassau class battleships in appearance. They also use a design of five turrets, two of which are arranged diagonally. However, compared with the Nassau, these two battleships have The speed is faster and the defense is worse. They only have 10 inches of armor on the sides, and the height is also a little different. And it is said that the underwater protection system still follows the layout of the former dreadnought. They are a group of guys who only know how to copy. This level." Redel said as he picked out a set of photos from the pile of information and sent them to the prince's desk.

"This is not right." Ruprecht muttered to himself. It's not that the Japanese were smarter this time. They abandoned the layout of the Nassau and used the relatively more reasonable Caesar-type layout. This kind of thing can be judged by comparison, and the change is not shocking. The key is time. The service time of these two battleships in this plane is too early! You must know that historically the Japanese approved the Hanoi-class battleship construction plan in 1907, but the actual start of construction was in 1909, and as for service, it was postponed to 1912! And now? It will be launched into the water this year and will be outfitted and put into service next year! It lasted for 4 years, and the background is intriguing!

In fact, building a dreadnought is not technically difficult. As long as a first-class power is willing to provide technical support, there will be no problem. Although Japan's shipbuilding industry is a bit poor, the slipway for building warships is large enough, and with some accessories imported from the UK, it is still possible to build an assembled product. The biggest problem is funding! Historically, the fundamental reason why the Japanese did not catch up with the first wave of fearless armaments was the lack of funds after the Russo-Japanese naval war. Didn’t you see, as the economic situation improves, the Japanese ordered 4 Kongang-class battlecruisers in succession? After the First World War, there was also a vigorous Eighth-Eight Fleet Plan. A large number of 16-inch class battleships equipped with more than 8 doors and a displacement of 40,000 tons were started!

In this dimension, the Japanese spent more money to win the Russo-Japanese War! However, construction of a new type of dreadnought began in 1906, which fully demonstrates that the Japanese's financial situation is not bad! Well, considering that the Japanese can get a lot of benefits from the Philippines in this dimension, but the speed is too fast! It’s almost abnormal! The French and Russians, who are ready to start filming at any time, are not so active! "Is it because of the excitement of Americans?" Ruprecht thought.

When Ruprecht put this document aside and picked up another document, the content of this document immediately dispelled his previous thoughts and gave him a smell of danger. Yes, it was Dangerous smell! Next year, in February 1908, Japan is about to start construction of two more super-dreadnoughts equipped with eight 14-inch guns! "What do they want to do?!" Ruprecht said with a frown.

"Give me all the information about the Japanese Navy to sort out 5 copies, give them to the Kaiser and the three departments under the Navy, and make another copy for the record. Prepare it tonight and submit it the day after tomorrow at the latest.

"Ruprecht said to Redel next to him.

Perhaps in the eyes of outsiders, this construction speed is nothing. After all, Germany starts construction of 2 to 3 warships a year, and at most there are about 5 warships under construction, while the British are even more aggressive, starting half a dozen warships a year. Same as playing. On average, the Japanese can start construction of one ship a year. Although it is very fast for a small country, for first-class navies like Britain and Germany, this speed is nothing.

But in fact, in the eyes of a time traveler like Ruprecht, that is very abnormal, not only because the scale of the Japanese fleet built during the same period was far larger than in history, but the type of battleships also had problems. The Japanese Navy likes high-speed battleships, which can be seen from history.

During the Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese purchased the Yoshino, which was top-notch in speed at the time. During the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese equipped eight fast armored cruisers, more than the number of battleships. After the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese built what is known as the world's earliest battle cruiser. And there were 4 quasi-battle cruisers at once. In the fearless era, there are 4 King Kong ships at once. And then, whether it was Fuso or Nagato, their speed was actually faster than the orthodox battleship. In the second battle, although the Yamato could not compete with the European Three Musketeers in speed, it still did not suffer a loss compared with the 16-inch gun battleships of the American Empire!

So now the question becomes, are the second batch of battleships built by the Japanese still battleships? Did the Japanese suddenly change their gender and start to like slow fundamentalist battleships? That is impossible! In this dimension, high-speed battleships still performed so well in the Russo-Japanese naval battle. The performance of both the Rurik-2 battleship and the somewhat outdated Asama-class battleship was actually remarkable. The top brass of the Japanese Navy are still the same people. They have no reason to give up their hobby of fast battleships!

And if we consider another preference of the Japanese Navy, it likes to have the same number of battleships and high-speed cruisers, such as the initial Six-Six Fleet, the Three-Three Fleet supplementary plan, and the Eight-Eight Fleet plan proposed in the middle and late stages of World War 1. , in these plans, the ratio of battleships to high-speed battleships is almost one to one. And then referring to the current plan of the Japanese fleet, Ruprecht came to a rather terrifying conclusion! The Japanese will also build the same number of battlecruisers in the future! Compared with battleships, the construction of battle cruisers has certain requirements for power and hull size, so the Japanese may choose to postpone it slightly. If it is the same as in history, then it should be King Kong level!

This change in the historical line will have a greater impact on Ruprecht's original plan. The continuous attacks on Italy are intended to weaken the latter so that there will be a more stable situation in the Mediterranean battlefield. But if Japan joins , then the entire battle situation will undergo major changes!

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