Another major event in 1900 was in the Far East, when a large group of imperial powers joined forces to bully the declining old empire.

Lee Haydn was almost speechless about this. The country was in the hands of a large group of fools who were behind and felt good about themselves. He didn't know how to evaluate it.

Well, let Westerners use cannons to awaken their sleeping awareness that has been sleeping for nearly a thousand years.

He really didn't want to pay attention to the Far East, and he was really busy.

"The Prussians are always so rigid and dogmatic, lack innovative spirit, and like to make simple problems complicated, the more complex the better." At this time, in the Navy Command office of Calamir Castle, the Grand Duke was commenting on the new battleship design of the German Second Imperial Navy. Opposite the desk, Naval Major Kudka was reporting to the Grand Duke and the Lieutenant General his trip to Germany and his inspection report on the construction of German warships.

Also sitting there are Lieutenant General Popel, the Navy's Shipbuilding Director, and Colonel Rozner of the Navy Technical Committee. There is no place where Bolojevic, a military-born, speaks, and he is only responsible for recording.

British newspapers were already promoting the threat posed by the Germans, which was only a means, initially only to cover up their treasury emptiness and economic recession caused by their huge war expenses in the Boer War, and to deceive the ordinary people, but slowly they themselves began to believe this lie.

In fact, the German emperor had no intention of confronting the British, and even expected to form an alliance with Britain. A ridiculous idea. The British just drew a pancake on paper, and William II was about to eat it, and even destroyed the diplomatic relations that had already been eased with the Russians.

The so-called British-German alliance actually did not want the Germans to intervene in the Boer War. Emperor William believed it and decisively abandoned the descendants of the Netherlands who were full of expectations for him.

"The Prussians never had a clear naval strategy. These countrymen from Konisburg did not understand what naval strategy was, and would only be led by the British." Lee Hayden continued to mock their allies. Of course, he would not say they were Germans, but only targeted those Junker nobles from Prussia, that is, those rich people from the countryside who owned countless lands. "The British have been consciously or unintentionally stimulating the nerves of the Prussians. At the celebration of Queen Victoria's throne, they arranged a second-class cruiser of the Germans to their most powerful monarchy. At the opening ceremony of the Kiel Canal in 1898, four powerful battleships were exaggeratedly sent. They succeeded, and the Germans followed them to build battleships."

Lee Haydn said these words just to vent his dissatisfaction, which was due to the conflicts and disputes between him and Grand Duke Ferdinand - about the latest shipbuilding plan of the Imperial Navy: Crown Prince Ferdinand hopes to build battleships, while Lee Haydn advocates building an armored cruiser.

The dispute between the two great dukes greatly affected the construction plan of the Imperial Navy. The design work of the four "Habsburg-class warships that had already started as planned has not yet begun.

"According to the budget approved by the parliament, the displacement of these four warships can only be about 9,000 tons. The Crown Prince's requirement is to equip 240 mm main guns, so that they can only be equipped with two main guns, and the armor must be weakened." General Poper said. In his opinion, the focus of the dispute between Ferdinand and Lee Haydn was only the choice of the main gun. The Crown Prince required the large main guns as possible, while the Grand Duke Fredrich's idea was to rather equip two more main guns with smaller caliber to obtain higher speeds. This Grand Duke, who has become a lieutenant general, has known everyone's preference for double-mounted turrets.

The "Habsburg" class, which has been weakened, can only be an armored cruiser, which is undeniable. Of course, it can be called a battleship in name. But if according to Lee Haydn's idea, a warship equipped with two double-equipped 203mm main turrets can only be a cruiser.

"If the crown prince insists on equipping with a 240mm main gun, the displacement must be increased to more than 12,000 tons, which is the principle." Lee Hayden emphasized, "I don't want a warship that resists cannons to be like a naked warrior."

His metaphor is very vivid. If the warship is equipped with too heavy naval guns, it will inevitably weaken the armor. Such protection seems to be unable to resist the 150mm naval guns equipped on the light cruiser.

It can be said that there are three elements in the design of a warship: firepower, speed and protection. Lee Haydn values ​​speed and protection more, that is, survival factors. Because in general, compared with the imaginary enemies of the French Navy and the Italian Navy, the Austro-Hungarian Navy was at a disadvantage, and he has always regarded the British as potential enemies.

"There will be a budget that will definitely be added, but it will be difficult for the parliament to pass the Navy's additional funding program," Popel said.

"This is his business. If he cannot say that the parliament can only be carried out according to my plan."

Lee Hayden's plan was an "General Garibaldi"-level improvement plan that was continued for the Argentines.

The naval competition between the two countries caused by the Chile-Argentina border dispute began in 18.95 has lasted for many years. Since the return of four "Galibauthor" armored cruisers built by the Istria Shipyard for the Argentines, the Chilean navy is completely at a disadvantage in its strength.

In order to reverse the disadvantage, the Chilean Navy ordered two battleships with a displacement of 12,000 tons from the UK - the Constitution and the Freedom. In response to the Chileans, Argentina quickly renewed a supplementary ship purchase agreement with the Istoria shipyard: renewing the improved models of two "General Garibaldi" class armored cruisers.

Lieutenant Colonel Rotzner presided over the design work of these two warships, citing some of Lee Haydn's ideas - optimizing the underwater line type and eliminating the impact angle. In addition, for the first time, a slightly outward high freeboard ship appearance design was adopted, which helped to improve the seaworthiness of the warship and have a larger deck design space.

The two warships were named "Rivadavia" and "Moreno" by the Argentines.

The armored cruisers built for the Atines began to try to equip the "Islea" high-pressure small water pipe steam boiler on large warships, but the power system still uses a three-inflated reciprocating steam engine with a total power of 16,500 horsepower, which can make this class of cruisers reach a speed of 21 knots.

Now the two warships have begun laying keels on the ship platform and are expected to be completed in August 1904.

Grand Duke Ferdinand finally reached a compromise plan with Lee Haydn: he agreed to equip only 8-inch main guns on the Habsburg class and install steam turbines, but Lee Haydn promised to equip 240mm main guns on the next-class battleship of the Imperial Navy, and to provide a three-tenth-old construction cost.

Three "Zanta"-class reconnaissance cruisers made a big splash in the "Eight-National Interference War" between the Far East and the Qing Dynasty in 1900. As the world's first ocean-going ship equipped with steam turbines, its high speed of 31 knots on the sea made warships of various countries far beyond the reach of warships of various countries. The powerful power devices they equipped attracted the attention of navies of various countries. Isleyasteel Power Company has since entered the ranks of world-famous engine manufacturers and has received many orders.

The North Germans, who had always been proud, were finally willing to lower their high heads and learn from the shipyards of the Austrians they had always looked down upon.
Chapter completed!