Franz did not feel disappointed at failing to disrupt the British pace, as this had been within his expectations.
If the British would follow suit just by being prodded a little, then they wouldn't be true to John Bull's character. The navy might be a different story, but concerning army equipment, the British wouldn't act rashly no matter how much they were stimulated.
It was like taking an exam. If you're a perennial underachiever, whether the top student scores ninety or a hundred, you won't feel much of a difference.
On the contrary, if you're a top student, always leading the pack, and suddenly someone gets ahead of you, even if by just half a point, you would want to overtake them again.
The current situation was quite clear; the British were like the underachievers in terms of their army, but they were top students when it came to their navy.
