William II sat in his seat, his expression dark and sullen, as though he were about to burst into tears. The launch of the British Navy's battleship, *Dreadnought*, dealt a significant blow to the German Navy.
"Gentlemen, what are your thoughts on the outfitting of the British Navy's *Dreadnought*?" William II asked, his face betraying no emotion, yet the fury in his eyes was unmistakable.
"Your Majesty, the battleship secretly developed by the British in recent years is likely the *Dreadnought*," sighed Count von Tirpitz.
"Your Majesty, the British have incorporated many advanced design concepts into this new battleship. The most critical aspect is the elimination of the secondary armament in favor of an all-heavy artillery configuration. This mirrors Prince Oscar's original proposal. The *Dreadnought* is equipped with five twin-mounted 305mm main guns—one on each of the fore and aft decks, one located behind the boiler room in the centerline of the ship, and one symmetrically positioned on each side between the two boiler rooms. The ship boasts a maximum broadside firepower of eight main guns, with a theoretical forward firepower of six. However, I personally believe Prince Oscar's design is superior. The three triple-mounted 305mm guns could fire broadside, significantly enhancing the lateral firepower. Moreover, triple mounts are more compact than twin mounts, providing better overall defense for the battleship," suggested Prince Heinrich, Commander of the High Seas Fleet.
Prince Heinrich's remarks darkened the expression of Count von Warren, the chairman of the naval technical committee. Who could have imagined that they would reject Qin Tian's design, only to see the British adopt a similar concept as their naval secret weapon? Did this not imply that their judgment was inferior to that of the British? Yet, how could that be? The entire naval technical committee had been publicly humiliated, their faces metaphorically swollen from the slap of this revelation.
Beads of sweat formed on Count von Warren's forehead. He realized that this grave oversight had incited William II's profound dissatisfaction with the entire naval technical committee. Naturally, Count von Warren felt deeply frustrated; the decision to dismiss Qin Tian's design was made by the committee's experts. Even as the chairman, he was obliged to heed their professional opinions.
"Your Majesty, do the British truly intend to use the *Dreadnought* as a model for the future development of their main battleship?" asked Chief of Staff Major General von Moltke. He sensed that Germany had indeed made a significant blunder regarding this matter.
"From the intelligence we have gathered, it has become evident. The British are already designing the next class of battleships based on the *Dreadnought*. This renders our already completed ships, and even those still under construction, outdated," William II sighed.
To pursue a formidable navy, Germany had invested heavily, resulting in a construction plan for 24 battleships across five classes. Now, the entire construction plan was nearing completion. Yet, it was intolerable that these battleships had become obsolete overnight. Did this not indicate that the substantial investment in shipbuilding had been in vain? William II's ambitions for maritime supremacy had transformed into a mere farce. His anger and frustration were palpable.
"Your Majesty, this was indeed a mistake on the part of the naval technical committee. Our thinking was too rigid, preventing us from recognizing the future direction of main battleship development," Count von Warren admitted, bowing his head.
Despite the humiliation they faced, he felt compelled to acknowledge the error. After all, they had no grounds to argue on this issue.
"Your Majesty, the pressing concern is not to assign blame to the naval technical committee, but rather to consider how we can rectify this significant error. The *Dreadnought* has rendered our battleships obsolete. If we do not devise a solution, our naval development will suffer a severe setback," stated Prime Minister Bernhardt von Bülow.
If William II insisted on pursuing accountability for the naval technical committee, it would likely ensnare many individuals in a web of repercussions. Such an outcome would inevitably cause great upheaval within the German Navy and the Empire, undermining social stability. Prime Minister Bernhardt von Bülow sought to minimize the impact.
"Hmph! Let us discuss what steps we should take now. The gap between the Imperial Navy and the British Navy has not only failed to narrow but has widened instead. This is highly detrimental to the Empire!" William II snorted.
All eyes turned to Count von Warren. They were all aware of the optimal solution, yet they awaited the naval technical committee's response.
Count von Warren recognized the necessity of a statement at this juncture.
"Sigh! It seems the naval technical committee has truly suffered a humiliating defeat!" he lamented internally.
"Your Majesty, it is evident that Prince Oscar's design is the best choice for Germany's next class of battleship. His vision surpasses that of us older men. We must concede this point, as it has deepened our understanding of future main battleship development. While the British adopt the *Dreadnought* as their model, we can certainly consider Prince Oscar's design as the basis for our next main battleship, thereby ensuring we do not fall too far behind the British," Count von Warren suggested.
Though he strived to maintain a calm demeanor, it was evident that he was straining to suppress his frustration.
"Your Majesty, although we have lost more than a year's time, if we rally our efforts, we should be able to catch up. Moreover, we could potentially shorten the gap between us and the British. From a performance perspective, Prince Oscar's battleship design appears to be even more advanced than the British *Dreadnought*," advised Prince Heinrich, Commander of the High Seas Fleet.