Qin Tian immediately noticed the expressions of Kaiser Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Tirpitz, and realized they had misunderstood.
"Father, Your Excellency, the one billion marks I mentioned is not a total sum of one billion marks, but rather one billion marks annually. While the lottery company is currently generating significant revenue, I also have various other investments, and many areas where funds are required. Therefore, I can only allocate one billion marks per year," Qin Tian explained.
Extracting too much profit from his businesses each year would greatly affect his future industrial plans. Moreover, such a large and consistent outflow of funds could easily be noticed by other nations.
"One billion marks annually? Excellent, truly excellent. Oscar, you have done a remarkable job, and I am proud to have you as my son!" Wilhelm II expressed his satisfaction.
"Your Highness, one billion marks annually, until the war begins?" Grand Admiral Tirpitz asked excitedly. If that were the case, it would mean an enormous additional support for the German navy. With this funding, the financial strain on the navy would be significantly eased, giving them ample resources to build warships and bolster their naval armament.
"One billion marks per year, until the war ends!" Qin Tian said solemnly.
Qin Tian understood that the current German leadership likely had no idea how long the future war would last. In another timeline, the war dragged on for a full four years, catching everyone off guard. At the start of the war, from Kaiser Wilhelm II to the common soldiers, all believed they could defeat their enemies and end the conflict within a few months. Even with Germany's enhanced military strength in this timeline, it would still be incredibly difficult to bring the war to a swift conclusion. Qin Tian hoped Germany would be prepared for a protracted conflict.
Grand Admiral Tirpitz nodded. "Your Highness, we are deeply grateful. Your support for the navy will undoubtedly bear fruit. In the coming war, we will surely defeat the British."
The Grand Admiral was brimming with confidence. Originally, the German navy had significant disadvantages compared to the British fleet, the primary issue being that Britain's financial power far exceeded Germany's. Now, with Qin Tian's backing, everything had changed. Receiving a billion marks annually from Qin Tian was nearly enough to construct two battleships. The construction of a first-class battleship typically took two to three years, and the German navy usually maintained a fleet of four to five such ships. Essentially, Qin Tian's loan would allow them to guarantee the continuous construction of their capital ships, while the navy's budget could be allocated toward lighter surface vessels. This would enable the German navy to grow by leaps and bounds, quickly catching up to, and even surpassing, the Royal Navy. Given that Qin Tian's battleship designs already surpassed British warships in performance, if the German navy still couldn't defeat the British, they might as well smash their heads against a wall in despair.
"Oscar, publicly I will announce that the loan comes from the royal family to the navy. That way, the British and French won't suspect you," Wilhelm II said, clearly pleased with Qin Tian's actions.
Qin Tian shook his head. "Father, there's no such thing as a perfect cover. The British and French will find out eventually. However, if they dare expel the German Lottery Company from their markets by executive order, they will be disrupting the market on purpose. Even if we cannot retaliate immediately, after the war, we can still settle accounts with them and demand compensation for our losses! For now, we just need to delay them as long as possible to give us enough time to extract more wealth from both countries."
The saying "revenge is a dish best served cold" applied here. As long as Germany won the war, they would have ample justification to demand reparations from Britain and France.
Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Tirpitz both nodded in agreement. This world was indeed harsh; defeat in war would have dire consequences, while victory would allow the victors to pillage the defeated at will. The law of the jungle, where the strong prey upon the weak, was the world's fundamental reality.
"Your Highness, do you have specific plans for the next-generation battleship?" Grand Admiral Tirpitz asked.
"Your Excellency, here are the design plans." Qin Tian took out a set of blueprints from his briefcase and spread them out on the desk.
These designs had been prepared well in advance. With the design of the "Nassau-class" battleship as a foundation, the new capital ship only needed to be an enlarged version, although certain areas required some modifications.
"Father, Your Excellency, this is the next-generation battleship I've designed," Qin Tian began to explain.
The new battleship was 158 meters long, 26.5 meters wide, with a draft of 8.7 meters. Its standard displacement was 23,500 tons, and its full load displacement was 25,500 tons. It was equipped with three triple-mounted 343mm 50-caliber main guns, fourteen 150mm 45-caliber secondary guns, and sixteen 88mm 45-caliber anti-torpedo boat guns. Its power came from 16 Sulzer oil-fired boilers and four Curtis steam turbines, generating a total of 32,000 horsepower, driving four shafts for a maximum speed of 23 knots. The armor protection included a 330mm main belt, with the gun turret fronts and conning tower also protected by 330mm armor, and the deck armor was 55mm thick.
The main difference from the "Nassau-class" battleship was the larger caliber of the main guns, with the adoption of 343mm 50-caliber guns. Additionally, the armor had been significantly thickened, with the main armor belt increasing from 305mm to 330mm, offering greater protection and enhancing the ship's survivability in naval combat. By adding more boilers, the ship's power output was also increased, allowing it to reach a speed of 23 knots—remarkable for a battleship displacing 25,000 tons. After all, most nations' capital ships were currently only capable of speeds in the teens.
These improvements meant that the new capital ship had significantly better overall performance compared to the "Nassau-class" battleship. Of course, its construction cost would also be correspondingly higher.