Shen Fu, Minister of Honglu Temple in the Ming Dynasty, received the Paris Naval Treaty document sent by France as a representative and briefly browsed it.
During the morning meeting the next day, after other routine matters were discussed and arranged, Shen Fu took out the treaty and talked about it.
Submit a brief report document compiled by yourself to the emperor, and give a brief oral introduction at the same time.
Including the upper limit of total tonnage, the classification standards of various types of ships, the upper limit of single tonnage and caliber of various types of ships, and the last few relatively important additional regulations.
Let the other Nine Ministers who attended the meeting know what happened.
Finally, we summarize Honglu Temple’s views and suggestions:
“Under the banner of equality, the countries of Thailand and Spain have set restrictions that are the same for all countries.
"Honglu Temple believes that only the six countries of Britain, France, Spain, Prussia, Russia, and Austria can use up all the tonnage.
“Most other countries will not complete the construction of 754,000-ton combat ships.
"The total tonnage of the final combat ships built by all the navies of the Thai and Western countries is expected to be between 600 and 8 million tons.
“These ships should be completed within the next ten to fifteen years.
"If we follow the principle of naval reciprocity established by the previous court, that is, the total tonnage of the Ming Navy's combat ships is not lower than the total tonnage requirements of all other countries' navies, our Ming Dynasty should also increase its shipbuilding plan and speed up the shipbuilding speed."
After Zhu Jianyan finished reading the briefing in his hand, he had no obvious reaction and threw it on the table next to him:
"Then double the number of ships built each year."
Ming Dynasty's current shipbuilding plan is to start construction of four battleships of more than 40,000 tons per year.
Of course, a matching number of cruisers, destroyers, supply ships and other auxiliary ships must also be added.
Originally, it was planned to replace and eliminate all traditional warships in an orderly manner at this speed.
If we want to achieve and maintain the so-called principle of reciprocity, Ming Dynasty will need to have a total of seven million tons of combat ships.
Among them, aircraft carriers and battleships account for more than half, which is almost four million tons.
Excluding the old ships and only counting new capital ships above 40,000 tons, 4 million tons is exactly one hundred ships.
So far, Ming Dynasty has completed construction or started construction of twenty warships of more than 40,000 tons.
For the time being, compared with the 60,000-ton warships that have just begun construction, 80 ships of the same level or above will continue to be built.
If the pace of construction of four ships per year continues, it will take twenty years to complete.
Zhu Jianyan requested that the speed be doubled, that is, the construction of eight battleships would be started every year, which would only take ten years to complete.
The relevant technologies for 40,000-ton battleships are now basically mature, and the price of mass construction will be lower.
The initial construction cost of the first 40,000-ton high-speed battleship was close to one million gold coins.
The current average cost has dropped to less than 700,000 gold coins, which is equivalent to 35 million silver coins.
If directly converted by the gold content of currency, it is almost equivalent to the 40 million US dollars, or 5 million pounds, that Zhu Jingyuan had in his previous life after World War I and before World War II.
This is 20% cheaper than the 6 million pound battlecruiser Hood and 10% cheaper than the 44 million pound Lexington class battlecruiser.
At the same time, 35 million silver notes, converted according to purchasing power, is equivalent to 3.5 billion yuan in future generations.
This is basically equivalent to the later model 052d guided missile destroyer.
At the same time, the fiscal revenue of the Ming Ankang six years was 350 million gold coins, or 17.5 billion silver coins.
Starting the construction of eight 40,000-ton battleships every year will cost 1.6% of the fiscal revenue.
This is basically equivalent to the financial pressure of starting four warships of the same class in the first year of Ankang.
Because in the past six years, Daming's fiscal revenue has doubled.
For comparison, when Japan built the Nagato, the cost of a single ship was almost 4% of Japan's fiscal revenue at the time.
Now Ming Dynasty has to start construction of twenty 40,000-ton warships at the same time before it can feel the financial pressure of Japan's construction of a Nagato.
The financial pressure on the Ming Dynasty to complete one hundred battleships of 40,000 tons or more is equivalent to, at most, Japan's completion of six ships such as Nagato, Mutsu, Akagi, Kaga, Shokaku, and Zuikaku.
This is nothing at all...
Zhu Jianyan knew these data well, so he directly increased the amount without any fluctuation in his mood.
Zhu Jianyan is the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, especially the emperor of the Ming Dynasty who is currently in a state of prosperity in all aspects.
Of course he had the idea of unifying the world in his mind.
No normal and ambitious ruler would be completely unmoved by this goal if he had the power to achieve it.
Whether by force or peaceful means, Zhu Jianyan wanted to accomplish this feat.
However, Zhu Jianyan, who had received a perfect education, considered the various actual conditions of the Ming Dynasty and the world, and at the same time knew that now was not the time to act rashly.
Because Ming Dynasty and the world are now in a state of rapid technological innovation and iteration.
Technological revolutions can delay war.
The technological revolution has made countries and military personnel fear war.
Because their weapons and equipment are rapidly updated, relevant personnel will feel that they are not ready yet.
At the same time, you will also worry that the enemy is ready.
On the contrary, when the era of technological revolution ends and technology is relatively stagnant, war pressure will increase unprecedentedly.
Because the relevant personnel clearly know that their strength will not be significantly enhanced in the short term.
The key is to have a relatively clear understanding of the balance of power with potential competitors.
It will also give chasers an unprecedented inflated mentality when their key technical indicators equal those of forerunners.
When the technological revolution stagnates, the power is on the table.
If there is another economic crisis, the whole world will be sitting on a powder keg.
Now Zhu Jianyan and Ming officials and military personnel all feel that Ming Dynasty is not ready.
The simplest example is that the current cutting-edge high-speed battleships and aircraft carriers are of course not ready until all the original old battleships have been replaced.
The Air Force doesn't have tens of thousands of new planes and airports dotted around the world, and it doesn't feel ready.
The Army will not feel ready until it has built enough armored and mechanized units.
So in this case, people from all walks of life will dissuade decision-makers and insist that now is not the time for war.
Zhu Jianyan even understood that if he prepared at the normal speed, the Ming Dynasty would not be fully prepared in all aspects until he abdicated.
In particular, the construction speed of the navy is too slow.
Therefore, when Zhu Jianyan discussed with Zhu Jingyuan, he specifically studied peaceful ways to achieve his goals.
As a result, according to Zhu Jingyuan, peaceful methods seem to be more time-consuming than war.
But now, when the Thai-Spanish Naval Treaty was signed, Zhu Jianyan had new ideas.
Arms race, war to promote surrender.
Let’s see if we can completely defeat the psychology of the countries in Europe and the West through arms building.
The upper limit of naval tonnage of each country stipulated in the Paris Naval Treaty did not exceed Zhu Jianyan's estimate.
Seven million tons of combat ships will not put too much pressure on Ming Dynasty.
During World War II, the U.S. Navy's tonnage reached 14 million tons.
During the Cold War, the total tonnage of the navies of the United States and the Soviet Union was almost 7 million tons.
Two thousand years later, the total tonnage of the U.S. Navy was 3.5 million tons.
After the Cold War, the tonnage and gold content of naval ships surged significantly.
The value of a 10,000-ton destroyer is already equivalent to that of a 40,000- to 50,000-ton battleship during World War II.
Today’s Ming Dynasty has a territory and population larger than those of the United States and the Soviet Union combined.
At a time when the technological level is similar to that of the pre-World War II era, there is certainly no problem in directly maintaining a total naval tonnage of seven million tons.
The nine ministers below, as well as the ministers from the Shangshu, the Cabinet, the Military, and the Governor's Office who attended the meeting, did not have any special reactions. Only personnel from relevant departments came out and agreed.
Those present at the meeting were all members of the highest decision-making group in Ming Dynasty.
The Ming Dynasty's own situation, the navy, army, engineering situation, and financial situation are all basically clear.
With the rapid development of all aspects of the Ming Dynasty after the war, many of the army construction plans formulated at the end of the war now seem a bit outdated, including of course the naval shipbuilding plan.
The emperor and ministers of relevant departments have already been discussing that in the future, the military expenditure budget will be increased by a corresponding proportion every year based on the growth rate of GDP and fiscal revenue.
If the number of ships built every year doubles, it will not exceed the psychological expectations of the relevant ministers...
In this way, Ming Dynasty decided its attitude towards the Paris Naval Treaty, and the morning session of the day came to an end.
After the ministers from the relevant departments of the Ming Dynasty returned, they arranged today's affairs accordingly.
The Admiralty, Ordnance Department, Royal Dockyard and other relevant departments and companies quickly received corresponding notifications.
The shipyards directly under the Ministry of Ordnance and the Royal Dockyard have also begun to recruit more workers step by step and increase subsequent orders for shipbuilding materials.
At the same time, the existing shipbuilding orders will be adjusted, and the existing number of docks and slipways will be inspected and confirmed.
More than seven years ago, Zhu Jingyuan suggested that the then emperor Zhu Zhongliang order the official and royal shipyards to build a large number of large shipyards in advance.
Now the shipyard wants to increase orders. Except for the recruitment of workers, which is a bit troublesome, there are no major problems in other aspects.
Ming Dynasty's actions soon spread to the countries in Europe and the West.
Countries in Europe and the West have no way to directly know the decision of the Ming Dynasty, and it is also difficult to know the news received by the shipyard's decision-makers and the number and details of the actual orders placed.
However, we can learn through public channels that the main naval shipyards of Ming Dynasty are expanding their recruitment and increasing material orders.
And the rate of increase can be described as "horrifying".
At least in the eyes of the Thai people, it has reached a terrifying level.
Wouldn’t it be shocking if it doubled directly?
At this time, representatives from various countries in Europe and the West have returned to their respective countries and are adjusting their shipbuilding plans in accordance with the treaty.
When the relevant news came, the monarchs and ministers of various countries were a little panicked.
Especially Lucia's gang.
Emperor Nicholas of Lucia once again held a small meeting in the cabinet with his main ministers.
Without anyone else speaking, Nicholas himself said with a grimace:
"The news from the Ming Dynasty is that the Ming Dynasty's naval shipbuilding plan... is likely to be doubled...
“In the past few years, the Ming Dynasty was said to have four battleships of over 40,000 tons per year, which will directly increase to eight ships in the future.
"This should be the response to our naval treaty...
"I have a bad feeling. Regardless of whether our European countries have completed their 750,000-ton warship plan, Ming Dynasty may have to build more than 7 million-ton warships accordingly...
"Their capital ships...if calculated as 40,000 tons, they might...be over a hundred!
“If calculated based on the latest 60,000 tons, there are more than 64 ships.
“If you compromise between the two, there should be about eighty ships.
"The entire navy of Europa combined may not be of such a large scale..."
Admiral Ushakov listened to these data and looked at his colleagues with wide eyes:
"It's impossible for the Ming Dynasty to really build so many warships, right? Can the Ming Dynasty's finances bear it?"
Wedemeyer, Chairman of the Council of Cabinet Ministers, said with a grimace:
“According to the calculations of our finance-related colleagues, it is obvious that Da Ming can afford it...
“In fact, even if it is doubled again, Ming Dynasty can still create it.
“Just like us, building a 750,000-ton warship is actually not too stressful, and it’s not impossible to build a million-ton warship.
"For Ming Dynasty, even 10 million tons is not impossible.
“Daming’s production capacity, technical level, and financial level are all sufficient to support Daming in maintaining the so-called principle of reciprocity.
"That is to say, the tonnage of Ming's naval ships is greater than that of all other countries."
Emperor Nicholas also widened his eyes, and his eyes actually looked a bit hysterical.
However, he tried his best to keep his expression and tone as stable as possible and asked:
“Does Ming’s response plan count as opposition to our treaty?
"Will Daming continue to provide us with technical support in shipbuilding?"
Wedemeyer immediately said:
“It shouldn’t be considered an objection, it should be just a very normal decision.
"The attitudes of the craftsmen dispatched by the Ming Dynasty and the Honglu Temple personnel who contacted us have not changed much.
"We have now started discussing technology transfer and equipment export agreements with us in a very normal and step-by-step manner.
“If Ming opposes our treaty, if it is not prepared to continue to provide us with technical support.
"The changes in the attitudes of these relevant personnel will be more sensitive than the information we get from the outside world."
Nicholas continued to ask:
"The Ming Dynasty doesn't care about our European countries vigorously building ships? Isn't it worried about the possibility of being hostile to the Ming Dynasty again?"
Wedemeyer shook his head slightly and said:
“I think I can’t say I don’t care at all, nor can I say I’m not worried about this happening.
“However, our 750,000-ton naval ships are really nothing to Ming Dynasty.
"Actually, because it is impossible for the European and Western countries to completely unite, the shipbuilding technology of the European countries is still provided by the Ming Dynasty.
"The combat ships of the Ming Navy may only need half of Europa's total tonnage, or even only one-third of Europa's tonnage, to maintain suppression of the entire Europa.
"If the Ming Dynasty normally completes more than 7 million tons of combat ships, even if the European countries are truly unified and integrated into one nation, they will have a chance to compete with it."
Nicholas was silent for a few seconds:
"Is it really impossible for us, Lucia, to ever defeat Ming again?"
Wedemeyer was silent for a few seconds:
“Even if huge problems arise within the Ming Dynasty and it is completely split into multiple countries, there will be one or even multiple countries whose overall strength is equal to or even higher than ours.
“Because their industrial base, technological level, educational level and cultural level, as well as the most critical subject population, are all above ours in Lucia.
“The Ming Dynasty has completed a new round of administrative division reform, clarifying the pattern of local and overseas regions.
“Even if the current Ming Empire is divided, and even if Ming’s overseas provinces become independent, the local part of Ming Dynasty is still very likely to remain intact.
“This country is still far more powerful than us.
“If we in Lucia unite with other European countries and go to war with the split Ming country again, then the other Ming countries are likely to form an alliance to deal with it.
“Then the power of the Ming Alliance is still far superior to ours in Europa.
“The main force within their alliance is made up of people from the Ming Dynasty who speak the same language and have the same image. Communication and cooperation are much easier than that of our European tribes.
“Their similarities in image, language and culture are enough for them to form natural allies, especially when facing us Europeans whose image, language and culture are completely different.
“So the relevant political officers and I have constantly stressed that Lucia should no longer have the idea of being an enemy of Ming Dynasty.
"We should maintain a clear goal of westward expansion."
