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Text Chapter 192 Heavy Cruiser

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    (Thank you to the book club for the reward, and thank you to the book club for your monthly vote!)

    "Commander, Consul Lucas wants to see you!" Wang Yuze was resting in a villa in the dormitory area of ??Beihai Shipyard.  Accompanied by Wei Han, director of the shipyard, Wang Yuze visited the construction progress of the shipyard.  Now, ten thousand-ton shipyards have been built, and the construction of another 10,000-ton shipyard is still being stepped up.  It is expected to be completed by the end of the year.  At present, except for the two shipyards used to build the first ship "Leshan" and the second ship "Qijiang" of the "Leshan" class light cruiser, the rest of the shipyards are building merchant ships.  As for the 10,000-ton battleship, the shipyard is still in the design stage.  However, due to the lack of relevant experience and technology, it will take a long time to design its own 10,000-ton battleship.

    "Invite him in!" Wang Yuze said.  This time, Wang Yuze also took the initiative to invite Lucas to attend the new ship's keel installation ceremony.  After all, almost all the large equipment in the Beihai Shipyard comes from Germany.  Without German support, it would be quite difficult for Western Sichuan to build warships on its own.  For example, heavy steam hammers, hydraulic presses, etc. are high-tech equipment from Western powers. Under normal circumstances, they will not be exported to other countries at all.  Germany's export of these equipment to western Sichuan also aroused criticism from the Western powers and put great pressure on it.

    "Uncle Lucas, welcome. Hello, sir!" Wang Yuze said with a smile on his face.  Lucas did not come alone. There was also a middle-aged German man wearing glasses, whom Wang Yuze did not recognize.

    "Your Excellency, the cruiser you designed is very good, and its performance is definitely world-class!" Lucas praised.

    "Thank you Uncle Lucas. We still have a lot to learn from Germany in the design and construction of warships. We cannot do without Germany's help. For example, Uncle Lucas, we still need two 10,000-ton hydraulic presses.  , can Germany export it to us?" Wang Yuze said with a smile.  To build a 10,000-ton battleship, high-strength steel plates must be used, and a larger hydraulic press is required.

    "Your Excellency, Marshal. Our country has just developed a 10,000-ton hydraulic press. If it is exported, I'm afraid it will take some time. However, given the relationship between Western Sichuan and our country, I will lobby the government, and I believe it will be possible soon.  The exit is for you!" Lucas said with a smile.

    Germany has no interests in the Far East.  The rise of Western Sichuan will definitely threaten Britain, France and even Russia. It will create an enemy, a powerful enemy, among the traditional powers in the east of the world. This is what Germany likes to do most.

    "Thank you, Uncle Lucas!" Wang Yuze breathed a sigh of relief when Lucas said this.  Although Germany has agreed to export, Western Sichuan cannot relax. These large-scale equipment must always be built by themselves, so as not to be choked by others.  Now, the heavy equipment manufacturing plant in Chengdu has begun to imitate the large hydraulic presses imported from Germany, and has made good progress. I believe that it will not be long before Western Sichuan will be able to build it on its own.

    "Uncle Lucas, who is this gentleman?" Wang Yuze asked proactively.

    "This is Backhouse? Mr. Smit, my good friend and a famous German battleship designer." Consul Lucas introduced.

    "Welcome to the East!" Wang Yuze said quickly.  He asked Lucas to find a battleship designer for him. Could this be him?

    "Thank you, Marshal!" Barclays?  Smith nodded. Like most designers, he seemed a bit taciturn.

    "Your Excellency, Marshal, Backhaus is Germany's first-class battleship designer. He once worked at the Wessel Shipyard in Bremen, Germany. The cruiser he designed has become the main battleship of the German Navy. Moreover, he is also a very good man.  A designer with ideas, he has also designed submarines. It¡¯s just that the Navy did not adopt his opinions!¡± Lucas introduced.

    "Ah! Submarine?" Wang Yuze was shocked.  This is talent!  Although the current submarines are still in the preliminary stage of exploration and have not been used in actual combat.  But how could Wang Yuze, who had traveled through time, not know the purpose of this underwater weapon?  Now there is a very big gap between the Western Sichuan Navy and the great powers, and it can only make up for it from other aspects.  If the Western Sichuan Navy can possess a huge underwater fleet, then Western Sichuan may have the strength to compete with the navies of major powers.

    "What? Does the Marshal also know about this kind of warship?" Barclays?  Smit asked in surprise.  Before coming to China, his impression of China had always been in the barbaric and backward stage.  In fact, when he got off the ship from Shanghai and boarded the river ship from Shanghai to Chongqing, the scenes he saw along the way were indeed very backward.  However, after entering Hubei, what unfolded before him was a scene of vigorous development.?.  Especially Chongqing, this city is not inferior to many Western cities.  Originally, he was just invited by Lucas to visit the East.  But now, after living in western Sichuan for a while, he has decided to stay.  Although the shipbuilding industry here is still relatively basic, it also means huge opportunities.

    "Yes, Mr. Smit, I firmly believe that warships such as submarines will change the way the navy operates to a great extent. Mr. Smit, on behalf of Western Sichuan, I formally hire you as a designer at Beihai Shipyard, with an annual salary of 20  Wanmark, specially designed submarines for the Western Sichuan Navy!" Wang Yuze said immediately.  After finally meeting a talented person in this field, he would not give up just like that.

    "Two hundred thousand marks, Your Excellency, Marshal, you are so generous!" Lucas said with envy.  Two hundred thousand marks for a young man is considered an extremely high salary in Germany today.

    Wang Yuze is waiting for Barclays with a smile?  Smith made his choice.  But Barclays?  Although Smit was a little shocked, a trace of disappointment flashed in his eyes.

    "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, my main direction of attack is the design of main battleships, not submarines. If Your Majesty, Your Majesty, wants to hire a submarine designer, it will be difficult for me to do the job!" Barclays?  Smit said.  The current sea surface is still dominated by large surface warships. He does not believe that small and extremely slow submarines with only tens or hundreds of tons can play such a big role in naval battles.

    Wang Yuze was stunned, but he didn't expect to be directly rejected by the other party.

    "Your Excellency, Marshal, you may not know, Barclays? The reason why Smit came to the East is because an excellent battleship he designed was not adopted by the German Navy, so he came to the East out of luck!"  Lucas explained.

    "That's right! So, Barclays? Mr. Smit, can you first introduce to me the battleship you designed?" Wang Yuze said.  It doesn't matter if we focus on the design of battleships. As long as we design a submarine for Western Sichuan from time to time, or guide Western Sichuan's own designers in this aspect, that will be enough.

    "Okay, Your Excellency, Marshal!" Barclays?  Smit said.

    Barclays?  Smit was obviously well prepared. He took out a design drawing from the bag he carried with him, showed it in front of Wang Yuze, and then began to explain.

    "This is a sub-capital ship with a displacement of 8,000 tons, a length of 102 meters, and armaments of two twin 280mm 40-caliber naval guns, six 105mm single-mounted guns; and six 88mm single-mounted guns.  Mounted guns; 8 37mm machine guns; 4 450mm water torpedo tubes. Powered by 12 circular boilers, two piston steam engines, main engine power of 9000 horsepower, two-axis propulsion, maximum speed of 16 knots. Armor:  400 mm at the waterline; 60 mm on the deck; 50 mm in the main gun turret (120 mm on the front side); 300 mm in the command tower." Barclays?  Smit said.

    "Mr. Schmidt, this is a very good battleship. However, compared with the 'Brandenburg-class' battleships currently being built in Germany, its firepower is at a disadvantage, and its armor and speed are not superior." Wang Yuze said.

    "That's right, so the German Navy didn't adopt my design!" Barclays?  Smit said sincerely.

    Wang Yuze frowned. Western Sichuan has also ordered two "Brandenburg-class" battleships, and they have been improved according to Wang Xiao's requirements. Their combat power is better than the "Brandenburg-class" equipped by the Germans themselves.  Battleships are even more powerful.  Therefore, there is no need for the navy in western Sichuan to build such useless warships.

    "Your Excellency, Marshal, I have seen the two battleships built for you by the Vulcan Shipyard. I have to admit that both in terms of firepower and speed, they are more powerful than the 'Brandenburg-class' battleships of the German Navy. This also gives  This gave me new ideas. Plus today, I learned about the parameters of the light cruiser designed by Sichuan West, and I have new ideas. Changes can be made on the battleship I designed. My initial idea is that the new  The displacement of the battleship is still more than 8,000 tons. The armament is reduced by the reduction of secondary guns and the power is strengthened, allowing the battleship to reach a speed of more than 23 knots. In this case, this battleship will have firepower second only to the battleship, far exceeding the speed of the battleship, and will become  The nemesis of all battleships below the battleship!" Barclays?  Smit said excitedly.

    "The nemesis of cruisers? Battlecruisers? Perhaps, heavy cruisers are more appropriate." Wang Yuze said secretly.  However, given the current situation of the Western Sichuan Navy, it is also very necessary to have a heavy cruiser.  After all, the most powerful ones in the Far East currently are the two ironclad ships of the Beiyang Fleet. The battleships from Western Sichuan have not yet returned home, and the British battleships have not yet been deployed in the Far East.  Heavy cruisers will be very useful.

    PS: The second update is here!  Please subscribe, please give me a monthly pass!  (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to (this site) subscribe, reward, and your support is my biggest motivation.  )
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