Chapter 81: The Iron Duke-Class Battleship!

Shen Honglie’s eyes suddenly shone with curiosity and anticipation. The corners of his eyes lifted slightly, and a subtle smile of exploration appeared on his lips. It was clear that Jiang Bai’s promise had awakened his deep longing for the navy’s future.

As a naval commander who had studied at the Imperial Navy Academy, Shen Honglie possessed a profound understanding of the progress in naval technology and strategic transformation.

“Rest assured, Commander. I will fully master all the materials you’ve entrusted to me before we set sail!”

Seeing Shen Honglie’s resolve, Jiang Bai expressed his satisfaction before continuing with further advice:

“In fact, if we follow conventional development, we would indeed require massive funding to expand the navy.”

“Constructing a major warship simply takes too long—a five- to ten-year cycle is not something we can afford.”

“Therefore, we must seek innovative methods and achieve rapid development through unconventional means.”

He asked with a touch of excitement, “Are you considering introducing the Hansi submarine technology?” His brow arched slightly, and his expression revealed approval of this strategy.

“Are you familiar with submarines as naval equipment?”

“I once witnessed Hansi submarines in action during a battle with the Grand Eagle Empire’s navy. Their technology is extremely advanced.”

“At the time, I thought that if we could form an underwater combat force centered around submarines, it would be a truly formidable power.”

Jiang Bai was a little surprised by Shen Honglie’s quick grasp of the key point. His eyes reflected a hint of appreciation for Shen Honglie’s keen insight, and a faint smile appeared on his face. “You understand perfectly.”

Anyone familiar with naval history knows that the Imperial Navy’s anti-submarine capabilities had long been weak, primarily due to financial constraints that made it impossible to balance the development of surface capital ships and anti-submarine equipment.

As the war entered its final stages and the shocking plans for the super battleship Yamato appeared, all of the Imperial Navy’s budget was devoured, leaving nothing for anti-submarine defenses.

The root cause was that, before the outbreak of full-scale war with the Consortium Dynasty, the Imperial Navy’s adversaries possessed virtually no organized naval forces—there was hardly any real opposition.

Because of this, on another timeline, even though the Imperial Navy built the world’s premier surface fleet, it was still the Consortium Dynasty’s submarine units that discovered a fatal weakness, severing nearly eighty percent of the Imperial Navy’s lifelines at sea.

This action led directly to extreme shortages of supplies within the empire.

Therefore, the fact that the Consortium Dynasty’s navy could overcome the Imperial Navy in the Pacific theater owed much to the contribution of the submarine force.

However, the achievements of the Consortium Dynasty’s carrier fleet during the same period were so notable that the submarine force’s role appeared somewhat overshadowed.

Jiang Bai believed that to surpass the Imperial Navy ahead of time, there were only two paths: first, to form a submarine wolfpack; second, to mass-produce aircraft carriers and strike at enemy bases from long range.

But with current technology, aircraft had only recently been used in combat, and deploying carrier-borne aircraft was still a distant prospect.

Such a goal required a formidable industrial base and vast resources, something only a great dynasty could support.

Compared with the expensive construction of carriers, building a submarine force was relatively straightforward.

Especially now, as Jiang Bai had entered into military cooperation with Hansi, it was entirely possible to acquire submarine construction materials—or even make direct purchases—through various means.

Jiang Bai turned to Shen Honglie and said,

“In the long run, we must build a powerful surface fleet.”

“After all, as formidable as submarines are, they cannot fully control the seas.”

“It is surface warships that ultimately determine who commands the waters.”

“But our economy cannot yet sustain such investment.”

“Therefore, we must be pragmatic and prioritize the formation of a submarine fleet capable of dealing a heavy blow to the Imperial Navy.”

Shen Honglie was deeply interested in the creation of a submarine force, and with Jiang Bai encouraging him to take charge of this mission, he was naturally eager to accept.

Thus, Shen Honglie replied resolutely, “Rest assured, Commander! For the future of our navy, I am willing to devote everything I have!”

“I pray that within my lifetime, I will witness our navy rise to become the world’s greatest!”

Seeing Shen Honglie’s confidence, Jiang Bai nodded approvingly and confirmed, “During this visit to Hansi, I will do everything possible to obtain submarine technology.”

“In the meantime, we will strive to purchase a batch of submarines. As for subsequent training and personnel assignments, that will depend on your leadership.”

“Please rest assured, Commander, I will fulfill the task you’ve set for me!”

After a period at sea, the luxurious liner carrying Jiang Bai finally arrived at the English Channel.

This marked the imminent end of Jiang Bai’s journey.

At that moment, the channel was teeming with fleets of the Royal Navy of the Eagle Empire.

Everywhere the eye could see, colossal battleships as large as islands were arrayed in perfect formation, their monstrous guns—like beasts lurking in the jungle—showcasing their overwhelming power.

Von Laun, the Hansi ambassador, upon seeing these leviathans, exclaimed in fury, “Those are Iron Duke-class battleships of the Eagle Empire!”

The Iron Duke-class battleships of the Royal Navy boasted a displacement of over 20,000 tons.

The British had equipped them with five twin 343mm main gun turrets, each with a barrel length forty-five times its caliber, while the previous Dreadnought class had only 305mm guns.

The difference was obvious.

The debut of the Iron Duke-class battleships once again placed the Eagle Empire at the pinnacle of naval power during the First Dynasty War.

Although the Hansi Navy had invested heavily in building super-dreadnoughts and exceeded the Royal Navy in terms of protection, after the Battle of Jutland, the Hansi Navy emerged with a tactical victory but suffered a strategic defeat.

The Eagle Empire’s navy maintained control of the North Sea, confining the Hansi fleet to port and rendering it powerless during the war.

It was, indeed, a tragic chapter in history.

As he gazed upon the daunting Iron Duke-class battleships, Vice Admiral Shen Honglie couldn’t help but reveal a look of admiration, his eyes filled with longing and respect.

He sighed softly, “I wonder when we will have such a powerful fleet ourselves.” His voice was tinged with yearning for the future and helplessness at the present.

Jiang Bai, however, remained as calm and confident as ever. When he replied to Shen Honglie, his voice was steady and assured: “Don’t worry. That day will come—it’s only a matter of time.”

His expression was composed, his eyes betraying an unshakable faith, as if he could already see that brilliant future.

Beside them, Von Laun, the Hansi ambassador, curled his lips into a mocking smile. His face bore a complex expression, with a glint of ridicule and skepticism in his eyes, as if he doubted Jiang Bai and Shen Honglie’s optimism.

In his view, the internal strife of the New Dynasty had yet to subside; how could they possibly hope to build such powerful battleships?