Interesting Report

Foreign Secretary Lord Langston smoothed things over: "No one doubts the technical analysis, Fisher. The question is, what is the actual impact of these six ships on the strategic balance?"

"The actual impact is," Fisher slammed his compass down in the middle of the North Sea, "that if war breaks out now, the German High Seas Fleet, plus these six new ships, could achieve both quantitative and qualitative superiority in the North Sea. Our home fleet would need to recall at least four capital ships from around the world to regain decisive advantage. And in the process..."

He paused, allowing everyone to process his meaning.

"In this process," added Sir Richard Burden, Secretary of State for War, "if the German army launches an offensive on the Western Front at the same time, the French may not be able to hold out until we can mobilize our fleet."

"Exactly," Fisher nodded. "The Germans have gained a window of opportunity. From the commissioning of these six ships to the time we build new ships sufficient to counter them, there is at least an eighteen-month gap. During those eighteen months, they hold naval leverage in any international crisis."

Silence fell over the meeting room. The sound of horse-drawn carriages passing by echoed from Whitehall outside the window, seemingly from another world.

Prime Minister Campbell-Banaman finally spoke: "A solution?"

"Two options," Fisher said, returning to his seat. "First, through diplomacy. Reach a naval arms limitation agreement with Germany, freezing the current number of ships and avoiding a competition."

The Marquis of Langston gave a wry smile: "Would the German Emperor agree to have his new toy locked in a cabinet?"

"So the key is the second option." Fisher pulled a thick stack of documents from his briefcase. "'Emergency Construction Plan for Dreadnoughts.' I request the Cabinet to approve the construction of ten brand-new dreadnoughts, each with performance exceeding that of the German Westphalian-class. At the same time, accelerate the construction of the existing 'Dreadnoughts,' suspend all modernizations of pre-dreadnoughts, and concentrate all resources."

He distributed the documents to everyone.

Asquith flipped to the budget page, his face immediately changing: "Two million two hundred thousand pounds per ship? Six ships would be thirty-two million pounds! Add the additional funding for the 'Dreadnought,' and the total exceeds fifteen million! Do you know that's twice the Navy's entire annual budget?"

"I know," Fisher said without changing his expression. "I also know that if the North Sea falls, the British Empire's trade routes will be cut off, and the economic losses will be a hundred times greater than that figure."

"Where will the money come from?" Asquith pressed. "Tax increases? Or issuing national bonds? The House of Commons won't approve such a massive additional allocation."

"Then let the House of Commons understand the gravity of the situation!" Fisher raised his voice. "Take them to Portsmouth! Let them see the HMS Dreadnought standing alone on the slipway, and the six German warships they've already launched! Tell them they either pay for the ships now, or they'll pay reparations later—just like China paid Japan for the First Sino-Japanese War!"

Those were harsh words. The air in the meeting room froze.

Campbell-Bannaman said slowly, "Lord Fisher, watch your words."

"Your Excellency, please forgive my bluntness," Fischer softened his tone slightly, "but time is not on our side. German shipyards may already be laying the keels for the second batch of Westphalian-class ships. Every month of delay widens the gap."

Trade Commission Chairman Joseph Chamberlain began, "I support Fisher. But are ten enough? The Germans have six now, what if they build six more while we're still building them?"

"Therefore, we need a clear shipbuilding schedule." Fisher was clearly prepared. "My suggestion is: the ten-ship emergency plan is only the first step. The goal is to build at least one dreadnought by 1910, thus establishing absolute superiority over Germany. For this, we need a long-term naval expansion bill, rather than haggling over the budget every year."

"The standard of two superpowers," War Secretary Burden murmured. "The Royal Navy must be at least equal to the combined strength of the world's second and third strongest navies. But if the German Navy becomes the world's second, and France is the third..."

"We need a fleet equal to the combined size of Germany and France," Fisher continued. "That's the reality. Gentlemen, the Victorian era is over. Europe is no longer a chessboard from which Britain can stand aside; we are a piece on the chessboard, and the most prominent one at that."

A long silence followed. The only sound was the rustling of pages turning.

Finally, Prime Minister Campbell-Banaman turned to the Marquess of Langston: "The possibility of a diplomatic approach?"

Langston gathered his thoughts: "I summoned the German ambassador, Count von Metternich, yesterday. His remarks... were very skillful. On the one hand, he indicated that this was 'normal naval modernization,' and on the other hand, he implied that if Britain showed 'flexibility' on issues such as Morocco, Germany was willing to consider 'some form of mutual understanding.'"

"Extortion," Fisher uttered the word.

"They're bargaining chips," Langston corrected. "The Germans know they have a temporary advantage and want to use it to gain real benefits. Morocco, the Baghdad railway, the redivision of the colonies... these are all possible bargaining chips."

“Then we absolutely cannot back down!” Fisher declared firmly. “If we give up Morocco today, they’ll want Egypt tomorrow, and India the day after. Empire is a chain reaction; if one brick loosens, the whole wall could collapse.”

The Prime Minister surveyed the room: "Let's vote. Should we approve Lord Fisher's emergency plan to build ten dreadnoughts?"

One hand is raised. Then another hand.

Of the ten cabinet members, eight voted in favor and two against. The dissenting votes came from Asquith and Chamberlain—both citing financial concerns.

"Approved," the Prime Minister announced. "Fischer, you have one week to submit detailed construction plans. Shipyard allocation, construction period, budget phase-out—I need to see all the details."

"Yes, Your Excellency the Prime Minister."

"London".

"exist."

"Continue to engage with the Germans, but do not make any substantive commitments. Especially Morocco—tell the French that we support their special interests in Morocco, and that remains unchanged." The Prime Minister paused. "Also, send people to Paris, St. Petersburg, and Washington. See how other major powers react to the new German ships, especially… whether they are also seeking similar technology."

"clear."

"Finally," Campbell-Bannaman looked at Fisher, "find the true origin of these ships. I don't believe the Germans could conjure six warships out of thin air. There must be a clue we've missed."

Fisher nodded. "MI5 is already investigating. I received an...interesting report yesterday."