Chapter Twenty-Six: Warming Up

Engrossed in the design work of the “Emperor William,” Feng Chengqian even spent Christmas in the shipyard shed at Wilhelmshaven, accompanied by more than a hundred engineers. To motivate them, Feng Chengqian paid out a generous bonus of five thousand Imperial Marks from his own pocket. In that era, five thousand Marks was no small sum—an outstanding engineer’s annual salary scarcely reached that amount.

With the incentive in place, the engineers threw themselves into their work with renewed vigor. On the eve of Easter, Feng Chengqian hurried back to Berlin to present the carefully prepared design blueprints to the German Emperor. Once the Emperor approved the design, detailed plans would be completed within a month; Wilhelmshaven Shipyard would prepare the slipway before the end of June, and construction would begin in July.

It must be admitted, the “Emperor William” was not a flawless warship; it still had many issues. Chief among these was its weak armor protection. Even by contemporary standards, its defensive capabilities lagged far behind those of battleships and fell short of armored cruisers. Feng Chengqian did not hide this flaw. Once the Emperor had approved the design, he let news of this deficiency slip. Of course, only the details he wanted the public to know were revealed; everything else remained locked away in the secret archives of the Imperial War Ministry.

This provided new fodder for the old empires of Britain, France, and Russia. According to the information Feng Chengqian deliberately released, the “Emperor William” was a warship designed with an emphasis on speed, with nothing remarkable in terms of firepower or protection. Its armament matched that of the “Frederick the Great,” differing only in turret arrangement, while its armor was far inferior. As a result, British newspapers unanimously declared the “Emperor William” hardly worth fearing—a fast ship that would not survive a naval battle.

It could not be denied that this was a rather objective assessment. The concept of “concentrated protection” did not yet exist; most believed that the ship’s thin armor made it unfit for combat with capital ships. Even with greater speed, it only matched Britain’s battleships and did not surpass them in any meaningful way.

Yet, there were dissenting opinions. The first to be affected—or rather, inspired—by the “Emperor William” was a British naval officer named John Fisher. Feng Chengqian, of course, knew who Fisher was. In the history known to Feng, this famous admiral—born in Ceylon in 1841 and bearing a resemblance to an Easterner—had joined the Royal Navy at thirteen, served aboard Nelson’s flagship “Victory” at Trafalgar, fought in the Crimean War, participated in the attack on Guangzhou and the bombardment of the Dagu Forts during the Second Opium War, and was promoted to captain at thirty-three.

When the “Emperor William” was designed, Fisher had just become a Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy. If history proceeded unchanged, Fisher would rise swiftly, becoming First Sea Lord four years later and taking charge of the Royal Navy. Under his leadership, Britain would build new classes of capital ships, such as the dreadnought “Dreadnought” and the battlecruiser “Invincible.” Only in 1910 would Fisher retire from the Royal Navy as a baron.

As far as Feng Chengqian knew, no one in modern naval history surpassed Fisher’s influence. Fisher’s greatest contribution was the “creation” of the battlecruiser, a ship type that would profoundly affect the First World War.

In 1890, the newly promoted Rear Admiral Fisher did not yet have such advanced ideas. At this point, however, he held an important post: Director of Portsmouth Naval Yard. Fisher’s primary concern was the French Navy across the Channel and their numerous torpedo boats. His focus was on designing ships specifically to counter these light torpedo craft—the ships that, under his guidance, would evolve into the destroyer.

The rise of large warships in the German Empire also caught Fisher’s attention.

As soon as the design standards for the “Emperor William” were made public, Fisher realized that such fast warships could play a major role in future naval battles. He quickly submitted a report to the Royal Navy, emphasizing the importance of high-speed ships. But the report failed to capture the attention of the navy’s senior leadership. Unwilling to give up, Fisher decided to use public opinion to pressure the Admiralty into recognizing the potential threat across the North Sea.

As an island nation, Britain’s people possessed a deep-rooted consciousness of sea power. This awareness was so pronounced that even distant potential threats were regarded as deadly dangers. The Royal Navy had always adhered to the principle of “whatever you have, I have too; if you are strong, I must be stronger.” With the German Empire building ships that prioritized speed and firepower over protection, the British Navy could not afford to fall behind—they had to respond.

At the time, Feng Chengqian, too, was watching Britain’s reaction. When he read Fisher’s commentary in the newspapers, he immediately sensed a perfect opportunity to mislead the Royal Navy.

Were warships that prioritized firepower and speed over armor—what would later be called battlecruisers—truly valuable? Feng Chengqian knew well that, as technology advanced, such one-sided, specialized ships would soon be rendered obsolete by more powerful designs—a fleeting moment of glory at best. If he could induce the Royal Navy to exhaust itself building battlecruisers, it would be nothing but beneficial to the empire.

The challenge was how to mislead the adversary. After careful thought, Feng Chengqian realized the best approach was to provide the British with a compelling reason—forcing them to invest heavily in fast warships.

What sort of reason would convince the Royal Navy to build such ships? As the saying goes, “Three cobblers are worth one Zhuge Liang.” Feng Chengqian summoned Tirpitz to discuss. Hearing Feng’s plan, Tirpitz hesitated, worrying that provoking Britain into a naval arms race at this stage was tantamount to weaving a cocoon for themselves.

“I’ve thought of your concern,” Feng Chengqian replied, smiling, “but we must look further ahead. The ‘Frederick the Great’ and ‘Emperor William’ have already changed the course of warship development. In ten, perhaps twenty years, all ships built now will be obsolete, museum pieces. No matter how many the Royal Navy builds, new technology will consign them all to history, while we will have drained Britain’s strength.”

“That may be so, but aren’t you concerned Britain might use this as a pretext to go to war with us?”

“Without France or Russia stirring things up, Britain won’t start a war alone.”

“Do you believe France and Russia won’t seize this chance to ally with Britain?”

Feng Chengqian shook his head with a smile. “Russia is still obsessed with the Siberian Railway. Even if France courts Britain, a triple alliance in the short term is unlikely. Early this year, we received word that the Tsar has decided to continue the railway, and the French Prime Minister is willing to help. Britain is too distracted to turn against us right now.”

“Then, using Russia’s construction of the Siberian Railway as a pretext, we have reason to expand our navy.”

Feng Chengqian nodded. “The Chancellor has already informed the British Prime Minister that our construction of capital ships is mainly in response to threats in the Baltic.”

“How do you intend to start this naval arms race?”

“That’s why I called you here.”

Tirpitz pondered for a while before saying, “To force Britain to build more warships and drain its resources, we should strike at Britain’s weakest point.”

“Weakest point?”

“Britain is a maritime power; its strength lies in vast colonies and global trade. Thus, securing sea lanes is vital.”

Feng Chengqian nodded thoughtfully, prompting Tirpitz to continue.

“What Britain cannot tolerate, besides threats to the homeland, is insecurity at sea.”

“So, if we can threaten Britain’s sea lanes, the Royal Navy will have no choice but to build expensive ships not suited for decisive fleet action.”

“It depends on the level of threat.”

Feng Chengqian smiled. “Suppose Britain’s potential enemy possessed a ship too fast for battleships to catch, too strong for cruisers to defeat, with enough endurance to operate on distant seas. Then the Royal Navy would be left with no alternative.”

“But such a ship doesn’t exist yet.”

“It will—soon enough.”

“What do you mean, Count?”

“Thanks to the help from the British press, His Majesty is not yet satisfied with the ‘Emperor William’s’ capabilities and has agreed to fund the construction of another capital ship next year.”

“You intend…”

“His Majesty agreed to build a warship, but did not specify what kind, did he?”

“Well…”

“The Tsar is determined to build the Siberian Railway, which has greatly angered His Majesty. He now sees Russia as a thorn in his side. We can seize this opportunity to propose the creation of a Far East Fleet.”

“So, we’d need ships with high speed and long range?”

Feng Chengqian nodded. “And sufficient endurance as well.”

“That would also be an excellent justification to present to Britain.”

“It doesn’t matter what Britain thinks, as long as our explanation holds up. As long as Britain views us as a potential threat, they will follow our lead in building new warships.”

“Count, your foresight truly impresses me.”

“No need for modesty, General. In a few years, once the fleet has taken shape, I’ll recommend you to His Majesty as commander of the Far East Fleet.”

Tirpitz nodded, saying nothing more by way of thanks. As the saying goes, great favors are beyond words. Having gained Feng Chengqian’s trust, Tirpitz was already content—there was every reason to serve him loyally.