Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Heir to the Throne Shows His Strength

After hearing the Kaiser speak, Feng Chengqian furrowed his brows tightly.

“Wilhelm’s intentions are admirable. I am gratified that he considers the Empire’s interests,” Frederick III said with a smile. “It is tradition in the royal family for male members to serve the Empire once they come of age. The Crown Prince’s willingness to join the Navy should make you glad.”

“Your Majesty, I am indeed pleased, but...”

“Under your command, Wilhelm is just a soldier, not the Crown Prince of the Empire.”

Feng Chengqian forced a smile; he did not quite agree.

“I have already promised Wilhelm,” Frederick III paused slightly, then continued, “Just assign him a position as you see fit. There’s no need to give him special treatment because he’s the Crown Prince. This is royal tradition and the Empire’s military regulation: in the army, there is no distinction between crown prince and commoner.”

“I understand, Your Majesty,” Feng Chengqian sighed inwardly. “Since Your Majesty has agreed, and His Highness is passionate about the Navy, I cannot refuse.”

“That’s settled then. Remember my words—no special treatment for Wilhelm.”

Feng Chengqian nodded, signaling his understanding of the Kaiser’s wishes.

“Very well. Handle this quickly, lest Wilhelm comes to bother me every day.”

“I’ll arrange it as soon as possible. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

Frederick III nodded and instructed Gustav to escort Feng Chengqian out.

Once he left the imperial study, Feng Chengqian finally let out a sigh.

Wilhelm’s enthusiasm for naval development was genuine, but before this, he was an officer in the Empire’s cavalry. Now, transferring to the Navy was clearly meant to trouble Feng Chengqian. Once news spread, Waldersee and the other army generals would certainly have much to say.

Back at the Admiralty, Feng Chengqian was still undecided where to place the Crown Prince.

If the position was too high, it would invite gossip, and Wilhelm might lack the necessary ability. If too low, it would embarrass the Kaiser and displease Wilhelm.

He pondered, but found no solution.

When he met Tirpitz, Feng Chengqian shared his troubles.

“His Highness joining the Navy is a good thing. You should be more open-minded, Count.”

“A good thing?”

Tirpitz smiled. “His Highness is the Crown Prince—the first in line for the throne. He can accomplish things we cannot.”

“You mean...”

“Though he holds no real power, everyone must give him respect.”

Feng Chengqian nodded thoughtfully; it was indeed true.

“I believe it’s most suitable for His Highness to handle financial matters.”

“But...”

“After following you for more than a year, I’ve learned that what the Navy needs most is funding. Without money, nothing can be done.” Tirpitz sighed with a smile. “It has always been you fighting for the Navy’s budget. If His Highness steps in, it will be twice as effective with half the effort.”

“You’re right. I suppose I have been too focused on one aspect and neglected the rest.”

“With such a good opportunity, we should go congratulate His Highness.”

Feng Chengqian nodded. “Very well, let’s go tonight. Have Schmidt deliver a message first, saying we’ll visit His Highness this evening.”

By dusk, Feng Chengqian and Tirpitz arrived at the Crown Prince’s palace.

Having learned from the Kaiser that Feng Chengqian had agreed to let him join the Imperial Navy, Wilhelm was thrilled and was about to visit Feng Chengqian himself.

His decision to join the Navy was not a sudden whim, but one made after careful consideration.

“To be frank, Count, over the past two years I have watched you labor tirelessly to build a strong Imperial Navy. I have long hoped to stand by your side and share your burdens,” Wilhelm said with sincere earnestness. “Last year, I approached my father, but he felt I lacked experience and urged me to study diligently. From what I’ve seen, the biggest issue facing the Navy is lack of funds. Even if I can only offer modest help, it will ease your burden.”

“Your Highness, that is exactly what General Tirpitz and I have been thinking.”

“Is that so?” Wilhelm glanced at Tirpitz.

“For years, our greatest problem has been insufficient funding. Though His Majesty has approved the five-year plan, and the Chancellor has voiced no objection, no one can guarantee we won’t encounter new obstacles,” Feng Chengqian paused, then continued, “So both the General and I believe that if Your Highness can help the Navy secure funding, even if other ministers object, they will not oppose too strongly.”

“The Count’s arrangement is...?”

“The Admiralty lacks an official skilled in fighting for and managing budgets. The General and I are not particularly adept at it, so we hope Your Highness will take up this role.”

“Merely managing the budget?”

Feng Chengqian smiled. “Whether developing the Navy or building warships, we must first manage the budget. The scale of our work depends on our funds.”

“The Count is right. When building warships, the first step is always determining their basic capabilities according to the budget.”

Clearly, Tirpitz understood Wilhelm’s mind well.

This ambitious Crown Prince cared not for the Navy’s purpose, but only for the Navy itself—more precisely, how powerful its warships were. Perhaps in his eyes, the warships’ purpose was not to defeat enemies at sea, but to impress his relatives on the British Isles.

Wilhelm pondered for a moment, then said, “That’s fine. As long as I can contribute to the Navy’s development.”

“With Your Highness’s assistance, the Imperial Navy will surely thrive.”

Wilhelm accepted the arrangement, and Feng Chengqian finally breathed a sigh of relief. In truth, Feng Chengqian’s view of the Crown Prince joining the Navy differed from Tirpitz’s. Perhaps Tirpitz hoped Wilhelm would play a greater role and remove obstacles from the Navy’s path. But Feng Chengqian knew every matter had two sides. In his view, one must beware of the negative impact the Crown Prince could have on the Navy.

In the history Feng Chengqian knew, the ambitious Wilhelm II was both the founder and the destroyer of the Imperial Navy.

For the Navy to grow strong, one must take advantage of Wilhelm’s strengths and avoid his weaknesses.

Soon, Wilhelm’s influence became clear.

Though the Kaiser had approved the five-year shipbuilding plan and Bismarck agreed, without a concrete construction plan, implementation became a problem.

In the fiscal plan for 1891, only 1.4 million Imperial Marks were allocated for naval shipbuilding.

What could be done with such meager funds?

When the “Emperor Wilhelm” was completed, including design costs, it had consumed 1.7 million Imperial Marks—far exceeding the initial budget.

With only 1.4 million, not even one warship like the “Emperor Wilhelm” could be built.

Though the budget approval period had passed, Wilhelm personally pressed Bismarck for several days, ultimately forcing the Chancellor to yield, agreeing to raise the shipbuilding budget to 1.8 million Marks and allowing the Admiralty to gather an additional 200,000 Marks on its own.

In the end, Wilhelm assembled 600,000 Marks, raising the shipbuilding budget to 2.4 million.

One had to admit, the Crown Prince was remarkably effective.

When raising funds, Wilhelm did not target commoners, but aimed at the royal aristocracy. Just a handful of princes and princesses donated 100,000 Marks. In addition, Wilhelm gathered another 200,000 Marks from various cousins—the Imperial princes. With the royal family leading the way, other nobles could not save face, and with the Crown Prince personally involved, each contributed something. At that time, Wilhelm invited the aristocracy to a fundraising banquet at his palace.

With Wilhelm’s efforts, Feng Chengqian would not let him down.

In April 1891, the Admiralty presented the design for the third capital ship. Because Wilhelm had worked so hard for this vessel, the Kaiser adopted Feng Chengqian’s suggestion and named it the “Crown Prince Wilhelm.” This delighted Wilhelm for days.

Strictly speaking, the “Crown Prince Wilhelm” was not a capital ship, but more akin to a later battlecruiser.

With a standard displacement of 16,000 tons, the ship boasted twenty-four boilers and eight steam engines, a four-shaft, four-screw propulsion system, a maximum output of 38,000 horsepower, and a design speed of twenty-two knots—far surpassing all capital ships of the time.

Inversely, its firepower only matched that of the “Emperor Wilhelm”: three triple 300mm gun turrets, arranged similarly with two forward and one aft, the two forward turrets in a superimposed layout, nothing novel.

In fact, the basic design of the “Emperor Wilhelm”—its hull structure—was quite classic.

Not only was the “Crown Prince Wilhelm” similar, but the four other ships built under the Navy’s first five-year plan also shared this basic structure.

Though firepower was not increased, protection was further reduced.

Compared to the “Emperor Wilhelm,” the “Crown Prince Wilhelm” not only abandoned armor protection for secondary areas, but even weakened protection on critical parts.

Its defenses were sufficient only against the guns of armored cruisers.

At the time, the Admiralty deliberately concealed another performance metric: at twelve knots, its range reached eight thousand nautical miles—more than double that of the “Emperor Wilhelm,” and surpassing all previously built capital ships.

Did the Navy’s capital ships need such a large range?

The answer was clearly no.

The Imperial Navy was still a coastal force with no missions for distant seas; its main theater was the Baltic, with perhaps occasional forays into the North Sea. A range of 3,500 nautical miles was plenty. Only navies with overseas missions needed such enormous endurance.

The Admiralty claimed the “Crown Prince Wilhelm” had a range of 4,000 nautical miles.

That was only under standard displacement; at full load, it could carry an extra 2,500 tons of coal, thus raising its range by another 4,000 nautical miles.

Of course, Feng Chengqian did not intend to truly conceal this.

When construction began on the “Crown Prince Wilhelm,” the Admiralty deliberately leaked the information.