Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 969 - 232: Each Takes What They Need

Chapter 969: Chapter 232: Each Takes What They Need

“Three million!”

“Three million one hundred thousand!”

…

“Three million seven hundred fifty thousand!”

“Three million seven hundred fifty thousand Divine Shields, are there any higher bids?”

“The world’s most advanced cruiser fleet, complete with a full set of shipbuilding technology, also offering 20 professional engineers, now going for three million seven hundred fifty thousand, absolutely worth more than its cost. Any more bids?”

“Okay, congratulations to the Chilean representative for successfully acquiring the third cruiser fleet.”

The host, Wester, felt compelled to make the sale lively.

To sell these military ships at a high price, the French’s second-hand cruiser fleet, in Wester’s words, had become the world’s most advanced fleet.

If you just looked at the ships alone, the Chileans definitely lost out. However, with the inclusion of the full set of shipbuilding technology and engineers, the deal suddenly became a bargain.

It might seem like there’s no technology embargo these days, as if you could buy anything with money, but that’s only for commonplace technologies.

Shipbuilding technology has always been the prized possession of major shipyards. Even technology that’s two or three generations outdated would cost a fortune to acquire.

As the world’s second-strongest naval power, the French’s shipbuilding technology was naturally world-class. If it weren’t for the auctioning process distributing many copies of the technology, just these technologies alone wouldn’t be available for 3.75 million.

Wester had made another sale and no longer felt the initial excitement. He picked up a glass, took a sip of water to moisten his throat, and continued:

“Next up for auction is the A fleet of battleships, also including a full set of shipbuilding technology, and an additional 100 shipbuilding engineers. The fleet includes 3 ten-thousand-ton new battleships, 4 cruisers, 6 destroyers, 2 coastal defense ships…

The starting bid is 5.8 million Divine Shields, and as usual, each bid must be at least 1 thousand Divine Shields higher. If anyone disrupts by shouting random numbers, their deposit will be confiscated, and the Anti-French Alliance reserves the right to seek accountability.”

As soon as his words ended, the Spanish representative perked up. There was no doubt, this specially selected fleet was their target.

“Six million!”

“Six million three hundred thousand!”

Seeing the Spanish bidding, Ito Hirobumi decisively decided to follow suit. Although he knew the Spaniards would engage in shady dealings, he still wasn’t willing to give up his final effort.

Before the auction began, delegates from all countries had visited the French military ships. It was clear that everyone knew what was up for auction.

Whether there was shady dealings could be discerned by looking at the composition of the ships. All fleets were temporarily finalized by the Anti-French Alliance, generally consisting of a mix of high-quality and scrap ships sold together.

However, the A fleet of battleships was different; all its ships were top-quality, not just a coincidence.

“Six million five hundred thousand!”

Not only the Japanese delegation had wishful thinking. The allure of interests, let alone the most advanced battleships.

The key lies in the complete set of shipbuilding technology and the shipbuilding engineers. Acquiring these could almost replicate the French Navy. For countries aspiring to develop their navies, these were invaluable.

“Eight million!”

“Eight million five hundred thousand!”

…

Watching the continuously refreshed bids, the atmosphere among the Japanese Delegation grew tense. The plan couldn’t keep up with the changes, and there was no way around it—there wasn’t enough money.

Saigo Tsugumichi anxiously said, “Prime Minister, we can forego the ships, but we must acquire the shipbuilding technology. With this technology, we could advance thirty years ahead.”

This was no exaggeration, with Japan’s current shipbuilding capabilities, tinkering with sailing warships was feasible, but constructing ten-thousand-ton battleships was out of the question—they wouldn’t even find a dockyard capable.

Around the world, only England, France, and Austria had dockyards of twenty thousand tons and had built Pre-Dreadnoughts. Other countries were still exploring.

This included the United States, which, affected by the butterfly effect, had an economy far behind from its original timeline. With the government broke, naturally there were no resources to pour into the navy.

Ito Hirobumi nodded, “The competition is too fierce now, we don’t have much money, let’s wait for the next batch.”

Plans couldn’t keep up with changes; originally not expecting much from the military ship auction, now, impressed by the Anti-French Alliance’s extensive offerings, Ito Hirobumi grimly decided to follow.

There was no choice; opportunities to acquire the most advanced shipbuilding technology were rare. Missing this chance would mean an unimaginable cost to acquire these technologies in the future.

After all, ships might be detained by the Anti-French Alliance under a neutral guise, but shipbuilding technology would definitely not be detained. The Spaniards didn’t have that much clout to make everyone disregard their international reputation.

In a sense, acquiring these shipbuilding technologies was as valuable as occupying the Philippine Islands.

…

In the upstairs box, the British delegation also became uneasy. Originally thinking that the Austrians were just throwing in some outdated shipbuilding technology as a bonus, they didn’t expect the opponents to be so unorthodox, almost making shipbuilding technology commonplace.

“The Austrians must be mad, once these technologies spread, they will cause big trouble for us in the future!”

A naval officer exclaimed.

“We” also included Austria, as a fellow member of the Colonial Empire, the spread of shipbuilding technology would also impact Austria. Not to mention the business of exporting military ships, it’s feared that it wouldn’t be as profitable as it is now.

Again, technical data and engineers, and if the Austrians were to further sell off the French shipyards, George wouldn’t find it strange at all.

With so many assets, any slightly wealthy country could afford it and then produce their own warships.

Who would want to import if they could build their own? Even if the performance was slightly behind, it was nevertheless more reliable than a stripped-down version of a warship.

Once all the countries in the world possessed the capability to build ships, the golden days of the Colonial Empires would come to an end. No longer would a few ships force a great nation to submit.

“It’s useless, shipbuilding technology has long spread. From the time the Anti-French Alliance occupied France, shipbuilding technology hasn’t been a secret.

Perhaps big countries like Spain and Russia would still keep their shipbuilding techniques confidential for their own interests, but nations like Belgium and Sardinia, which have nothing, would sell anything for money.

Under-the-table deals are unstoppable. Since the technology would eventually spread anyway, might as well make a profit from it.

Moreover, shipbuilding reflects the industrial strength of a nation; it’s not something that can be accomplished with just a set of documents. Even if everyone had the shipbuilding technology, there are few who would actually be capable of independently building a battleship.”

Accustomed to tough situations, George soon recovered from his brief shock.

What seemed like precious shipbuilding technology was actually just a pie in the sky offered by Austria. Most countries didn’t have the conditions to build battleships; even if they got the technology, at most they could have an assembly plant while the high-tech components would still need to be imported.

The real powerhouses capable of digesting and replicating these technologies could develop them on their own anyway, and the greatest value was merely for reference or inspiration.

…

At noon, the auction entered its final phase, and the last and most anticipated items were presented. Wester loudly announced, “We are now at the final lot of this auction, which is of greatest interest to everyone.

Fifteen battleships, twenty-one cruisers, thirty-two destroyers, and various auxiliary vessels totaling 157, with a combined tonnage of 364,000 tons.

To put it mildly, this fleet could be considered the world’s third naval superpower. Whoever bids successfully on this fleet will significantly increase their strength and become an important force for maintaining world peace.

Everyone understands its importance, and the auction also includes the shipbuilding technology for the aforesaid naval vessels, plus 300 engineers. The bidding starts now at 45 million Divine Shields, and each increment must be no less than 10,000 Divine Shields.”

Everyone’s eyes turned to the representatives of the Anglo-Austrian countries, as it was clear that this was prepared for the two big bosses; other countries simply lacked the funds to participate.

“50 million!”

Not disappointing the crowd, Wester, as the host, was the first to bid, raising it by 5 million Divine Shields instantly.

It was only the first round of bidding, and as the representative of Britannia, George naturally wouldn’t back down and immediately countered with a matching bid.

“30 million!”

The figure might have decreased, but the amount had actually increased because the unit had changed to British Pounds; 30 million British Pounds, which is equivalent to 60 million Divine Shields.

Laymen watch the fun; experts watch the techniques. This moment in the auction wasn’t just a mere sale, it was a confrontation between England and Austria for maritime supremacy.

On paper, if the Austrian Navy acquired these fleets, they would suddenly surpass the British in numbers of principal vessels and total tonnage.

Doubling the bid was George’s way of striking back on behalf of Britannia, showing that Britannia feared no challenge.

As for whether to secure this basket of warships, the London Government hadn’t yet come to a firm conclusion.

After all, no one’s money is swept in by the wind; if Austria was just inflating the price, the British Government couldn’t afford to play the fool.

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“30 million British Pounds” brought a hush over the room. Everyone waited for Austria’s response, many with a look of anticipation, as if they were just missing a bag of seeds to eat.

The bidding was supposed to be in Divine Shields, but the British switched to British Pounds, giving Wester, the host, tremendous pressure.

To not intervene would be to lose face; to intervene seemed unnecessary since British Pounds were as valid as Divine Shield. The customer is king, and as the seller, it seemed pointless to quibble over such minor issues.

Ultimately, professionalism prevailed, and seeing no further bids, Wester loudly declared, “30 million British Pounds for the first time, any more bids?

This is the core of the French Navy; obtaining this fleet would immediately elevate any country to a world-class naval superpower.”

…

“30 million British Pounds, sold! Congratulations, Mr. George, for acquiring a world fleet for Britannia!”

As the host announced the final result, the stunned audience finally realized what had happened. Clearly, this wasn’t the script they expected.

Every new hegemon lights three fires, how could the rise of a new overlord be so quiet? Failing to challenge Britannia’s supremacy at sea was completely out of everyone’s expectations.

Including British Foreign Minister George, who was now onstage, still visibly shocked. It went too smoothly, completely unexpected.

“30 million British Pounds” may seem a lot but depends where it is spent. If it were to build new ships, 30 million British Pounds would approximately cover the cost, but buying second-hand warships with that much seemed a bit of a loss.

However, according to the global market prices for warships, 30 million British Pounds was a bargain. Britannia, given the same price, would not sell its warships abroad.

Beyond the warships themselves, the attached political significance was extraordinary. The confrontations at the auction also sent a political message to all the delegates present — Austria had no intention of disputing maritime supremacy with Britain.

This was a disappointment for those countries looking forward to the drama; with the two major powers not clashing, opportunities for others to take advantage were missed.

Coming to his senses, George smiled with joy, knowing the game was set.

Through one auction, Britannia had demonstrated to the outside world that “the top dog remains the top dog,” and in the years to come, everyone else would need to be on their toes.