Mediterranean Hegemony Road

19o6 was a magnificent year. The Russo-Japanese War was still going on fiercely, but the Anglo-Boers War had already ended!

With the annihilation of the Russian Pacific Fleet, the Boers pinned their hopes on the outbreak of the Anglo-Russian war, so that they could take advantage of the changes in the international situation to protect themselves. They had to make compromises with the British.

Similarly, the Anglo-Boers War, which lasted for nearly nine years, also made the London government miserable. Therefore, the Boers were not persecuted too much. The conditions of the truce were similar to those in history, and some places were even more generous!

In fact, the Anglo-Boers War was not continuous. From the explosion in 1896, the British army was defeated in 1897 due to insufficient preparation, and the two sides entered a three-year truce.

It wasn't until 19o1 that the British used diplomatic means to secure the supporters of the Boers in Europe, and then they started the war again, and the bloody battle between the two sides really began!

By 19o4, the major war between Yingbo had basically stopped. The two sides had conducted a series of negotiations, and had reached an agreement on major aspects. Seeing that the war was about to end, the Russo-Japanese War broke out again.

The Boers saw hope again. They expected the Russo-Japanese War to drag the British down. Once the war broke out between the two sides, the British had to give up South Africa.

Unwilling to fail, the Boers once again took up arms and played hide-and-seek guerrilla warfare with the British in the South African Big 6.

It was only after the defeat of the Russian Navy in 19o5 that the two sides came to the negotiating table again.

This time the negotiation went very smoothly. The Boers had not enough bargaining chips in their hands, and the British were also dragged by the guerrilla war. Both sides were eager for peace. So the war was over and the Boer Republic became the British protectorate!

Due to the Ferdinand Butterfly Effect, the loss of the British on the battlefield in South Africa far exceeded that of the same period in history, especially the tens of thousands of mercenaries supported by the European powers, which made the lobster soldiers miserable!

In this war,

The British army invested a total of 480,000 people, the Boer Republic mobilized 88,000 people, and recruited 45,000 mercenaries.

By the end of the war in 19o6, the number of British casualties had reached 136,000, of which more than one-fifth of the casualties were caused by guerrilla warfare. The world saw the power of guerrilla warfare for the first time!

After the Anglo-Boer War, Britain united the colonies in southern Africa and controlled the corridor leading to the Great Lakes region of Africa's hinterland. Relying on the vast South African interior, the Cape of Good Hope region became one of the most important outposts of the British overseas empire.

Economically, the British gained access to the world's largest Rand gold mine, and the London government controlled the lifeblood of the global economy. Gold from South Africa has made London the center of the global financial industry and gold trading.

At the same time, the Boer War was also the end point of the British overseas expansion. Politicians in London now see that the cost of modernizing the war is too high, and the 290 million pounds of war funding is enough to make them ache!

Since then, the London government has abandoned its long-standing policy of diplomatic isolation and has undertaken a strategic contraction on a global scale.

The London government handed over some of the colonies to the Dominions of Austria, Canada, and New Zealand. The British strategic focus returned to Europe again, laying the foundation for the outbreak of the First World War!

Although he knew about the change of British foreign policy, Ferdinand could only follow the trend. Bulgaria has no capital to participate in the global strategic game!

However, there is also a lot of good news. On May 18, the first coastal defense-class battleship, the Harmony, co-operated by Bulgaria and Sweden, was successfully tested, marking that the Bulgarian naval industry has once again entered a new era!

Displacement] 768o tons

[occupant] 465 people

[Dimensions] Length 121.6 meters widest 18.6 meters draft 6.7 meters

[Armed] (Dicksf Shipyard)

2 11-inch turrets (4 turrets in total, 45 calibers, reloading in only 17 seconds)

Single 6-inch turret 6 (total 6 doors, 5o diameter)

[Armor] (Bulgarian Steel Works)

The center of both sides of the hull 2o3 mm

Head and tail ends on both sides of the hull 76.2 to 152 mm

Deck 41.3 mm

redoubt 1o2 mm

Main gun mount 2o3 mm

Main battery turret 152 mm

Smaller turrets 63.5 to 127 mm

[Boiler] 4 penhiet heavy oil boiler design output 2oooo horsepower up to 22.8 knots

Cruising range of 12 knots/8ooo kilometers

Oh, this warship very well adheres to Ferdinand's philosophy: If you can't beat it, you have to run it; if you can't run, you have to beat it!

Even in the upcoming era of dreadnoughts, it is not far behind. It can not only challenge all warships except battleships, but also outrun dreadnoughts, and its survivability on the battlefield is guaranteed!

Although the voyage is a little short, it is enough for activities in the Mediterranean area. At least it is now used to suppress the Ottoman navy, and its performance is sufficient.

Of course, in order to build this warship, Ferdinand spent a lot of money. From the beginning of the research to the completion of the trial, he has invested close to one million pounds!

Of course, this cost also includes the cost of introducing technology to Sweden. Otherwise, in terms of shipbuilding costs alone, it would be possible to produce two Harmony!

Compared with the smooth progress of the coastal defense ships that cooperated with Sweden, the battleships that the Admiralty worked with the Dutch on were somewhat troublesome.

Since the battleship entered the early 20th century, the shipbuilding concepts of various countries have been changing, and the designers' brain holes have been opened, and there are all kinds of strange ideas.

In fact, before the British made dreadnoughts, the designers had similar ideas!

This time, Bulgaria is responsible for the payment, with Dutch designers as the main Bulgarian designers, and they naturally have to open their minds.

The result is that the warship has been designed, but the industrial strength of the two countries is not sure to turn it into reality, and even the combat effectiveness of this battleship is a mystery, which is embarrassing!

Of course, there is also a credit to Ferdinand. According to his own understanding of dreadnoughts, he forced a few words in front of the designers.

Then theoretically very powerful battleships were designed. Ferdinand was very similar to the early dreadnoughts in terms of parameters, but it was troublesome to convert them into battleships.

Since there is no precedent yet, no one can be sure whether this designed battleship has combat effectiveness. After all, not everyone is the British Empire and has the courage to be the first in the world!

Neither the Dutch nor the Bulgarians dared to gamble. If a warship costing more than two million pounds did not have the fighting power it deserved, it would be a huge loss!

For this reason, the construction of the ship was delayed, and Ferdinand was happy to wait. Let's take a look at what the British dreadnought captain looks like. As long as there is no problem with the design, he will dare to go directly to the slipway!

As for technical problems, in Ferdinand's view, it is not a problem now! Not in Bulgaria, not in the Netherlands, not in the French?

The Three-Kingdom Entente did not join in vain. The French promised to give support to the two countries in terms of technology!

The French shipbuilding industry in this era is still very powerful. If the world's second largest naval power does not have the technology, should it still be considered?

It must be before the design. After all, there is no qualitative gap in shipbuilding technology between the major powers, and the British are only slightly ahead!

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