Daming 1805

At the naval treaty negotiation meeting of the Thai and Western countries, after the discussion on the tonnage and upper limit of capital ships was finally over, representatives of most countries breathed a sigh of relief.

The capital ship is the most critical, and the rest are auxiliary ships such as cruisers and destroyers, which should be easy to make do with.

But that doesn't include Britain and France...

There is no recognized type of aircraft carrier yet.

European and American countries still treat cruisers carrying aircraft as cruisers.

Although in the negotiation of capital ships, according to the proposal of the British, it is allowed to use the tonnage share of capital ships to build cruisers.

However, the total tonnage share of the cruiser itself, as well as the tonnage limit of a single ship, still have to be completed in the negotiation of the cruiser.

Nelson demanded that the larger the aircraft-carrying cruiser, the better, so the UK pursued without limiting the tonnage and size of the cruiser.

So Grenville, following Nelson's suggestion, spoke first after the cruiser's discussion meeting began:

"We all know that cruisers are the most complex ships in the Navy.

"The large-scale ones are first the traditional armored cruisers, and then the aircraft-carrying cruisers that all countries are studying recently.

"Their tonnage starts at least [-] tons, and may exceed [-] tons or even [-] tons.

"The small ones are all kinds of colonies and escort cruisers, and the tonnage may only be two to three thousand tons.

"Therefore, we in the United Kingdom believe that a single-ship tonnage limit for cruisers is meaningless."

The French Talleyrand subconsciously wanted to stand up and oppose it when he heard the British suggestion.

But when he thought of being the host now, he held back for a moment.

Let's take a look at the reactions of representatives of other countries first.

Most of the representatives were frowning, and they may not have realized immediately what the purpose of the British is so high.

But there are also a few who seem to have figured it out.

If the tonnage of a single cruiser is not limited, wouldn't it be possible to use the tonnage share of cruisers to build capital ships?

It is called a cruiser, but it is actually designed and built according to the standards of a battleship.

Lucia's representative immediately glanced at the British, with deep doubts in his heart.

Shouldn't this be our request?

Don't the British even want a 32-ton high-speed battleship?
But no matter what the British have in mind, this suggestion is definitely beneficial to Lucia.

So the Lucians directly expressed their approval.

Then the Prussian Hardenberg immediately glanced at the Lucian again.

Hardenberg also understood the problem with this suggestion, and also doubted the purpose of the British.

Prussia pursues the relative balance of power of the navies of the Thai and Western countries, and actually does not want any other country to stand out too much.

So Hardenberg directly expressed his opposition, and made it clear:
"This will lead some countries to build capital ships in the name of cruisers, which is tantamount to returning to the discussion of the tonnage of capital ships.

"We have confirmed the tonnage limit for capital ships, and all countries have accepted it.

"Now it is impossible to deliberately leave such a loophole!
"Prussia firmly opposes it!"

Austria's representative, Metternich, followed suit:
"We in Austria are also against it."

Seeing that the situation was almost over, Talleyrand also said that the French were also opposed, and gave restrictions:

"Armored cruisers have been included in the tonnage of capital ships, so the upper limit of the tonnage of a single cruiser should not exceed the conventional standard for armored cruisers.

"So the tonnage of a single cruiser should not exceed 160 tons, and the caliber of the artillery should not exceed [-]mm."

Prussia and Austria, as well as France, directly opposed it, and gave very strong reasons.

Other countries didn't have many shipbuilding plans, so Lucy also expressed their opposition.

A proposal supported only by the British and the Lucians was unlikely to pass.

Grenville also anticipated that this might happen, and originally thought that the request could be passed easily.

But I felt bad if I didn't try it, so I raised my mouth.

After being rejected by the coalition, Grenville immediately proposed an alternate plan:
"Then the type and tonnage of aircraft-carrying cruisers will be discussed separately from conventional cruisers.

"Because we believe that an aircraft-carrying cruiser should be at least the size of an armored cruiser."

This time, the representatives of most countries immediately fell into deep thought.

Warships equipped with aircraft can also be regarded as a popular project in the navy.

It's just that there is no unified standard yet, and the navies of various countries are doing their own, groping for it.

Moreover, the degree of emphasis varies from country to country.

Under the strong promotion of Nelson, the British are most concerned about the research and design of this new warship.

They were followed by the French and the Spaniards.

As for Lucia and Prussia, they are almost at the bottom...

They basically didn't spend much time on aircraft-carrying cruisers, and they didn't specifically reserve tonnage in the treaty.

So this discussion is mainly about the French and the British.

Seeing that the representatives of other countries did not speak, Talleyrand spoke directly:

"Our view is exactly the opposite, an aircraft-based cruiser is still an auxiliary ship, it's still a cruiser.

"If the tonnage of this kind of ship is too large, it has no practical significance at all.

"So we don't think it is necessary to separate it, it should be treated directly as a regular cruiser."

Of course, Grenville also said tit-for-tat:

"The construction and use of aircraft-carrying cruisers are currently being studied by countries all over the world.

"The standard you think is just your own standard, and your standard may not be correct.

"Directly following your so-called standards, restricting aircraft cruisers to less than [-] tons is tantamount to destroying other possibilities for the future of aircraft cruisers.

"We as politicians should not be making this decision for the Navy and related engineers!

"The single-ship tonnage of an aircraft-carrying cruiser should not have a direct limit, at least it should not be limited to less than [-] tons!"

When Grenville called out [-] tons, the representatives on the scene were obviously a little surprised.

It's fine for a capital ship to exceed [-] tons, but a so-called aircraft-carrying cruiser also needs to exceed [-] tons?

What are the British paying attention to?
Representatives of several countries are also thankful in their hearts. Thanks to the negotiation of the naval treaty, part of the special plans of the navies of various countries has been blown up.

The first is Lucia's 40-ton high-speed capital ship plan, and now there is the British [-]-ton aircraft-carrying cruiser.

At the same time, the parties to the dispute are a little bit on top.

Because when the British and the French quarrel, both sides have a certain amount of natural gas.

Talleyrand replied without hesitation:

"Our standard is the standard that has been tested and verified. Our standard can prevent you from going astray!"

When Grenville wanted to continue to reply, Spanish Prime Minister Manuel interjected:
"Only the UK, France, and we pay more attention to aircraft carriers, and there is no need to directly argue openly at such meetings.

"It's better to temporarily adjourn the meeting. Our three countries first resolve the differences in the design route of the aircraft-carrying cruiser, and then continue the meeting."

Grenville was obviously taken aback when he heard these words, and suddenly realized that he seemed to have overlooked something.

Talleyrand's reaction was exactly the same, and he felt that the direction of his quarrel with the British seemed to be wrong.

The two didn't immediately figure out what was wrong and what they felt was wrong.

But in this case, suspending is the most correct choice.

So Talleyrand directly announced the temporary adjournment.

Representatives from various countries left the venue with some doubts and their own thoughts.

Talleyrand immediately went to Charles, briefly explained the process of today's meeting, and then immediately expressed his concerns:

"Your Highness, I am now worried whether our judgment on the aircraft carrier is correct."

After listening to the reaction of the British, Charles asked thoughtfully:

"You mean, the British insist on relaxing the tonnage standard for aircraft carriers to more than [-] tons?

"Is it because the UK may have completed some kind of verification and believes that the tonnage of an aircraft carrier should reach [-] tons to play a role?
"Do you think the experience of the British is more accurate than that of my best friend... than that of Daming?"

Talleyrand immediately explained:

"Your Highness, the experience of the British may not be more accurate than that of Daming.

"But the problem is that we also didn't get the accurate experience about the aircraft carrier that Ming gave.

"We are only guessing that Daming does not attach great importance to aircraft carriers based on the information disclosed by Mr. Niu Jian.

"Neither Mr. Niu Jian nor His Royal Highness Prince Dashi told us what the most suitable tonnage should be for an aircraft carrier.

"Thinking about it now, although Da Ming may not be extremely important, he should still be 'very' important.

"While some information has been revealed to us, nothing has been made public, which is still higher than a fast battleship.

"The experience of the British may not be as accurate as Ming's, but the British are not completely inaccurate.

"We have cooperated for more than ten years in the world wars, and our navies have been operating together for nearly ten years.

"Although I don't want to accept it, and I won't admit it in public, the British are indeed better at navy than us.

"Britain is an island country after all, and the navy is far more important than the army.

"General Nelson of the United Kingdom is also recognized as the most gifted admiral in the world today.

"The British naval ship development plan will definitely refer to General Nelson's suggestion.

"It should be General Nelson's direct suggestion to relax the tonnage of aircraft carriers to more than [-] tons.

"To build a cruiser to over [-] tons is definitely an outrageous requirement.

"Other bureaucrats and military officers and naval engineers, it should be very difficult to push it to the naval treaty."

Charles' expression became more serious.

Everything Talleyrand said was true, and everything made sense.

I did not get any direct news from Daming, and I don't know the tonnage of Daming's own aircraft carrier.

There was silence for a while, and Talleyrand proposed again:
"Your Highness, why don't you ask His Royal Highness Prince Dashi directly?
"Based on your relationship with His Royal Highness Prince Dashi, you should be able to get some special advice, right?
"This is important information related to the development of the future navy..."

After hearing this, Charles subconsciously wanted to write a telegram, but he gave up before dropping his hand.

If I directly ask the detailed information of Daming's aircraft carrier, my close friend will definitely feel uncomfortable no matter whether I say it or not.

Whether a decision is correct or not is obviously more important than the special relationship with Daming and the friendship with a close friend.

A wrong decision about the construction of an aircraft carrier is at best a waste of resources and money.

But once the relationship with Daming and his best friend is damaged, leaving a knot and a place of concern in the other party's heart, it may never be restored and eliminated.

It's not just a matter of personal friendship.

This special relationship between France and Ming Dynasty can provide France with convenience and guarantee, which is definitely not comparable to the relatively correct aircraft carrier built in advance.

In the end, Charles decisively abandoned the idea.

Then turning to Talleyrand:

"What's General Villeneuve's opinion? About our aircraft carrier plan, and his evaluation of Nelson?"

Talleyrand recalled the previous meeting:
"General Villeneuve said that you can trust Nelson unconditionally in matters related to the navy...

"General Villeneuve himself, with regard to our carrier, suggested that there should be no obstacles on deck.

"In terms of tonnage, he said that the deck should be as long as possible, and the corresponding tonnage should be larger.

"Vernave believes that an aircraft carrier should be a large high-speed cruiser with a slender hull and a high freeboard.

"Specifically, there must be at least [-] tons, which happens to be similar to the requirements of the British..."

Charles was silent for a while after listening:

"According to the Spaniard's suggestion, let's talk to the British and the Spaniards individually. We may have to revise the negotiation plan and goals of the aircraft carrier..."

On the other hand, British Prime Minister Grenville and Talleyrand responded in exactly the same way.

But the direction is completely opposite.

As soon as Grenville returned to his residence, he telegraphed Nelson:
"The French believe that the tonnage of aircraft-carrying cruisers should not exceed that of conventional cruisers, and it is meaningless to have too large a tonnage.

"The point is, the French were very decisive in their words, as if they had been specifically reminded.

"Considering the special relationship between His Royal Highness Charles of France and His Royal Highness Prince Dashi, we cannot rule out the possibility that Ming's research experience on aircraft-carrying cruisers has been shared with France.

"General Nelson, please conduct discussions and simulations with naval generals and engineers as soon as possible based on this premise.

"Is there a problem with reassessing our goals for the tonnage and size of the aircraft-launched cruiser.

"Seriously consider the usage and value of a drone cruiser with a capacity of less than [-] tons."

British representative George Canning, who came with Grenville, read Grenville's telegram:

"Your Excellency the Prime Minister is worried that the French have obtained Ming's aircraft-carrying cruiser research experience through His Royal Highness Charles.

"Can't we also confirm through His Highness Charlotte..."

Grenville was obviously taken aback when he heard that:
"Your Highness Charlotte...is still in America...

"Before our direct cooperation with Daming started.

"Before the joint venture between His Royal Highness and His Royal Highness Prince Dashi opened on a large scale in the UK.

"Probably won't come back to London again.

"Right now... probably won't help us either."