“Three million!” “Three million one hundred thousand!” … “Three million seven hundred fifty thousand!” “Three million seven hundred fifty thousand guilders, any higher bids?” “The most advanced cruiser squadron in the world, complete with a full set of shipbuilding technology and twenty professional engineers included. The current highest bid is three million seven hundred fifty thousand. An absolute bargain, anyone willing to offer more?” “Very well, congratulations to the Chilean delegation for successfully taking the third cruiser squadron.” The host, West, announced with all the enthusiasm he could muster. To drive up the price, the French second-hand cruiser squadrons were described by him as nothing less than the most advanced fleets in the world. If one only considered the ships themselves, Chile had overpaid badly. But with the full shipbuilding technology package and engineers thrown in, the deal suddenly became very attractive. Do not be fooled by how it seemed in those days that technology was freely available and that money could buy anything. That was only true for commonplace, outdated technologies. Shipbuilding techniques had always been the crown jewels of major shipyards. Even technology lagging two or three generations behind required an enormous price to acquire. As the world’s second naval power, French shipbuilding know-how was naturally first class. If not for being split up and sold in multiple lots, even just the technology alone could never have been purchased for as little as three million seven hundred fifty thousand. Another deal closed, West no longer felt the same thrill as at the start. He lifted a cup, took a sip of water to moisten his throat, and continued calling out: “Next, we are auctioning Squadron A of the battleships. This also comes with a complete shipbuilding technology package, plus one hundred shipbuilding engineers. The squadron includes three new ten-thousand-ton battleships, four cruisers, six destroyers, and two coastal defense ships. Starting price: five million eight hundred thousand guilders. As before, each raise must not be less than ten thousand guilders. Anyone making frivolous bids will forfeit their deposit, and the Anti-French Coalition reserves the right to pursue further action.” No sooner had the words fallen than the Spanish delegate straightened in his seat, his eyes immediately alight. Without a doubt, this carefully selected fleet was their true objective. “Six million!” “Six million three hundred thousand!” The moment the Spanish made their bid, Itō Hirobumi promptly followed up. Though he knew full well the Spaniards would resort to underhanded tricks, he was unwilling to abandon the last chance. Before the auction began, every delegation had already sent men to inspect the French warships. It could be said that for each fleet now being put up for sale, everyone knew exactly what was on the table. Whether or not there was foul play could be seen from the composition of the ships. Normally, the coalition had deliberately mixed top-grade vessels with worthless ones, selling them off together. But the battleship formation of Group A was different. Every warship inside it was first-class. That could not be brushed aside as mere coincidence. “Six million five hundred thousand!” The Japanese were not the only ones clinging to hope. Tempted by gain, others could not sit idly by either. The most advanced battleship formation was reason enough, but there was something more. The real prize lay in the complete shipbuilding technology and the French shipwrights that came with it. Whoever secured those would be able to reproduce the French Navy itself. For any nation aspiring to build a modern fleet, such treasures were beyond price. “Eight million!” “Eight million five hundred thousand!” … Watching the constantly refreshing bids, the atmosphere in the Japanese delegation instantly grew tense. Plans could not keep up with changes, and the simple reason was that they did not have enough money. Saigō Tsugumichi said anxiously, “Prime Minister, we can do without the warships, but we must obtain the shipbuilding technology. With this technology, we can save thirty years of effort.” This was no exaggeration. With Japan’s current shipbuilding technology, they could still manage sailing ships, but when it came to battleships over ten thousand tons, not only could they not build them, they could not even find a suitable dockyard. Across the entire world, the only countries that possessed twenty-thousand-ton docks and had built pre-dreadnought battleships were Britain, France, and Austria. The other nations were still in the experimental stage. The Americans were no exception. Due to the butterfly effect, the economy of the divided United States developed far more slowly than in the original timeline. With the government coffers empty, there were naturally no resources to throw into the navy. Itō Hirobumi agreed saying, “The competition is too fierce right now, and we do not have much money left in our hands. Let us wait for the next round.” Plans could not keep up with changes. Originally, he had not expected to gain anything from the warship auction. But now, faced with the grand gestures of the Anti-French Coalition, Itō Hirobumi could only grit his teeth and follow along. There was no other choice. Opportunities to acquire the most advanced shipbuilding technology were rare. If they missed this chance, the cost of obtaining it in the future would be unimaginable. After all, the warships might be detained by the Anti-French Coalition under the pretext of neutrality, but the shipbuilding technology would never be withheld. Spain did not have the prestige to make others sacrifice their international reputation just for its sake. In a sense, securing this shipbuilding technology was no less valuable than occupying the Philippine Islands. … In the box upstairs, the British delegation could no longer remain calm. They had thought Austria was merely throwing in some outdated shipbuilding technology as a sweetener, but it turned out their opponent was not playing by the usual rules. It looked very much as though they intended to flood the world with shipbuilding know-how. “The Austrians must be mad! Once this technology spreads, it will cause us endless trouble in the future!” a naval officer exclaimed. “We” included Austria as well. As a fellow colonial empire, they too would suffer if shipbuilding technology spread unchecked. To say nothing of warship exports, the business could hardly be as lucrative as it was now. Technical manuals, shipbuilding engineers, and if Austria next tried to sell off France’s shipyards, George would not have been surprised. With so many resources available, any country with even moderate wealth could acquire them and begin building its own fleet. And once a nation could build for itself, who would bother importing? Even if the vessels were a little behind in performance, they were far more reliable than the stripped-down export models. If the world’s nations each acquired their own shipbuilding capacity, the golden age of the colonial empires would be over. No longer could a handful of battleships force a great power into submission. “It is useless. Shipbuilding technology has already spread. From the moment the Anti-French Coalition occupied France, it was no longer a secret. Perhaps larger powers like Spain or Russia will guard the knowledge to protect their own interests, but countries like Belgium or Sardinia, which have nothing of their own, will sell anything so long as they are paid. Underground transactions cannot be stopped. If the technology will spread regardless, better to seize the chance to profit from it. Besides, shipbuilding reflects the industrial strength of a nation. It is not something that can be accomplished with a stack of blueprints alone. Even if everyone has the plans, only a handful will ever have the capacity to construct a battleship independently.” Accustomed as he was to storms and crises, George recovered quickly after his moment of shock. What seemed to be precious shipbuilding technology was in truth little more than a mirage released by Austria. The vast majority of countries lacked the means to build battleships; at most they could set up assembly plants. The critical, high-tech components would still have to be imported. The few nations that did have the ability to absorb and replicate the technology could already develop their own. The greatest value of these plans lay not in mastery, but in inspiration. … By midday the auction had reached its finale, and the last, most anticipated lot was brought onto the stage. With a raised voice, West announced, “Now we come to the final item of today’s auction, and the one you have all been waiting for. Fifteen battleships, twenty-one cruisers, thirty-two destroyers, and one hundred fifty-seven auxiliary vessels of various classes, with a total displacement of 364,000 tons. It is no exaggeration to say that this fleet constitutes the world’s third naval power. Whoever acquires it will see their strength soar, and will become an important force in maintaining world peace. As with the previous lots, this one comes with the complete set of shipbuilding technologies, along with three hundred engineers. Bidding begins at forty-five million guilders, with each raise no less than ten thousand guilders.” At once, every gaze turned toward the delegations of Britain and Austria. It was obvious that this was a prize prepared for the two great powers. No other nation had the capital to compete. “Fifty million!” As the host nation’s representative, Wessenberg did not disappoint. He opened the bidding boldly, raising the price by five million guilders in one stroke. And as Britain’s representative, George could hardly flinch at such a move. Without hesitation he struck back with a price that was pointedly defiant. “Thirty million!” The number was smaller, but the sum was greater, for the unit had changed. Thirty million pounds, once converted, amounted to sixty million guilders. The uninitiated saw only the spectacle. Those who understood saw the duel. This was no longer merely an auction. It was a contest between Austria and Britain for mastery of the seas. On paper, should the Austrian navy acquire this fleet, it would leapfrog Britain in both capital ship numbers and total tonnage. Doubling the bid was George’s way of declaring that Britain feared no challenge. As for whether the British government truly meant to secure the fleet, the cabinet had not yet come to a final decision. After all, money did not fall from the sky. If Austria was deliberately driving up the price, Britain had no wish to play the fool. The moment “thirty million pounds” was spoken, the hall fell silent. All eyes turned to the Austrians, many with expressions of glee, as if awaiting a good show. One could almost hear the crunch of melon seeds between teeth. The auction had been set in guilders, yet Britain had brusquely switched to pounds. As host, West felt the weight of the dilemma pressing down on him. If he refused, Britain would lose face. If he accepted, pounds were after all money, no less liquid than guilders. And the customer was always king. Perhaps it was not worth quibbling over such a detail. In the end, professionalism prevailed. Seeing no immediate response, West chose to press on, raising his voice once more. “Thirty million pounds, once. Does anyone wish to bid higher? Remember, this is the very core of the French navy. Secure this fleet, and you will stand among the world’s great naval powers overnight.” … “Thirty million pounds, sold! Congratulations to Mr. George, who has secured for Britain a world-class fleet!” The host announced the final result, and only then did the bewildered crowd react. Clearly, something was not following the expected script. Whenever a new power rises, it usually makes a grand show of strength. How could the new hegemon emerge so quietly? Not taking the opportunity to challenge Britain’s dominance of the seas was something that completely overturned everyone’s assumptions. Even George, the British Foreign Secretary who had just become the star of the auction, was equally dumbfounded. It had all gone far too smoothly, completely unexpected. “Thirty million pounds” might sound like a huge sum, but everything depends on how it is used. If Britain were to build its own ships, thirty million pounds would more or less cover the cost, and those would be brand-new warships. Spending the same amount to buy second-hand ships was indeed something of a loss. However, based on international market prices, thirty million pounds for an entire fleet was an absolute bargain. In any case, Britain itself would never sell warships abroad for that price. Beyond the warships themselves, the political significance was even greater. The outcome of the auction also sent a clear signal to the foreign envoys present: Austria had no intention of competing with Britain for naval supremacy. This left all the nations who had come hoping for drama sorely disappointed. If the two great powers refused to clash, then there would be no chaos for others to exploit. Once he understood the situation, George’s expression brightened into a delighted smile. He knew that Britain had secured the advantage. Through this single auction, Britain had demonstrated with concrete action: “The master is still the master.” In the years to come, the world would do well to keep that lesson firmly in mind.
*** https://postimg.cc/gallery/PwXsBkC (Maps of the current territories of the countries in this novel made by ScH)
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