The exact specifications of the Roma were not made public, but judging by its enormous size alone, everyone could tell that it was a formidable weapon. A larger ship does not always mean greater combat power, but in most cases, that rule still holds true. Generally speaking, a warship with greater tonnage can carry more guns and thicker armor, giving it a clear advantage in naval battles. According to the figures released by the Austrian government, the Roma had a displacement of 20,100 tons, a qualitative leap beyond all previous battleships. If that additional tonnage was all devoted to heavier guns and thicker armor, it could easily overwhelm any traditional battleship. The one who pays the most attention to you is not necessarily your friend, but it is always your enemy. As each other’s greatest rivals, the Roma’s launch immediately drew the close attention of the British government. The fact that Emperor Franz himself attended the launching ceremony only heightened the British government’s concern. Countless experiences had already taught the British that wherever Emperor Franz personally appeared, something significant was bound to happen. In the past forty years, this was only the second time Franz had personally attended a warship’s launching ceremony, the last time being for the debut of the steam-powered ironclad. … Downing Street Prime Minister Robert Cecil asked, “Have we figured out the specifications of the Roma yet? Is it really as powerful as the Austrians claim?” Ever since the Roma was launched, the Holy Roman Empire’s media had been fanning the flames. Phrases like “a revolution in naval industry,” “a new era of battleships,” and “the world’s greatest battleship” were being thrown around freely. Naturally, British newspapers refused to be outdone. With the Royal Navy pushing the narrative behind the scenes, talk of the “Holy Roman Empire’s naval threat” once again echoed across the British Isles, almost becoming mainstream public opinion. In recent days, Prime Minister Robert Cecil had grown sick of seeing reports about the so-called Holy Roman Empire’s naval threat. Although he did not quite believe that a single battleship could change the course of history, the navy was the lifeblood of Britain. Without knowing the Roma’s exact specifications, he could only assume the worst. Navy Secretary Flora replied, “We still cannot be certain. The Austrian government has placed very tight security around the shipyard, and our agents have been unable to access the core areas. What we do know is that the Roma abandoned traditional design principles in favor of the most radical concept of the day, an all-big-gun configuration. Based on the intelligence we’ve gathered, the Roma will carry twelve main guns, each likely with a caliber of no less than twelve inches, about 305 millimeters. In addition to its heavy armament, the Roma also has thicker armor. Small-caliber guns will hardly be able to harm it. The Austrians have long been world leaders in propulsion technology, and it seems they may have achieved another breakthrough. Although the Roma’s displacement has increased, its speed may not be much slower than previous battleships.” It was clear that Flora did not have much confidence in the accuracy of the intelligence. Since their agents could not get close enough to the shipyard for on-site observation, they had to rely on distant visual estimates and bits of hearsay, so the reliability of their conclusions could not be guaranteed. Still, no matter how unreliable the information was, having some intelligence was better than having none. Even if its accuracy was limited, it still held considerable reference value. For the Royal Navy, the real worry was not that the Holy Roman Navy was making moves, but that it might do nothing at all. When, as before, they went ten years without any significant activity, the Royal Navy found it difficult to ask Parliament for additional funding. Now things are much better. Given how crucial the navy was to Britain, in the face of such uncertainty, they would naturally choose to overestimate the threat. It was obvious that in the coming months, the Royal Navy’s budget would once again increase substantially. Secretary of Air Weizsacker said, “The Austrians are not just building the Roma. No matter how powerful a single battleship is, it cannot close the gap between them and the Royal Navy. According to the information we’ve gathered, the Austrian government has also developed an ambitious project called the Final Judgement Plan. Under this plan, they intend to build a large number of airfields along the coasts of France and Belgium, ultimately allowing them to deploy more than a thousand bombers in a single operation against the Royal Navy. As the world’s leading air power, the Holy Roman Empire has already made great progress in aviation. Their main strategic bomber, the Flying Eagle II, can now carry more than two tons of bombs. Based on this plan, in theory, the Holy Roman Air Force could drop between 2,000 and 3,000 tons of bombs in a single strike. The explosive force of 2,000 tons of specialized bombs would far exceed that of 5,000 tons of conventional explosives. The enemy would not even need precise targeting; a barrage of indiscriminate bombing could destroy any of our ports. Our anti-aircraft defenses are not weak, but only air power can truly counter air power. Ground-based defenses can only play a supporting role and cannot be relied upon as our main shield. If the enemy completes their preparations and we fail to respond effectively, it will not just be the Royal Navy at risk. The entire British Isles would fall within range of enemy bombing. Compared with the hidden Final Judgement Plan, the recently revealed Roma battleship seems more like a decoy to draw our attention. One represents their area of greatest strength, the other their weakness. It is obvious which field they would choose to make a breakthrough.” In his push for funding, Weizsacker was relentless. In Britain, the Royal Navy monopolized the defense budget, while the army and air force were left to struggle. One only needed to look at the annual budget to see it. The Royal Navy’s funding exceeded that of the Holy Roman Navy by thirty percent, while the budgets for the army and air force were less than one-third of their counterparts. You can only accomplish as much as your budget allows. The disparity in military spending directly reflected the balance of power between the two nations. The Royal Navy could completely overwhelm the Holy Roman Navy, but on land and in the air, the situation was the exact opposite. Weizsacker thought the air force could still be saved, unlike the army, which was struggling to stay alive. Even if they could not catch up with their rivals, they should at least be able to defend themselves. With that in mind, he treated the so-called Final Judgement Plan as real, whether or not it actually existed. When asking Parliament for funds, saying you had a need was not enough. You also had to craft a compelling story. Vienna’s Final Judgement Plan was exactly that kind of story. It might not convince everyone, but it could certainly sway a majority of the members of parliament. To win cabinet backing, Weizsacker raised the issue in advance so he would not be left fighting alone later. It is easy to fool civilians who know nothing about the military, but much harder to fool professionals. The secretaries present were not generals, but they had basic common sense. Naval Secretary Flora shot back at once, “As Secretary of Air, you are wasting your talents. You should be writing science fiction, you would surely find success. Gathering a thousand bombers might be within the Austrian government’s reach if they threw caution to the wind, and I do not deny they could try. But concentrating all those aircraft to bomb a single target is laughable. Launching from the same airfield is clearly impossible, and even using multiple airfields would be a logistical nightmare. The complexity alone could kill men; one mistake and you could have a catastrophic midair collision. Besides, although bombers carry heavy loads, their own combat power is weak. Without fighter escorts to protect them, mass bombing runs are a suicide mission. To keep a thousand bombers safe you would need a comparable swarm of fighters. Managing that many planes, even in waves, would be a scheduling nightmare. Even if they somehow pulled it off, such a dense mass of aircraft would hand us a fine score for our air defenses. The enemy’s plan can only succeed if we are unprepared and caught off guard. If we maintain high alert and early warning, we will leave them no opening. By strengthening our air defenses in advance, we can turn the enemy’s Final Judgement Plan into their own downfall. As for whether the Roma battleship is merely a decoy, time will tell in a few months. You can fool people with words, but you cannot fake a warship’s fighting power.” The navy and air force argued back and forth and got louder. The army would not stay quiet either. Just as Secretary of War Skybrook gathered his thoughts to join the fray, Prime Minister Robert Cecil interrupted, “Alright! If you keep arguing, this meeting will turn into a debate contest. I know the navy is important and the air force is important, are we done with that yet? The reason I called this meeting is because the Holy Roman Empire is acting up again. We must prepare contingency plans now, not watch you squabble over budget. If you want funds, go to Parliament and get them yourselves. If you cannot, stop shouting in my cabinet room!” Robert Cecil spoke honestly. Parliament sets Britain’s military budget. As prime minister, he had influence, but not the final say. Both the navy and air force felt confident that, with the Holy Roman Empire as a target, they could extract money from Parliament. Skybrook, however, was the only one truly miserable. The British army was unpopular and starved for resources. That alone would be bad enough, but now they could not even spin a convincing tale. The army’s two main narratives were “defend India” and “defend British Africa,” and both had grown thin. The international picture had shifted unmistakably. With Russia not pressing south for the moment, the “defend India” argument had already lost its urgency. The “defend British Africa” line could still be used, but confidence in it was low. Most members of parliament believed that if war broke out with the Holy Roman Empire, British Africa would be the first to fall. If a theater was doomed, why throw precious resources at it? Better to invest where Britain could retain an edge.
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