"Two battleships and two cruisers, I thought the Italians would gather all their battleships that they could take." Hippel said with contempt at the Italian fleet in the distance. If the naval officer of this era had the most practical experience, then Hippel said second, and no one dared to say first! He participated in the Sino-Japanese War, watched the Spanish-American War, and beat the French fleet in Africa. The tonnage of the warships that died at his hands was at least 50,000 tons! This record is enough for him to despise a second-rate navy.

"They have other warships in the port. We have 4 ships. The other party arranged four ships. We are 2 battleships and 2 cruisers. The other party is the same. It is a normal choice, with no hostility or goodwill." The prince put down the telescope in his hand and said.

"Mr. Commander, what flag do we hang? Is it your general's flag or the prince's marshal's flag?" asked an officer.

"Let's just hang the general's flag. I'm just a marshal with a name." The prince thought for a while and said. Sometimes it can't be too much. If you catch the inner world, you can put aside the matter of face.

"Rise the marshal's flag. The other party is a duke, and it is said that there is a prime minister who greets us. If we hang the marshal's flag, then we should fire the salute first. This is not very good for our plan below. Do you think so, Mr. General?" Tirpitz said to General Poul.

"Well, that's right, what the Navy Minister of State said makes sense. It's more appropriate to hang your marshal's flag. After all, your marshal status is given by the empire, and I cannot overtake it." General Boer thought for a while and said, not to mention that this prince is an honorary marshal, he just targeted the prince's huge energy in the country and its influence on the navy. In such matters of face, it is necessary to give in. Of course, General Boer has to say this, and Prince Ruprecht cannot speak.

(I'll talk about it first. The author has very little naval etiquette. It is generally a convention for those with low rank to fire their cannons first, but I don't know what the rank of Duke Abruchi is. As for whether the identities of other personnel are considered, the author is not very clear. How to say it? Writing like this is what the plot requires--!)

"Sir Prime Minister, what flag do you think the German fleet will hang?" asked the Duke of Abuqilu when the German fleet gradually appeared on sea level.

"They should be able to hang the marshal's flag." Luigi said without hesitation.

"He is just an honorary title. The German Emperor is really a casual person. He actually awarded the title of a marshal to a state prince so easily." The duke had a sneer on his face.

"Haha, this prince's energy is much greater than a marshal. This sentence is popular in German politics. Prince Ruprecht is the future king of Bavaria and the invisible prime minister of the German Empire! In front of the German Emperor, what he said is more effective than the imperial prime minister."

"What's more, this time, the Germans are in a demonstration, so they can't fire salutes at us first." Luigi said seriously.

"It seems that we can't get around this prince this time." The duke said helplessly. "Your Excellency Commander, the other party raised the marshal's flag!" said an officer next to him.

"Then follow the previous agreement, fire 19 cannons!" Duke Abuqilu ordered. The 21 cannons correspond to the head of state, and the 17 cannons correspond to the ranks of prime minister and prime minister. The status of the prince is lower than that of the German emperor and higher than that of the prime minister, so 19 cannons are considered appropriate.

The Italians fired 19 guns in a normal manner, and then, due to the existence of the Italian Prime Minister, the German side responded to 17 guns in a normal manner. The first round of contact between the two sides seemed to be fair, and then with the approach of the German fleet, the Italian fleet began to turn, and then sailed into the port of Taranto one by one with the German warships.

Both sides knew that the visitor was not good and tried to suppress the opponent in terms of momentum. Navy soldiers from both Germany and Italy stood neatly on the side of the ship, and under the sea breeze, the military flags on the masts fluttered vigorously.

The Italians did a normal job, but compared with the Germans opposite, they lacked a killing spirit. After all, most of the German naval officers and soldiers who took out the storefront had participated in the battle against France, and some even participated in the bloody battles in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. Such warriors who experienced the baptism of blood and fire were not comparable to those Italians who paddled in the Mediterranean. Although there was no more communication, there was already a gap in this momentum.

The gap in hardware is even bigger. "Our warships are too outdated, and the design concept comes from more than ten years ago. If we were facing the German fleet, then our performance was not as good as France. Even the warships we installed on the ship are far inferior to these German battleships!" Putting down the telescope in his hand, the duke said to Luigi next to him with a little frustration.

"This is a gap in national strength. We do not have Germany's industry and money. Fortunately, Germany is not in the Mediterranean, but can only confront the powerful Britain and France in the North Sea. Our geographical advantages make up for the military disadvantage." Luigi said with a gloomy face.

On the opposite side, the Germans were also constantly looking at the Italian fleet. "The Italians are very concerned about their fleet, more concerned than us." Tirpitz said to the prince in a low voice. The implication is very clear, and I hope the prince can provide certain support in the naval budget after returning to the country.

"However, the input and output of such a navy are not proportional. The Italians could build warships as heavy as the Mainz 2 armored cruiser in the 1980s, but what is the result? But some old technology and design concepts are just products."

"We are at a critical moment of technological leap. The shelf life of any warship does not exceed 8 years. It is meaningless to expand the fleet too early except wasting a lot of money."

"I am not against fleet expansion, but I must be cautious. Every warship in the Empire must strive for excellence, because we do not have as many budgets as the British to tolerate failure, do you understand?" After the prince said that, he glanced at Tirpitz.

"Bavaria has gained great benefits from the expansion of the naval forces, but as a land-powered country, we must first ensure the army advantages over France and Russia. I will consider your opinions, but don't try to impose your thoughts on me. If you really care about naval construction, then I hope you can pay attention to the technical details of the naval forces. As for budget issues, with me and the German Emperor, nothing is wrong."

Prince Ruprecht had to remind Tirpitz, who was a little hot-headed by him. Although the prince also admitted that a brand new era might come early, it is now the eve of the violent soldiers!
Chapter completed!