Greece’s Roman Road

Speaking of this, Constantine said to the crowd: "This time the Congolese government will need a lot of crew to buy the warship. My current plan is to let the British shipyard build it."

"What is the strength of Turkey's navy now?"

"Turkey's navy was severely damaged in the Sinop naval battle before the Crimean War and was almost lost," Emanuel explained to everyone.

"Until the succession of Sultan Abdullah Aziz in 1861, the sultan attached great importance to the construction of the navy. During his ten-year reign from 1861 to 1871, the Ottoman navy adopted self-built (assembled) and outsourced The number of ironclad ships reached 15"

"But since Aziz, especially after the last Russo-Turkish war (1878), the Ottomans were financially strapped, few new warships were in service, and the navy became the outcast of the empire."

Hearing this, Constantine had a general understanding of the naval strength of Ottoman Turkey. In Europe, it was probably at the third-rate level—there was a navy department.

The 19th century was the era of rapid development of naval warship technology, and various new technologies emerged one after another. A warship may be completely behind in a few years of launching. These old-fashioned ironclad ships that have served for 20 to 30 years, according to Ottoman's industrial capabilities, lag behind. It is difficult to say whether these warships can still leave the port due to the maintenance method and lack of financial resources.

To be honest, poor countries like Greece and the Ottomans put their limited military spending into the army, and the cost-effectiveness will be higher.

Why in the impression of European countries, Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria are the three small powerhouses in the Balkans, and Greece is the weakest?

This is because Bulgaria and Serbia are both land countries, and they can put all their military expenditures into the army, while Greece's special national conditions cannot do this: itself is a peninsula (Greek peninsula), and there is another Aegean Sea. Large swathes of the island want to be recaptured.

If it weren't for the Congo's wallet, Constantine would not have agreed to let Greece get involved in the navy now.

"In addition to building warships, I plan to select a group of people from the navy to go to the United Kingdom to receive training in the modern navy. Your Excellency Chief of Staff, please arrange it," Constantine said.

Greece also currently has an Athens Naval School, although the Greek navy is just some small gunboats.

For a country with a developed maritime industry like Greece, the maritime culture is almost imprinted in the blood, which is a major advantage for Greece to develop its navy.

"Prime Minister Terry Kupis, it's up to you to go to England to discuss the purchase of warships," King George interjected.

"Constantine, after all, this time Congo bought warships. Where do you plan to set up the home ports of these warships?" King George asked.

"Congo," Constantine replied without hesitation.

The reason for this is that Constantine did not want to stimulate the Ottomans. The Aegean Sea is not large. Once the news of Greece's purchase of new warships spread, it is difficult to say how the Ottomans would react.

Second, the entire Mediterranean Sea is like a large bathtub, and the waves are not disturbed. Since the money has been spent, it must show its value. After spending a long time in the calm Mediterranean Sea, what kind of elite navy can be trained?

Naturally, these navies were sent to the vast Atlantic Ocean to fight against the wind and waves, and to temper the tenacious fighting spirit of the sailors.

After expressing his thoughts to everyone, Emmanuel questioned: "It is possible to train an elite navy in this way, but once there is a war in the Aegean Sea, these sailors who are accustomed to the sea conditions of the Atlantic Ocean do not understand the waterways and sea conditions of the Mediterranean Sea. How to do?"

When a conflict broke out between Greece and the Ottomans, these warships must have participated in the war. If they did not know the geography of the Aegean Sea at all, accidents would easily occur, such as running aground and hitting a reef.

"It's not difficult. It can be solved by having the local Greek navy crew and the Congolese fleet communicate closely with each other," said Armament Minister Giannis.

After the military conference, Constantine personally sent Prime Minister Terry Kupis and the naval personnel accompanying him to England to the port of Piraeus.

Procurement of warships is a very demanding task, and these active personnel in the Greek Navy will help the Prime Minister decide on the procurement of warships.

The reason why King George asked Prime Minister Trikupis to go is to consolidate and maintain the "friendly" relations between Greece and the United Kingdom.

After all, the last time the British warship blocked the waters near Athens, the people in Greece had a big drop in their goodwill towards Britain.

The dominance of the British is also the reason why Greece is so unhappy with the British in the original time and space.

But the British, as world hegemons, were at their peak in the late 19th century. As a small country, Greece could only bear the burden of humiliation. It is impossible to completely ignore Britain because of this.

Second, this military purchase, to a certain extent, is actually paying for protection.

Arms is a special commodity. Advanced weapons are not something you can buy with money for some weak countries.

With this warship purchase, it is most suitable for Greek Prime Minister Trikupis to go there.

On the pier, Constantine took the royal carriage and personally saw Trikupis off.

"Your Highness, do you have any instructions for this warship purchase?" Trikupis asked.

After all, the owner of this warship purchase is nominally the Kingdom of Congo, and King Constantine's opinion should still be taken seriously.

Looking at the young officer in a neat naval uniform beside Trikupis, Constantine wondered, "Who is this?"

"Pavlos Kontoriotis~www.wuxiax.com~ was previously a captain on a naval patrol boat, a talent I personally selected from the Greek navy, and this time accompanied me to the UK" Trikupis replied.

"Then let this professional talk about what warships we should purchase. After all, I am not a professional navy" Constantine said happily.

Seeing Constantine asking, Cantoriotis gave a solemn salute, and then replied, "Your Highness, Prime Minister, I think cruisers are more appropriate."

Seeing that neither of them interjected, he continued: "The Congo region has a special location. It is far away in Africa and is in the cracks of the colonies of various countries. If an ironclad ship is stationed here, it will be more conspicuous."

Ironclad ships were the main force of the navies of various countries at this time, with heavy guns and helmets. Due to the heavy armor and large-caliber artillery, they were all accessories with amazing weight. Therefore, the speed of ironclad ships was relatively slow, like an iron turtle.

"Moreover, ironclads are expensive and slow, which do not meet the requirements for maintaining the safety of the Congo-Athens route."

"We in Greece are not as wealthy and powerful as the United Kingdom. We have sufficient budget to build warships. We can't do the luxury of the British Navy. In order to perform specific tasks, we specially build a kind of warship. Therefore, the Greek Navy cannot be like the British Navy. Like the navy, the ironclad ships have ferocious firepower and reliable armor, and they are for the main decisive battle, and the cruisers are for auxiliary functions, and the speed is relatively fast.”

"The Greek Navy can't do this, let the warships perform their duties"

In Britain in the late 19th century, the annual naval expenditure was approximately equal to the annual fiscal revenue of the Qing Dynasty!

"Therefore, an armored cruiser with a certain speed and reliable armor is the best choice for Greece, which can perform multiple roles."

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