CHAPTER 555: CHAPTER 233: GIVING BIRTH TO A FLEET

"Father-in-law, how is the navy’s work going recently? Any troubles?" Ernst asked, taking a sip of tea.

Today, Grand Duke Ferdinand and Princess Charlotte came to First Town to see their daughter and grandson as usual.

Karina is the epitome of a virtuous wife and good mother, inheriting all the merits of Empress Dowager Sophie, managing the household in an orderly manner. Of course, Empress Dowager Sophie is famously known for her notorious mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflict with Princess Sisi.

In fact, Empress Dowager Sophie’s assertiveness is related to her family environment. Franz inherited the throne from his uncle Ferdinand I, ascending to the throne amid upheaval.

Thus, part of Empress Dowager Sophie’s involvement in politics was due to ambition, while another part was due to necessity. Ambition isn’t a bad word; after all, most mothers naturally hope for their sons to succeed, so she had extremely high expectations of Franz. Necessity arose because Franz was too young when he came to power, requiring Empress Dowager Sophie’s help to maintain political stability.

After all, being known as "the only man in the court," this shows the political skills and capability of Empress Dowager Sophie.

Karina doesn’t have these concerns; in East Africa, Ernst’s word is law, and the Heixinggen royal family relations aren’t complex. Previously, it was just Ernst and Constantine, so Karina doesn’t have to worry about mother-in-law and daughter-in-law disputes, and can comfortably be Ernst’s good helper.

In actuality, Empress Dowager Sophie seemed quite assertive, which is related to the relatively gentle personalities of her husband and son. Since Franz grew older, things have improved significantly.

Of course, Franz himself is rather rigid, so he doesn’t mediate family conflicts well, contributing to the chaos in the Habsburg court. Princess Sisi’s lively personality naturally doesn’t align well.

Ernst’s family situation is much simpler, with Karina’s help making things easier for himself. Constantine trusts his son and daughter-in-law, and the Ferdinands are very pleased with Ernst as a son-in-law, making the family harmonious and happy.

Ferdinand held his grandson, and over the years, his thick beard had been shaved clean, looking younger and much more spirited than before. He often visited the palace with Princess Charlotte to see his grandson, making little Friedrich in his arms laugh gleefully.

"Lately, the navy’s work hasn’t been very busy. Mostly because we’ve gathered sufficient manpower, so I don’t have to work as hard as before. I even think about retiring in a few years to take up some hobbies."

Currently, the East African navy’s talent training system is quite well-established. Besides the successful military academy, many students who went to the Austria-Hungary Naval Academy have returned, greatly alleviating Ferdinand’s pressure.

Of course, the East African navy is still growing rapidly. Although there’s no immediate plan for new ships, the achievements in base construction are significant.

Especially with the addition of the Lan Fang Overseas Province, the range of East African naval activities has expanded to the entire Indian Ocean region, rather than being limited to the Western Indian Ocean.

However, since the Lan Fang Overseas Province is far from East Africa, the main fleet won’t be stationed there.

Fortunately, with the decline in immigration, many empty ships are available, so arming merchant ships had made them the main fleet of the Lan Fang Overseas Province navy. Although not comparable to countries like Britain and France in the Nanyang region, they are more than a match against countries like the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain.

It’s the era of Ironclad Ships, and small countries can’t keep up with the tidal wave of progress. Limited national power makes buying rather than building the norm. Overall, East Africa’s navy mostly purchases ships, though they’ve built two themselves. Despite these being less cost-effective, spending more for the sake of cultivating East Africa’s shipbuilding industry is worthwhile.

"Ernst, with the rapid navy expansion in recent years, the ships seem slightly insufficient. I wonder what you think."

Ferdinand casually mentioned it, since requesting funding is part of his duty as Navy Commander. Whether Ernst provides it is entirely up to him.

"Recently, East Africa has seen considerable projects; construction is happening everywhere. Take the navy, for instance—it’s a major base-building happening now, meaning there’s less expenditure on the military."

The same goes for the army; even the Juba Comprehensive Training Base’s scale is vast, costing quite a sum.

The navy’s investment in bases is much greater. East Africa’s coastline is somewhat straight compared to other countries, so there are fewer harbors to utilize; this requires East Africa to carry out artificial modifications.

In any case, there aren’t many profitable projects, only through East Africa’s economic system can they afford it. Although losing money now, it will continuously bring profits to East Africa in the future. It’s crucial to undertake massive construction while labor costs are low now.

Otherwise, when the black slaves are all used up, there won’t be such an easily exploitable group. The consensus is slave systems work well—as long as you’re not the one enslaved.

"So you really don’t plan to add new warships? There’s been quite a rapid iteration of technology in recent years."

"Warships still need to be added, but we’ll build our own—no need to make too many. With immigration decreasing, I’ll allocate a few more armed merchant ships to temporarily bolster the navy."

"Bajamojo Shipyard?"

"Father-in-law, since you live in Bajamojo, you should trust your own shipyard’s capability. Haven’t we already gained shipbuilding experience before? Going through it once makes the second time easier. In the future, we can achieve complete self-reliance in naval military industry."

Shipbuilding is a long-cycle investment industry; you absolutely cannot expect instant success, nor should you be afraid to try.

East Africa’s foundation is much better than many countries around the world. So, since there’s potential, Ernst naturally supports fostering their own shipbuilding industry fully.

Grand Duke Ferdinand: "I understand; after all, I also support equipment autonomy. But coastal defense isn’t child’s play. Meeting some needs with temporary purchases is okay."

"Rest assured, father-in-law, I’ve got it all figured out. When Karina becomes pregnant with her second child, we’ll purchase an advanced capital ship, and do likewise each time, until the East African military shipbuilding industry is fully developed."

Karina chided playfully, "You scoundrel!"

Grand Duke Ferdinand watched the little exchange between his son-in-law and daughter, jokingly saying, "What if the next one is twins?"

"Hehe, then we’ll buy two, can’t show favoritism now!"

Hearing Ernst’s words, Grand Duke Ferdinand genuinely hoped the next one would be twins. Though Ernst’s words seemed a bit whimsical, his promises were always fulfilled.

Princess Charlotte said, speechless, "You all like to joke like this. Doesn’t that mean having a child every year just to get a new ship? What if Karina has over ten children—are you bringing back an entire fleet?"

Ernst smiled without replying, holding Karina’s hand to quell her blushing face. As for an entire fleet, Ernst’s resources could certainly manage that, but there was no need.

Now, the East African navy’s capacity is just right. Overfeeding could easily ruin it. In the previous life, one of the reasons American shipbuilding industry declined was due to the glut of liberty ships built during WWII. The notion of using what’s available led many shipping companies to avoid placing new orders; without new orders, shipyards couldn’t keep up with technological advancements from other countries, thus diminishing the American civilian shipbuilding industry.

To give an unsuitable example, Far East’s golden-age football was similar. Still, the struggle in football development had much to do with the national conditions. With academic pursuits as an avenue, most parents wouldn’t let their child choose football; it’s safer sitting in a classroom. Competitive sports involve knocks and scrapes, which is no joke.