Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Seal Den (2)
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The Kaiserliche Marine, that is, the Imperial German Navy, could be summed up simply as:
A collection of junk assembled by throwing away not just money, but the nation's very fortune.
Due to dreadnought budgets alone, by 1914 the German Empire had racked up a staggering debt of one billion marks.
In modern Korean won, that was over 54 trillion won.
Even accounting for fluctuations in gold's value and the resulting margin of error, the sum was still enormous.
So, what had that money-drenched Kaiserliche Marine accomplished?
'Something like... an achievement title? An honorary badge?'
They earned a shiny plaque proclaiming them the "world's second-largest navy."
And then they got utterly thrashed by the British and meekly hunkered down in their bases.
To put it kindly, they lay in wait for their next chance while licking their wounds and reorganizing.
'Yeah, I get the picture.'
Once his train of thought reached that point, even Minister Tirpitz's anxious demeanor started to make sense.
Right now, in the early days of the Great War, all the spotlight was on the Eastern and Western Fronts.
The army and the army air service were soaking up every bit of attention.
The navy, on the other hand, was ignored by everyone—even those who did pay attention turned away upon realizing their homeland's fleet was hopelessly outmatched.
And to top it off, they'd just lost the Battle of the Falklands, making the annihilation of the Pacific Squadron a foregone conclusion.
'And in the midst of all this, I've brought a bundle of cutting-edge tech related to the one new weapon that's starting to turn heads... U-boats.'
No matter that he was an army man, he'd filed patents across multiple fields, lending him undeniable credibility.
...Huh? In a situation like this, maybe I can squeeze out even more?
A lightbulb moment flashed in his head, and he smacked his lips before diving back into the act.
"How could I possibly sit comfortably? Upon second thought, as Your Excellency says, my visit today was indeed irregular, and I believe it was an error on our higher-ups' part."
"W-wait."
"I'll relay Your Excellency Tirpitz's words to the Chief of the General Staff right away. We'll coordinate to prioritize bombing London..."
"Hold on!"
At Rommel's somber expression and mock salute, Tirpitz shot to his feet and planted himself in front of him.
Then, in a soothing tone, he patted Rommel's shoulder and gestured to the chair.
"If you go back like this, how much grief will the Chief of Staff give you? I understand your position perfectly—how could I send you away empty-handed?"
"Your Excellency..."
"Come on, sit down now and let's talk this through calmly. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the army and navy used this chance to build some camaraderie?"
Watching him force a grandfatherly smile, Rommel nearly cracked his facade of.
He quickly schooled his features and sat down with feigned reluctance.
"Even in a situation that could understandably offend you, Your Excellency has shown me such consideration... I am truly grateful."
"Yes, yes. Now then... show me those documents. Let's start by reviewing them and thinking it over."
"...Here they are."
He'd wanted to press a bit harder, but seeing the eerie flicker of flames in Tirpitz's eyes, he backed off.
He set the documents on the desk and turned them toward Tirpitz.
"Please, take your time."
"Mm."
Tirpitz calmly opened the documents and began reading intently.
He was probably planning to assess their value firsthand.
"..."
At first, he sipped his coffee with subtle leisure, but his hands grew busier by the moment.
The more pages he turned, the sharper his gaze became, and the faster he skimmed.
Soon, he grabbed a pen and started jotting notes and checks on random sheets.
"...Haaa."
"All done?"
"This... this...!"
Thud. Tirpitz slammed the documents shut and glared at Rommel with resentful eyes, wide as saucers.
Rommel blinked innocently, playing dumb.
With pressure off him, the minister had no choice but to speak first.
"Why aren't there any... figures here, or more detailed designs? Huh? You were planning to submit this for patents?"
"No, these are just simplified summaries for showcase purposes. If I'd included everything, the stack would be too massive to handle."
"Then these ideas are..."
"In trustworthy hands."
"What about the patent applications?"
"I'm still deciding. But I've made arrangements so a single telegram could file them all immediately."
Tirpitz's face paled further at Rommel's relaxed reply.
Well then... how's he going to play this?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
'I can't... just let this slip away...'
Minister Tirpitz fully grasped the value of the documents in his hands.
These ideas didn't just solidify the emerging role of U-boats—they established the technology to counter them as well.
At minimum, a ten-year lead.
Bringing these concepts to reality would create a decade-long gap over enemy U-boat capabilities.
'I have to block this.'
But if these technologies hit the patent office, the Royal Navy—with its superior shipbuilding capacity—could surpass the Kaiserliche Marine even in U-boats.
They absolutely had to be classified as military secrets for exclusive use.
'Wait... did this guy develop all this alone? Does that even make sense?'
For an ordinary Erwin Rommel, no.
But for the man who monopolized military administration and command, effectively the supreme commander of the joint army-navy-air staff...
For some nameless figure who had been Supreme Commander of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, it was entirely plausible.
Against China's overwhelming naval dominance, options like submarines and air power were among the few countermeasures.
Influenced by the army, he'd grumbled about "seals" and "sparrows" this and that, but he'd absorbed military knowledge beyond most experts.
"..."
"..."
Gazing at the bright-eyed young genius, Tirpitz suddenly thought:
Beat him down too hard, and Falkenhayn will have my head... Tch. Guess I have no choice but to swindle him somehow.
With any ordinary person, he'd have seized it without batting an eye—but this was a major, and that made it tricky.
Shaking off stray thoughts, the minister spoke calmly.
"Ahem. If you hand all these ideas to the navy, we'll cooperate on the Paris air raid. We'll pay you handsomely for it too."
"..."
Rommel pondered Tirpitz's offer.
'Has he lost his marbles? Or maybe he's picked up some filthy habits hanging around the Royal Navy.'
Once patented, the royalties would be massive—there was little reason to sell outright to the navy for a lump sum.
The Paris raid was urgent, sure, but these ideas seemed even more vital to Tirpitz, so the scales didn't balance.
At minimum... yeah, he had a good counteridea.
"No, how could I put my private property on the table in official inter-service negotiations? It wouldn't be proper, and the army wouldn't approve anyway."
He chuckled at the proposal—which had already sacrificed conscience to the Dragon King—and replied.
Instead, to shorten the tedious haggling, he threw out a counteroffer.
"That said, of course I'm a patriot serving my country, so I do want to put these ideas to the best use for the fatherland."
"...And?"
"I'll take half the market-value royalties. It's practically a donation—so in return, wouldn't the navy be moved to pledge some cooperation on future army operations?"
Tirpitz's face soured rapidly.
"Especially in wartime, I want to set aside greed."
Money wasn't the real issue, truthfully. The navy wasn't so broke it couldn't cover royalties.
The problem was that line about "some cooperation on future army operations."
Unclear how far "some" extended, but "future" clearly implied more than just the Paris raid.
This touched on naval pride, so the minister was tempted to roar him out—
"Oh, and I have a few more documents I'd like to offer the fatherland..."
"...Wh-what?"
Shuffle shuffle— As Rommel pulled yet more stacks from his briefcase, Tirpitz froze with his mouth agape.
A few seemed thinner than the U-boat files, but most were thicker.
As they piled up on the desk, cold sweat beaded on the minister's forehead.
Seeing this, Rommel grinned.
"Please review these as well. Better in the navy's hands than the patent office, no?"
"..."
"I guarantee it."
Gazing leisurely at Tirpitz, Rommel continued.
"You'll love them all. No—you have to love them."
As if daring him: Let's see if you can resist this temptation.