C901 The power of the whip (1/2)
The evolution of a wooden battleship into a pure Steel battleship was not something that could be done overnight. Any country with a military equipment would be very cautious, only a person like Xiao Letian who drew on white paper would dare to use a Iron-armored Ship to build a navy.
War is not a joke. An arms race is a nightmare for any nation. Even a powerful nation like Britain would be cautious and not dare to act rashly while adjusting its naval strategy.
The amount of money needed was too much. If the powerful Royal Navy was all exchanged for Iron-armored Ship, how much money would that cost? And what kind of strong opposition did they have to face in the country? These are the things politicians have to think about.
The wooden sail battleship could be used for two or three hundred years if it was properly maintained. For example, the Constitution of the United States had been in service since the American War of Independence in the 18th century. It was still a military honorary battleship belonging to the United States Navy in the 21st century.
The Steel battleship, on the other hand, was not so lucky. No matter how meticulous your painting maintenance was, the process of steel decay was irreversible. It was already a miracle for Steel battleship to have a lifespan of a hundred years.
The performance ratio was far too poor. Politicians were also merchants in nature, so any decision they made had to consider a question of cost and output. It was just like placing a bullet in place of a separate Meany Bullet, or replacing a rifle with a rifle in the back. It was such a simple matter, but the European countries had yet to completely phase out and assemble it.
What was the reason? Could it be that they were all blind, and could not see the heroic Prussian soldier of the Poo War s? Could it be that they had completely ignored the Mauser's rifle's outstanding performance? The answer, of course, is no, the central consideration of politicians is still money.
How much does it cost to carry out a wide range of replacement of rifles across Europe? Governing a country is the same as governing a family. Ten years of changing clothes and one year of changing clothes can bring the same pressure on national finances? Are there any resistance from the nobles who eat the benefits of old-fashioned equipment? These are the things politicians have to think about.
Why do you say that war is the driving force behind the advancement of human science and technology? Only when the enemy's bayonet was pointed at your heart, could people put down that little bit of selfishness, that little bit of pettiness, and in order to survive, they would have to squeeze out the country to climb the technology tree.
Do you dare to be violent and upgrade your military skills in times of peace? Grandma! With all the money gone, wouldn't a piece of bread be missing from the civilian dining table? Would the capitalists hold less than one banquet? The country's financial resources were limited. If the military were to lose a large portion of its resources, the quality of life of the population would definitely fall by a large margin.
People are selfish. They live a good life. You, a politician, can make us eat less than two pieces of bread and a sausage the moment you get on the stage? If I don't fight to the death with you, I won't be done for. Even if I were to curse you to death, I will still curse you to death.
In order to survive and not be humiliated by the enemy, not to mention eating less bread and sausage, even if he drank bean soup every day, he would have to donate the last copper coin to the country.
Look, why do you say that war is the driving force behind technological progress? This was because war brought fear. Fear could greatly condense the nation's strength, and national strength could promote the advancement of science and technology, as well as the popularization of science and technology.
Now, all the countries of Europe were like this, slowly changing the rifles of their armies, the old front-line guns were being dumped one after another towards Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the South America. After that, the finance and accounting personnel of the various countries' military departments were calculating each copper coin carefully, and then each division slowly changed their equipment.
Because all the monarchs of Europe, except Prussia, believed that there would be no more major wars, and even the conflict between France and Prussia was regarded by the European countries as a minor farce.