After arranging the troops' deployment, Ernst's first stop in Trieste was the Royal Shipyard, where he met Archduke Ferdinand.

"Ernst! Why have you suddenly come to Trieste?" Archduke Ferdinand was still somewhat surprised by Ernst's arrival.

"Father-in-law, I'm here to make preparations for the wedding! Naturally, before the wedding, I'm also here in Europe to purchase factories and machinery."

"Haha!", Archduke Ferdinand sneered, the latter half being the true reason, as for the wedding preparations, it wouldn't be too late to come a few months later.

"Forget it, I won't argue with you. Since you're here, you can also take a look at the ship we're building."

As Ernst predicted months ago, due to the Great Depression, many orders were breached, leaving open slots available.

"This ironclad ship being built at the dock was carefully chosen from many designs, but it hasn't been named yet, with a displacement of over six thousand nine hundred and ninety tons. I adhered to your request not to build anything over seven thousand tons."

This left Ernst with mixed feelings; initially, he mentioned two ships with displacement over five thousand tons, not considering anything over seven thousand tons. Ferdinand actually stuck to the line, building a warship with six thousand nine hundred and ninety tons displacement.

"Actually, if you could build a warship over seven thousand tons for the same price, personally, I wouldn't object, as long as the budget wasn't exceeded. However, this ship, if seen by other countries, might just trigger a naval arms race," Ernst said.

This ship's displacement was almost indistinguishable from the seven thousand-ton level, plus the testing Archduke Ferdinand ship, making it two top-tier warships. Informed outsiders might suspect Austria-Hungary harbors intentions in the Mediterranean!

"Why didn't you say this earlier? If that's the case, this budget could barely allow for a seven thousand-ton ironclad ship. Now the cost of shipbuilding is considerably lower than before; if it were a civilian ship, it would be even cheaper."

Ernst directly said, "Actually, this ship is hardly different from seven thousand tons. If additional weapons were installed, wouldn't it directly exceed that?"

"Approximately, approximately," Archduke Ferdinand said perfunctorily, "This ship's design drew reference from the British latest Roulin ironclad. Yet, the Roulin ironclad's displacement exceeds thirteen thousand tons, while our ironclad is merely about half. Alas, British wealth is indeed overwhelming."

The Roulin ironclad was the first all-steam-powered ironclad by Britain. Currently, other ironclads have high masts, vast sails hanging from them, and densely packed side battery cannons arranged internally on the deck, whereas the Roulin only featured two chimneys, like the Archduke Ferdinand, which harnesses both sail and steam power.

So Ernst asked, "Is this ironclad similar to the British Roulin, entirely steam-powered?"

Archduke Ferdinand replied, "Of course not; we're not as advanced in steam engine research as the British. For safety, we're still adopting traditional dual power."

In this aspect, the British are indeed formidable; beyond the Roulin, even East Africa's flagship Archduke Ferdinand boasts one or two thousand tons less than other current British ironclads.

"Ernst, regardless of its traditional power, in reality, it can surpass the British Roulin in speed, while technically it's less demanding," Archduke Ferdinand said.

"Um, it's still a shadow in the dock, so how can we be certain of its speed?"

"It's naturally based on the newly completed Austrian seven thousand two hundred-ton ironclad, also employing traditional dual power. It underwent speed testing half a month ago, providing us with the specifications for this ironclad. Both utilize the same model of steam boilers."

"Ah! I understand, you're referring to the Archduke Ferdinand ironclad, which was launched just last month." Ernst replied meaningfully.

This was somewhat jarring to Archduke Ferdinand. Archduke Ferdinand? Isn't that his own name! Of course, there have been quite a few historical Archdukes of Austria, possibly commemorating someone with the same name.

But thinking it through, something seemed off with Ernst, knowing the name of the Austrian Navy's ship?

"You're talking about the Austrian Navy's ironclad?"

Seeing Archduke Ferdinand still confused, Ernst chuckled unkindly, telling his father-in-law, "Of course, it's our East African Navy's first ironclad, Archduke Ferdinand, just launched last month at the Royal Shipyard in Trieste."

What constitutes a surprise! No, describing it as a shock is more fitting.

At this time, Archduke Ferdinand's brain rapidly spun, rewinded the clock, and then he realized, was he tricked?

Months ago, Ernst hinted at or inadvertently mentioned this event, shortly before the "Archduke Ferdinand" was launched. He, the East African Navy Commander, had also observed Archduke Ferdinand back then.

Archduke Ferdinand found it curious at the time; the new Austrian Navy ship was launched, apart from Tegedthoff, the Austrian Navy Commander, why weren't there any dignitaries present? Also, why wasn't the ironclad named, especially since it surpassed the Lissa in tonnage as the most advanced "Austrian" warship, recalling the odd expression Tegedthoff had when looking at him.

"Ah! Am I the only clown here?"

Hahaha...

"What's so funny?"

Ernst held back and said, "Humph, hmm hmm…. Father-in-law, this matter isn't so peculiar; after all, you are certainly the soul of our East African Navy, so it mustn't be shabby!"

Archduke Ferdinand: "Yet that doesn't mean keeping me in the dark. Honestly, upon learning that the ironclad is ours, I was surprised. If you had informed me earlier, I would have been even happier."

"No, I'm still somewhat unwilling. Once that 'Archduke Ferdinand' returns, I must experience it again, this time as the protagonist," Archduke Ferdinand adamantly stated.

Last month, Archduke Ferdinand was greatly envious of the Archduke Ferdinand ironclad, now realizing that he envied himself.

Ernst stated on the side, "Indeed, only a top-tier battleship like Archduke Ferdinand matches the identity of our East African Navy Commander."

"Alright, since 'Archduke Ferdinand' hasn't returned to port, there's no opportunity for me to board now. Let's continue discussing the ironclad under construction, what name should it have?" Archduke Ferdinand interrupted.

Ernst thought for a while and said, "Why not name it after a notable from the German region!"

"Who do you think is good?"

Ernst said, "Prince Herman."

"Your grandfather?"

"Yes, after all, back in the Second Battle of Bassano, my great-grandfather under Marshal Alvinczy's command repelled Napoleon."

In reality, during the Second Battle of Bassano, both the French Army and the Austrian Army suffered significant losses. This battle occurred two months after the more famous First Battle of Bassano. Also worth noting, it was Napoleon's first military setback in his career.

Ernst's grandfather, Prince Herman Hohenzollern-Hechinggen, was indeed among the former Austrian military commanders, serving as Austrian Army Marshal.

Going back further, Joseph Frederick William Hohenzollern-Hechinggen, Ernst's grandfather's uncle (whose title was inherited by his nephew), served as a Marshal during the Holy Roman Empire era.

Overall, the Hechinggen royal family once served the Habsburgs, later becoming part of Prussia, ending this tradition.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.