Chapter 0160: War Preparation

In the capital of the German Empire, Berlin, within the royal palace and the study of Wilhelm II, a meeting of the court was underway. 

"Your Royal Highness, congratulations! I hear that the Deutsche Energie Company has uncovered astonishing oil reserves in Cyrenaica!" exclaimed Admiral Count Tirpitz, beaming with joy. 

As the navy continued to expand its fleet, nearly all vessels employed fuel boilers, significantly increasing oil consumption. Despite constructing oil storage facilities totaling over a million tons, should the war be prolonged, even this quantity might prove insufficient. Moreover, the navy lacked additional funds for crude oil reserves. With the Deutsche Energie Company now acquiring substantial oil fields, this issue could be easily resolved. 

"Your Excellency, I too did not expect there to be oil there. This is undoubtedly fortuitous news for the German Empire. I have instructed the energy company to exert maximum effort, aiming to deliver crude oil domestically within three months, thereby augmenting our oil reserves!" Qin Tian stated. Securing these oil fields would allow for a significant increase in domestic reserves, especially considering that once war erupted, transporting oil home before defeating the British navy would be nearly impossible. 

A flicker of joy appeared on the faces of the imperial ministers, as this was indeed a momentous development for the empire. 

"This is a blessing from God for the German Empire; we shall surely triumph over the British and French in the upcoming conflict!" remarked von Moltke. 

"Hmph! This is not divine intervention but rather my foresight. Otherwise, extracting Libya's oil would have taken decades," Qin Tian mused silently, aware that von Moltke was buttering up Wilhelm II while downplaying his own contributions, a masterful twofold maneuver. 

Wilhelm II nodded in approval, seemingly in agreement with von Moltke's assertion. 

"Damn those Italians; they have truly misjudged the situation this time. Perhaps this is divine punishment for them!" Wilhelm II declared, still harboring resentment over their previous actions. 

"Your Majesty, the Italians must be regretting their decision now. Although His Royal Highness promised them a forty percent share, they could have claimed it all!" chuckled Bernhard von Bülow. 

The other ministers joined in hearty laughter. 

"Unfortunately, the oil fields are too far from our homeland for adequate defense. Should war break out, the British and French will undoubtedly seek to destroy or occupy our oil fields, or the Italians might simply turn against us and seize them for themselves," Qin Tian warned. 

The mood in the room shifted as the gravity of his words sank in; they understood the likelihood of his predictions was alarmingly high, a dire prospect for Germany. 

"This is an unavoidable predicament. Once the war commences, the British will swiftly deploy their navy to blockade our coast. Even if we have oil, we cannot transport it back. However, if our navy can vanquish the British, all our problems will be resolved," Admiral Count Tirpitz remarked. 

"Tirpitz, it appears the navy's task is exceptionally daunting! Do you believe the imperial navy can defeat the British?" Wilhelm II inquired of Count Tirpitz. 

Though the German navy had developed rapidly, their adversaries were seasoned maritime dominators. Historically, challenging a hegemon had proven exceedingly difficult, leaving a trail of corpses along the path of ambition: the Spaniards, the Dutch, the French—now it was Germany's turn. Wilhelm II felt a flicker of uncertainty. 

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the imperial navy is confident in its ability to decisively defeat the British in future naval battles!" Tirpitz responded resolutely. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, the current situation grows increasingly tense. It seems we are on the brink of war. From this moment forward, the empire must enter full wartime preparations. Should conflict erupt, we need to be ready to launch an immediate offensive!" Wilhelm II commanded. 

"Yes, Your Majesty," came the unanimous reply. 

While Germany reveled in the discovery of oil fields, the British government convened to strategize. 

"Damn it! How could the Germans be so fortunate? We were suppressing their access to crude oil, yet they suddenly acquire a vast oil field. Has all our previous effort been in vain?" Churchill fumed. 

"It seems we must devise a new strategy," Prime Minister Asquith replied, his expression grim. 

From intelligence reports, Britain had learned that the majority of the German navy operated on fuel boilers. In an effort to further weaken the German fleet, the British had sought to disrupt their oil supply, but their efforts had thus far proven fruitless. 

"Prime Minister, let us deploy the Mediterranean fleet! We should directly destroy the German port in Cyrenaica and send troops to obliterate the oil fields," suggested Navy Minister McKenna. 

"No, the oil fields also belong to the Italians. Such an action would infuriate them. Let us not forget, we aim to win them over and persuade them to betray the Central Powers," countered Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey. 

"Indeed. We cannot destroy the oil fields just yet. However, we could propose that the Italians claim the fields for themselves. If we can convince them to join our ranks when war breaks out, they can occupy the oil fields, leaving the Germans with nothing. Should the Italians prove obstinate and refuse our overtures, we will then have no qualms about destroying the oil fields," Churchill suggested. 

"Agreed, let us proceed in this manner. Since we cannot prevent the Germans from obtaining oil for now, we will set that aside. Once the war commences, all problems will resolve themselves," Prime Minister Asquith concluded. 

"Yes, Prime Minister!" all cabinet ministers responded in unison. 

"Gentlemen, the international situation grows ever more precarious. It is evident that the Germans are preparing for war. Our time is limited. From now on, we must dedicate ourselves entirely to wartime preparations. Once conflict erupts, we must ensure the defeat of Germany. The British Empire cannot afford to falter in the upcoming war. We must remain the world's leaders!" Prime Minister Asquith proclaimed. 

"God save the British Empire!"