v3 Chapter 423： 2 factions in the Netherlands

Prime Minister Thorbeck also agreed at this time: "The conversion of the Dutch army to bicycles is also beneficial. Soldiers do not need to train them to ride horses. Many people will ride bicycles when they join the army, and the biggest advantage is that 90% of the world's bicycles The production comes from the East India Company in the Netherlands. We are in control of the global bicycle trends. With this advantage, the motorized bicycles of the Dutch army will also be the fastest in the world. Therefore, we are using our own strengths. Improve your own army building."

"As I just said, soldiers can ride before enlisting, and the troops do not need to prepare too much feed, veterinarians, etc., and the maintenance cost is low.

When it comes to fighting, it’s time to fight, these cyclists, like some rare soldiers, put their vehicles away, put them into battle, and get out of the car to fight, which is convenient and simple.”

William IV nodded with a smile. There are currently no planes in the world. If the people in front of them know that bicycles can still be used outside the infantry unit, they can also form an Air Force bicycle paratrooper company. They will definitely be scared to death.

"Your Majesty, I have a question"

Everyone quieted down, and it was the Minister of Education, Rude Bells, who was questioning William IV.

He smiled and said, "Ask."

"I think the effect of our army's formation of bicycle troops should be different"

"How do you say?" War Minister Pete De Jong asked urgently.

William IV and Tolbek were stunned for a moment, then thoughtful. The same goes for Mark Rudd, the chief of the general staff next to him. The three looked at each other and nodded.

Ruud Bells said: "I think this is mainly because of the battlefield"

William IV showed a sure look.

The Minister of Education, Rude Bells, saw this and understood that several people had already understood his thoughts.

He said: "The Netherlands and some parts of Australia are not bad, because the road conditions in these places are relatively good. It is said that the current Dutch bicycle races built in these places, in order to save costs, the capitalists choose those flat areas for repair. Although the ugly point is called saving, the better point is that where to save money and make money is the trick they invest in.

But in terms of more in line with the topic just now, their choice is not a problem that we need to consider when building a bicycle force.

In these places, the roads are paved and the road network is relatively developed, so cycling is more effective.”

But some places, such as the Alaska Peninsula and Greenland, are either frozen or rained all the time, and the road conditions in these places will increase with the snow and the road will become muddy, and the bicycle will slip or get stuck in the snow. In the middle, it has become a burden, and now it is not as comfortable as the cavalry.

But even so, the establishment of the bicycle army is mainly due to the supply of horses in the Netherlands, and the bicycle is our advantage. Therefore, I have no objection to the establishment of a bicycle army. I just reminded that this is a problem.

"clap clap"

William IV took the lead in applauding: "This doubt is not bad, but this kind of problem is very important for us to improve our own weaknesses. Therefore, in the future, the Far East will begin to put road construction on the agenda, as for the bicycle army in places such as the Alaska Peninsula and Greenland. It is difficult to implement.”

As the bike troop talk ended, so did the whole Army talk.

At this time, William IV looked at the Admiralty Admiral Jan Peter.

"Apart from those 10 steam battleships, what about the other treasures of our Netherlands?"

baby?

Jan Peter was stunned for a moment, then he realized what His Majesty said.

"At present, the Netherlands has built more than 30 submarines in the Far East. However, Your Majesty, the Netherlands is currently in a situation where two men are competing for hegemony of submarines. This makes it very difficult for the military to handle."

William IV was very stunned, the story of the two heroes in the Dutch submarine world?

Jan Peter began to explain, it turned out that in 1864, the 27-year-old U.S. Federal State submarine expert Horan was initially funded by the Irish for his many submarine experiments in the United States, but he would be very critical of Horan after each funding, and even laughed at him. Horan's submarine is just a piece of waste in the sea, and finally he ran out of food for Horan.

Horan was naturally unwilling, so he looked everywhere in the United States for an owner to invest in his submarine program, but no one was interested in his underwater project.

At this time, in early February in the spring of 1865, he inquired about the news that the Netherlands was recruiting talents for underwater projects in the Far East.

And the project also specified that the purpose is to deal with the submarine project in the Dutch Wilhelm Group.

From this recruitment news to the United States, and after he got to know it, he learned that Gerrit de Vries, the original famous submarine expert of the French Empire, immigrated to the Netherlands as early as 1861 and became the head of the submarine project of the Willem Group in the Netherlands. , and has already achieved something.

The underwater project recruited this time is the submarine development expert of the Far East Arms Group (the second largest steel group in the Netherlands and the arms company ), the old rival of the Willem Group.

Horan ran into walls everywhere in the United States. Although the submarines that Horan had invented before gained a lot of fame, these achievements and fame did not bring him any benefits, due to the prejudice and criticality of some officials of the US Navy Department. Originally, there was a new submarine plan in my heart that not only violated the adoption of the U.S. Navy, but was viciously ridiculed by this well-known submarine expert in the United States. After jumping to the Netherlands, I came to Port Adelaide, the largest naval industrial base in the Australian mainland in the Far East.

Speaking of this, you have to say that one of the two major naval manufacturing contractors in the Netherlands is the Dutch East India Company (the predecessor of the William Group), and the other is the Dutch Far East Arms Company, which has risen in the past decade.

The Dutch East India Company's base in the Far East was mainly built in the Shrike Bay on the Elysium Peninsula of New Guinea.

The main weapons base of the Dutch Far East Arms Company is built in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia Province in the southern part of the Australian mainland.

The Dutch East India Company (William Group) William IV has a 50% stake, while the Dutch Far East Arms Company is a new upstart in the Dutch military industry chain.

The company employs ex-employees of the Dutch cabinet. Unlike the Dutch East India Company, which has always supported liberals in Dutch politics, the Dutch Far East Arms Company has always been closely associated with another conservative Dutch party, the Christian faction.

The Netherlands currently scores in different camps among the seven provincial officials in the Far East.

Former Prime Minister and senior official of William Province (formerly Victoria) Flos Aaron von Hall belongs to the liberals, and also holds the post of Deputy Prime Minister, assisting Prime Minister Tolbek in managing the Far East, and part-time senior official in Tasmania .