I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1030 Let's share the government's money

Without exception, the faces of all the British military and political officials present turned black instantly.

The Avenger carried the Empire's hope of regaining control of the Mediterranean Sea, and could not afford any mistakes. However, it collapsed on its maiden voyage...

Admiral Jarvis just said "Submit the report to me" and turned into the cabin.

Sandel, who was attending the maiden voyage ceremony on behalf of the Bolton-Watt Company, was also extremely nervous at this time, fearing that components such as the steam pressure gauge and safety valve left as a "back door" might have problems ahead of time.

At present, the UK has only completed the construction of 17 light steam warships. If the truth is revealed at this time, the impact on the British Navy will be very limited.

At the same time, he himself may also be investigated by British intelligence agencies.

He pretended to be concerned about the battleship and followed several investigators from the Naval Committee onto the Avenger.

Half an hour later, Sandel entered the engine room of the Avenger in the smoke and dust that had not yet completely dissipated. He immediately saw the broken crankshaft of the steam engine and the twisted piston rod. It was a horrific scene.

He waded through the ankle-deep water and finally breathed a sigh of relief after carefully confirming that all the "back door" parts were intact.

During dinner, Sandel and his partner Frank talked about the maiden flight ceremony that morning: "You didn't see the expressions of Jervis and Middleton, they looked like they had eaten a piece of dog shit, haha.

"Yes, I'm sure it's not a malfunction of the steam engine. Oh, judging from the offset of the transmission gear, the ship's shaft is likely broken..."

Frank's fork, which was reaching for the fried fish, suddenly stopped in mid-air. He frowned and asked, "Are you sure the shaft is broken?"

"Mostly so."

As a technician, Sander did not know that the French Security Service had also dug a hole in the ship's axle, but Frank, an intelligence officer, knew some inside information.

It seems that the failure of this trial voyage was most likely due to the fact that the tampering on the guaiac wood was a little too heavy-handed.

"Don't mention this matter to anyone else." He hurriedly reminded Sander, and then reported the matter to his superiors in a secret letter overnight.

The next day.

In a small bookstore in the northern suburbs of London, the "store manager" Porter was cleaning the dust off the bookshelves when he suddenly saw a man of medium build in a long black coat push the door and walk in. He put away his umbrella and raised his hand to signal him: "Mr. Payne, I heard that you can buy The Religious Significance of Partial Differential Equations here."

"Payne" is Porter's name in England.

Three months ago, he came to London as a liaison between the Security Service and the Irish independence movement. This bookshop was the 'office' provided to him by the Irish.

Porter signaled the old Scottish man to watch the store, and he took the man in black up to the second floor: "The book you want is here."

After entering the room on the left side of the second floor, Portier had just closed the door when he heard the man in black say, "Please contact Mr. Maynard as soon as possible. We need General Sykes' help."

Portier stood at attention and said, "Yes, Mr. Hart. But who is this General Sykes?"

"Head of logistics at the British Naval Board, he has some connections with the Irish."

Porter said subconsciously: "What happened?"

"Hart" is the head of the Security Agency in London. It must be no small matter for him to give orders personally.

"Hart" habitually came to the window and looked down through the gap in the curtains: "Well, you will know this sooner or later. There was a problem with the ship axles we sold to the British, and we must cover it up..." This batch of guaiac wood was one of the "double insurance" to deal with British steam battleships and should not be exposed too early.

Meanwhile, Jamaica is still doing business with British shipyards. Although the price of a piece of guaiac wood has been reduced to 3 pounds, it is still very profitable.

And if we continue to supply the British, we can prevent them from looking for guaiac wood elsewhere. According to the Crown Prince, this plant can also be found on other islands in the Caribbean, but it is not as concentrated as in Jamaica.

After his superior finished speaking, Portier nodded and said, "So, as long as we can stop the Navy Committee from investigating the cause of the accident, that's all that's needed?"

"Yes."

The new agent pondered: "Perhaps we don't need to ask the Irish for help. That would cost a lot of money, and there is also the risk of information being leaked. You know, the Irish may not be very tight-lipped."

"Oh? Do you have any suggestions?"

"Did you know that the British government has set up a 'Government Investment Fund'?"

Hart nodded: "Yes, shamelessly plagiarized our Industrial Development Fund."

"This fund has a huge sum of more than 400 million pounds and is currently planning its investment direction. Everyone is very jealous of this, including the British Naval Committee. If we do this..."

When Portier finished speaking, Hart nodded: "I think you can give it a try. You have a very flexible mind. If you can really accomplish this, I will personally apply for a promotion for you."

That afternoon, Frank came to the office of Sir Hope, director of Chatham Shipyard.

"You can't let the Navy Committee investigate like this." He said straight to the point. "The investigation may last for a month or two. During this time, people will suspect that the accident was caused by the failure of our company's steam engine. This will seriously affect the company's stock price.

"As the shipyard director and the designer of the Avenger, you will bear primary responsibility no matter which part is found to have a problem."

"What can I do?" Hope said gloomily, "I can't influence the decision of the Navy Committee at all."

"Yes, you can." Frank looked at him and said, "First, have someone come up with a plan for mass production of steam paddle steamers as quickly as possible, and then apply for investment from the Government Investment Fund."

"Ah? What's the use of this?"

Frank waved his hand and said, "Increasing the number of steamships built can significantly reduce the cost, including steam battleships. This is what the French shipyards do.

“This will help the Navy Board save a lot of money.

“And the more you build, the more mature the technology becomes, and the less likely it is that something will break down.

“But if the Navy Committee announces at this time that our new steam warship has a major accident on its maiden voyage, it will inevitably lead to the government investment fund refusing to invest in the steam paddle steamer project.

“At least the investment amount will be significantly reduced.

"If the Navy Board wants to buy cheap warships, it must stop investigating this matter."

He leaned forward again: "If this still fails to impress the Navy Committee, you can also tell Sir Middleton that the funds obtained by the shipyard from the investment fund can be used to subsidize the construction of warships in some way -

“For example, we purchased high-grade wood for the steam paddle steamer project and ordinary wood for the battleship, and then swapped them when producing the ingredients.”

(End of this chapter)