What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 345 The Golden Legend (7800 monthly votes in April)

The California Varley Cultural Exchange Association truly broadened Dou Liqing's horizons.

Not only airfare, but they also promised to handle the visa process, without requiring the applicant to be present; the embassy would send it directly to them!

He became more and more excited as he listened, and no longer had any concerns.

No wonder he wasn't familiar with it; it was probably because the association was full of real celebrities. He was lucky to have gotten in; he envied even just a glimpse of high society.

The association told him that the exchange meeting would be held in ten days, and that the airfare and visa would be resolved this week, which was incredibly efficient.

Dou Liqing was even a little apprehensive. After all, it was a land of freedom. What preparations should he make? What clothes should he wear? He hadn't even learned the etiquette of high society yet!
He remembered that one of his international student classmates was illegally washing dishes in the US. Although he had always looked down on the other person for not having a green card or immigration status, it wasn't a big deal to swallow his pride and ask about the situation there.

However, considering the time difference, we'll have to wait until midnight.

Just then, after refreshing the computer webpage, two major news items popped up:

[Tang Wen reportedly appointed honorary principal of Darian Naval Academy]

[Geekin announces he will donate a cruiser to the Naval Academy]

Huh?
Dou Liqing immediately became alert, but after reading the entire article, he showed disdain.

What warship? It turned out to be an old gunboat built by Gaijin himself for use in tourist attractions, a fake to fool tourists.

How could someone get the principal's position with such rubbish training?
This country is terrible, I'm lost in thought, I'm sure... Bah!

He has to do one more thing before heading to California!
Come on!

……

"Send a ship? We can't afford to maintain it!"

Bai Hantao was somewhat stunned when he received the news shortly before it was released.

Tang Wen was well aware of the academy's situation; they couldn't afford to maintain such a large ship, so it would be better to take the train there.

"I'll give you the boat, and I'll cover the fuel and major maintenance when you come to the bay—all free of charge. You can leave the minor maintenance to the students. Isn't that enough?"

Upon hearing Tang Wen's words, Bai Hantao was immediately tempted.

Although going to Gaijin's place is like getting something for free, having it yourself makes a real difference, instantly elevating the school's status by several levels.

The biggest expense in operating a large ship is fuel, right? Actually, maintenance isn't that bad, since the trainees are free labor anyway.

"Isn't this not good?"

"I'm a man of my word. Besides, how much oil can a ship use? Don't you underestimate oil wells?"

"This... Principal, thank you so much!"

Bai Hantao was very happy, but after hanging up the phone, he realized that he had forgotten to ask which ship it was.

However, there are only two cruisers, the Tsugyu and the Ryozuki. The Ryozuki is a newer and larger Algeria-class cruiser, but the Tsugyu is also acceptable, as its 8,000-plus tons make it easier to operate.

He was happy no matter which one it was!
……

Great Bay.

Two hundred members of the association's seamen and pilot ground crew assembled to receive Tang Wen's instructions:
"Over the next few days, we will be transporting some goods north, and incidentally, we will be donating a warship to Darian Academy. You will be responsible for operating the ship. This will be a very unusual practical training opportunity... so anyone who messes up..."

The sailors below, selected from the best performers, immediately puffed out their chests and shouted that there would definitely be no problems.

After nearly half a year of training, their abilities are no less than those of regular sailor rookies, and they are more than capable of operating ships as ordinary sailors.

Lei Zhan, standing nearby with his hastily assembled flight team, was somewhat bewildered, wondering what it had to do with them. Was it some kind of seaplane? Surely not.

Tang Wen didn't explain why he left the sailors behind alone after dismissing them:
"Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Super York City training session will be delayed, but there will be another opportunity later:"
Although it's a propeller plane, the challenge will only be greater. You are all welcome to decline; I'm serious, but it's not mandatory.

Although they didn't understand why, no one in the flight squad said a word, clearly not believing that a mere electric fan could stump them.

Tang Wen didn't say anything, dismissed them, and agreed to meet again tomorrow.

Just in the early hours of the next day, a large warship, gleaming with a golden sheen under the lights, appeared in the dock.

Aircraft Cruiser - Hildebrand (Gold)!
Tang Wen had a bunch of oddly shaped ships that he couldn't sell and that were troublesome to use, but now he could finally get rid of them.

Bai Hantao has already responded publicly in the newspapers, so it's difficult for him to refuse!
This oddly stitched ship, weighing 30,000 tons and consisting of a gun turret in the front and a flight deck in the back, was neither here nor there. It would be awkward to modify it into anything, and the navy would not buy it, so they simply gave it away.

He also didn't plan to change the full gold paint job with the suffix "(gold)". After all, although Hildebrand is a fictional ship, it has some German influences. The flamboyant paint job can reduce many potential problems.

Although its flight deck is a bit short, it's not a big problem for taking off and landing propeller planes. It's just that takeoff and landing cannot be done at the same time, but fortunately, it doesn't have many planes, so it should be fine.

Under the cover of night, the shipyard's gantry crane lifted the processed gun barrels directly onto the deck of the Hildebrand, secured them, and covered them with waterproof tarpaulins.

The cruiser, weighing over 30,000 tons, has ample buoyancy reserves, so it has little impact on its balance.

……

"This...this...an aircraft-carrying cruiser?"

Lei Zhan and a group of sailors stared at the aircraft carrier, its entire body painted in a dazzling gold, and after a long pause, they came up with a fitting name for it, but immediately realized it wasn't quite right:

With its size and specifications, the Hildebrand has completely surpassed the Yorktown-class and is almost the size of an aircraft carrier!
The deck was much smaller because the two forward turrets took up too much space.

Is this a cruiser?
No one had ever seen anything like it before... a "warship" that was pieced together, stitched together, sloppy, and even exuded a strong nouveau riche style. Many people were already picking their toes at it.

Tang Wen nodded seriously:
"Yes, that's the one. Let's use the carrier-based version of the CJ-6 trainer for the aircraft, and send them all together later."

Lei Zhan quickly recovered from his shock, and after visually comparing the length of the deck, he said:

"The arresting cable is sufficient for landing, but the takeoff length is insufficient."

"It has a hydraulic catapult."

"That's no problem."

The modified CJ-6 trainer was also equipped with a catapult towing rod, which allowed it to take off easily using a very primitive hydraulic catapult. It was once used to replace seaplanes for testing on other ships.

As all the sailors and pilots began boarding the ship, they were frequently dazzled by the gleaming gold reflective surface and couldn't help but mourn for the Darian Naval Academy.

Although I don't get along with them, the thought of those people using this warship for drills in the future... makes the Liaoyue better.

With the system captain in charge, the Hildebrand easily turned its propellers and left port.

At this moment, Gaijin's every move was being watched. The huge warship... no, the huge gold mountain attracted a lot of attention as soon as it was launched.

Whether intentional or not, people on land several kilometers away noticed an extremely bright light source moving in the sea.

When the security department and other interested parties finally identified the target, they were struck dumb.

The golden metallic surface isn't actually very intense in sunlight; instead, it's like a super-large reflector, almost blindingly bright!

What is this?

(End of this chapter)