World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

"Also," Wang Wenwu paused, "tell the canteen to send lunch to the Japanese delegation's rooms, to the minimum standard of a Class B reception. Three dishes and a soup, that's enough."

The secretary hesitated for a moment: "Minister, wouldn't this be too..."

"Too what? Too cold?" Wang Wenwu glanced at him. "This is the tone personally set by the Commander-in-Chief. Execute it."

Wang Wenwu ate lunch in his office—a simple chicken salad. While eating, he flipped through the list of the Japanese delegation: Togo Heihachiro, 59 years old, Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, a hero of the Russo-Japanese War. His entourage included the Director of the Naval Ministry's Technical Bureau, the Chief Designer of the Naval Construction Headquarters, two translators, and six accompanying officers.

The lineup is impressive, and the purpose is clear.

They wanted technology, warships, and perhaps even some form of alliance. But Chen Feng wouldn't agree; at least half of Lanfang's 300,000 men harbored deep-seated hatred for Japan.

At 1:50 PM, when Wang Wenwu came downstairs, he saw Togo Heihachiro still sitting on the sofa in the lobby of Building 4. The old man sat very upright, his hands on his knees, his eyes closed, as if meditating. He was wearing a naval uniform, his chest covered with medals—but the most conspicuous one was empty, reserved for the rank of Marshal. (The Marshal rank in the old days was not a military rank, but a title, so his shoulder insignia were still those of an Admiral or Captain.)

Wang Wenwu walked over and said in Japanese, "Lord Togo".

Dongxiang opened his eyes, stood up, and bowed slightly: "Minister Wang."

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I do have plans for this afternoon."

"I understand." Togo spoke with a Satsuma accent, his pace slow. "So, when can we begin our talks?"

"We'll meet here at 10 a.m. tomorrow. You can rest today, or visit the public areas of the port—we have a guide provided."

"Guide?" Togo smiled, a very faint smile, almost imperceptible. "I'd like to walk around by myself, is that alright?"

"For your safety, it's best to have a guide accompany you." Wang Wenwu smiled as well. "Dubai is still under construction, and some areas are not safe."

The two stared at each other for a few seconds.

Dongxiang nodded: "Then we'll proceed as you arrange it. However, Minister Wang, there's something I'd like to ask first—the Chilean delegation seemed to have received a warmer welcome?"

The question is straightforward.

Wang Wenwu remained unfazed: "Our Chilean friends have come from afar, so we naturally want to extend them the utmost hospitality. We value guests from the Japanese Empire in the same way; it's just that our style of hospitality differs."

"Different styles..." Togo repeated the word, then said, "I understand. See you tomorrow then."

He bowed slightly again and turned to walk towards the elevator. His steps were steady, but Wang Wenwu noticed that the old man's right hand remained resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist—a "military sword set" bestowed upon him by Emperor Meiji, which he never parted with, even on diplomatic occasions. (This is a borrowed quote from Lu Da, please understand.)

He's a difficult person to deal with.

When Wang Wenwu walked out of Building No. 4, the Chilean delegation was already waiting in their cars. Silva was sitting in the passenger seat of the first car, the window rolled down, looking at the distant dock area through a small telescope.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Wang Wenwu got into the back seat.

"It's alright." Silva put down his binoculars and turned around. "Mr. Wang, was that... a Japanese man?"

"Yes. Japanese naval delegation."

"Are they here to buy boats too?"

"Let's talk about cooperation," Wang Wenwu said vaguely. "Let's set off."

The car headed towards the port area. Along the way, Silva bombarded the area with questions, ranging from the port's throughput to the steel mill's capacity, from the power plant's output to railway planning. Wang Wenwu answered selectively, demonstrating his capabilities while preserving core secrets.

Upon reaching the port observation deck, the view suddenly opened up. More than a dozen cargo ships were moored on the deep-water pier, and cranes were loading and unloading containers. Further away, two 10,000-ton cargo ships were under construction in a civilian shipyard, with sparks from welding falling like raindrops.

"This is a cargo ship we built for an Arab shipping company. It weighs 15,000 tons and has a speed of 16 knots," Wang Wenwu explained. "It uses a full welding process, which saves 20 percent of the labor time compared to riveting, and also provides higher strength."

"Welding..." one of the engineers Silva brought over asked, his eyes lighting up. "You've already fully implemented welding technology?"

"Yes, that's true on civilian ships. Warships require further verification."

"Can I get a closer look?"

"Yes, but please wear your helmet."

The group descended from the observation deck and entered the safe zone surrounding the dock. The workers, seeing the foreign visitors, didn't stop what they were doing, only occasionally glancing up at them.

Silva walked over to a section of the hull that was being welded, squatted down, and examined the weld closely. It was a continuous weld, fifteen meters long, smooth and almost without any deformation.

"My God..." the engineer murmured, "This craftsmanship... even the best shipyards in Europe can't achieve such a smooth finish."

"We have a set of self-developed automatic welding equipment," Wang Wenwu said casually. "Of course, the core components are kept secret."

After touring the civilian shipyard, they arrived at the conference room on the third floor of the port command center. There was a movie projector imported from Germany, with a specially made white cloth screen.

"Next, please watch a video clip." Wang Wenwu gestured for the staff to turn off the lights. "This is footage of the 'Kuangfu' during training in the Indian Ocean. Although it's not the latest footage, it's sufficient to demonstrate its capabilities."

The projector started spinning, and the film clicked. Waves appeared on the screen, and then the massive hull of the "Kuang-Fu" ship sailed in from the right side of the frame.

Silva and the engineers held their breath.

The video has no sound, but the visuals are stunning. The warship sails at high speed, its bow cutting through waves five or six meters high. Then comes a turning shot, showing the massive ship, weighing over 40,000 tons, tracing a graceful arc across the sea with an incredibly small turning radius.

Next came the main gun firing. Although it was training ammunition, the white ripples created by the muzzle storms on the sea surface were clearly visible. The eight giant guns fired almost simultaneously, the ship shifted to the side, and then quickly righted itself.

The final shot shows a data table: speed 31 knots, turning radius 850 meters, main gun salvo interval 2 minutes and 15 seconds...

The film ends, and the lights come on.

The meeting room was silent. The Chilean delegation members remained frozen in their seats, their eyes still fixed on the blank screen.

It took Silva a full ten seconds to slowly exhale.

"Mr. Wang..." His voice was a little dry, "This ship... are you selling it?"

Wang Wenwu smiled: "'Guangfu' is the flagship of the Lanfang Navy and is not for sale. However, we can tailor-make a warship for Chile based on the same technological platform. Although the performance will be adjusted, it will be guaranteed to be unrivaled in the South Pacific."

"price……"

"It's what we discussed this morning, two million eight hundred thousand." Wang Wenwu stood up. "Of course, if Chile is willing to become our long-term partner in South America, there will be more preferential policies in the future."