World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

Uncle Wang got up and handed out a form to everyone. The form listed all current orders:

France: 5 Courbet-class destroyers

Germany: 2 Kaiser-class destroyers

Britain: One Orion-class destroyer, design confirmed (we'll skip the negotiations with the British and jump straight to its completion in 1909).

Chile: 2 Dreadnought-class destroyers

Total: 10 capital ships, with an average construction period of 22 months per ship.

"Our current maximum capacity," Liu Yongfu said, pointing to the table, "is six ships being built simultaneously. Of the eight dry docks, two are under renovation, and six are operational. Expanding to ten would mean at least two dry docks would have to be shut down for a year. This would directly lead to order delays."

"So we need innovation." Chen Feng looked at Liu Yongfu, "Could the 'segmented construction method' you mentioned before accelerate the process?"

Liu Yongfu's eyes lit up. This was a new process he had been researching for half a year: dividing the hull into dozens of modules, building them simultaneously in different workshops, and finally assembling them in the dock like building blocks.

"Theoretically, the construction period could be shortened by 30 percent," he said. "But it would require redesigning all processes, training workers, and building specialized modular transport tracks. The initial investment would be substantial."

"How much should we invest?"

"At least £500,000. Mainly for building new modular workshops and transportation systems."

"Approved." Chen Feng said without hesitation. "It will be allocated from the 'Nanyang Homecoming Fund.' Uncle Wang, write it down."

Uncle Wang scribbled quickly in his notebook, the brush scratching softly on the rice paper. This old man insisted on using a brush and rice paper for meeting minutes, saying that this way "the characters can be passed down for a hundred years."

"Go on," Chen Feng said, looking at Li Te. "What about the Navy? Is the training for the new crew members keeping up?"

Li Te sat up straight. He was wearing his naval service uniform today, and the stars on his epaulets were polished to a gleaming shine.

"no problem!"

Chen Feng turned to Zhou Nian: "What about railways and electricity? With industrial expansion, infrastructure must keep up."

On anniversary, he opened his notebook, which was filled with sketches drawn in pencil.

"The Harbour Ring Railway is currently 80% complete and can transport 20,000 tons of goods per day. However, to support ten large docks, the capacity needs to be at least doubled. I propose building two branch lines directly to each dock. The budget is... £300,000."

"Electricity is even more problematic," he continued. "The existing three thermal power plants, with a total installed capacity of 80,000 kilowatts, are already nearing their limit. New shipyards, new factories, and an additional 150,000 people... we need to add at least another 50,000 kilowatts of installed capacity."

"How is the tidal power station progressing?" Chen Feng asked.

"The experimental one, with an installed capacity of 500 kilowatts, is operating stably," Liu Yongfu continued. "But for large-scale deployment, we need to solve the turbine corrosion problem. The salinity of the seawater in the Persian Gulf is too high."

"Then let's continue the research. At the same time, order two more 20,000-kilowatt thermal power units from Germany." Chen Feng made the decision. "Uncle Wang, write this down. Two thermal power units, priority given to them."

After asking around, the budget had increased by millions of pounds. But no one objected. Everyone knew this was a necessary price to pay.

"Alright, now let's get to the most crucial part." Chen Feng leaned forward, placing his hands on the table. "What is the overall goal of 'Project Rock'? It's not just about expanding the shipyard, but about completing the delivery of all existing orders within three years. Furthermore, it's about having the capability to simultaneously handle two regional crises."

"Two crises?" Wang Wenwu frowned. "The Grand Commander is referring to..."

"For example, the Dutch are causing trouble in the South China Sea, while Japan is putting pressure on Taiwan." Chen Feng spoke calmly, but his words made everyone hold their breath. "If we only have the 'Kuangfu' and 'Fuxing', we can only deal with one direction. But if we have six ships of the same class, we can divide our forces."

Li Te's eyes lit up: "The President is already considering practical deployments?"

"It's not just something to consider, it's something we absolutely must consider." Chen Feng stood up and walked to the huge map of Southeast Asia on the wall. "Tokyo asked me today what Lanfang's ultimate goal is. I told him it's to go home."

He pointed to the location of Borneo on the map with his finger:

"Pontianak. The former capital of Lanfang. Now there are 5,000 Dutch troops stationed there, with coastal artillery and fortifications. We can't go back through negotiations. The Dutch won't withdraw voluntarily, just like the Japanese won't return Taiwan voluntarily."

His fingers moved along the coastline, across the Strait of Malacca, across the South China Sea:

"Along the way, we will face the Dutch Navy, potential British intervention, Japan's attitude, and the stance of the indigenous kingdoms along the route. Without enough warships, we won't even be able to leave the Persian Gulf."

The meeting room was completely silent. Everyone stared at the map, at the sea area fragmented by various colors. Blue represented the deep sea, white the unmarked areas, red the homeland of Lanfang, orange the Dutch-controlled territory, yellow the British colony, and black the territory under indigenous control.

It's as complicated as a dead end game.

"So the true meaning of 'Project Rock'," Chen Feng turned around and looked at everyone present, "is not to build more shipyards, but to build an indestructible foundation. Even if we suffer setbacks in Southeast Asia, even if we can't go home for the time being, at least we still have the Persian Gulf as our base. As long as the shipyards are there, the factories are there, and the people are there, we will always have a chance."

He walked back to his seat, but instead of sitting down, he continued standing:

"Three years. I'm giving you all three years. In three years, I want to see ten shipyards capable of building world-class warships, all orders delivered on time, the navy capable of handling two crises simultaneously, and the army with at least three fully equipped divisions."

His gaze swept across everyone's face:

"Is it possible?"

silence.

Then Liu Yongfu was the first to stand up. The veteran engineer straightened his always slightly hunched back, his voice soft but firm:

"Commander-in-Chief, I started learning shipbuilding from my master when I was twenty-four, and I'm fifty-eight this year. I've built ships my whole life, but I've never built anything as good as the 'Restoration Ship'. As long as I have a breath left, the shipyard will definitely be built."

The second person to stand up on the anniversary said, "Leave the railroads and power plants to me."

Li Te's third point: "Naval training to ensure the mission is completed."

Wang Wenwu's fourth statement: "I will defend the front lines in diplomacy and trade."

Finally, it was Uncle Wang's turn. The old man slowly stood up. He didn't make any promises, but simply said, "Young master, I will watch and remember. When we go home, I will tell these things to our ancestors in the ancestral hall, one by one."

Chen Feng looked at them, at these people who had followed him since the days of the thirty tents, and his eyes welled up with tears. But he held them back.

"Okay," he said. "Then it's settled. After the meeting, each of you should draft a detailed plan, and we'll meet again in three days. The budget, timeline, and personnel requirements should all be clearly listed. I want to see the numbers, the timeline, and how much responsibility each person bears."

He paused, then added as a final sentence:

"There's one more thing. From today onwards, all new immigrants must receive basic military training. They are not required to become soldiers, but they must know how to shoot, dig trenches, and understand air defense. What we are building is a nation where everyone is equipped."

"yes!"