World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

Just as they were shaking hands, Major General Santos suddenly said, "Minister Wang, if... if one day Brazil and Argentina really do clash, and these warships meet at sea..."

He didn't finish speaking, but his meaning was clear.

Wang Wenwu held his hand, not letting go immediately: "Major General, Lanfang is selling weapons, not a stance. We sincerely hope that these warships will forever be used only for training and deterrence. But if that day truly comes—"

He paused:

"It is hoped that both sides will remember that there are no winners in war, only survivors. And survivors often have to bear decades of pain."

Major General Santos gave him a deep look and nodded: "I will remember those words."

After the ceremony, the Brazilian sailors officially took over the warship. They will undergo two weeks of acclimatization training before setting sail in early November to return home, crossing the Indian Ocean, circumnavigating the Cape of Good Hope, and traversing the Atlantic Ocean, returning to Rio de Janeiro after two months.

Wang Wenwu stood on the dock, watching the Brazilian sailors raise the Brazilian flag. The green and yellow flag unfurled in the autumn sea breeze, echoing the flag that had just been raised on the nearby "Minas Gerais" ship.

Six warships, three countries, and a power reshuffling in the South Pacific.

Lan Fang was the driving force behind this restructuring.

"Minister," the assistant said, walking up to him, "the German delegation has sent a telegram inquiring about the progress of the second 'Kaiser-class' ship."

Reply: Proceedings are on schedule, delivery is expected in June next year.

The French delegation inquired whether the delivery time for subsequent orders of the Courbet-class aircraft could be brought forward.

"Reply: The dock schedule is full, the earliest is the end of 1912."

"U.K……"

What's wrong with Britain?

"Lord Fisher's private telegram inquiring about the price of the oil-fired boiler version of the Orion-class."

Wang Wenwu smiled. The British couldn't sit still any longer either.

"Reply: The initial offer is £720 million, with delivery at the end of 1913. If we sign now, priority scheduling can be guaranteed."

"clear."

After his assistant left, Wang Wenwu stood alone for a while. The sea breeze carried the smells of salt and engine oil. He looked at the busy dock, at the warships being towed away from their berths, and at the empty shipyard in the distance—where new construction would soon begin.

Three years, ten capital ships, and an order for over 40 million pounds.

They did it.

Not only did they achieve this, they also established a system, a team, and a reputation.

Now, it's time to move on to the next phase.

He turned and walked toward the car, his steps much lighter than when he came.

December 15, 910, 9:00 AM, the newly built "Revival Auditorium".

This building, which can accommodate two thousand people, was completed three months ago and is being used for the first time today. A huge yellow dragon flag hangs above the platform, with the slogan "Three Years of Hard Work, Turning Swords into Plowshares" on both sides. The platform is packed with people—officials, engineers, worker representatives, teachers, doctors, Arab representatives, and even a few Bedouin elders who have just received their blue ID cards.

Chen Feng sat in the center of the stage, a thick report in front of him. Wang Wenwu sat to his left, Liu Yongfu to his right, and Zhou Nian, Li Te, Wang Bo, and others were lined up in order.

"Fellow countrymen," Chen Feng began, his voice carrying throughout the auditorium through the newly installed loudspeaker system, "Three years ago, on December 15, 1907, we were here—at that time, it was just an empty lot—to announce the launch of the 'Three-Year Offensive' plan. Today, the three years are up, and we've returned with our achievements."

The audience was so quiet you could hear them breathing.

"Now, Minister Wang Wenwu will give a summary report."

Wang Wenwu stood up and walked to the front of the podium. Today he was wearing a dark gray Zhongshan suit, with a fountain pen pinned to his chest—a gift from Chen Feng, with "1907-1910" engraved on the cap.

"Fellow countrymen, I will let the data speak for itself." He turned to the first page of the report. "First, the economy and trade."

Behind him, a huge table was projected onto the screen—this was a new technology imported from Germany, which Lanfang had just mastered.

I. Revenue from Arms Sales (1908-1910)

France: 5 Courbet-class destroyers, totaling £1900 million.

Germany: Two Kaiser-class destroyers, totaling £6.4 million (one has been delivered, and the second is under construction).

United Kingdom: One Orion-class destroyer, £6 million

Chile: 2 Dreadnought-class destroyers, £560 million

Argentina: 4 Dreadnought-class destroyers, £1120 million

Brazil: 2 Dreadnought-class destroyers, £560 million

Total: 10 delivered, 2 under construction, total revenue £5380 million

A collective gasp rippled through the audience. £53.8 million—a figure that defied most people's wildest imaginations.

"This is how we used the money," Wang Wenwu continued.

Second table:

II. Fund Allocation

Industrial expansion: £2100 million (shipyard, steel mill, power plant, railway)

Technology research and development: £800 million (weapons, machinery, chemicals, electronics)

Infrastructure development: £1200 million (housing, schools, hospitals, farmland irrigation)

Nanyang Homecoming Fund: £800 million

Strategic reserves: £480 million

Total: £5380 million

"Every penny," Wang Wenwu emphasized, "is accounted for and documented. Next, we will focus on the achievements of industrial development."

Liu Yongfu took over from Wang Wenwu and walked to the front of the stage. The chief engineer had specially worn a newly made Zhongshan suit today, but the collar was still habitually left open.

"Gentlemen, I am Liu Yongfu, in charge of industry." His opening remarks were simple and unpretentious. "In three years, we have built these things—"

Photos and charts appeared on the screen:

1. Shipbuilding industry

Large dry docks: expanded from 8 to 10, each capable of building 40,000-ton warships.

Medium-sized dry docks: 15 new ones will be built for the construction of cruisers, destroyers, and merchant ships.

Annual shipbuilding capacity: increased from 3 capital ships to 8 ships

Key technologies: segmented construction method, all-welding process, modular production

The photo switches to a panoramic view of the dock area—ten huge docks arranged like a chessboard, with cranes standing tall.

2. Iron and Steel Industry

Special steel plants: increased from 1 to 3

Annual output: increased from 5 tons to 35 tons

Products: Warship armor steel, gun barrel steel, special alloys for marine engineering

Self-sufficiency rate: increased from 30% to 85%

3. Machinery manufacturing

Machine tool factory: Two new buildings to produce lathes, milling machines, boring machines, and grinding machines.

Annual production capacity: 1200 machine tools of various types, of which 40% are exported.

Key technologies: precision machining, gear transmission, hydraulic control

4. Arms Industry

Arsenal: 3 new ones

Products: Rifles, machine guns, artillery, and ammunition are all produced in-house.

Monthly production capacity: Enough to equip 1.5 infantry divisions

Research and development achievements: 12 new types of equipment including the "Swift" light machine gun, the "Tiger Roar" submachine gun, and the "Thunder" 75mm cannon.

Liu Yongfu spoke slowly, allowing the audience a moment to process each figure. When he mentioned "all domestically produced," the auditorium erupted in applause.

"This is not my achievement alone," Liu Yongfu said. "It is the result of 8,000 engineers and 32,000 workers who worked more than 10 hours a day for three years. Some of them are here today, and some are still in the factory—because production cannot stop."

He pointed to several people in overalls below the stage:

"Take Zhou Dayong, for example, he was in the welding team. He welded 15 kilometers of seams in three years without a single quality accident. His son was a machine gunner in the First Division of the Army, and he used a gun made in his father's factory."

Zhou Dayong stood up, a hint of embarrassment on his dark face. The entire audience applauded.