World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

"Agree to their terms." Chen Feng said without hesitation. "Let's get the plane first. The site will be here. As for whether to dismantle it or not... we'll talk about that when the plane arrives."

"But the contract—"

"Contracts are made by people," Chen Feng interrupted him. "Once the French pilots leave, the plane will be ours, and we can study it however we want. The most important thing now is to let our trainees see, touch, and feel what a real plane looks like."

Li nodded: "That's the right approach. Without a physical object, just looking at blueprints is just empty talk."

Chen Feng picked up the second document.

"The second step is learning. After these two aircraft arrive, while Zhao Tianxiang is recovering from his injuries, we need to select the best trainees to learn from French pilots. They will not only learn to fly, but also to maintain and repair them. At the same time, Master Ma's technical team will follow up throughout the process, observing and taking notes, recording every detail."

Master Ma looked up: "Engineer Chen, you mean...learning from someone else?"

"It's not called stealing, it's called learning," Chen Feng corrected. "What we paid for wasn't just the plane, but also three months of 'training.' The training didn't say it wouldn't cover structural principles, did it? It didn't say our people weren't allowed to watch, did it?"

The engineers exchanged glances, and their eyes lit up again.

"The third step is revision." Chen Feng opened the third document, a simplified design of the F4F "Wildcat." "Based on our learning and research, we're restarting the 'Swift' project. But this time, we're not aiming for a one-step solution; we'll proceed in phases."

He pointed to different parts of the drawing.

"The first phase is to build a demonstrator aircraft that can fly. We don't require weapons or high performance; we just need it to take off, fly level, and land stably. We can use the materials we have, even if it flies slowly or low."

"The second phase involves improving the prototype. We'll use better materials, optimize the design, and enhance performance. The goal is to achieve 60% of the performance of the original 'Wildcat'."

"The third stage is when the real 'Swift' arrives."

Liu Yongfu looked at the blueprints, his brows furrowed: "Commander-in-Chief, this will cost money again, and not a small amount."

"The budget is £800,000," Chen Feng said frankly. "Of that, £300,000 will be used to buy aircraft and pay for training fees, £200,000 will be used for material procurement and equipment upgrades, and the remaining £300,000 will be used for research and development."

Wang Wenwu gasped: "Eight hundred thousand...that's equivalent to the entire annual expenditure of an entire army division."

"It's all worth it," Chen Feng emphasized again. "It will come from my special funds. Any shortfall will be temporarily borrowed from the naval shipbuilding budget. Li Te, this requires your support."

The rear admiral remained silent for a few seconds. Everyone in the conference room was looking at him.

"I need a reason," Li Te said slowly, "one that can convince me why we should divert precious shipbuilding funds to these... iron birds."

Chen Feng stood up and walked to the Persian Gulf nautical chart hanging on the wall.

"General Li, look here." He pointed to the Strait of Hormuz. "At its narrowest point, it's less than fifty kilometers wide. What if one day in the future, an enemy fleet blocks this passage, preventing our ships from leaving and foreign ships from entering?"

"Use warships to launch an attack."

"What if we can't win? What if the enemy has two or three times our number of warships?"

Lee Te stopped talking.

"Airplanes offer a possibility," Chen Feng turned around, "to take off from the land, cross dozens of kilometers, fly over the enemy fleet, and drop bombs. There's no need to engage them in a direct firefight. Just shoot and run; they can't catch up."

"But you just said that the planes built in the first phase didn't even have weapons."

"Not now, but in the future." Chen Feng walked back to his seat. "General Li, let me ask you a question: If I told you now that we could build a new type of torpedo in three years, with double the range and double the speed, would you support my investment in research and development?"

Of course.

"Then it's the same now." Chen Feng placed his hands on the table. "Airplanes are the new type of torpedoes of the future. Except they don't run in the water, they fly in the sky."

Lee Te stared at him for a long time before finally nodding: "I support you. But there's one condition."

"you say."

"The Navy needs to send people to participate in this program," Litt said. "Not just to observe, but to actively participate in learning and training. If aircraft can indeed be used in naval warfare in the future, the Navy must have people who understand it."

Chen Feng smiled: "This is exactly what I wanted. Among the first batch of trainees, there were five people recommended by your navy. The next batch can have more."

"make a deal."

Uncle Wang then spoke up: "Young Master, there's another problem. Mr. Zhao is injured, who will oversee the technical work? Master Ma and the others understand machinery, but they don't understand aviation."

"Me," Chen Feng said. "Until we find a suitable candidate, I will come in person. Every night after finishing my administrative duties, I will come to the base to give lectures and guide technical problem-solving."

"You haven't slept for two days..." Uncle Wang said worriedly.

"We can manage." Chen Feng waved his hand. "Also, Minister Wang, there's something else you need to do."

"Please speak."

"Secret recruitment," Chen Feng said in a low voice. "Find some aerospace engineers from Europe, especially Germany and France. Use high salaries, generous conditions, and the guise of 'academic exchange.' If necessary... we can use some extraordinary means."

Wang Wenwu said seriously, "I understand. Several lines of communication have already been established, but Europe is keeping a close eye on aviation talent, especially the Germans."

"Take your time, there's no rush, but you must do it."

The meeting didn't end until noon. As Chen Feng stepped out of the meeting room, the desert sun was so bright it was blinding. Standing at the door, he looked at the distant runway where the wreckage of "Young Eagle-1" had been cleared away, leaving only a patch of charred remains.

Master Ma walked up to him: "Engineer Chen, I'm sorry..."

"Don't talk about that." Chen Feng patted his shoulder. "Master Ma, do you know what I admire most about you veteran masters?"

"What?"

"We can withstand setbacks," Chen Feng said. "Those who manufacture machines know that there are no designs that don't fail, only craftsmen who dare not try again. If we fail this time, we'll find the reason, revise the design, and try again next time. As long as we don't give up, we'll succeed someday."

Master Ma's eyes reddened, and he nodded emphatically: "Don't worry, this time we will be extremely careful."

"Okay." Chen Feng looked into the distance. "Our journey will only truly begin once the French plane arrives."

March 18, 1912, 7:00 AM.

After a bumpy six-hour drive along the desert highway, three trucks and a car finally arrived at the "Oasis" base. The trucks carried two enormous wooden crates, tightly wrapped in tarpaulins. Three people stepped out of the car: Wang Wenwu, a white man in a suit, and a Frenchman wearing a flight cap and looking utterly impatient.

Everyone at the base gathered in the open space. The trainees stood in rows, craning their necks to see what was inside the wooden crates. The engineers stood around, notebooks in hand, their eyes gleaming.

Chen Feng went to meet him.