World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

"Before that, please allow me to report on the loan situation." Wang Wenwu took out the assessment report from his briefcase, opened it, and said, "As of this month, Lanfang owes Germany a principal of 30 million pounds, with an annual interest rate of 5% as stipulated in the contract, and has already accrued 4.5 million pounds in interest."

William's expression brightened temporarily. Money, money again. The war had depleted Germany's gold reserves, and now the return on investment was finally in sight.

"Mr. Wang, are you aware of the special circumstances during wartime...?"

"Of course I understand," Wang Wenwu interrupted gently. "President Chen Feng specifically instructed that Lanfang, as a friend of Germany, is willing to provide assistance. Therefore, we have a plan."

He turned to the last page of the report and pushed it in front of William.

"What exactly do you want?" he asked, his eyes fixed on Wang Wenwu.

Wang Wenwu opened his briefcase again, this time taking out the stack of photos. He spread the photos out on the desk one by one—panoramic views of the warship in the dock, close-ups of the main gun turrets, details of the bridge, and the layout of the anti-aircraft gun positions.

Wilhelm II sat bolt upright. As a fervent naval enthusiast, he recognized it at a glance.

"This is……"

"The Bismarck-class battleship," Wang Wenwu said. "It had a standard displacement of 41,000 tons, a length of 251 meters, and a beam of 36 meters. Its armament consisted of eight 380mm main guns, twelve 150mm secondary guns, sixteen 105mm anti-aircraft guns, and a large number of small and medium-caliber anti-aircraft weapons. The main armor belt was 320mm thick, the deck armor was 120mm, and the turret frontal armor was 360mm. The propulsion system consisted of twelve high-pressure boilers and three steam turbines, with a maximum output of 150,000 horsepower, a top speed of 30 knots, and a range of 8,500 nautical miles."

With each statistic he presented, Wilhelm's eyes lit up. These parameters far exceeded those of any warship currently in service with Germany, even surpassing the Bavarian-class battleships, which were still on the drawing board.

"These two warships," Wang Wenwu pointed to the photo, "are the 'Yangtze River' and the 'Yellow River,' as well as some newly built ships undergoing final outfitting at the Lanfang-Dubai Naval Shipyard. They are expected to be commissioned in three months."

William stared at the photograph, his throat dry. He could imagine what it would be like to see these two colossal ships in the North Sea—they could crush any active British battleship and might even alter the strategic balance of the entire navy.

"You...are you willing to sell?" His voice was a little hoarse.

"Yes," Wang Wenwu nodded, "and we can accept non-cash payments."

A few seconds of silence filled the study. Wilhelm II's gaze darted back and forth between the photographs and the loan report, his mind racing. A loan of thirty million pounds, two of the world's finest battleships…

"Price?" he asked the most crucial question.

Wang Wenwu reported the figures provided by Chen Feng: "For a single Bismarck-class battleship, considering the transfer of active-duty equipment, strategic value, and technical secrecy factors, our offer is 30 million pounds per ship. For two ships, the total is 60 million pounds."

"Sixty million!" William nearly jumped out of his chair. "Mr. Wang, do you know how much Germany's annual military budget is? Do you know how many submarines sixty million pounds can build?"

"I know," Wang Wenwu said calmly. "But I also know that the presence of two Bismarck-class ships in the North Sea will force the Royal Navy to reassess the risks of the blockade. I know they can cover German merchant ships as they break through the blockade. I know they can become His Majesty's most powerful diplomatic bargaining chip."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "I also know that what His Majesty needs most right now is a victory, even if it is a potential, yet-to-be-realized victory. These two ships represent that hope for victory."

Wilhelm fell silent. He sat back down in his chair, resting his hands on his forehead. Wang Wenwu's words had struck at the deepest part of his anxiety—he needed hope, Germany needed hope, and the entire country needed to see a way out of its predicament.

"Sixty million...we can't afford it." In the end, he admitted this humiliating fact.

"That's why I said non-cash payment is possible." Wang Wenwu turned to another page of the report. "The proposal is as follows: the loan we owe your country will be used to offset the price of one warship. For the other warship, your country will need to pay in cash—but we understand your country's financial situation, so we accept installment payments, with a 20% down payment and the remainder to be paid off within ten years after the war."

William quickly did the mental calculations. With the 30 million debt offset and a 6 million down payment, he could acquire two Bismarck-class ships. The remaining 24 million, paid after the war, was still a large sum, but at least it wasn't something he had to pay out now.

"What are the conditions?" he asked. "Besides loan repayment, what other conditions are there?"

Wang Wenwu held up three fingers. "First, the delivery of the two warships must be carried out under absolute secrecy. The Lanfang crew will sail them to the designated sea area, where the German Navy will take delivery. If they are intercepted by the British Navy during this period, the risk will be borne by your country."

"Can two ships really break the deadlock?" William muttered to himself, more like asking himself.

"At least it can break the naval deadlock," Wang Wenwu said. "Front Admiral Tirpitz told you that the fleet needs time, and that's true. But if two Bismarck-class ships join, time will be on your side. You can tell the British: either negotiate or face a rapidly modernizing German navy."

William stood up and walked to the window. The roses in the garden were still in full bloom, but to him they had lost their color. His fingers unconsciously traced the window frame, his mind racing.

Money, or power?

Gold, or warships?

Short-term pain or long-term predicament?

"Forty-eight hours." Finally, he turned around. "Give me forty-eight hours to consider. I need to consult the Treasury, the Navy, and the General Staff."

"Of course." Wang Wenwu also stood up. "I will be waiting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs guesthouse. But please allow me to remind Your Majesty—time waits for no one. Every day, Verdun is consuming more lives. Every day, the British blockade is tightening. And these two warships will be able to appear in the North Sea in three months."

He carefully put away the photos and documents, bowed slightly to the emperor, and turned to leave.

After the study door closed, Wilhelm II stood motionless for a long time. His gaze fell on the Verdun battle report on his desk; the numbers seemed to mock him—eight thousand lives, for what? A mere three hundred meters of progress?

Then the focus shifted to the photos of those warships. Steel behemoths, heavily armed and heavily armored.

power.

He needs strength.

Even if the price is one-third of the gold in the national treasury.

The sky outside the window grew even darker, and the first raindrop hit the glass, leaving a winding trail of water.