World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

Rodman nodded. "I understand. Thank you for your frankness, General Lee."

The two continued their walk. The garden was quiet, with only birdsong and the faint sound of distant waves.

It was 3:30 p.m. when they returned to the club. Rodman asked to see the Lanfang Navy's newest training facilities, and Li Te readily agreed.

The convoy set off again, this time heading towards the training center on the west side of the base. This area is quite large, featuring a simulated bridge, a gunnery training range, a damage control training area, and even a small dock model for training pier operations.

Inside the simulated bridge, Rodman observed soldiers undergoing emergency response training. Various sea conditions and enemy situations were simulated on a large screen, requiring commanders to make decisions within one minute. The training was highly realistic, and the soldiers reacted swiftly and professionally.

"This kind of simulation training must be very expensive, right?" Rodman asked.

"It's definitely not cheap," Litt admitted, "but it's cheaper than live-fire exercises, and you can train repeatedly to accumulate experience. Especially for commanders, simulation training allows them to experience various extreme situations in a safe environment."

"What about the casualty rate?"

"Over the past three years, the casualty rate of the Lanfang Navy in training has been 0.03%, far lower than the average level in live-fire exercises," said Lee Te. "The President has always emphasized that soldiers' lives are the most precious thing. Problems that can be solved with technology should not be tested with human lives."

Rodman felt this deeply. The Maryland Navy also suffers many deaths every year during training exercises, mostly accidents. If that number could be reduced…

After touring the training center, it was 5 p.m. A welcome banquet was scheduled for that evening. But just then, a Lanfang officer hurried over and whispered a few words in Li Te's ear.

Li Te's expression turned somewhat strange. He turned to Rodman: "General, I'm sorry, there's been a bit of an emergency. There's been a small problem at the shipyard... I need to go and handle it."

"Do you need any help?" Rodman asked.

"No need, it's just a technical detail." Li Te waved his hand. "How about this, I'll have the chief of staff accompany you to continue the tour, or you could go back to the club to rest first? I'll be back as soon as possible."

Rodman thought for a moment: "If it doesn't involve classified information, could I come along? I'm very interested in your country's shipbuilding technology."

This is exactly the effect Li Te wanted—but it couldn't be too obvious.

He hesitated for a few seconds: "Well... some areas of the shipyard are classified. But if the general doesn't mind just looking at the non-classified areas..."

"Of course, I respect your country's security regulations."

"Then please."

The convoy changed direction and headed towards the large shipyard on the north side of the base. Security was noticeably tighter here, with double sentry posts at the entrance and all personnel required to have their credentials checked. Rodman noticed that there was an electric fence on the perimeter wall and watchtowers on higher ground.

Upon entering the factory area, the sight before him made Rodman hold his breath.

Four enormous dry docks stood in a row, three of which had ships under construction. In the largest dock, the hull of a warship was already taking shape, exceeding two hundred meters in length and thirty meters in width. Although it was still just a hull, without superstructures or weapons installed, its sheer size was already awe-inspiring.

"This is..." Rodman's voice was a little strained.

"The 'Zhiyuan,' our fourth 'Bismarck-class' ship," Li Te introduced. "It is expected to be launched at the end of this year and commissioned at the end of next year."

But Rodman's gaze didn't linger on the "Zhiyuan." He stared at the furthest, most secluded dock. Tall scaffolding and canvas sheds covered the area, obscuring what was being built inside, but the dock was larger than the other three—over 250 meters long and over 40 meters wide.

Moreover, the level of security in the area was significantly higher. There were not only soldiers patrolling, but also patrol teams with military dogs. All personnel approaching were subject to additional checks.

"What's in that dock..." Rodman asked, trying to make his voice sound casual.

A hint of unease flashed across Lee Te's face: "That... it's a special project. It's not convenient to disclose it to the public at the moment."

This "unnaturalness" and "inconvenience to disclose" only fueled Rodman's curiosity. As a veteran naval officer, he could deduce the size of the ships under construction from the dimensions of the dock—over 250 meters long and over 40 meters wide, meaning a displacement of at least 50,000 tons.

50,000 tons! 10,000 tons larger than the Bismarck-class! Larger than any warship that Merika was designing!

Seemingly realizing he'd let something slip, Li Te quickly changed the subject: "General, let's go check on the construction progress of the 'Zhiyuan.' We've made some new improvements to our welding techniques..."

But Rodman's mind was no longer on the Zhiyuan. As he followed Little, he kept glancing at the mysterious dock. He saw workers pushing out cartloads of steel scraps, thicker than those used in ordinary warships; he saw huge cranes lifting enormous components; he could even faintly hear the sound of steam hammering coming from inside—the sound of large forgings being processed.

This is no ordinary warship. This could be... a super battleship.

The tour ended in a state of unease. Ritter seemed eager to leave, hastily ending his explanation and leading Rodman back to the club.

At 7 p.m., a welcome dinner was held in the officers' club banquet hall.

The atmosphere should have been relaxed and pleasant, but Rodman was clearly distracted. He politely went through the toasts and conversations, but his eyes kept drifting out the window—in that direction lay the mysterious shipyard.

Li Te observed this and understood the situation. The plan was progressing smoothly.

Halfway through the dinner, Li Te rose to give a speech. He spoke some platitudes about friendly exchanges between the two navies, and then proposed a toast to peace. Everyone raised their glasses, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

After finishing his drink, Li Te walked over to Rodman, his face flushed with a slight buzz—it was an act, but very convincing.

"General, please forgive me for the poor hospitality today." His tongue seemed to be tied in knots.

"Yes, everything was arranged very well," Rodman said. "General Li seems to have had a bit too much to drink?"

"I'm happy." Li Te patted Rodman on the shoulder, a rather large gesture. "I'm especially happy to be able to interact with my friends from the Miracali Navy. You know, my dream when I was young was to go to Miracali to study naval technology..."

He began to speak his mind after drinking, recounting his study abroad experience in Germany, the arduous beginnings of the Lanfang Navy, and Chen Feng's leadership. His words were somewhat incoherent, but sincere and heartfelt.

Rodman listened patiently, nodding occasionally.

"...So, General, let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart." Li Te leaned closer and lowered his voice, but those around could still faintly hear him, "Lanfang doesn't want to oppose anyone. We just want to develop peacefully and let the people live a good life. But..."

He let out a burp:

"But some people always think we're easy to bully. They always think Asians are inferior. Let me tell you, times have changed! We have technology, we have factories, we have... we have that!"

He waved vaguely, pointing out the window in the direction of the shipyard.