Chapter 122: After the Digressions of These Chapters, Directly Into the First War Phase

Just as they were shaking hands, Major General Santos suddenly said, "Minister Wang, if… if one day Brazil and Argentina actually come into conflict, and these warships meet at sea…"

He didn't finish, but the meaning was clear.

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

He paused:

"May both sides remember that war has no winners, only survivors. And survivors often bear decades of suffering."

Major General Santos looked at him deeply, nodded, "I will remember that sentence."

When the ceremony ended, Brazilian sailors began formally taking over the warships. They will undergo two weeks of acclimation training, then set sail back home in early November, crossing the Indian Ocean, rounding the Cape of Good Hope, traversing the Atlantic, and returning to Rio de Janeiro after two months.

Wang Wenwu stood on the pier, watching the Brazilian sailors raise the Brazilian flag. The green‑and‑yellow banner unfurled in the autumn sea breeze, echoing the flag just raised on the nearby ship Minas Gerais.

Six warships, three nations, a South Pacific power reshuffle.

And Lanfang is the driver of this reshuffle.

"Minister," the assistant walked up to him, "the Deguo delegation sent a telegram asking about the progress of the second ship of the Caesar class."

"Reply: proceeding as scheduled, delivery in June next year."

"The Faguo delegation inquired whether the delivery schedule for the follow‑up orders of the Solitary class could be advanced."

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

"Yingguo…"

"What about Yingguo?"

"Lord Fisher's private telegram asked for the price of the fuel‑oil boiler version of the Orion class."

Wang Wenwu smiled. The Yingguo side could no longer sit still.

"Reply: preliminary price 7.2 million pounds, delivery by the end of 1913. If we sign now, priority scheduling can be guaranteed."

"Understood."

After the assistant left, Wang Wenwu stood alone for a while. The sea wind came, carrying salt and oil smells. He watched the bustling pier, the warships being towed away from their berths, and the farther‑off vacant shipyard—where new construction would soon begin.

Three years, ten capital ships, orders exceeding 40 million pounds.

They achieved it.

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

Now, it is time to enter the next stage.

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

December 15, 910, 9 a. m., the newly completed "Revival Hall."

The building, capable of holding two thousand people, was completed three months earlier, and today it was being used formally for the first time. A huge Yellow Dragon Flag hung above the podium, and on either side were the slogans "Three-Year Siege, Forge swords into plows." The audience was packed—officials, engineers, worker representatives, teachers, doctors, Arab‑ethnic representatives, and even a few Bedouin elders who had just received blue ID cards.

Chen Feng sat at the center of the podium, a thick report laid before him. Wang Wenwu sat to his left, Liu Yongfu to his right, and Zhou Nian, Li Te, Wang Bo and others were arranged in order.

"Fellow compatriots," Chen Feng began, his voice carried through the newly installed PA system across the hall, "three years ago, on December 15, 1907, we stood here—then just an empty plot—and announced the launch of the 'Three-Year Siege' plan. Today, the three‑year term has ended, and we have returned with report cards."

The audience below was so quiet that one could hear breathing.

"Now, please Minister Wang Wenwu give the summary report."

Wang Wenwu stood up and walked to the lectern. Today he wore a dark‑gray Zhongshan suit, with a steel pen pinned to his chest— a gift from Chen Feng, its cap engraved "1907‑1910."

"Fellow compatriots, I will let the data speak." He opened to the first page of the report, "First, economy and trade."

Behind him, the screen projected a massive table—new technology imported from Deguo that Lanfang had just mastered.

1. Arms‑sale revenue (1908‑1910)

France: 5 Solitary‑class ships, total price 19 million pounds

Deguo: 2 Caesar‑class ships, total price 6.4 million pounds (one delivered, the second under construction)

Yingguo: 1 Orion‑class ship, 6 million pounds

Chile: 2 Dauntless‑class ships, 5.6 million pounds

Argentina: 4 Dauntless‑class ships, 11.2 million pounds

Brazil: 2 Dauntless‑class ships, 5.6 million pounds

Total: 10 ships delivered, 2 under construction, total revenue 53.8 million pounds

A gasp rose from the audience. 53.8 million pounds—that figure exceeded most people's imagination.

"These funds," Wang Wenwu continued, "were used as follows."

Second table:

2. Allocation of funds

Industrial expansion: 21 million pounds (shipyards, steel plants, power plants, railways)

Tech R&D: 8 million pounds (weapons, machinery, chemicals, electronics)

Public welfare construction: 12 million pounds (housing, schools, hospitals, agricultural irrigation)

South Ocean Home‑Return Fund: 8 million pounds

Strategic reserves: 4.8 million pounds

Total: 53.8 million pounds

"Every penny," Wang Wenwu emphasized, "is accounted for and documented. Next, the results of industrial construction."

Liu Yongfu succeeded Wang Wenwu at the lectern. The chief engineer wore a newly made Zhongshan suit today, but his collar remained habitually open.

"Everyone, I am Liu Yongfu, in charge of industry." His opening was plain, "In three years, we built these things—"

Photos and charts appeared on the screen:

1. Shipbuilding industry

Large shipyards: expanded from 8 to 10, each capable of building 40,000‑ton warships

Medium shipyards: 15 newly built, for constructing cruisers, destroyers, merchant vessels

Annual shipbuilding capacity: increased from three capital ships to eight.

Key technologies: segmented construction method, full‑weld process, modular production.

The photo switches, showing a panoramic view of the dockyard area—ten massive dry docks arranged like a chessboard, with cranes standing everywhere.

2. Steel industry

Special steel plant: increased from one to three.

Annual output: rose from 50,000 tons to 350,000 tons.

Products: battleship armor steel, gun‑barrel steel, special alloy for propulsion machinery.

Self‑sufficiency rate: increased from 30% to 85%.

3. Machinery manufacturing

Machine‑tool factory: two new plants, capable of producing lathes, milling machines, boring machines, and grinding machines.

Annual capacity: 1,200 units of various machine tools, of which 40% are exported.

Key technologies: precision machining, gear transmission, hydraulic control.

4. Arms industry

Arms factory: three new facilities.

Products: rifles, machine guns, artillery, and ammunition—all produced domestically.

Monthly capacity: enough to equip 1.5 infantry divisions.

Research results: the 'Swift' light machine gun, the 'Tiger Roar' submachine gun, the 'Thunder' 75 mm cannon and other new equipment, totaling twelve types.

Liu Yongfu spoke slowly, letting the audience digest each figure for a moment. When he mentioned 'all domestically produced', the auditorium erupted in applause.

"This is not my alone achievement," Liu Yongfu said, "it is the result of eight thousand engineers and thirty‑two thousand workers, each putting in over ten hours a day for three years. Some of them are here today, some are still in the factories—because production cannot stop."

He pointed to a few people in work clothes in the audience:

"For example, that one—Master Zhou Dayong of the welding team. In three years he welded fifteen kilometers of Weld Seam without a single quality incident. His son serves as a machine‑gunner in the army's First Division, using a gun made in his father's factory."

Zhou Dayong stood up, his dark face a little embarrassed. The whole venue applauded.