Chapter 126: Bismarck Class II

"This turret layout… two forward, two aft? It's not the traditional offset type?"

"Right, all arranged along the centerline. Turret A and Turret B are on the same deck level, and Turret C and Turret D likewise," Chen Feng said, pointing at the plans, "this design reduces hull length and increases structural strength."

"But the firing arcs will be affected…"

"Therefore the turret bases have a special design that allows 360-degree rotation. Of course, we wouldn't use that in actual combat."

Liu Yongfu turned to the next sheet, an armor layout diagram. He stared at it for a full minute, then looked up: "President, the armor's slant angle… and this thickness distribution… who designed this?"

"What do you think?"

"I…" Liu Yongfu pushed his glasses, "I can't design it. At least not now. This Concept… is too ahead of its time."

Chen Feng gave no answer and opened the second crate.

This time it's a submarine.

U-IX type, submerged displacement 1,200 tons, six torpedo tubes, range 8,000 nautical miles. The plans even note the periscope magnification, battery capacity, underwater speed and endurance.

"Eighty units," Chen Feng said, "I want to build at least eighty of these submarines before the end of 1914."

The hall erupted.

"Eighty?"

"How much would that cost?"

"What about the workers? The materials?"

Chen Feng let the discussion continue for half a minute, then tapped the table.

"The third crate."

Cruisers and destroyers. A simplified version of the Omaha Class, named the South Ocean Class cruiser. An improved version of the Peak Wind Class, named the Sea Swallow Class destroyer. Each plan lists detailed specifications, from Main Gun caliber to engine power, from armor thickness to range.

Liu Yongfu had already sat back down, but his eyes never left the plans. His fingers tapped lightly on his knee, his habitual thinking motion.

"President," Liu Yongfu finally spoke, "May I ask a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Where did these plans… come from?"

The hall fell silent in an instant. Everyone looked at Chen Feng.

Chen Feng was silent for three seconds.

"From wherever they're needed," he said, "Chief Engineer Liu, what you should be concerned about now isn't the source of the plans, but—can we actually build them?"

Liu Yongfu stood up again; this time he didn't rush to the plans, but pulled a small notebook and a pencil from his pocket.

"Then let's calculate," he said, "President, give us a timeframe."

"By the end of 1914," Chen Feng said, "I need four Bismarck Class battleships, five Omaha Class cruisers, twenty Peak Wind Class destroyers, and eighty U-type submarines. All in service."

A collective gasp rose from the audience.

Liu Yongfu's pen flew across the paper. He wrote engineering calculations, reciting as he wrote:

"Four battleships, standard displacement 41,000 tons, full load 50,000… let's average 45,000. Four ships amount to 180,000 tons of steel."

"Five cruisers, Omaha Class designed standard displacement 7,000 tons, full load about 9,000… that's 45,000 tons."

"Twenty destroyers, Peak Wind Class standard displacement 1,300… that's 26,000 tons."

"Eighty submarines, each 1,200… that's 96,000 tons."

He looked up: "Just the hull steel alone requires 347,000 tons. That doesn't include armor steel, gun‑barrel steel, or special steel for the engines."

Chen Feng nodded. "Continue."

"Our steel production capacity was 350,000 tons last year," Liu Yongfu said, "of which about 150,000 tons are special steel usable for shipbuilding. At this rate, just gathering enough steel would take over two years."

"What if we raise steel capacity to one million tons?"

"That would still require expanding steel mills, adding more blast furnaces, training workers… at least a year."

"A year is too long," Chen Feng said, "I want to boost special steel capacity to 300,000 tons within six months."

Liu Yongfu gave a wry smile: "President, this isn't magic. A blast furnace takes eight months from construction to commissioning…"

"So we won't use traditional methods," Chen Feng walked to the blackboard and drew a simple flowchart, "Oxygen Top-Blown Furnace. I've placed the design drawings in the plan box; you can review them later. This furnace's smelting time is only a third of a conventional furnace, yet output can double."

A few steel‑mill engineers stepped forward to examine closely.

"Oxygen… where does it come from?"

"Build an air‑separation plant. Deguo Linde Company has the technology; we can purchase it."

"What about temperature control?"

"Automated instrumentation. We're already developing it."

Liu Yongfu stared at the blackboard for a long time, then asked a second question: "What about the workers? Shipbuilding isn't stacking bricks; it needs skilled welders, riveters, pipefitters, electricians. We now have 8,000 shipyard workers, already on three shifts."

"Training," Chen Feng said, "Effective today, all technical schools will expand enrollment. We'll implement the Master‑Apprentice System: one master takes three apprentices, each graduate earns a £50 reward. Any skilled immigrant will be prioritized for shipyard placement."

"How do we guarantee quality? Novices will cause accidents…"

"Hence we must standardize," Chen Feng opened another plan, the detailed process of the Segmented Construction Method, "We split the hull into fifty modules, built simultaneously in different workshops. Each module has a standard interface, and in the dock we assemble them like building blocks. This cuts construction time by forty percent, and a novice only needs to master one module's process."

Liu Yongfu's eyes lit up: "Segmented construction… great idea! But what about transport? How do we move the large modules?"

"Dedicated tracks and heavy‑duty trailers. The plans include designs for that."

"Welding process? With modules this large, how do we control welding deformation?"

"Pre‑deformation design and sequential welding. Our welding research institute has run six months of trials and has a mature solution."

The Q&A went on for twenty minutes. Liu Yongfu's questions grew more detailed, Chen Feng's answers faster. Eventually, several engineers joined in, the questions ranging from steel to engines, from fire control to ship‑borne aircraft—indeed, the plans even included a mounting scheme for a water‑borne reconnaissance aircraft.

Finally, Liu Yongfu stopped. He removed his glasses and rubbed them vigorously.

"Technically… it's possible," he said, "but President, this requires money. A huge amount of money."

"How much?"

Liu Yongfu calculated again: "Conservatively, just the construction cost of these vessels exceeds £30 million. Adding the steel‑plant expansion, dock upgrades, worker training… it won't drop below £40 million."

The venue was dead silent.

40 million pounds. Lanfang's total fiscal revenue last year was only 8 million pounds. (It wasn't income from selling arms.)