Chapter 13

The shock and enthusiasm the blueprints brought were quickly replaced in the next few weeks by cold, hard technical reality. On the wall of the Leopard Project technical center, a list of problems circled in red pen was nailed up, looking like shocking warning scars. Anxiety and a sense of defeat began to quietly spread among some of the engineers.

"President, we are not afraid of difficulty." The head of the Power Group, Zhao Dezhu, has a large patch of white hair these days; he pointed at the complex curved surface of the high‑pressure turbine blades on the drawing and said, "This blade design is efficient, but our existing five‑axis milling machine lacks the precision! Hand‑grinding? We can't control tolerances, dynamic balancing is a joke, and at high speed it's suicide!"

Weapon Group leader Zhou Tieshan also wore a grimace: "We can forge a 381‑mm cannon barrel blank in our steel‑making furnace, but this 'self‑tightening barrel' process… we've never even heard of it! And the rifling on the bore wall must be cut deep and uniform; with our current deep‑hole boring machine, that would take forever. Even if we manage it, we can't guarantee lifespan or precision."

Chen Qiming, deputy chief engineer in charge of hull structure, shook his head at the Armour Belt—a giant surface‑hardened armor steel plate over ten meters long, more than 300 mm thick, and required to have a 12‑degree tilt. "Forging pressure… our biggest steam hammer is only three hundred tons, not even enough to scratch this beast. Segmental forging then welding? How can we guarantee weld‑seam strength? If this giant takes a hit and the weld fails, it would be a disaster!"

The atmosphere in the conference room was heavy. Chief engineer Liu Yongfu silently smoked a dry pipe, the smoke curling around his furrowed brow. The two German consultants spread their hands, indicating that even the top shipyards in Europe would need time and repeated testing to solve these problems.

Everyone's gaze finally turned to Chen Feng, seated at the head of the table, who had remained silent all along.

Chen Feng's face showed little surprise or frustration. He waited until everyone had laid out the difficulties, then spoke slowly, his voice as calm as deep water: "I've heard all you've said. It's hard—hard as scaling the heavens. But—" He shifted tone, his eyes sharpening, "If we don't even dare to think, let alone try, how can we speak of reviving Lanfang? We might as well pack up and keep wandering."

He stood, walked to the wall plastered with problems, and reached out to pull down a requirement list for a "ten‑thousand‑ton‑class heavy forging press."

"Chief Zhao's forging‑pressure issue boils down to needing enough pressure, either one‑shot forming or staged high pressure, to reduce weld seams and ensure the armor's integrity," Chen Feng turned around. "We can't build the super hydraulic press the British have that reaches several ten‑thousand tons, but a ten‑thousand‑ton one might be feasible."

Zhao Dezhu was startled: "Ten‑thousand‑ton? President, we can't even manage a thousand‑ton…"

"If not, we'll make it ourselves," Chen Feng cut him off, his tone decisive. He returned to his seat, opened the leather briefcase he never left, which held the relevant data stored on his computer desk. Chen Feng had already prepared it.

"These are some of my compiled materials, combining our current technology, envisioning a preliminary principle and structural design for a 'ten‑thousand‑ton free‑forming hydraulic press.'" Chen Feng pushed the manuscript to the center of the table. The pages were filled with structural sketches, annotated with dimensions, pressure parameters, hydraulic circuit principles, and even simple stress‑analysis diagrams of the main load‑bearing components. Though the handwriting was a bit sloppy, the clarity of thought and completeness of structure left everyone gaping.

"A three‑beam, four‑column structure, with the main body using high‑quality cast steel and forged parts. The high‑pressure water‑pump system is the key; we can use multiple large steam engines to drive piston pumps in parallel, providing a stable ultra‑high‑pressure water flow…" Chen Feng pointed to the sketch and began explaining the core principle. His reference to an "ancient text" was a pretext, but it was drawn from a later encyclopedia's simplified description of China's first ten‑thousand‑ton hydraulic press (built by Jiangnan Shipyard in 1962). For engineers in 1905, it was like opening an entirely new door.

Liu Yongfu was the first to rush to the drawing, his magnifying glass almost glued to the paper, his fingers trembling as they traced the lines: "Three‑beam, four‑column… moving transverse beam… work cylinder… return cylinder… brilliant! This way the force transmission is uniform and the frame's stability is extremely high! But the high‑pressure seal…"

"We can try improving the seal material with a rubber‑and‑copper‑alloy blend; we can experiment with the exact formula," Chen Feng said, pulling out several pages from his "bag," which listed dozens of possible seal material compositions and process highlights. "As for processing large cast‑forged parts, that's precisely why we need to upgrade the gantry crane."

He looked at the section chief in charge of hoisting and installation: "Our current gantry crane lacks sufficient lifting capacity and span. We need a gigantic gantry crane that can span the entire dock and lift components over two hundred tons. Here is its structural reinforcement plan and electrical—well, steam‑driven improvement scheme." Another few pages of "manuscripts" were taken out, showing box‑beam structures, optimized pulley sets, and diagrams of multiple steam engines synchronously driving the travel mechanism via precision gear trains.

"And the boring machine," Chen Feng didn't wait for Zhou Tieshan to speak, turning directly to him. "Deep‑hole machining requires not just force but extreme precision and stability. This is the concept of a 'deep‑hole drilling‑boring integrated machine,' using dual‑head counter‑boring technology to work from both ends of the barrel simultaneously, ensuring concentricity. The drive head can borrow parts of the steam turbine's transmission principle to achieve stepless speed control and precise feed…"

One manuscript after another was pulled from Chen Feng's briefcase like a magic trick, precisely addressing each technical barrier. These documents were not complete, ready‑to‑use construction blueprints—that would be too sensational and beyond the current industrial system's capacity to digest. They were principle diagrams, key structural ideas, and technical breakthrough directions. It was like giving a lost sailor a chart marked with crucial channels and shoals; the crew still needed their own skill and courage to navigate, but at least the direction was clear, avoiding wreckage.

The atmosphere in the technical center rose from the depths of despair, gradually lifting until it became an incredulous euphoria and a restless urge to try.

"Heaven… President, what on earth is going on in that head of yours…" Liu Yongfu stammered, his words tangled with excitement.

Chen Feng waved his hand, his expression solemn as he tapped his own head. "When inspiration flashes, we fill it and create. We may fail ten, a hundred times, but as long as we're on the right track, each failure is a step toward success."

He surveyed everyone, his eyes blazing: "From today, we establish the Special Equipment Assault Team, with Chief Engineer Liu in command, each group acting independently. Hydraulic press, gantry crane, deep‑hole boring machine… all to be launched simultaneously, attacking the challenges in sync! If any material is needed, Wang Bo will coordinate; if any special parts are needed, Chief Zhou, your machining workshop will prioritize prototyping; for theoretical calculation problems, you can consult Mr. Hans and his team, or come to me at any time."

"Remember, we're not just building a few machines; we're forging Lanfang's own industrial backbone! Once built, these devices will not only be used for shipbuilding but also for making locomotives, generators, and any heavy equipment we need."

His speech completely ignited the fire in everyone's hearts—a boundless drive that erupted once the path was shown and hope seen.

"Let's do it! With direction we fear nothing!"

"President, just watch! It's only a test, right? What we lack the most is resilience!"

"I'll go recalculate the beam stress right away!"

The meeting ended amid an enthusiastic atmosphere. People took their assigned "manuscripts" like treasured relics, rushed back to their stations, gathered the core team, and began a new round of night‑long, lamp‑lit battles.

In the days that followed, the "Leopard Nest" and its associated factory complex became a massive, fervent technical testing ground. In the steel mill, the formula for a new alloy steel was repeatedly adjusted, cast, and tested at high temperature; in the machining workshop, simple models and parts were continuously produced, assembled, tested, failed, improved, and retested; beside the huge foundation pit, engineers with blueprints fiercely debated the casting plan for the hydraulic press base.

Chen Feng almost lived at the technology center and the construction site. He was no longer the lofty decision‑maker, but the core technical consultant and coordinator. With a vision beyond his era, he pointed out design flaws and nudged key ideas, yet never overstepped, fully respecting the engineers' professional judgments and practical wisdom. He knew that only by having these people truly understand and master the technologies could the Lanfang industrial system truly take root.

"When internal matters are undecided, ask Baidu; when external matters are undecided, ask Google…" In every late night, facing the computer screen alone and consulting more details on large‑scale welding processes and heat‑treatment techniques, Chen Feng's mind flashed that later‑generation joke, a faint complex smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. In this solitary time and space, the offline computer and its internally stored, seemingly chaotic encyclopedia knowledge were his most powerful plug‑in, the "Celestial Star Technology" that underpinned all his ambitions. Yet turning that plug‑in's power into reality required tenfold, even hundredfold manpower, material resources, and mental effort at each step.

Just as the "Leopard Project" entered its most demanding technical breakthrough phase, and the entire base showed slight fatigue and sluggishness from high‑intensity operation, a fresh, vibrant wave surged in from the sea.

At dawn, the thin mist had not yet fully lifted from the surface of the Persian Gulf, and a clear ship‑whistle pierced the harbor's silence. Three slightly aged but well‑maintained ocean liners slowly entered the newly built passenger pier at Dubai Port. No national flags hung on the ships, yet the hulls and decks were densely packed with people.

Men, women, elders, children. They wore all manner of clothes; some were fairly decent, many were patched and dust‑covered. Yet in everyone's eyes flickered a similar light, a mix of hope, anxiety and a hint of resolve. They clutched simple luggage tightly, gazing at the unfamiliar land before them—Lanfang's new home—that they had heard countless times in legends.

On the pier, led by Wang Bo, Education Minister Zhao Qianli, Infrastructure Minister Zhou Nian and a group of officials had been waiting for a long time. After a brief welcome ceremony, immigration registration and resettlement proceeded quickly and orderly.

"Name? Place of origin? Any craft or special skill?"

"Li Dali, from Kun Dian, Borneo; his ancestors were blacksmiths, and I can forge metal myself."

"Wang Xiulan, Penang; can spin and weave cloth, and also recognizes a few characters."

"Chen Afu, worked ten years as a riveter at a Singapore shipyard…"

"This child is only fourteen, quick‑handed, wants to enter a school to learn skills…"

The registrar quickly recorded the information and, according to each person's situation, handed out temporary identity cards and resettlement guides. The already prepared, modest yet clean temporary barracks area welcomed new occupants. Smoke rose from the mess hall, the clinic began rounds, and teachers of the newly built elementary school busied themselves tallying school‑age children.

This wave of new immigrants numbered over six thousand, mainly from South Ocean Singapore‑Malaysia, Borneo, Java and elsewhere, with a few coming from Hong Kong, Guangzhou and even Fujian. They had heard the call of "Lanfang Restoration", or could no longer endure colonial oppression and discrimination, sold their modest possessions, and, yearning for a "nation of their own people", set out on this uncertain voyage.

Their arrival, like fresh blood, poured into Lanfang's rapidly growing body.

"Wang Bo, I heard the north 'Leopard Nest' needs heavy labor? I, Li Dali, may not be good at much, but I have strong arms!" Even before registration finished, an impatient man began asking about work.

"Minister Zhao, my son is clever; could you let him try the technical school? Even an apprenticeship would do!"

"Minister Zhou, I'm good at building houses; if the site needs workers, call me anytime!"

The new immigrants' eager desire to take part in construction was quickly relayed to Chen Feng.

Chen Feng, who had been worried about the lack of skilled workers and apprentices for the special‑equipment breakthrough, perked up at the news. He immediately issued orders: "Give priority to selecting immigrants with iron‑making, forging, carpentry or ship‑building experience to staff the steel mill, machinery plant and the auxiliary sections around the Leopard Nest. Young, literate, willing learners should be sent to fast‑track classes at the technical school. The remaining personnel will be assigned by the Infrastructure Department to residential expansion, road paving and agricultural water‑works. Ensure proper resettlement so they can settle quickly and feel the warmth of home."

"The warmth of home"—Chen Feng said those words with particular seriousness. He knew that for these compatriots far from their native lands, material security was important, but a sense of belonging and being needed was the foundation for them to take root here.

With this fresh force joining, every corner of the base seemed infused with new vigor. In the steel mill, under the cooperation of veteran and new craftsmen, the casting attempts of the hydraulic press's massive column entered a new cycle; in the machinery workshop, eager young apprentices learned to read blueprints and operate lathes alongside master workers; on the construction sites, the shout‑calls grew louder as rows of new dormitories rose more quickly; in the newly reclaimed fields, farmers from various regions exchanged farming techniques…

The fire of technical ingenuity, intertwined with the vigorous labor brought by the new immigrants, collided on this hot land. Difficulties remained mountain‑high, failures still occurred: the first pressure test of the ten‑ton hydraulic press failed due to a seal leak, and the travel mechanism of the new gantry crane desynchronized during testing… yet no one felt bewildered or discouraged any longer.

Because they now had a clear direction, guided by the president's seemingly all‑knowing "ancient tome".

Because they had compatriots fighting side by side, from all corners, sweating for the same dream.

And because they saw tangible change, feeling the ever‑changing pulse of the land beneath their feet.

In the pier area, the newly arrived children curiously watched the massive steel warships on the distant sea; in the factory zone, the laborers, though weary, discussed the day's progress with satisfied smiles; at night the technology center remained brightly lit, the sounds of debate, calculation and flipping blueprints blending into a hard‑yet‑hopeful industrial symphony.

Chen Feng stood at the window of the administration building, looking out over the land that was gradually becoming vivid and resilient; beyond the heavy sense of responsibility in his heart, a faint comfort quietly arose.