Chapter 138: The battle is about to begin, just a splash of water

"I want to make a special clarification," Chen Feng raised his voice, "this agreement is equal, mutually beneficial. Lanfang will employ strict financial management to ensure every penny is used where it counts. Five years from now, we are confident and capable of repaying on schedule."

The final sentence, he said it with absolute firmness.

The speech ended, and the signing phase began. The attendant brought three exquisite wooden boxes, each containing a copy of the agreement—Chinese‑English version, Chinese‑French version, and a trilingual memorandum.

Chen Feng first signed the Yingguo agreement. The fountain pen was custom‑made, its barrel engraved with a dragon pattern, the nib 14‑karat gold. He signed his name at the designated spot, the Chinese characters "Chen Feng" bold and vigorous.

Howard then signed, using a traditional feather pen.

Next was the Faguo agreement. Dupont, when signing, deliberately wrote a blessing in French: "May the cooperation endure."

Finally the three‑party exchange of documents. Chen Feng handed the Chinese version to Howard, Howard handed the English version to Chen Feng, and Dupont did the same simultaneously. The whole process was faithfully recorded by cameras.

"Now, please have the two sides' representatives shake hands," Li Mingyuan announced.

Chen Feng shook hands with Howard, and with Dupont. The strobe lights flashed wildly, almost blinding. This moment would go down in history—a rising Yazhou nation securing a record‑breaking loan from two European powers.

The ceremony ended at 10:30 a. m. Reporters gathered to ask questions, but Chen Feng gave only a few brief replies before leaving the hall escorted by guards.

"Go straight to the shipyard," he told the driver after getting in the car.

"Young Master, not taking a break?" Wang Bo asked.

"Signing is only the beginning." Chen Feng removed his tuxedo jacket, loosened his collar, "Once the money arrives, the work truly starts. I'm going to see the Bismarck Class construction."

The convoy headed toward the port. On the way, Wang Wenwu handed over a freshly received telegram.

"From Berlin," he said, "The Deguo Foreign Ministry officially confirmed the loan terms: thirty‑million pounds sterling, five‑year term, 2.8 % annual interest. They require us to send a representative to Berlin to sign."

Chen Feng skimmed the telegram quickly: "Let the resident German business representative office handle the signing. Also, inform Liu Yongfu, when can Krupp's technical advisory team arrive?"

"Early next month. Twelve people in total, comprising three expert groups: armor steel, artillery, and propulsion."

"Arrange their lodging, compensation at the highest standard," Chen Feng said, "The technology they bring is worth hundreds of millions."

Outside the car window, the outline of Dubai Port grew clearer. Ten massive shipyards lined the harbor in a row, like a giant's fingers reaching into the sea. In docks 1 and 2, two huge hulls had already taken shape.

They were the first two Bismarck Class ships, the "Yangtze" and the "Yellow River."

The car stopped at the shipyard entrance. Chen Feng changed into work clothes, put on a safety helmet, and entered dock 1. A wave of heat hit him—there was no air‑conditioning in the shipyard, only a few large fans roaring as they turned.

The massive hull loomed like a steel mountain before the eyes. Length 251 m, width 36 m; even at only forty percent completion it already impressed overwhelmingly. Hundreds of workers bustled on the scaffolding, welding arcs flickering up and down like summer‑night lightning.

Liu Yongfu was on the command tower, holding blueprints and discussing with several engineers. Seeing Chen Feng, he froze for a moment, then hurried down.

"President, why are you here? Isn't today the signing?"

"The signing is done," Chen Feng looked up at the hull, "How's the progress?"

"Advancing as scheduled," Liu Yongfu wiped sweat from his forehead, "The Yangtze is at forty‑one percent, the Yellow River at thirty‑eight percent. The main issue is armor‑steel supply—Krupp's samples won't arrive until next month; we're using domestically produced steel, fifteen percent inferior in performance."

"Use it for now," Chen Feng said, "When the German samples arrive, we'll conduct comparative tests to identify the gap. Our steel mill must be able to produce equivalent quality."

"Understood." Liu Yongfu hesitated, "President, there's something… the workers have been overtime for two consecutive months and have some grievances. Though wages have increased, people are not machines after all."

Chen Feng was silent for a few seconds. "Starting next week, we'll implement a four‑shift, three‑rotation system. Eight hours of work per day, one guaranteed rest day per week. Overtime is voluntary, with double pay."

"What about the schedule…"

"The schedule cannot be delayed," Chen Feng said firmly, "but we also cannot exhaust people. Calculate how much it would cost if we add two more shifts of workers."

Liu Yongfu quickly calculated in his head. "At least eight hundred more people, increasing labor costs by thirty‑thousand pounds sterling per month."

"Approved," Chen Feng said, "The money comes from special funds. Liu Yongfu, remember— the ship is important, but the shipbuilders are more important. If they collapse from fatigue or become discontent, quality will suffer. And quality is the battleship's lifeline."

Liu Yongfu nodded heavily, "I understand."

They climbed the scaffolding upward to the hull's midsection. Here the B turret will be installed, the second of four twin‑mounted 380 mm main guns. The turret base has already been welded, over ten meters in diameter, like a massive steel disc.

A young engineer was measuring a weld seam; seeing Chen Feng, he quickly stood at attention, "President!"

"Continue work," Chen Feng waved his hand, walked over to view the measurements, "What's the pass rate?"

"Ninety‑six point three percent," the engineer replied, "The main issue is at the elevation mechanism's joint; the structure is complex, welding tends to deform."

Chen Feng took the measuring instrument, personally inspected several critical points. The data indeed lay at the tolerance edge.

"Have you tried pre‑heating reverse deformation?" he asked.

The engineer was startled, "What?"

"Before welding, use a flame to locally pre‑heat the steel plate, causing the material to develop a reverse deformation," Chen Feng explained, "The heat during welding then brings the deformation back to normal. It's a new process from German shipyards."

Liu Yongfu's eyes lit up, "Where did you learn that?"

"Read it in a book," Chen Feng replied vaguely, "We can test it. First on a small test plate; if successful, apply it to the hull."

"I'll arrange it immediately!" Liu Yongfu called several technicians at once.

Chen Feng kept moving forward to the bow. Here a bulb‑nose bow will be installed—a design that reduces wave resistance and boosts speed. In this era such technology is still rare.

"Has the hydrodynamic test been done?" he asked.

"We ran it in a small pool; drag reduction was eight to ten percent," Liu Yongfu said, "But full‑scale results must wait until sea trials."

"That's sufficient," Chen Feng nodded, "We need to be at least two knots faster than the Diamond class. Speed advantage is tactical advantage."

They stayed in the shipyard for two hours. Chen Feng inspected almost every critical workstation, asked about progress, and solved problems. The workers were initially nervous, but seeing the President truly understand the technology and offering practical suggestions, they gradually relaxed.

An old welder even discussed weld‑seam filler formulas with Chen Feng. Chen Feng could actually cite several improvement schemes, leaving the veteran welder repeatedly amazed.

"Your skill isn't inferior to our master craftsmen!" the old welder exclaimed.

"It's all learned," Chen Feng smiled, "A nation must be strong, and that requires people who understand technology. You are the nation's backbone."