Chapter 140: Manhattan Project

Liu Yongfu finally spoke, his tone full of confusion: "President, I'm not questioning you. But we now have a Bismarck Class to build, a shipyard to expand, a steel plant to upgrade. The things on these blueprints… are too advanced. Europeans are indeed playing with aircraft, but those are just toys for the rich; I saw reports from last month's Paris air show, the best planes only flew a few dozen kilometers, barely carrying a person."

"So we must stay ahead of them." Chen Feng's voice rose a pitch, "Chief Engineer Liu, do you remember many years ago? When we said we would build the Restoration Ship, everyone said we were crazy. When we said we would deliver ten capital ships in three years, even the Germans thought it was a fairy tale."

"That's shipbuilding! We have the foundation, the workers, the blueprints—"

"We also have aircraft blueprints." Chen Feng interrupted him, patting the pile of printed materials, "And they're the most advanced blueprints. What we lack now is the people and time to turn them into reality."

Wang Bo slowly opened: "Young Master, how much money does this thing… cost?"

Chen Feng pulled a budget sheet from his briefcase and pushed it to the center of the table.

"Phase one investment: two million pounds. Of that, five hundred thousand for secret base construction, eight hundred thousand for equipment procurement and materials, three hundred thousand for personnel recruitment and training, four hundred thousand as R&D reserve funds."

"Two million!" Wang Wenwu gasped a cold breath, "President, the eighty million pounds we just borrowed, every cent has a destination. Army expansion needs money, navy shipbuilding needs money, immigrant resettlement needs money, basic education needs money… This two million is enough to build five full secondary schools, or to feed one hundred thousand immigrants for a year."

"I understand." Chen Feng said calmly, "So I say, this is an investment. It's insurance for the future."

Li Te furrowed his brow: "President, I can understand the strategic value you speak of. But why now? Why not wait until the Bismarck Class is finished, until our industrial base is more solid?"

"Because time waits for no one." Chen Feng looked straight into the naval major general's eyes, "Li Te, have you studied Japanese movements?"

"The Kongō class, we know. Yingguo is helping them build it."

"Not just the Kongō class." Chen Feng pulled out another intelligence summary, "The Yokosuka Naval Arsenal in Japan expanded its aircraft manufacturing workshop last month. The Mitsubishi conglomerate hired three aviation engineers from France. They are secretly researching 'carrier-based aircraft'—though still just seaplanes, the direction is already clear."

The secret room fell silent again. Only the ventilation fan's monotonous hum.

Wang Wenwu's fingers tapped the tabletop faster, a sign of his rapid thinking. Finally, he stopped, looked up at Chen Feng:

"President, what exactly have you seen? Or rather, what have you foreseen?"

This question drew everyone's gaze onto Chen Feng's face.

Chen Feng remained silent for a long time. The desk lamp cast deep shadows on his face, making his expression hard to read.

"I see an era." he said slowly, "An era where battleships dominate the seas is drawing to a close. Not tomorrow, not next year, but in the not‑distant future—perhaps ten years, perhaps twenty. Replacing them will be these iron birds."

He picked up a manual, opened to a page printed with complex aerial combat tactical diagrams.

"Future naval combat will change completely. No longer will two fleets dogfight within visual range; instead one side will launch aircraft from hundreds of kilometers away, swarming like a hive toward enemy ships. No matter how thick a battleship's armor, it cannot withstand half‑ton bombs dropping vertically from above. No matter how powerful its guns, they cannot hit tiny targets darting between clouds."

"This is…" Li Te began to say "absurd", but swallowed it back. He recalled the shock of first seeing the Restoration Ship blueprints three years ago, recalled those technologies once deemed impossible that eventually became reality.

Liu Yongfu still struggled: "But the technology? The materials? The engines? We can't even build automobile engines properly, how can we build aircraft engines? The components on these blueprints demand precision higher than watches; our machine tools—"

"Hence a dedicated breakthrough effort." Chen Feng had prepared, "From across the nation, no, from every place we can reach, recruit the best mechanics, instrument makers, metalworkers. High pay, best conditions, sign confidentiality agreements. If we lack machine tools, import them—from Germany, from Switzerland, from the United States. Money is not an issue."

Wang Bo asked softly, "Young Master, how confident are you?"

"Confident?" Chen Feng smiled wryly, "Wang Bo, if I told you I have less than thirty percent confidence, would you believe me?"

The elder was stunned.

"These blueprints are too advanced, advanced to the point that even I know, with our current industrial level we may not fully digest them within ten years." Chen Feng said candidly, "The first‑generation Lanfang aircraft we aim to build may not even achieve half the performance shown on these drawings. It may not fly fast, may not fly far, may break down every few days, and even… may crash and kill people."

His gaze swept over everyone at the table.

"But we must start. Because if we don't now, five years later, when others start, we won't even have the chance to catch up. If we don't pay the price now, ten years later the price we pay may be the loss of the nation."

The words were so heavy that even the sound of breathing was clearly audible.

Wang Wenwu inhaled deeply, "President, you just said 'insurance'. I don't quite understand, what exactly is this insurance covering?"

Chen Feng walked to the world map, pointed his finger at Europe.

"Europe now is like a pile of dry wood. The Anglo‑German conflict, the Franco‑German conflict, the Russo‑Austrian conflict… a tiny spark can ignite it. If—I'm saying if—this great fire truly erupts, burning across all of Europe, even the whole world, what will Lanfang rely on for self‑preservation?"

"We have a navy…"

"Not enough." Chen Feng shook his head, "If both warring sides demand us to pick a side? If they want us to open ports, requisition merchant ships, even join the fight? If we refuse, their fleets could sail into the Persian Gulf entrance."

He returned to his seat, both hands pressing on the table.

"We need a card. A card that makes everyone wary. A submarine is one, but these aircraft are another. Imagine: when a foreign diplomat comes to pressure us, we can 'casually' let them see that deep in our desert lies a weapon they've never seen, capable of reaching their colonies, ports, fleet tops before they react."

"Deterrence." Li Te murmured.

"Yes, deterrence." Chen Feng nodded, "It may never be used, but they must know we have it. Like nuclear… like the sharpest sword, more useful hanging on the wall than held in hand."