Chapter 26

Dubai port's late night, the study on the top floor of the administrative building still had its lights on.

Chen Feng did not sleep. Three documents were spread out on the table before him.

On the left was Liu Yongfu's submitted "Leopard Plan Technical Bottleneck Summary and Solution Recommendations," fifty pages thick, detailing seventeen key technical challenges such as the self-tightening process for the 381mm main gun barrel, the ten-thousand-ton hydraulic press sealing system, and machining of large steam turbine blades.

On the right was the full cipher telegram sent back by Wang Wenwu from Singapore, written in code; once translated, the content was shocking: Britain's MI5 had already dispatched agents to the Persian Gulf; the French Navy Ministry was secretly discussing "unconventional warship procurement channels"; the Japanese consul in Singapore had been frequently contacting officials of the Dutch East India Company, inquiring about "the movements of Chinese in the South Ocean."

In the middle was a blank sheet of paper, with only one line written on it:

Two-year window—how to maximize its use?

Outside the window came the low rumble of the power plant's steam turbine—the heartbeat of the industrial base. In the distant harbor area, the shouts of workers unloading cargo through the night could be faintly heard. Farther off, the lights of the "Leopard House" restricted zone blazed brightly; that was Lanfang's future. (Is "Leopard House" cooler?)

Chen Feng picked up a steel pen and wrote the first word on the blank paper:

Customer

Then he began to list:

Germany (existing customer, solid relationship, strong payment ability, but ambition too great—needs caution)

Austro-Hungary (secondary customer, weak payment ability but can offset with materials, geopolitical value important)

France (potential customer, urgent need, has money, possibly willing to exchange for high-end technology)

Russia (potential customer, urgent need, has money but unstable political situation—high risk)

Japan (potential customer, urgent need and unscrupulous, extremely dangerous—avoid contact)

United States (potential customer, has money, strong technology, but currently pursues isolationism)

Italy, Spain, and other secondary naval powers (future market)

After writing, he drew two horizontal lines under "France."

Then came the second word:

Technology

List:

Maintain the technological gap of the "Leopard" class over the Weser class (core)

Perfect fuel-oil boiler technology (related to future performance of all warships)

Optical rangefinder and mechanical computer (the eyes and brain of the fire-control system)

Special alloy smelting (foundation of armor and gun barrels)

Miniaturization and encryption of radio (communications and intelligence warfare)

Internal combustion engine technology (preparing for future tanks, automobiles, and aircraft)

Synthetic ammonia technology (basis of fertilizers and explosives, pertaining to agriculture and military)

Beside "Optical Rangefinder" and "Special Alloy," he noted "Technology possibly available from France."

Third word:

Resources

List:

Petroleum (already discovered, need to expand extraction and refining capacity)

Iron ore (channels via Australia and Malaya need consolidation)

Copper, chromium, nickel and other special metals (channels via South Africa and Chile)

Rubber (native to the South Ocean, a resource that must be reclaimed in the future)

Grain (self-sufficiency rate needs to rise from 40% to 80%)

Talent (engineers, scientists, teachers—poached from Europe and cultivated domestically)

Fourth word, and the most important:

Time

Chen Feng stared at that word for a long time.

Two years. Seven hundred thirty days.

According to the original plan, the lead ship of the "Leopard" class would need twelve months to enter service. The second batch of four German orders would require eighteen months. Large-scale oil extraction would need twelve months. Completing the railway network would take two years. Training the first batch of qualified engineers through the education system would take three years…

Everything lacks time.

He closed his eyes, and a timeline from his history textbook surfaced in his mind: 1905, the Russo-Japanese War ended; 1906, the Moroccan Crisis erupted; 1907, the Anglo-Russian Convention was signed; 1908, the Young Turk Revolution; 1911, the Second Moroccan Crisis; 1914, the Sarajevo incident…

The footsteps of the world war were actually already echoing in the distance.

Lanfang must, before then, possess sufficient strength for self-defense. No, not just self-defense—it must also have the ability, in turbulent times, to strive for a genuine, non-colonized piece of land for the Chinese.

Chen Feng opened his eyes and wrote five words beside "Time":

Unconventional means

Then he began to write quickly:

Compressing delivery time for German orders—three-shift rotation + bonus incentives + parallel operations (risk: quality issues, worker fatigue)

"Leopard" class technical breakthrough—concentrate all top talent, form a "Special Technical Strike Team," work around the clock (risk: other projects stall, talent burnout)

Customer expansion—proactively contact France, throw out bait but set stringent conditions (risk: provoking Germany, exposing our existence)

Resource acquisition—through offshore companies, secretly purchase equity in Australian and Chilean mines (risk: raising British alertness)

Talent recruitment—spare no expense to poach from Europe, triple wages + family resettlement + research freedom (risk: attracting industrial spies)

Internal mobilization—launch the "Revival Three-Year Plan," mobilize the entire populace, emphasize crisis awareness and sense of mission (risk: excessive public pressure)

Upon writing the sixth item, he stopped penning.

National mobilization. This is a heavy term. Three hundred thousand Lanfang refugees, having left their homelands to come to this desert, did so to rebuild their homes, not for endless labor and sacrifice.

But what if… what if we didn't do this?

Chen Feng seemed to see that, two years later, when Britain launched twenty new dreadnoughts, the German fleet was suppressed, and the world temporarily regained "balance." Lanfang, this chess piece with no utilitarian value, would be cast aside or even devoured by the great powers. The oil fields of the Persian Gulf would be seized by Britain or Germany, the "Leopard House" would be destroyed by artillery fire, and three hundred thousand people might again be displaced.

No.

Absolutely not.

He picked up another sheet of paper and began drafting the outline of the 'Letter to All Lanfang Compatriots'. This is not an order, but communication. He needed everyone to understand: the sweat of today is for tomorrow's dignity; the sacrifice of today is so that our descendants need not sacrifice.

Halfway through writing, a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in."

Wang Bo walked in carrying a bowl of steaming hot noodles, with two poached eggs resting on top.

"Young Master, it's almost 2 a. m. Have something to eat."

Chen Feng only then realized that from the afternoon meeting until now, he hadn't eaten anything. His stomach was empty, but his spirits were unusually high.

"Thank you, Wang Bo."

He took the bowl, took a bite. It was simple, but warm.

"Wang Bo, do you think… I've been pushing everyone too hard?"

The old man stood by the table, gazing at the documents spread across it and the pages densely covered with writing, and let out a soft sigh.

"Young Master, I've lived sixty years, from Borneo to Singapore, and now here. I've seen Dutch warships, seen the British strutting arrogantly, and seen the Japanese swagger after just defeating Russia."

He paused:

"I have never seen a Chinese leader who, like you, Young Master, can make us stand tall, can make foreigners obediently pay for our goods, and can let us see the hope of founding a nation."

Chen Feng lifted his head.

Wang Bo's eyes shone in the lamplight:

"Everyone followed you, Young Master, here not to enjoy comfort, but to strive for a future. When we're tired, when we suffer, we may curse a few times, but when the sun rises the next day, the work that needs to be done remains just as much."

"Why?"

"Because everyone knows," Wang Bo said, word by word, "Young Master, you are fighting for a breath of dignity for all Chinese."

Chen Feng's hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly.

He lowered his head and took a big mouthful of noodles; the hot steam blurred his glasses.

After finishing the last bite, he set down the bowl and wiped his mouth.

"Wang Bo, tomorrow morning, summon all the ministers and the heads of the main factories and shipyards. I want to hold a meeting."

"Yes, Young Master. What's the theme?"

Chen Feng walked to the window and opened it. The cool, dry desert night air flowed into the room, carrying the salty tang of distant seawater.

He gazed eastward, toward the South Ocean, the homeland of Lanfang, the nostalgia of three hundred thousand people.

"The theme is," he said softly, but each word was clear and strong,

"to forge, in two years, a nation that can make the world listen to our voice."

Outside the window, the power plant's lights burned all night.

Farther out, the silhouette of the 'Leopard House' flickered in the moonlight like a slumbering iron beast, awaiting the day it would be awakened.