Chapter 416: Do Not Recommend Using German Goods

The ceremony continued. Newly appointed Colonel Lindeman, captain of the Bismarck, and Colonel Top, captain of the Tirpitz, received their commissions. The navy honor guard fired rifles in salute, and twenty‑one salutes of gunfire rang across the sky over William Port.

Among the spectators, James Wilson of the Yingguo Times recorded everything quickly. His notebook was filled with observations:

…The Deguo Emperor clearly regarded this ceremony as a major political victory…The public mood was fanatical, almost a religious worship…The technical details of the two warships have not been released, but by eye they far surpass any Yingguo active vessel…It is noteworthy that the Lanfang representatives kept their distance at all times, did not take part in any Deguo military rites, suggesting this is merely a transaction rather than an alliance…

He put down his pen and looked at the Eastern general on the stage dressed in dark blue uniform. Major General Li Te—according to intelligence, this man commands senior Lanfang navy officers and is a commander with rich combat experience. Now, he has handed the two world's most advanced warships to the Deguo.

Wilson recalled the editor's words before he left London: "Find out what Lanfang really wants. They sell warships to Deguo while continuing rubber and tin‑ore trade with Yingguo. Are they speculators, or do they have a longer‑term plan?"

Now it seems the answer may be both.

The ceremony ended at 4 p. m.; the crowd began to disperse, but the excitement lingered in the air. In a tavern near the harbor, the sailors had already started to raise their glasses in celebration.

"For the Bismarck! For the Tirpitz!"

"To break the Yingguo blockade!"

"For the future of the Deguo navy!"

Only a few old sailors remained silent. One whispered, "No matter how good the new ships are, someone has to sail them. Do you know how long it takes to train a competent gunner? Six months. A machinist? A year. And the Yingguo… could strike at any moment."

But his voice was drowned out by the cheers.

Hope is like alcohol, able to let people temporarily forget the pain of reality. And today, everyone in William Port drank a large dose of hope.

July 20, 9 a. m., aboard the Tirpitz.

It was a small‑scale technical briefing held in the operations intelligence center beneath the bridge. Attendees were only the Tirpitz, Major General Teluota, the two newly appointed captains, and five Lanfang technical officers brought by Major General Li Te.

The room was brand‑new, the air still smelling of paint and insulation material. The walls were covered with instrument panels, displays and communication gear—some traditional mechanical‑dial types, others electronic displays that the Deguo had never seen.

Li Te stood before the central console and began: "Gentlemen, first I must explain that the Bismarck and the Tirpitz are fundamentally the same in design, but there are slight differences in some subsystems and internal layouts. This is to avoid complete homogenization and increase the enemy's difficulty in responding."

He opened the main control panel: "The most core innovation is here: an integrated fire‑control system. Traditional battleships have separate aiming and command systems for the Main Gun, secondary guns, and anti‑aircraft guns. On these two ships, all weapon systems are integrated into a single central fire‑control computer."

Lanfang electronic engineer Dr. Chen stepped forward to demonstrate. He opened a metal cabinet, inside of which were dense arrays of vacuum tubes and relay boards, resembling a piece of futurist art.

"This is the core of the fire‑control computer," Dr. Chen explained in accented German. "It receives data from radar, Optical Rangefinder, and hull‑attitude sensors, calculates target motion parameters, ballistic corrections, firing variables in real time, and automatically allocates them to each turret. From target detection to the first salvo, the reaction time does not exceed 90 seconds."

Captain Lindeman widened his eyes: "Ninety seconds? Our Bavaria class needs at least three minutes!"

"And the accuracy is higher," Li Te added. "In tests, this system's first‑salvo Hit Rate at a Distance of 25,000 meters reached 8%, the second round could rise to 15%. Traditional fire‑control systems usually have a first‑salvo Hit Rate below 2% at the same distance."

Tirpitz inhaled deeply. He knew what it meant: in a battleship duel, whoever scores the first hit gains an absolute advantage. In the Japan‑Deguo‑Lanfang sea battle, the Deguo fleet's tactical victory was largely due to the Yingguo shells' fuses being faulty, often premature or duds. With such a fire‑control system, plus reliable Shells…

"What about the armour layout?" Captain Top asked. He was a pragmatic man, more concerned with the ship's survivability.

Li Te displayed the hull‑structure diagram: "We employ the 'Comprehensive Protection' Concept. The Armour Belt is 320 mm thick, installed at a 15‑degree angle, giving an effective thickness equivalent to 380 mm of vertical armour. The horizontal armour is in three layers: main armour deck 120 mm, middle layer 40 mm, lower layer 20 mm, specifically to defend against high‑angle plunging Shells."

He pointed to several special zones on the diagram: "These are reinforced areas for critical parts: the ammunition magazine, the engine room, the command centre. We use a new 'honeycomb' compartment design; even if breached, flooding is confined to a local area. Calculations show that even after five or six hits by 380 mm Shells, the battleship can still retain combat power and navigational ability."

Major General Teluota couldn't help asking, "How did you solve the weight issue? This level of protection, plus eight 380 mm Main Guns and a speed of 30 knots… By our calculations, you'd need at least 50,000 tons displacement."

Li Te and the Lanfang engineers exchanged a glance. It was a sensitive question, involving core secrets of material technology.

"We have employed a new alloy steel," material specialist Dr. Wang said cautiously. "It is 15% lighter than the traditional Krupp armour steel, yet 20% stronger. The specific smelting process… unfortunately, that is a Lanfang state secret, not included in this technology transfer."

The room fell silent. The Deguo officers understood: Lanfang is willing to sell the product and even train operators, but will not hand over the most core technology.

Tirpitz broke the silence: "Understood. Then, the propulsion system—how is the 30‑knot speed achieved?"

Now it was Liu Yonghui's turn to speak. He spread out the propulsion schematics: "Twelve high‑pressure boilers, operating at 450 psi and 450 °C. Three steam turbines, each delivering 50,000 horsepower. The transmission uses a new reduction‑gear system, 8% more efficient than traditional direct drive."

He paused, adding, "However, I must caution: such high‑pressure, high‑temperature systems demand extremely stringent operation and maintenance. Boiler water must be rigorously purified, or scale will form in the pipes, causing overheating and burst tubes. Turbine bearings need inspection every 200 hours, and the lubricating oil must be the specific grade we designate."

"What if we use German‑made substitutes?" Lindeman asked.

"Not recommended," Liu Yonghui replied bluntly. "We have tested similar products from Krupp and MAN; their performance does not meet design specifications. Forcing their use could cause system failure, even… catastrophic consequences."

The wording was diplomatic, but everyone understood the implication: buy our ships, and you must use our components and services. It is a long‑term chain.