Chapter 43: The Gu Ba Class

Lunch was held in the main dining hall of Palm Palace. A long banquet table was set with French dishes—Chen Feng had specifically requested them as a sign of respect. But most of the ingredients were local specialties: roasted lamb ribs, seafood soup, fresh vegetable salad, and wine imported from India.

"These are… locally produced?" Du Buwa took a bite of the salad, surprised.

"The vegetables are grown by us, the lamb comes from a local tribe, the seafood was caught in the Persian Gulf," Chen Feng explained. "The conditions are simple, but we hope to let the guests feel Lanfang's sincerity."

"It's already abundant." Du Buwa set down his knife and fork and got to the point, "Mr. Chen, to be frank, we are not here on vacation. The French Republic faces severe security challenges; we need help—and as far as we know, you may have the solution we need."

He got straight to the point. Chen Feng liked that directness.

"General, I also like to be straightforward." He wiped his mouth. "I know what your country faces: Germany has six dreadnoughts, Austria‑Hungary three, Britain has just launched one and is building ten more. France, on the other hand, has none."

The atmosphere in the restaurant froze instantly. Several members of the French delegation exchanged glances—the young man not only knew their predicament but spoke of it without hesitation.

"You're right," Du Buwa did not deny. "That's why we came to you. We know you built the Westfalen‑class battleships for Germany and Austria‑Hungary. We want the same thing, and the price is negotiable."

Chen Feng did not answer immediately. He slowly sipped the wine, letting the silence linger for a few seconds.

"General, if I only wanted to sell Westfalen‑class ships, we could discuss price right now." He finally spoke, "But I want to ask a question: do you think that owning the same battleships as the Germans will really change the balance of power?"

Du Buwa frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Germany has six active ships and four under construction. Even if I sold you four, you'd still be behind in total numbers." Chen Feng set his wine glass down. "And the Germans won't sit idle. They already have a next‑generation design whose performance far exceeds the Westfalen class."

"Next generation?" Louis Moro interjected, "You mean…?"

"What I mean is that if France truly wants to shift the naval balance, it needs not to catch up but to surpass." Chen Feng stood up. "If you don't mind, after lunch I'd like to show you something. Not the Westfalen class, but… the future."

Chen Feng's transformation made the French tense; indeed they had come to the right person!!!

Two p. m., at the height of the sun.

Chen Feng led the French delegation to a viewing platform in the port area. The site offers a wide view of the whole harbor and the distant industrial zone, but clever design hides the "Leopard Nest" shipyard behind the ridge, revealing only the civilian sector.

"Everyone, look." Chen Feng pointed at the harbor. "This is our deep‑water dock, capable of berthing eight ten‑thousand‑ton cargo ships simultaneously. Over there is the steel mill, annual output thirty thousand tons, expanding to one hundred thousand. Over there the machine‑tool factory, over there the power plant…"

Du Buwa raised his binoculars for a close look. As a senior naval officer, he could read many details: the cranes on the dock are Germany's latest model, the steel mill's smokestack height and diameter indicate a huge furnace capacity, the power plant's cooling towers are sizable…

But that wasn't what he wanted.

"Mr. Chen," he put down the binoculars, "these industrial facilities are indeed impressive. But what we need to see are battleships—ships that can defend France."

"Of course." Chen Feng smiled. "But before that, may I ask you all: in your imagination, what should the next‑generation battleship look like?"

The question was thrown to the technical experts of the delegation.

Louis Moro spoke first: "Larger displacement, at least twenty thousand tons. More powerful main guns, perhaps 13.5‑inch or even 15‑inch. Higher speed, at least 23 knots. And better protection…"

"Then," Chen Feng interrupted, "if there were a battleship with a standard displacement of twenty‑three thousand tons, full load twenty‑five thousand tons, equipped with six twin‑mounted 305 mm main guns—that is, twelve main guns—steam turbines for propulsion, speed 22 knots, main armour belt 280 mm thick, deck armour in three layers totaling 100 mm…"

With each parameter he listed, the French technical experts' eyes widened a bit more.

"This… is far stronger than the Westfalen class!" Pierre Duran exclaimed, "Twelve main guns! Firepower density up by twenty percent!"

"But those are only paper specs," Henri Lefevre cautioned. "In actual construction countless technical problems arise, especially the fire‑control system—coordinating simultaneous fire from twelve main guns requires extremely complex calculations and synchronization."

Chen Feng laughed. He had been waiting for that remark.

"Everyone, follow me."

They left the viewing platform and rode to an unassuming building on the opposite side of the harbor. Guards at the entrance checked everyone's credentials before allowing entry.

Inside was a spacious design hall. Various blueprints hung on the walls, models sat on the tables, and several Chinese engineers bustled at workstations.

"This is our ship design center," Chen Feng introduced. "Allow me to show you the preliminary design of the 'Gu Ba Class' battleship."

He walked to a wall and pulled back the curtain.

A massive blueprint unfolded before the French.

The ship's lines on the drawing were sleek and graceful, six turrets arranged in a unique layout, a tall bridge, three smokestacks, a slender hull…

"God…" Louis Moro was the first to dive onto the drawing, his glasses almost glued to it.

Pierre Duran focused on the propulsion system: "Four steam turbines, twenty‑four boilers… output power forty‑five thousand horsepower! Speed 22 knots is a conservative estimate; it could actually reach 23 knots!" (In reality it's only 21 knots.)

Henri Lefevre examined the armour scheme: "Main armour belt 280 mm, inclined at 12°, effective thickness over 300 mm… deck armour in three layers, total thickness 100 mm… this level of protection can withstand any existing battleship's main guns!"

General Du Buwa, though not as animated as the technical experts, felt his hand tremble slightly. As a naval officer he knew exactly what such a ship meant—if France possessed five of them, it could counter Germany's six Westfalen‑class ships and even gain the advantage.

"Mr. Chen," he forced himself to stay calm, "has this design… been completed?"

"The design is eighty percent finished; the core challenges have been overcome." Chen Feng moved to the table, picked up an exquisitely detailed scale model of the 'Gu Ba Class'—a proportional miniature where even each secondary gun could be seen. "We are building the first hull. If your country is interested, I can arrange a limited tour for you."

"Under construction?" Du Buwa's eyes lit up. "Where?"

"In a secret shipyard." Chen Feng smiled. "For security reasons I can't disclose the exact location, but I can arrange for you to view it from a distance—enough to see its scale and outline."

He set the model down and looked at the French delegation:

"Then can we discuss business now?"