Chapter 5: We Have No Money

Admiral Haus could no longer speak. The standard firing training distance of the Austro-Hungarian Navy is eight thousand yards; a hit rate of twenty percent is considered excellent. Fifteen thousand yards? That's a distance not even dared to dream of.

General Lu Han's mouth opened wide, and after a long while he managed to say: "My Moreno-class… hasn't even been launched… and it's already obsolete."

"Second round salvo ready." Li Te's voice sounded again, "Distance adjusted to thirteen thousand yards, target area unchanged."

The turret began to rotate, the huge machinery emitting a low hum. Less than two minutes later, the report of loading completion came again.

"Fire!"

Another earth‑shaking roar. This time, because the distance was shorter, observers could even see the trajectory of the shells in flight—like ten black meteors, bearing the breath of death, smashing into the target.

"Six hits!" the observer's voice excited, "The target ship is beginning to list!"

In the telescope, that freighter had been blown beyond recognition. Several large holes had been torn in the mid‑hull, thick smoke rolling, and it was slowly listing to starboard.

"Third round, ten thousand yards." Li Te's voice cold as a machine, "Finish it."

The final salvo. Of the ten shells, seven hit directly. That two‑thousand‑ton freighter was torn apart like a toy, breaking into three pieces within two minutes, vanishing from the sea surface, leaving only floating wreckage and a spreading oil slick.

The bridge was dead silent.

Only the hum of operating equipment and the monotonous hiss of the ventilation system.

Tirpitz was the first to remove his earplugs. His face bore an almost frenzied flush, his eyes shining frightfully bright.

"Mr. Chen," his voice hoarse, "I want to know, at maximum range—that is, eighteen thousand yards—what the hit rate is?"

"The theoretical value is twelve to fifteen percent." Chen Feng spoke frankly, "Actual testing, due to sea conditions, wind speed, etc., usually falls between eight and ten percent. But remember, General, the main guns of all currently active battleships in the world have a maximum range not exceeding thirteen thousand yards. We can fire calmly from a distance they cannot reach us."

This simple comparison made everyone draw a sharp breath.

What does this mean? It means the Dreadnought‑class battleship can single‑handedly slaughter any active warship while itself facing almost no threat.

"Speed demonstration." Chen Feng nodded to Li Te.

"Full speed ahead!" Li Te ordered.

The roar of the steam turbine suddenly surged, the four propellers churning the sea frantically. The bow cut through the waves, the whole ship began to accelerate. Everyone on the bridge could feel that thrust—not the jerky push‑and‑pull of a traditional reciprocating steam engine, but a smooth, continuous, ever‑increasing force.

The speedometer needle began to move: 15 knots, 17 knots, 19 knots…

"We've already exceeded the top speed of our fastest battleship." Admiral Haus murmured.

The needle kept climbing: 20 knots, 21 knots…

"22 knots!" the observer reported.

The hull trembled slightly, but stability remained excellent. Cruising at twenty‑two knots on the calm Persian Gulf, this eighteen‑thousand‑ton leviathan performed like a cruiser.

"Turning test!" Li Te ordered again.

The rudder wheel turned, the massive hull began to swing left. The turning radius was unexpectedly small, under five hundred meters—thanks to the optimization of the ship's length‑to‑beam ratio and the careful design of the rudder.

"Maneuverability… comparable to an armored cruiser." Tirpitz, already stunned into numbness, muttered, "How is this possible…"

"The advantage of the steam turbine, General." Chen Feng explained, "It can directly reverse the turbine, without needing the complex reversing mechanism of a reciprocating steam engine. This makes our turning speed at least forty percent faster."

Over the next three hours, LF-01 demonstrated its full range of performance to the three‑nation delegates: from emergency stop tests to zigzag anti‑torpedo maneuvers; from rapid fire of the secondary guns at simulated small targets to damage‑control drills (simulating compartment sealing after a hit on the main armor belt); it even included night‑combat signal lighting and initial searchlight irradiation training.

Each demonstration struck like a heavy hammer on the hearts of the three‑nation representatives.

When the warship finally returned and slowly berthed at the deep‑water quay of Dubai Port, the sunset had already dyed the Persian Gulf golden.

Tirpitz was the first to descend the gangway. He stood on the quay, gazing back at that steel leviathan, silent for a full minute.

Then he turned, looked at Chen Feng, and said word by word:

"The world's oceans are about to change color."

That evening's negotiations were completely different from three days prior.

If before the three‑nation representatives still harbored doubt, probing, and a superior attitude, now they were left with only one emotion: they must obtain these ships at any cost.

The negotiations took place in the newly built administrative building's conference room at the base. The room was simple: a long wooden table, a few chairs, a map of the Persian Gulf region on the wall. Yet the people seated here held in their hands the power to reshape the world's naval order.

Chen Feng took the seat of honor, Wang Bo stood behind him as recorder. Each of the three‑nation representatives brought one or two core aides.

"Let's get straight to the point." Tirpitz spoke first, the German's directness showing fully here, "The German Empire wants six ships. Price as you said, 2.8 million pounds per ship. Payment terms: for the first three ships, fifty percent cash up front, that is 2.1 million pounds, the remainder paid in three installments over three years at five percent interest. For the latter three ships, thirty percent prepaid upon contract signing, with the balance paid upon delivery."

These terms were quite favorable. The Germans not only accepted the unit price but also agreed to pay interest—showing they regarded these battleships as strategic necessities, not mere commodities.

"What about the training terms?" Chen Feng asked.

"Each ship will be assigned a German crew of 450, all to receive training here for three months. We will cover room and board during training, and pay an additional fifty thousand pounds per ship for training." Tirpitz had prepared this in advance, "We need to form combat capability as quickly as possible."

Chen Feng looked toward Admiral Haus.

The Austro‑Hungarian representative appeared somewhat uneasy. He cleared his throat: "The Austro‑Hungarian Navy… wishes to purchase three ships. But……" he paused, "We cannot pay the full amount in cash."

"You mentioned earlier that barter was possible." Chen Feng said gently, "Please explain your proposal."

Haus took out a list from his briefcase: "This is our preliminary materials list; please review it."

Chen Feng took the list and read it carefully. Wang Bo leaned in to look as well.