Chapter 542: Boarding! The True Shock

"Welcome aboard, gentlemen!" Williams, a red‑faced man about fifty, his voice loud with a Texas drawl, said, "It is my honor to show the pride of the American Navy to Lanfang's friends!"

Chen Feng shook his hand: "We are looking forward to it."

The tour began at the bow. Colonel Williams enthusiastically explained the Arizona's design features: the brand‑new "all‑or‑nothing" armor protection Concept, an advanced steam turbine propulsion system, and the power of its twelve 356 mm Main Guns.

"Each gun can fire armor‑piercing shells weighing up to 635 kg, and at a distance of 18,000 yards can penetrate 300 mm of armor!" Williams pounded the turret base proudly, "This is one of the most powerful battleship firepowers in the world!"

The Lanfang officers listened attentively, nodding from time to time. But if you watch closely, you'll notice some subtle unnaturalness—

Captain Li Zhenhua stood at the back of the crowd, trying to control his facial muscles. As a pilot, he is not a battleship design expert, but he did spend two years on the Huai River. The turret before him, in size, structure, and gun caliber, is clearly a notch smaller than the Huai River's 380 mm L52 gun. Yet he now has to put on an "eyes‑wide‑open" expression.

The gunner chief beside him, Lieutenant Colonel Zhao Zhiqiang, was even more strained. As a professional, he immediately saw the limitations of the Arizona's fire‑control system—it mainly relies on an Optical Rangefinder and mechanical computer, with no radar fire‑control concept at all. Yet at this moment, he has to gather by those devices and utter a perfectly timed praise:

"The baseline length of this rangefinder is really good… the integration level of the computing device is high… an impressive design."

His tone is sincere, if you ignore the slight twitch of his mouth corner.

Colonel Williams was completely oblivious to these details, immersed in the excitement of the presentation: "Come, gentlemen, follow me to the bridge. Our command system uses the latest communication equipment…"

The tour continued. At each stop, the Lanfang officers showed appropriate interest and admiration. When they saw the massive steam turbine in the engine room, Major Liu Ming, a former chief engineer, almost blurted out, "The thermal efficiency is probably only about twenty‑five percent," but managed to change it in time to, "A power system of this magnitude surely requires exquisite maintenance!"

The most awkward moment occurred in the officers' mess. Williams showcased the ship's living facilities, especially emphasizing the Meilika Navy's superior food standards: "We can guarantee fresh vegetables and meat every day, plus ice‑cream supply!"

A few young Lanfang officers exchanged a glance. On the Huai River, they have dedicated food cold‑storage, a seawater desalination system providing ample fresh water, and even a small entertainment room that can play movies. But now they can only clap in envy.

Wang Wenwu walked beside Chen Feng, speaking in English low voice: "I'm about to burst."

Chen Feng's expression remained unchanged, also replying in English: "Hold on. This is diplomacy."

The whole tour lasted an hour and a half. When they finally reached the flight deck—where an old Curtiss seaplane was parked—Li Zhenhua finally couldn't help asking a technical question: "Colonel, what is the maximum range of this aircraft? And its payload?"

Williams was momentarily stunned: "Well… the exact specifications need to be looked up in the manual. But it mainly performs reconnaissance missions."

Li Zhenhua nodded, asking no further questions. He thought to himself: the AR‑1's range is 1.5 times that, it's faster, and can carry two 100‑kg bombs.

At the end of the tour, Colonel Williams shook hands with Chen Feng and said with a satisfied smile, "I hope this visit gives you a deeper understanding of the Meilika Navy's strength!"

"Impressive," Chen Feng smiled, "Thank you for your warm hospitality."

After descending the gangway and boarding the launch back to the pier, the Lanfang officers finally relaxed. Someone laughed first, and then several others couldn't help it.

"My face is about to cramp!" Li Zhenhua massaged his cheek.

Lieutenant Colonel Zhao Zhiqiang shook his head: "The hardest part is restraining ourselves from pointing out the flaws in their fire‑control system. Those mechanical computers… we stopped using them five years ago."

Chen Feng watched his subordinates, not stopping their relaxation. He knew that the past hour and a half might have been more exhausting for them than an actual combat drill.

"Everyone performed well," he finally said, "Remember, respecting the other side is respecting yourself. When they return this afternoon, show genuine professional competence."

"Yes!" the officers replied in unison.

【7】 The launch steamed toward the Huai River. In the sunlight, the massive battleship lay quietly at its dedicated pier, its deep‑gray hull against the azure sea and white dock resembling a sleeping steel leviathan.

The motor launch headed for the "Huai River". In the sunlight, that massive warship lay quietly at the dedicated pier, its deep‑gray hull against the azure sea and white dock looking like a sleeping steel behemoth.

And the Meilika personnel about to board will, for the first time, truly witness what a technological gap looks like.

At 3:30 p. m., the Meilika delegation boarded the launch, heading for the Huai River.

Lieutenant General Rodman stood at the bow, his eyes fixed on the approaching giant ship beneath the brim of his white cap. Behind him were thirty Meilika Navy officers, including heads of the Pacific Fleet's main departments, technical experts, and the captains of the Arizona and Oklahoma.

"Gentlemen," Rodman said without turning, his voice calm yet clear, "Remember our purpose: Observe, learn, evaluate. Maintain a professional demeanor, don't show excessive surprise. But… record everything you see."

"Yes, General." the officers replied.

The launch approached the Huai River's gangway. Looking up from the water, the battleship's Scale was even more staggering. The hull above the waterline rose over fifteen meters, and the gangway hung like a cliff. The weld seams of the armor plates were virtually invisible, and the surface‑treatment workmanship reached astonishing levels.

Captain Zhang Haitao was already waiting at the gangway entrance. Today he wore a brand‑new white summer dress uniform, the gold captain's insignia on his shoulder epaulets sparkling.

"General Rodman, welcome aboard," he said, his English fluent, with a hint of the accent he picked up while training in Deguo.

"Captain Zhang, thank you for your reception."

Handshake, salute, then a brief boarding ceremony. When the Meilika officers stepped onto the Huai River's deck, the first wave of impact began.

The deck was not traditional teak but steel plates coated with a non‑slip layer, flat as an industrial workshop floor. All the mooring‑post columns, hatch covers, and ventilation hoods were designed extremely simply, with no superfluous decoration. Various pipes and cables were neatly bundled within dedicated conduits rather than exposed.