Chapter 573: Even If They Dare to Sell, Would You Dare to Buy!

"It's not a free provision," Chen Feng corrected, "it's a sale. Sakura Nation funds it, Lanfang builds it."

"Price?"

Chen Feng quoted a figure: "One ship costs twenty‑five million dollars. Four ships packaged, one hundred million dollars."

"What?!" Shanben nearly jumped up, "Twenty‑five million dollars? That… that's too expensive! Meilika's latest battleship is only eighteen million dollars!"

"But would Meilika's warships sell to Sakura Nation?" Chen Feng retorted, tone calm, "Even if they were willing to sell, would they provide the latest designs and construction technology? Even if they did, would Sakura Nation dare to buy?"

Three questions hammered like three hammers on Shanben's heart.

He fell silent. Chen Feng was right. Meilika and Yingguo would not sell the latest battleships to Sakura Nation; that's a Political Issue. Even if they sold, it would be an outdated design. Moreover, how would Lanfang react if Sakura Nation bought warships from Meilika? The war two years ago is still vivid, the shadow of the Huai River's bombardment of Tokyo still lingers.

"Twenty‑five million dollars is not just the price of the battleship itself," Chen Feng continued, "It includes the complete set of design blueprints, technology transfer for construction, engineer training, and… subsequent upgrade support. In other words, what Sakura Nation purchases is not merely a ship, but the entire capability to build battleships."

He looked at Xiyuan Si: "You should understand what this means for Sakura Nation. With these four Ise-class ships, Sakura Nation's navy can rebuild the Combined Fleet. With the construction technology, Sakura Nation can build more battleships itself. This is not merely a military transaction; it's an upgrade of national capability."

Xiyuan Si's fingers tapped lightly on the table. He was calculating, weighing.

One hundred million dollars. Equivalent to two hundred million yen. That's almost one‑third of Sakura Nation's annual fiscal revenue. But if paid in installments, if it could be settled by other means…

He suddenly understood Chen Feng's intention.

"Lord Chen," Xiyuan Si began slowly, "You just said technology could be exchanged for manpower. You mean these four warships would offset the cost of fifty divisions of Sakura Nation…?"

Chen Feng smiled. This time it was a genuine smile.

"Lord Xiyuan Si, you are indeed perceptive. Yes, that's exactly what I mean. Sakura Nation need not pay cash; it only needs to fulfill its promise—to form fifty divisions and deploy them when needed. In return, Lanfang will build four Ise-class battleships for Sakura Nation and provide the full suite of technology."

He looked at Shanben: "Thus Sakura Nation's finances face no pressure, the navy gets a chance to rebuild, and the army gains a reason to continue expanding. A triple win."

Shanben's mind raced. Twenty‑five million dollars per ship, four ships total one hundred million dollars. If that sum were used to fund equipment and maintenance for fifty divisions, it would be more than enough. In fact, the total cost for fifty divisions might be under fifty million dollars.

The remaining fifty million dollars would be the navy's net profit.

No, it's not the navy's profit, it's the battleship's intrinsic value. But the battleship is obtained with the army's "life‑risk money"…

The thought stirred a complex feeling inside him. On one hand, as a navy officer, he was excited to rebuild the Combined Fleet; on the other, he felt a thrill—using the army's sacrifice to revive the navy, which seemed morally… exhilarating!

But soon, reality outweighed moral considerations.

Sakura Nation needs a powerful navy. Without a navy, Sakura Nation will forever remain a second‑tier country. And the army—those fools—they exist to fight. Fighting in Europe is fighting, fighting in Asia is fighting. Since they fight, why not use their "service fees" to exchange for something better?

Chen Feng saw the change in Shanben's expression. He knew the navy minister had already wavered.

"General Shanben," Chen Feng interjected at the right moment, "I know this price is high. But consider, aside from Lanfang, who else can give Sakura Nation such an opportunity? Yingguo? Faguo? Meilika? They are all busy fighting, their own shipyards are overloaded, how could they build warships for Sakura Nation? Even if they were willing, would the technology be the latest? Would the terms be more favorable than ours?"

He paused, lowering his voice:

"More importantly, what will the world look like after this war ends? If Deguo wins, Sakura Nation, as Deguo's ally, will naturally get a share. If Deguo loses, but Sakura Nation proves enough value in this war, Yingguo and the United States will reconsider Sakura Nation's position in the Far East. In any case, a strong navy is a bargaining chip."

Shanben inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly. He looked at Xiyuan Si, his gaze both seeking guidance and applying pressure.

Xiyuan Si knew there was no way out. Chen Feng had calculated everything. Using battleships to offset division costs solved Sakura Nation's fiscal difficulty, satisfied the navy's desire, and bound Sakura Nation to Lanfang (and Deguo) strategically.

One arrow, three targets.

And he, as Sakura Nation's prime minister, could refuse? If he refused, Sakura Nation would lose the chance to rebuild its navy, lose the chance to secure a better post‑war standing. More importantly, refusing Lanfang would mean choosing isolation—a Sakura Nation without allies, without battleships, only heavy debt, what fate would await it in the imminent world reshuffle?

He dared not imagine.

"Lord Chen," Xiyuan Si finally spoke, his voice a little weary, "We need to discuss some details."

The detail negotiations lasted two hours.

Wang Wenwu produced the formal contract draft, thirty pages thick, covering every aspect of technology transfer, payment methods, construction schedule, acceptance criteria, and most importantly—the wartime command authority transfer clause.

"Article 52," Wang Wenwu read from the contract, "During the term of this agreement, if any party to the contract becomes embroiled in armed conflict due to matters covered by this agreement, the supreme command authority of the fifty divisions of the Sakura Empire's army (or its successor formations) shall be automatically transferred to the Lanfang Republic's Army General Staff, until the conflict ends or the parties agree otherwise."

Xiyuan Si furrowed his brows: "'Supreme command authority'—what does it define? Does it refer to strategic‑level command, or does it also include concrete tactical command?"

"It includes everything," Chen Feng replied bluntly, "From troop movements, operational objectives, logistics, to specific tactical deployments. Of course, we will respect the command authority of Sakura Nation's officers and will consider Sakura Nation's input in decisions. But the final decision rests with Lanfang's General Staff."

"That means handing all fifty divisions entirely to Lanfang," Xiyuan Si said, "The Sakura Nation government needs to retain some supervisory authority."