Chapter 7: Gold Deal

Outside the window, the night deepened. Yet Dubai Port was brightly lit, the factories still running, and workers in the shipyard were performing final inspections. It was a sleepless night— for Chen Feng, for the three nations' representatives, and for the world about to be changed by this contract, alike.

At the same time, Berlin.

At Wuyou Palace, the private study of German Emperor Wilhelm II.

It was already 2 a. m., but the lights in the study remained on. Wilhelm II, in a nightgown, held the third telegram from Tirpitz and paced the room excitedly.

"Ten 305‑mm Main Guns! Unified fire control! 18,000‑yard Effective Range! 22 knots!" With each line his voice rose a notch, "God, Tirpitz says he personally saw a 30% Hit Rate at 15,000 yards! Thirty percent!"

The attendant stood by the door, not daring to breathe. The Emperor had been this excited for two hours.

"And they have ten! Ten ready ships!" Wilhelm II slammed the telegram on the desk, "Yingguo are still drawing their Dreadnoughts on blueprints, while the Chinese have already launched ten into the sea! This is God's will! Proof that the German destiny is to dominate the oceans!"

He rushed to the map, his finger tracing between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea: "Six… If we have six such battleships, plus the Nassau‑class we are building… before 1908 we could field a navy capable of challenging the English home fleet. No, not just challenge, surpass!"

"Your Majesty," the attendant cautioned carefully, "General Tirpitz wrote in the telegram that the price is steep—280 million pounds per ship. Six ships total 1,680 million pounds, almost half this year's naval budget…"

"Money is no issue!" Wilhelm II waved his hand, "We can cut army spending, issue bonds, borrow from bankers! If that fails, we'll show the short‑sighted members of Parliament this telegram—if they refuse funding, I will dissolve Parliament!"

He grew more animated: "Imagine, when six German Dreadnoughts sail into Kiel for a fleet review, what will Europe look like? Will Yingguo still dare threaten us with their 'two‑power standard'? Will Faguo still challenge us over the Morocco issue?"

The attendant dared not press further. He knew the Emperor's naval dream had been years in the making, and now a chance could realize it five or ten years early; any rational counsel would be futile.

"Send a reply telegram to Tirpitz," the Emperor finally steadied, though his eyes still glittered, "Authorize him to sign the contract. Tell him I will settle the money; he must ensure two things: first, none of the six ships may be missing; second, bring back the technical data as completely as possible—especially that… that steam turbine, and the unified fire‑control system."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The attendant was about to leave when Wilhelm II called him back: "Wait. Send another secret telegram to Tirpitz."

He walked to the desk, picked up a pen, paused, and wrote a passage:

"Alfred, this is more than a six‑ship deal. It is a turning point for the German Empire Navy. I need you to assess that Chinese man—Chen Feng. Is he a partner for long‑term cooperation, or a fleeting miracle? If possible, I would like him to become a… special friend for us in the East. The Empire's interests in the East need a new foothold, and the name Lanfang reminds me of some intriguing history."

After writing, he reviewed it, nodded, and said, "Send it as is. Use top‑secret clearance."

"As you command."

After the attendant left, Wilhelm II picked up the telegram again and read it repeatedly. He walked to the window, gazed at the tranquil night beyond Wuyou Palace, and an unabashed smile curled his lips.

"The British Empire," he murmured, "enjoy your final days of maritime supremacy. The German fleet is coming."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Tirpitz, in a makeshift temporary residence at Dubai Port, received the secret telegram. He read it and remained silent for a long while.

Then, he took up his pen to reply to the Emperor:

"Respected Your Majesty, the contract will be formally signed tomorrow. Regarding Chen Feng, my preliminary assessment is: he is twenty years old, yet his insight is profound, his demeanor steady, his goals clear. He is not a mere arms dealer or warlord, but a politician with a complete nation‑building blueprint. The three hundred thousand Lanfang refugees under his leadership have become a tightly organized community. I advise the Empire to engage with him on equal terms, rather than treating him as a typical colonial force. He may indeed, as Your Majesty wishes, become a crucial piece on the Empire's Eastern chessboard—but note that he will never be content to remain only a piece. Respectfully, Tirpitz."

After sending the telegram, Tirpitz pushed open the window and stared at the silhouette of the LF‑01 battleship in the distant dock area. The ship loomed in the moonlight like a sleeping giant.

He recalled the awe of the Main Guns' simultaneous salvo by day, Chen Feng's calm explanation of technical details, and the orderly scene of three hundred thousand Lanfang immigrants working in factories, shipyards, and construction sites.

"Twenty years..." Tirpitz muttered, "At your age I was only a junior lieutenant at the naval academy. And you are already bargaining with the Empire, reshaping the world's naval balance."

He shook his head, closed the window. The contract must be signed tomorrow, and many details remain to be finalized.

But lying in bed, Tirpitz could not fall asleep for a long time. In his mind the words Chen Feng had said during the day kept echoing—a seemingly casual remark that terrified him upon reflection:

"General, do you know? The Dreadnought is only the beginning. The ocean's future does not belong to battleships."

At the time Tirpitz asked what it belonged to, Chen Feng merely smiled and gave no answer.

Now, in this silent deep night, Tirpitz suddenly formed a terrifying hypothesis.

If the Dreadnought is only the beginning...

Then what will follow?

How many secrets does that young Chinese still conceal?

And the German Empire, in this impending naval revolution, will it seize the opportunity or be left behind?

In the Persian Gulf at the end of June, the heat wave began to truly show its force.

But hotter than the weather were the docks of Dubai Port. Two million‑ton liners flying the German Empire merchant flag—the "Hamburg" and the "Bremen"—slowly entered deep‑water berths. They had departed Kiel, crossed the Strait of Gibraltar, passed through the Suez Canal, and reached this coast, which three years ago was barren, in less than four weeks.

"Mr Chen, per the contract, the first tranche of funds."

The German Navy's financial officer, Lieutenant Colonel Feng, placed a black leather case on the table and opened it. Inside were not banknotes but stacks of gold bricks—each about 12.5 kg, conforming to the standard London gold‑silver market specification.

"Four million two hundred thousand pounds, which at current gold prices equals 105 tons of gold," Feng's voice was as meticulous as his crisp uniform, "Seventy tons have been deposited in the Swiss Zurich Credit Bank under the account 'Lanfang Revitalization Fund.' The remaining thirty‑five tons of spot gold are packed in ten such cases and will be delivered in full within three days."

Chen Feng did not touch the gold bricks. He merely glanced, nodded, and said, "The Germans' efficiency lives up to its reputation."

"Your Majesty the Emperor is personally overseeing this," Feng stood upright, "General Tirpitz asked me to tell you the second tranche will arrive within three months. Meanwhile, the first six hundred German Navy cadets are on standby aboard the two liners. They hope to begin training tomorrow."

"The training facilities are ready," Chen Feng signaled Wang Bo to take the documents, "But per the agreement, all trainees must obey our regulations during training—no leaving the base without permission, no entering unauthorized zones, no unnecessary contact with locals."

"Fully understood," Feng nodded, "It is a military secret, not tourism."

After seeing the Germans off, Chen Feng stood at the window of the newly built three‑story administrative building, watching the liners being unloaded at the dock. Besides gold, the Germans had also brought the first batch of training supplies: navigation manuals, uniforms, food, and even several steam‑turbine models for instruction.

"Young Master, this sum of money..." Wang Bo, standing behind him, spoke with a trembling voice, "In my whole life I have never seen so much gold."

"Wang Bo, this is only half," Chen Feng turned, his face showing little joy, "The total price for the six ships is 16.8 million pounds. What we have now is only a quarter."

He walked to the wall, pulled back the curtain, revealing a massive world map. Dozens of locations were marked in red.

"But this money will be spent quickly."