Chapter 96: We Were Used as a Gun

"They didn't mention the 'Kaiser Class'?"

"They didn't mention it." Wang Wenwu smiled. "Wilhelm kept a card up his sleeve. He wants to wait until construction begins, then give the British a 'surprise.'"

"And the French? The Russians?"

"Each harboring their own ulterior motives." Wang Wenwu burned the telegram. "France wants to use us to counterbalance Deguo, Russia wants to use us to counterbalance Japan and Deguo. Deguo wants to use us to counterbalance Yingguo. Yingguo... wants to keep us stable, so we don't completely side with Deguo."

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes:

"This is great-power maneuvering. Everyone wants to use others, and everyone fears being used. And we... must make them all feel that they are using us, when in reality, we are using everyone."

The train sped through the night.

In the distance, the horizon of the Baltic Sea was faintly visible. Farther away, the Restoration Ship should have already left Hamburg and be on its way back to the Persian Gulf.

Wang Wenwu recalled what Chen Feng had said when seeing him off before departing Dubai:

"Remember, we're not going to beg for recognition. We're going to tell them: there is now a seat for us at this card table."

Now, the seat had been secured.

Next came how to play the cards.

He opened his eyes and said to Li Mingyuan, "Send a telegram to the Young Master. Use the highest encryption level."

A dozen-odd days later, Wang Wenwu returned to Boxiwang.

The conference room was permeated with the mingled scent of cigars and coffee.

Both sides of the long table were fully seated. Chen Feng sat at the head; on his left were Wang Bo, Liu Yongfu, and Zhou Nian, and on his right were Li Mingyuan and several heads of industrial departments. Everyone's gaze was focused on Wang Wenwu, who had just walked in.

"Everyone's here?"

Chen Feng said after scanning the room.

He then nodded to Wang Wenwu.

Wang Wenwu set the heavy briefcase on the table with a dull thud. "Then I'll begin."

He did not sit down, but walked straight to the large map of Europe hanging on the wall and picked up a pointer.

"The European trip, totaling ninety-seven days. Visited four capitals—London, Berlin, Paris, and Saint Petersburg—signed two formal agreements, reached three verbal understandings, and brought back potential orders totaling..." he paused, "over twenty million pounds sterling."

A low collective intake of breath filled the conference room.

"Specific breakdown." Wang Wenwu's pointer landed on London. "First, Yingguo. Signed the 'Yingguo-Lan Trade and Navigation Memorandum of Understanding,' with three core terms: a full lifting of trade sanctions; permission for us to establish a commercial representative office in London with practical diplomatic privileges; and tacit acceptance of our 'right to protect expatriates' in the South Ocean."

"The price?" Chen Feng asked.

"Compensation for our 'losses' during the sanctions period—one hundred and twenty thousand pounds sterling, paid in three installments. And..." Wang Wenwu pulled a document from his briefcase, "a letter of intent for technical consultation on a simplified version of the 'Leopard Class.' Fisher wanted it; I stalled him, saying it needed domestic review."

Liu Yongfu adjusted his glasses. "Simplified to what extent?"

"Main Gun at 305 millimeters, armor ten percent thicker than the 'Dreadnought,' speed of 22 knots. Two generations behind what we use ourselves, but stronger than Yingguo's current designs." Wang Wenwu set down the pointer. "The key is the price—I quoted two million eight hundred thousand pounds sterling per ship, and they didn't bargain."

"Can they afford it?" Zhou Nian frowned.

"They'll buy it even if they can't afford it." Wang Wenwu walked to the table, picked up a water glass, and took a large gulp. "Arbuthnot shadowed the Restoration Ship in the Indian Ocean for over thirty hours; his report stated 'the technological gap is insurmountable.' Fisher now has only one thought: either catch up on his own, or buy from us. Self-development takes three years; buying from us takes two."

Chen Feng tapped his fingers lightly on the tabletop. "And Berlin?"

"Second item, Deguo." Wang Wenwu's pointer moved to Berlin. "Signed the 'Deguo-Lan Military Technology Cooperation Framework Agreement.' Core terms: Deguo orders two 'Kaiser Class' battleships, unit price three million two hundred thousand pounds sterling, total price six million four hundred thousand. Construction period twenty-four months."

He opened another document. "Additional clause one: the Deguo Krupp Company will dispatch a technical team to assist us in building a specialty steel plant in Dubai, providing a full set of equipment and five years of technical support. Additional clause two: we will partially transfer to Deguo the barrel autofrettage process for new naval guns—note, the process, not the formula."

Liu Yongfu quickly calculated in his notebook. "Net profit on the two ships is roughly... one million eight hundred thousand pounds sterling. The steel plant's technical assistance value is calculated separately."

"More than that." Wang Wenwu said, "Wilhelm II privately promised 'benevolent neutrality' on Far Eastern affairs. Translated: when we return to the South Ocean, Deguo won't cause trouble, and may even speak up for us on certain occasions."

"Paris?" Li Mingyuan asked.

"Third, Faguo." The pointer swept across. "Follow-on orders for the 'Courbet Class' confirmed—three more ships, total price eleven million four hundred thousand pounds sterling. Delivery extended to four years, because the dock schedule is full."

Wang Wenwu paused. "The French also wanted something more advanced, so I dangled a hook—saying we had an 'improved Courbet Class' design, with a twenty percent performance boost. They took the bait; the condition was full access for us to Faguo's colonial ports in Southeast Asia."

"And Russia?" Chen Feng leaned forward.

"Fourth, Saint Petersburg." Wang Wenwu set down the pointer and sat down. "The most complex item. Tsar Nicholas II met with me privately and proposed a 'resources-for-technology' plan. They would trade Siberian timber, Ural iron ore, and Baku oil for our warship design and construction technology."

The conference room fell silent for a few seconds.

"Did you agree?" Chen Feng asked.

"An understanding." Wang Wenwu opened the last folder. "I proposed a counter-plan: we could design a dedicated 'Baltic Class' battleship for Russia, optimized against the characteristics of the German Navy. The construction cost would be offset by resources, but the resources must be valued at international market prices, and we would dispatch a supervision team to monitor extraction and transport."

"Did the Russians agree?"

"Nicholas agreed on the spot." A trace of sarcasm edged Wang Wenwu's voice. "He had no choice. He lost the Russo-Japanese War, the Pacific Fleet is gone, and the domestic economy is near collapse. He now needs two things: a new navy for prestige, and external allies to stabilize his regime. We happen to be able to provide both."

He closed all the documents and looked at Chen Feng. "Commander-in-Chief, that is everything. Ninety-seven days, and we've secured a trade passport, industrial technical assistance, massive orders, resource supply channels, and at least the surface-level 'respect' of four great powers."

Chen Feng was silent for a long time.

Then he asked, "And the price?"

Wang Wenwu took a deep breath. "The price is that we've officially taken a seat at the card table. Yingguo thinks we're helping Deguo, Deguo thinks we're guarding against them, Faguo thinks we're using them, Russia thinks we're dispensing charity. Everyone is scheming against us, and everyone wants to tear a piece of flesh from us."

"Anything else?"

"Yes." Wang Wenwu's voice dropped. "In Berlin I intercepted a cipher telegram from the Yingguo Foreign Office, asking what Deguo and we had discussed. The Deguo reply was: 'Commercial cooperation, not involving strategy.' They're waiting for the 'Kaiser Class' to begin construction, then they'll give the British a 'surprise.' We're being used as a gun, Commander-in-Chief."