novelAbuy Chapter 43 "Courbet Class"
Chapter 43 "Courbet Class"
Lunch was held in the main dining room of the Palm Palace. French dishes were laid out on the long table—a request made by Chen Feng as a sign of respect. However, most of the ingredients were local specialties: roasted lamb chops, seafood soup, fresh vegetable salad, and wine imported from India.
"These are all... locally produced?" Dubois took a bite of the salad, somewhat surprised.
"The vegetables are grown by us, the lamb comes from local tribes, and the seafood is caught in the Persian Gulf," Chen Feng explained. "Although the conditions are simple, we hope to let our guests feel Lanfang's sincerity."
"This is already quite a feast." Dubois put down his knife and fork and got to the point. "Mr. Chen, if I may be frank, we are not here for a vacation. The French Republic is facing serious security challenges, and we need help—and as far as we know, you may have the solutions we need here."
To get straight to the point. Chen Feng liked this kind of directness.
"General, I also prefer to be straightforward." He wiped his mouth. "I know what your country is facing: Germany has six dreadnoughts, Austria-Hungary has three, Britain has just launched one and is building ten more. As for France, it has none."
The atmosphere in the restaurant froze instantly. Several members of the French delegation exchanged glances—this young man not only knew their predicament, but also spoke of it without hesitation.
"You're right," Dubois didn't deny it. "That's why we came to you. We know you built the Westphalian-class battleships for Germany and Austria-Hungary. We want the same thing, and the price is negotiable."
Chen Feng did not answer immediately. He slowly took a sip of wine, letting the silence last for a few seconds.
"General, if I only wanted to sell the Westphalian-class warships, we could discuss the price now," he finally spoke. "But I have a question: Do you really think you can change the balance of power when you have warships like the Germans?"
Dubois frowned: "What do you mean?"
"The Germans have six in service and four more under construction. Even if I sell you four, you'll still be behind in total," Chen Feng said, putting down his glass. "Besides, the Germans won't just sit and wait. They already have a next-generation design, with performance far exceeding the Westphalian class."
"The next generation?" Louis Moreau couldn't help but interject. "You mean...?"
"What I'm saying is, if France truly wants to change the balance of naval power, it needs not to catch up, but to surpass." Chen Feng stood up. "If you don't mind, after lunch I'd like to show you something. Not the Westphalian-class, but... the future."
Chen Feng's transformation made the French uneasy; they had definitely made the right decision!
Two o'clock in the afternoon, when the sun is at its strongest.
Chen Feng led the French delegation to a viewing platform in the port area. The view from here was expansive, overlooking the entire port and the industrial area in the distance, but the clever design meant that the "Leopard's Nest" dock was obscured by the ridge, and only the civilian areas could be seen.
"Please look around," Chen Feng said, pointing to the port. "This is our deep-water wharf, capable of accommodating eight 10,000-ton cargo ships simultaneously. Over there is a steel mill, with an annual output of 30,000 tons, currently under expansion to 100,000 tons. Over there is a machine shop, and over there is a power plant..."
Dubois raised his binoculars to observe carefully. As a seasoned naval commander, he could discern much from the details: the cranes used on the dock were the latest German models, the height and diameter of the steel mill's chimneys indicated a large furnace capacity, and the power plant's cooling towers were quite substantial…
But this is not what he wanted.
"Mr. Chen," he put down his binoculars, "these industrial facilities are indeed impressive. But what we need to see are warships, warships capable of defending France."
"Of course," Chen Feng smiled, "but before that, I'd like to ask you all: what do you imagine the next generation of battleships should look like?"
The question was posed to the technical experts in the delegation.
Louis Moreau spoke first: "Larger tonnage, at least 20,000 tons or more. More powerful main guns, perhaps 13.5 inches or even 15 inches. Higher speed, at least 23 knots. And better protection..."
"Then," Chen Feng interrupted him, "if there were a warship with a standard displacement of 23,000 tons and a full load displacement of 25,000 tons, equipped with six twin-mounted 305mm main guns, that is, twelve main guns, powered by steam turbines, with a speed of 22 knots, a main armor belt thickness of 280mm, and three layers of deck armor totaling 100mm..."
With each parameter he mentioned, the eyes of the French technical experts widened further.
"This...this is far more powerful than the Westphalian-class!" Pierre Durand exclaimed. "Twelve main cannons! Firepower density increased by twenty percent!"
"But these are just specifications on paper." Henry Lefebvre remained cautious. "In actual construction, countless technical challenges will arise, especially the fire control system—coordinating the simultaneous firing of twelve main guns requires extremely complex calculations and synchronization."
Chen Feng smiled. These were the words he had been waiting for.
"Please follow me, everyone."
They left the observation deck and drove to an inconspicuous building on the other side of the harbor. Guards stood at the entrance and checked everyone's identification before letting them in.
Inside the building is a spacious design studio. Various blueprints hang on the walls, models are on the tables, and several Chinese engineers are busy at their workbenches.
"This is our ship design center," Chen Feng introduced. "Please allow me to show you the preliminary design of the Courbet-class battleship."
He walked to a wall and pulled back the curtain.
A huge design was presented to the French.
The warship on the drawing has smooth and beautiful lines, six turrets in a unique layout, a tall bridge, three funnels, and a slender hull...
"My God..." Louis Moreau was the first to rush to the blueprints, his glasses almost touching them.
Pierre Durand was focused on the propulsion system: "Four steam turbines, twenty-four boilers... output of 45,000 horsepower! A speed of 22 knots is a conservative estimate; it could actually reach 23 knots!" (In reality, it only reached 21 knots.)
Henry Lefebvre, meanwhile, was studying the armor layout: "The main armor belt is 280 mm thick, angled at 12 degrees, with an effective thickness exceeding 300 mm... The deck armor has three layers, with a total thickness of 100 mm... This level of protection is sufficient to withstand the main guns of any existing warship!"
While General Dubois wasn't as excited as the technical experts, his hands trembled slightly. As a naval commander, he knew all too well what such a warship meant—if France possessed five of these ships, it would be enough to counter, and even gain an advantage over, Germany's six Westphalian-class destroyers.
"Mr. Chen," he forced himself to calm down, "is this design... finished?"
"The design is 80% complete, and the core challenges have been overcome." Chen Feng walked to the table and picked up an exquisite warship model—a scaled-down model of the Courbet-class, so detailed that you could see every secondary gun. "We are currently building the first one. If your country is interested, I can arrange a limited tour for you."
"Under construction?" Dubois's eyes lit up. "Where?"
"It's in a classified dock," Chen Feng smiled. "For security reasons, I can't reveal the exact location. But I can arrange for everyone to observe from a distance—enough to get a clear view of its size and outline."
He put down the model and looked at the French delegation:
"So, can we talk business now?"