novelAbuy Chapter 89 Technological Cooperation
Chapter 89 Technological Cooperation
"Mr. Wang, let me be frank." As soon as the car started moving, William's smile vanished. "How are the talks going with the British side?"
As expected, they got straight to the point.
"A memorandum of understanding has been reached," Wang Wenwu said cautiously. "Trade embargoes will be lifted, a representative office will be established, and there are some intentions regarding technological cooperation..."
"Technological cooperation?" William raised an eyebrow. "What do they want?"
"Design license for a new cruiser."
"You gave it to me?"
"We're still negotiating," Wang Wenwu said, leaving no room for ambiguity. "Lanfang's technology transfer follows strict principles—it doesn't involve core systems."
William stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly burst into laughter: "Good! That's how it should be! The British always think they still rule the seas; it's time to wake them up!"
After laughing, he lowered his voice: "And what about Germany? The German Empire was Lanfang's most sincere friend. We gave you gold, we gave you equipment, and we even withstood British pressure to acknowledge your...existence. How much is that friendship worth?"
The words were very blunt, even rude.
But Wang Wenwu relaxed instead—dealing with straightforward people was easier than dealing with the roundabout British.
"Your Majesty, Lanfang remembers Germany's friendship," he said. "That's why I've come with sincerity."
"What sincerity?"
"A new design proposal." Wang Wenwu patted his briefcase. "A battleship custom-designed for the German Navy. Its performance is 30% better than the 'Dreadnought,' and it's better than any design Britain could get from us."
William's eyes lit up.
Lunch at Sanssouci Palace is described as a "light meal," but the long table is filled with silver cutlery. There are twenty waiters for every thirty people dining, and a new set of cutlery is provided for each course.
William sat in the head seat, with Wang Wenwu to his right—this was the VIP section. Tirpitz sat opposite him, barely speaking throughout, only occasionally exchanging hushed conversations with Moltke beside him.
"Try this," William personally served Wang Wenwu, "Bavarian white sausage with sweet mustard. We Germans are down-to-earth, and our food is down-to-earth, unlike those fancy French things."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
“Tell me,” William said, chopping his pig’s trotter—he ate quickly, the knife and fork clinking—“how did you build this in the Persian Gulf? Three years, from the desert to being able to build the ‘Revival’ ship, it’s an industrial miracle.”
The table fell silent. All the Germans pricked up their ears.
Wang Wenwu put down his fork and wiped his mouth with a napkin: "Your Majesty, there's no miracle, just 300,000 people working 18 hours a day. We lacked equipment, so we bought secondhand equipment from Germany, disassembled it, studied it, and then copied it. We lacked skilled workers, so we recruited Chinese laborers from Southeast Asia to learn on the job. We lacked money..."
He paused, then continued, "If we're short of money, we'll build ships and sell them. By selling the Westphalian-class ships to your country, we've earned our first pot of gold."
"Brilliant!" William tapped his plate with his fork. "Very brilliant! Use our money to build your industries, and then build ships that are better than ours—that's the purest form of capitalism!"
The words sounded like a compliment, but the expressions of the German industrial giants at the table were rather unnatural.
Gustav Krupp, the boss of Krupp, cleared his throat: "Mr. Wang, I'm curious, was the main gun of the 'Restoration' domestically developed? The caliber seems to be much larger than our latest 305mm."
Here it comes. A technical test.
"It's self-developed," Wang Wenwu said, "but it borrowed from Krupp's gun steel formula—we purchased a smelting manual from your company, remember?"
"I remember, but that was for civilian use—"
"The formula is the foundation, but the process is the key," Wang Wenwu interrupted him. "We have made improvements to the heat treatment and autofrettage process for the tube. Of course, if Mr. Krupp is interested, we can discuss technology licensing."
Gustav's eyes lit up: "What are the conditions?"
"This requires formal negotiations." Wang Wenwu turned to William. "Your Majesty, this is also one of the topics I wish to discuss today—Lanfang is willing to deepen cooperation with Germany in more fields. Not just shipbuilding, but also special metallurgy, power machinery, optical instruments..."
William nodded vigorously: "That's exactly what I wanted! Germany has the best industrial base in Europe, and Lanfang has the most advanced design concepts. If we join forces, we can change the world!"
He raised his glass: "To the friendship of Teland!"
Everyone raised their glasses.
Wang Wenwu took a sip—a Riesling white wine, cloyingly sweet. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tirpitz also raise his glass, but his brow furrowed slightly as he drank.
The scene was even more impressive when we visited the Krupp Essen factory in the afternoon.
The enormous furnace spewed flames, the roar of the rolling mill shook the ground, and the newly forged cannon barrels hissed in the quenching pool. William, as excited as a child, dragged Wang Wenwu around to look at everything.
"This is our new 305mm naval gun, weighing 48 tons and with a rate of fire of 1.5 rounds per minute." He patted a gun barrel that was being processed, "but compared to your 381mm, it's just a toy."
"Each has its advantages." Wang Wenwu said politely, "The 305mm gun has a faster rate of fire and is suitable for medium-range combat."
"Distance?" William waved his hand. "The future of naval warfare is beyond visual range! Whoever fires the furthest wins! You've already proven that—in Java, you hit a target accurately from eight kilometers away. Our guns can only fire at a maximum of 15,000 meters, and that's hardly accurate."
He turned to stare at Wang Wenwu: "So, just how good is your new design?"
Finally, we've gotten to the point.
Wang Wenwu looked around—they were in Krupp's VIP reception room, with the factory workshops visible through the huge glass windows. Tirpitz, Moltke, several naval commanders, and Gustav Krupp were all there.
"Does Your Majesty wish to see it now?"
"Now!" William waved for the servants to leave. "There are no outsiders here."
Wang Wenwu opened his briefcase and took out the blue-covered document. It wasn't something he "accidentally" brought out; it was a formally submitted document.
William snatched it and eagerly flipped it open.
The first page contained a side view and a performance overview. His breathing quickened noticeably.
「标排24000吨……满排28000吨……舰全长172.40米，宽29米，吃水9.10米……」他喃喃念着，手指划过纸面，「主炮……10门305mm50倍径……14门150mm/45倍径副炮，舷侧单装；12门单装88mm/45倍径防鱼雷艇/防空炮；5座500mm鱼雷发射管(水下安装，船体前部一座，A炮塔和D炮塔两侧各一座)」
Turn to the second page, which contains an armor layout diagram.
"Main armor belt 300 mm, sloped at 12 degrees...Deck armor three layers, total thickness 120 mm...Turret front 420 mm..."
Page 3, Power System.
"16 Sulzer boilers, 3 Parsons/AEG-Curtis steam turbines, main engine power 31000 hp (up to 46000 hp under overload), 3 shafts, 2 rudders in parallel configuration... Speed: designed for 21 knots (over 23 knots under overload, comparable to Royal Navy battleships)"
He looked up, his eyes red: "Is this true?"
"The preliminary design plan," Wang Wenwu said, "still has some details that need to be refined, such as the fire control system configuration and the internal compartment layout. But the core parameters have been determined."
"Cost?"
"A single ship costs approximately £320 million. The construction period is 24 months – which could be shortened to 20 months if your shipyards cooperate fully."
"320 million..." William quickly did the mental calculations. "40 more expensive than the 'Dauntless,' but its performance is much better. Worth it!"
He turned to Tirpitz: "Alfred, look!"