AWB Chapter 575 Using the Army's Salvation Money to Trade for Battleships
Chapter 575 Using the Army's Salvation Money to Trade for Battleships
"The right to supervise can be retained," Chen Feng conceded. "The Sakura Nation can send liaison officers to accompany the troops, can request regular reports on the battle situation, and can raise objections if they believe that command decisions seriously harm the interests of the Sakura Nation. However, operational command must be unified, otherwise it will cause chaos on the battlefield."
He gave an example: "Suppose these fifty divisions were deployed to Europe to face powerful enemies like the German, French, and British armies. If the command structure is not unified, and today the Japanese commander wants to attack, tomorrow the Lanfang commander wants to defend, and the day after tomorrow the German commander demands cooperation—then the battle would be impossible to fight."
Yamamoto nodded: "Your Excellency Chen is right. Wartime command must be unified. The German General Staff will not accept multiple commands."
Saionji glanced at Yamamoto, his eyes filled with reproach and helplessness. He knew that Yamamoto was captivated by the battleships and now his mind was preoccupied with rebuilding the Combined Fleet, making him less sensitive to other clauses.
"So what are the specific details of the technology transfer?" Yamamoto asked, steer the conversation back to the part he was most interested in.
Wang Wenwu opened another attachment: "Including but not limited to: a complete set of warship design blueprints, special steel smelting processes, steam turbine manufacturing technology, artillery barrel autofrettage technology, optical rangefinder manufacturing processes, and mechanical computer design principles. Furthermore, Lanfang will send fifty engineers and technicians to Japan to guide warship construction; Japan can send two hundred technicians to Lanfang's shipyard for training." (It's impossible to teach everything.)
Yamamoto's eyes gleamed. These were precisely the technologies that Japan lacked most. With them, Japan could not only build four "Ise-class" warships, but also develop its own warship designs based on them.
"Construction period?"
"From laying the keel to launching the first ship, it will take eighteen months. It will take three years to complete all four. But if the shipyard works overtime, the first ship could be completed in one year," Chen Feng said. "Of course, that's assuming Japan shows sufficient sincerity!"
"Where's the money?" Saionji asked the most crucial question. "One hundred million US dollars, what's the installment plan?"
"Ten percent down payment, payable upon signing the contract. Twenty percent more upon laying the keel. Thirty percent upon launching. The final forty percent upon delivery," Chen Feng said. "However, if we use divisional expenses to offset the cost, it can be adjusted—for every division Japan sends, we will deduct a corresponding amount. The specific conversion standard can be discussed further."
Saionji quickly calculated in his mind. The "labor fee" for one division was approximately $300,000 (six million yen), so fifty divisions would cost $15 million. That was still far from $100 million. (Just take these prices with a grain of salt; the prices I found at that time weren't accurate!)
But he quickly realized that Chen Feng's "compensation" wasn't a direct deduction from labor costs, but rather a deduction based on the value of the division itself. In other words, Japan provided the division, and Lanfang provided the warships; their values were equivalent. As for how this "equivalence" was calculated, that's the art of negotiation.
"I need to discuss this with my family," Saionji said finally.
"Of course." Chen Feng stood up. "The two of you can rest in Pontianak for two days and carefully study the contract terms. If there are any revisions, we can continue the discussion. But I must remind you—time waits for no one. The situation in Europe is changing every day, and it's only a matter of time before Monica joins the war. The sooner Japan decides, the more control it will have."
The meeting temporarily ended. A waiter came in and led Saionji and Yamamoto to the prepared guest rooms to rest.
After the guests from the cherry blossom country left, Wang Wenwu closed the door and returned to the table.
"Will they sign?" he asked.
"Yes." Chen Feng walked to the window, watching the departing figures of Saionji and Yamamoto in the garden outside. "Yamamoto is already tempted. He can't refuse the opportunity to rebuild the Combined Fleet. Although Saionji is cautious, he knows that Japan has no choice. To refuse us is to choose to be marginalized in the future world."
He turned around, his eyes calm:
"The problem now is, on which terms they will struggle. Regarding command, Saionji might demand more autonomy from Japan. Regarding technology transfer, Yamamoto might demand a faster pace. As for the price... they will try to lower it."
Should we back down?
"In some respects, it's possible." Chen Feng walked back to the table, picked up the draft contract, and said, "The command authority can be a little more flexible—for example, the daily management and training of the Sakura National Command will still be the responsibility of Sakura National officers, with command authority only transferred during wartime. Technology transfer can be expedited, but only if Sakura National pays an additional 'expedited fee.' The price... can be reduced to 90 million US dollars, but in exchange for more resources, such as Sakura National's rare metal mining rights."
Wang Wenwu quickly took notes.
"Most importantly," Chen Feng emphasized, "the contract must include an 'exclusivity clause'—Japan may not purchase or build warships of the same class from other countries within ten years. At the same time, Lanfang has priority in supplying major equipment to the Japanese Navy."
"This is tantamount to binding the Japanese navy to our war machine."
"We need to tie them down," Chen Feng said. "Japan is a country with potential and ambition. If we can't become a reliable ally, they could become a troublesome adversary. So we need to use technology, equipment, interests, and... artillery shells! We need to firmly bind them to our side."
He glanced at his watch: "We'll continue this afternoon. Before that, have Zhao Haitao arrange a base visit. Let Yamamoto see our shipyard and the construction progress of auxiliary ships like the 'Cruiser.' Seeing is believing; it's more effective than any persuasion."
The tour begins at 2 PM.
Zhao Haitao personally guided Saionji and Yamamoto on a tour of the core area of the Pontianak Naval Base. They did not go to the shipyard—a top-secret area—but visited the maintenance dock, training center, and logistics warehouse.
Yamamoto observed with exceptional care. At the repair dock, he saw the battleship "Pearl River," which was being maintained. This nearly 50,000-ton battleship had damaged its bow during an exercise and was now having its damaged armor plates replaced.
"The welding technology is very advanced." Yamamoto watched as the workers used welding torches to weld the new steel plate into place, the weld seam was smooth and even. "Japan still uses riveting extensively."
"Welding results in higher strength and lighter weight," Zhao Haitao explained, "but it requires a higher level of technology and better steel. The special steel we use has a yield strength of 350 MPa, which is twice that of ordinary marine steel."
"Can you provide the production technology for this type of steel?" Yamamoto asked.
"It's on the technology transfer list," Zhao Haitao replied, "but Japan needs to build the corresponding smelting equipment itself. We can provide design and guidance."
Yamamoto nodded and made a mental note of it.
At the training center, they watched the new recruits' artillery training. Inside the simulated turret, the soldiers operated control consoles identical to those in the real gun, aiming at moving targets on the screen. When the "hit" notification sounded, the instructor recorded the score and then explained the mistakes.
"The training is very systematic," Yamamoto commented. "The training of the Japanese Navy is still at the stage of live-fire exercises and experience transfer."