AWB Chapter 428 Cairo Meeting 2
Chapter 428 Cairo Meeting 2
Li Te ordered them to comply. The two fleets, representing two emerging and ancient maritime powers, formed a peculiar and silent formation on the summer Mediterranean Sea, heading towards the Egyptian coast.
Inside the cabin of the "Huaihe," Chen Feng stood by the porthole, looking at the British battleship sailing alongside him. Wang Wenwu stood beside him, holding a thick folder.
"The British have quite a presence," Wang Wenwu said.
"They need to project imperial authority," Chen Feng said calmly, "especially when facing a nation that might challenge their position. However..."
He turned around, walked to the table, and sat down. "This isn't a bad thing for us. The more they value it, the more valuable our bargaining chips are. At the negotiating table, fear and desire are both emotions that can be traded."
Wang Wenwu opened the folder: "As per your instructions, the technical team has prepared all the materials. The complete technical parameters of the Hood-class destroyers, the detailed descriptions of the River-class destroyers, and... the part about the anti-submarine warfare system that you specifically requested."
"The British are currently most troubled by submarines." Chen Feng took the document and quickly flipped through it. "Klose's wolfpack tactics are beginning to show their effectiveness; in July, British merchant ship losses reached their highest level since the start of the war. If we can provide effective anti-submarine warfare capabilities, they will be willing to pay an even higher price." (Dönitz hasn't matured yet.)
"But what if we give them the advanced technology...?"
"We're not giving them core technology," Chen Feng shook his head. "It's about application-level things: improved versions of sonar, depth charge delivery systems, and optimized escort tactics. These will alleviate their pressure, but they won't change the fundamental technological balance. And—"
He looked up, a calculating glint in his eyes: "The Germans will soon gain experience with these things on the battlefield. Rather than letting the British figure it out themselves, we can sell them to them, make a profit, and make them dependent on our technology in anti-submarine warfare."
Wang Wenwu suddenly realized: "Just like you said before, we need to make them 'need sharper claws,' and they need to buy those claws from us."
"Yes." Chen Feng closed the folder. "Get ready. After we arrive tomorrow, rest for half a day first. The meeting is scheduled for the evening. The British like to have important talks after dinner, so let's go along with their habits."
"What are your bottom lines in negotiations?"
"The bottom line is clear." Chen Feng stood up and walked back to the porthole. Outside the window, the massive hull of the "Malaya" gleamed with a dark gray metallic sheen in the sunlight.
"First, the debt must be offset by warships; this is a given fact and not open to negotiation."
"Secondly, the price of any additional destroyers provided can be negotiated, but payment must be made in gold or US dollars; British pound bonds are not accepted."
"Third, regarding the issue of Japan, we should leave room for interpretation, but we cannot make any specific promises."
"Fourth..." he paused, "we need to make the British understand that Lanfang can be a stabilizer for them in the Far East, not a troublemaker. But this 'stabilizer' needs to be 'oiled' regularly."
Wang Wenwu quickly took notes: "Understood. But Commander-in-Chief, I have a question. Aren't we risking trouble by doing business with both sides at the same time? What if Germany and Britain make peace and join forces against us..."
Chen Feng smiled, a smile that conveyed a sense of composure as if he had seen through the course of history.
"Minister Wang, have you studied European history? What has Britain's continental policy been for the past three hundred years?"
"Balance. Prevent any one continental European country from becoming too powerful."
"That's right." Chen Feng nodded. "So even if Germany were defeated now, Britain wouldn't allow France or Russia to dominate Europe. They would support Germany to counterbalance the victor. And in this process, Germany would need reconstruction, funding, technology... what would it need?"
Wang Wenwu's eyes lit up: "We need our products."
"It's not just about products, but also markets and resources." Chen Feng gazed into the distance, where the African coastline was already faintly visible. "The post-war world will be reshuffled. The old empires will be scarred, while emerging nations will yearn to rise. And Lanfang needs to secure a favorable position in that new world. Every transaction we make now, every strategy we devise, is preparation for that day."
He turned around, his gaze resolute: "So there's no need to worry about them joining forces. As long as we can continue to provide them with what they need but cannot produce themselves, and as long as we can keep them in check, Lanfang will always have room to survive and develop."
Wang Wenwu took a deep breath, feeling something surging in his chest. It was the excitement of participating in creating history, and also the weight of facing immense responsibility.
"I understand, Your Excellency."
"Go and prepare." Chen Feng looked out the window again. "Tomorrow, we're going to meet a king. But before that..."
His voice lowered, as if he were talking to himself:
"Let the world see how warships from the East can sail into the heart of the empire's waters."
开罗，蒙塔扎宫，1916年8月13日晚7时30分
As night falls over the Nile Delta, Cairo's lights twinkle against the tropical night sky. Montaza Palace, located in the east of the city, was originally Khedif's residence and now serves as the official residence of the British High Commissioner to Egypt. This architectural complex, a blend of Ottoman, Moorish, and European styles, gleams brilliantly under carefully arranged lighting.
The main hall of the palace was temporarily set up as a meeting place. A long mahogany dining table was covered with a white linen tablecloth embroidered with gold thread, and candles flickered on silver candlesticks, reflecting off polished crystal glasses and gilded cutlery. Portraits of Queen Victoria and the current King George V hung on the walls, and in the corners, Royal Guard soldiers in red uniforms and bearskin hats stood like statues.
On the balcony outside the hall, King George V stood with his back to the hall, gazing at the night view of the Nile River in the distance. The fifty-one-year-old king was dressed in the uniform of a Royal Navy admiral, his dark blue tweed adorned with medals, but his expression at this moment was less like that of a monarch attending a grand banquet and more like that of a general about to step into battle—his brows were slightly furrowed, his lips were tightly pursed, and his fingers unconsciously caressed his scepter.
Behind him, Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey and Egyptian High Commissioner Sir Henry McMahon were talking in hushed tones.
"...Chen Feng's flagship arrived in Alexandria early this morning," McMahon reported. The 58-year-old diplomat possessed the composure honed by years of service in India and Persia. "The 'Huaihe,' the third ship of the Bismarck class. Our naval officers boarded for a courtesy visit and brought back some...unsettling observations."
King George V did not turn around: "Speak."