AWB Chapter 100: Three dishes and one soup are enough.
Chapter 100: Three dishes and one soup are enough.
"Minister, shall we go to Palm Palace?"
"Yes. Slow down, give me ten minutes to think things through."
The car drove out of the administrative building area and onto the newly built coastal boulevard. To the left was the sea, and to the right were residential buildings under construction. Crane arms drew arcs in the air, and concrete mixer trucks roared past.
Wang Wenwu closed his eyes and reviewed the Chilean Navy's information in his mind: its main force consisted of two pre-dreadnought battleships from the 1890s, purchased from Britain, which were now obsolete. Argentina's purchase of dreadnought-class battleships from Lanfang meant that the military balance on Chile's doorstep had been disrupted. They needed new ships, the sooner the better, and the stronger the better.
As for Japan... the fact that Togo Heihachiro came in person shows that they are really in a hurry.
The Russo-Japanese War had just ended. Although Japan had won, its national treasury was empty and its fleet had suffered heavy losses. Most importantly, they had failed to extract any reparations from Russia. They urgently needed to replenish their fleet with new and advanced warships, especially after witnessing the performance of Lanfang's "Kuangfu" in Java.
But this ship cannot be sold.
It's not a technical issue, it's a matter of stance. Chen Feng once said, "Lanfang's warships must never fly the Rising Sun Flag."
The car stopped in front of the main building of the Palm Palace. It is a building that blends Arabic style with modern design, with white exterior walls, arched windows, and drought-resistant plants introduced from South America in the courtyard.
Wang Wenwu took a deep breath, put on a professional smile, and opened the car door.
Carlos Silva was a man around fifty years old, not very tall but with broad shoulders, wearing a dark blue naval uniform with gleaming medals on his chest. He stood in the center of the drawing room, his back ramrod straight like a mast.
"Commissioner Silva, welcome to Dubai," Wang Wenwu said in Spanish—something he had hastily learned before leaving for Europe, and he only knew some basic conversation.
Silva's eyes lit up: "Mr. Wang speaks Spanish?"
"Just a little bit, to show respect to our guests." Wang Wenwu switched back to English. "Let's use English, it's more accurate that way. Please have a seat."
The two sat down on the sofa. A waiter brought coffee—freshly ground and brewed from beans brought by the Chilean delegation, with a rich aroma.
"Mr. Wang, let me be frank." Silva didn't touch his coffee. "Chile needs warships, two, enough to outdo the two 'Intrepid' ships Argentina bought. We know Lanfang can build the world's most advanced ships, and we've come with sincerity and a budget."
Wang Wenwu smiled and gestured for the waiter to leave. After the door closed, he said, "We appreciate your sincerity. What's the budget?"
"A single ship should cost no more than three million pounds. But it must have performance advantages – main guns at least 305 mm in caliber, a speed of at least 22 knots, and armor thicker than that of the 'Dreadnought'."
"Three million pounds..." Wang Wenwu picked up his coffee cup, but didn't drink it. He simply ran his fingertips along the inside of the cup. "Mr. Silva, do you know how much we sold the 'Dreadnought' class to Germany for?"
"I heard... two million eight hundred thousand?"
"Two million is the base price." Wang Wenwu put down his cup. "If Chile wants a performance advantage, it needs a special design. The sea conditions in the South Pacific are different from those in the North Sea, so the hull structure, stability design, and even the air conditioning system need to be adjusted. All of these require additional research and development costs."
Silva's expression remained unchanged, but he tapped his fingers lightly on his knee.
"Mr. Wang, Chile is a small country with limited finances. But we are willing to pay for quality. Name your price."
"Two million eight hundred thousand pounds per ship," Wang Wenwu said. "But this is a friendly price. There are three conditions: First, 50% of the total price must be paid in advance, 30% upon commencement of construction, and the balance upon delivery. Second, all crew members must come to Dubai for six months of training, at an additional cost. Third, and most importantly—the core technology and design blueprints will never be transferred. You can buy the ship and learn how to operate it, but you cannot learn how to build it."
The room was silent for a few seconds.
Silva suddenly laughed, the kind of laugh that comes from sudden relaxation at the negotiating table.
"Mr. Wang, do you know? Before coming here, we researched all the countries that could build dreadnoughts. Britain asked for three million, with a construction period of thirty-six months, and they didn't even guarantee that the performance would surpass their own ships. Germany was even more expensive, and there was a waiting list. Only you... offered a reasonable price, a short construction period, and were willing to tailor-make one for the South Pacific."
"so?"
"So Chile accepts these three conditions." Silva leaned forward. "But we also have one request—if possible, we would like to visit your shipbuilding facilities. Not to steal technology, but to see firsthand what kind of ships our money will turn into."
Wang Wenwu thought for a few seconds: "We can arrange a visit to a civilian shipyard and some publicly accessible industrial facilities. How about tomorrow morning?"
"Very good."
"Furthermore," Wang Wenwu stood up, "we have arranged a small welcome banquet tonight. In the following days, we can arrange for you to visit our schools, hospitals, and ports. We hope that our Chilean friends will see not just an arms factory, but a rising nation."
Silva also stood up and shook hands with a firm grip.
"Mr. Wang, there's something I have to say—before I came here, I thought I'd see... how should I put it, a nouveau riche arms dealer. But now I see that you're building a real nation. That puts me at ease."
"Thank you." Wang Wenwu smiled. "Well then, how about you rest this afternoon? See you at the banquet hall at seven o'clock tonight."
After seeing Silva off, Wang Wenwu returned to the reception room, the smile slowly fading from his face. He walked to the window and watched the Chilean delegation carrying their luggage head towards Building Two. Eight men, their steps light, pointed at the distant crane and discussed something as they walked.
This is a good sign.
He took out his notebook and jotted down the key points: Chile, two ships, 280 million each, 50% prepayment, training extra. A visit to civilian facilities is scheduled for tomorrow.
I had just finished writing when my secretary knocked on the door and came in, her expression a little strange.
"Minister, there's been a slight problem with the Japanese delegation..."
"What's going on?"
"Togo Heihachiro wants to see you now. He said, 'Since Minister Wang's schedule is full today, I'll wait for him until he's free.' He's sitting in the lobby of Building 4 now, and has been sitting there for twenty minutes."
Wang Wenwu glanced at his watch: 11:40.
"Has lunch been arranged?"
"It was arranged, but he said he wasn't hungry."
"Then let him wait." Wang Wenwu closed his notebook. "According to the plan, I'll take the Chileans to the port for a visit at 2 PM. Notify the port staff to prepare the video footage of the 'Kuangfu' training for the Chileans to see. But make sure the Japanese aren't nearby."
"clear."
"Also," Wang Wenwu paused, "tell the canteen to send lunch to the Japanese delegation's rooms, to the minimum standard of a Class B reception. Three dishes and a soup, that's enough."