AWB Chapter 96 We've Been Used as Pawns
Chapter 96 We've Been Used as Pawns
"They didn't mention the 'Caesar-class'?"
"He didn't mention it." Wang Wenwu smiled. "William had a backup plan. He wanted to give the British a 'surprise' once construction began."
"What about the French? What about the Russians?"
"They all have their own agendas." Wang Wenwu burned the telegram. "France wants to use us to counterbalance Germany, Russia wants to use us to counterbalance Japan and Germany. Germany wants to use us to counterbalance Britain. Britain... wants to keep us in check, so we don't completely side with Germany."
He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes:
"This is the game between great powers. Everyone wants to use others, and everyone is afraid of being used. And we... want them all to think that we are being used by them, but in reality, we are using everyone."
The train sped through the night.
In the distance, the surface of the Baltic Sea is faintly visible. Further away, the "Restoration" ship should have already left Hamburg and is on its way back to the Persian Gulf.
Wang Wenwu recalled what Chen Feng had said when he saw him off before he left Dubai:
"Remember, we're not there to beg for recognition. We're there to tell them: this table now has a place for us."
Now, we've got the position.
Next, we'll discuss how to play the cards.
He opened his eyes and said to Li Mingyuan, "Send a telegram to the young master. Use the highest level of security."
A dozen days later, Wang Wenwu returned to Bo Xiwang.
The conference room was filled with the mixed aroma of cigars and coffee.
The long table was filled with people on both sides. Chen Feng sat at the head of the table, with Uncle Wang, Liu Yongfu, and Zhou Nian to his left, and Li Mingyuan and several heads of industrial departments to his right. All eyes were on Wang Wenwu, who had just walked in.
"Have they all arrived?"
Chen Feng glanced at everyone and then spoke.
Then King Wenwu nodded.
Wang Wenwu placed his heavy briefcase on the table with a dull thud. "Then I'll begin."
He didn't sit down, but walked directly to the huge European map hanging on the wall and picked up the pointer.
"The trip to Europe lasted a total of ninety-seven days. We visited four capital cities: London, Berlin, Paris, and St. Petersburg. We signed two formal agreements, reached three verbal understandings, and brought back potential orders totaling over twenty million pounds..." He paused, "...more than twenty million pounds."
A low gasp filled the conference room.
"Specific details." Wang Wenwu's pointer pointed to London. "First, Britain. The signing of the Anglo-Chinese Memorandum of Understanding on Trade and Navigation, with three core points: complete lifting of trade sanctions; allowing us to establish a commercial representative office in London and enjoy actual diplomatic conveniences; and tacitly acknowledging our 'right to protect overseas Chinese' in Southeast Asia."
"The price?" Chen Feng asked.
"Compensation for our 'losses' during the sanctions period: £1.2 million, payable in three installments. And..." Wang Wenwu pulled a document from his briefcase, "A letter of intent for a simplified technical consultation on the 'Cheetah-class' system. Fisher wanted it, but I held him back, saying it needed to be studied domestically."
Liu Yongfu adjusted his glasses: "To what extent has it been simplified?"
"The main guns are 305mm, the armor is 10% thicker than the 'Dreadnought,' and the speed is 22 knots. It's two generations behind what we use ourselves, but better than the existing British designs." Wang Wenwu put down his teaching pointer. "The key is the price—I quoted 2.8 million pounds per ship, and they didn't haggle."
"Can they afford it?" Anniversary frowned.
"Even if we can't afford it, we'll still buy it." Wang Wenwu walked to the table, picked up his water glass, and took a big gulp. "Abbasnot followed the 'Guangfu' ship in the Indian Ocean for more than 30 hours, and his report said that 'the technological gap is insurmountable.' Fisher now has only one thought: either catch up with it himself, or buy it from us. It will take three years to develop it on his own, and two years to buy it from us."
Chen Feng tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "What about Berlin?"
"Second item, Germany." Wang Wenwu moved his pointer to Berlin. "The signing of the 'German-German Military-Technical Cooperation Framework Agreement.' The core content: Germany will order two 'Kaiser-class' battleships, each costing £3.2 million, for a total of £6.4 million. The construction period is 24 months."
He opened another document: "Supplementary Clause 1: Krupp of Germany will send a technical team to assist us in building a special steel plant in Dubai, providing a complete set of equipment and five years of technical support. Supplementary Clause 2: We will partially transfer the autofrettage process of the new naval gun barrel to Germany—note, the process, not the formula."
Liu Yongfu quickly calculated in his notebook: "The net profit of the two ships is approximately... £1.8 million. The value of the steel mill's technical assistance is calculated separately."
"More than that," Wang Wenwu said. "Wilhelm II privately promised us 'benevolent neutrality' in Far Eastern affairs. In other words, if we want to return to Southeast Asia, Germany will not cause trouble, and may even speak up for us on certain occasions."
"Paris?" Li Mingyuan asked.
"Third, France." The pointer swung across the water. "The order for the Courbet-class destroyers has been confirmed. Three more ships have been ordered, for a total of £11.4 million. The delivery time has been extended to four years because the dock schedule is full."
Wang Wenwu paused for a moment, then continued, "The French wanted something even more advanced, so I gave them a hook—I said we had an 'improved Courbet-class' program, with a 20% performance increase. They took the bait, on the condition that France fully open its colonial ports in Southeast Asia to us."
"And Russia?" Chen Feng leaned forward.
"Fourth, St. Petersburg." Wang Wenwu put down his teaching pointer and sat down. "The most complicated one. Tsar Nicholas II met with me privately and proposed a 'resources-for-technology' scheme. They offered Siberian timber, Urals iron ore, and Baku oil in exchange for our warship design and construction technology."
The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds.
"You agreed?" Chen Feng asked.
"Intentions." Wang Wenwu opened the last folder. "I proposed a counter-solution: We can design a 'Baltic-class' battleship specifically for Russia, optimized for the characteristics of the German Navy. The cost will be offset by resources, but the resources must be converted at international market prices, and we will send a supervision team to oversee the mining and transportation."
"Did the Russians agree?"
"Nikolai agreed on the spot," Wang Wenwu said with a hint of sarcasm. "He had no choice. He lost the Russo-Japanese War, lost the Pacific Fleet, and the domestic economy was on the verge of collapse. He needed two things: a new navy to maintain appearances and external allies to stabilize his regime. We happen to be able to provide both."
He closed all the documents and looked at Chen Feng: "President, this is everything. In ninety-seven days, we obtained trade permits, industrial and technical assistance, huge orders, resource supply channels, and at least superficial 'respect' from four major powers."
Chen Feng remained silent for a long time.
Then he asked, "And the price?"
Wang Wenwu took a deep breath: "The price is that we've officially sat down at the table. Britain thinks we're helping Germany, Germany thinks we're on guard against them, France thinks we're using them, and Russia thinks we're giving them charity. Everyone is scheming against us, and everyone wants to tear a piece of our flesh off us."
"Is there anything else?"
"Yes." Wang Wenwu lowered his voice. "I intercepted a secret telegram from the British Foreign Office in Berlin, asking what the Germans and we had discussed. The Germans replied: 'Commercial cooperation, not strategic.' They're waiting for the 'Kaiser-class' to start construction so they can give the British a 'surprise.' We're being used as pawns, President."