The Steel Behemoth of Kiel

The sound of a ship's horn pierced the morning mist over the Baltic Sea, and six huge gray silhouettes appeared on the horizon.

On the harbor shore, the dark mass of people erupted in cheers like a tsunami. Children rode on their fathers' shoulders, women waved the black, white, and red tricolor imperial flags, and men took off their hats and threw them into the air.

"They're here! They're here!"

"The pride of Germany!"

"Look at that cannon barrel! My God, it's thicker than a house!"

On the viewing platform at the pier, Emperor Wilhelm II gripped his gilded binoculars tightly, his knuckles white from the effort. He was dressed in full naval admiral's uniform, the medals on his chest gleaming in the morning light, and a barely suppressed smug smile played on his lips.

"Alfred," the Emperor said without turning around, his voice loud enough for all the officials behind him to hear, "tell me, in the last three hundred years, has any non-British fleet ever caused such a commotion upon returning to its home port?"

Admiral Tirpitz stood half a step to the right rear of the Emperor, maintaining a ramrod-straight military posture: "Your Majesty, this is a historic moment."

"Historic?" Wilhelm II lowered his binoculars, turned to face his naval commander, his eyes gleaming like burning coals. "No, Alfred, this is the prelude to a new era!"

He opened his arms as if to embrace the entire port of Kiel, the entire Baltic Sea, and even the entire ocean of the world.

"From this day forward, the myth of the Royal Navy's dominance of the seas has ended! From this day forward, anyone who wants to stop Germany from acquiring 'land under the sun' must first ask these steel behemoths for their permission!"

Officials and generals echoed in unison, and thunderous applause erupted.

But Tirpitz's expression remained serious. His gaze swept over the revelers and landed on the six warships that were slowly entering their berths. The Westphalian, the Rhineland, the Posen, the Hesse, the Nassau, and the Oldenburg—each named after a German state, each representing the new fangs of the High Seas Fleet.

"Your Majesty," Tirpitz said in a low voice, "the British military attaché in Germany is in the press area to the left of the reviewing stand. He has a very professional camera lens."

"Let him take the pictures!" Wilhelm II said dismissively. "Let him send every single one back to London and put it on Uncle Edward's breakfast table! I want all of England, from the King to the dockworkers, to see the power of Germany!"

The fleet has fully entered port.

Six warships were anchored at perfect intervals, their dark gun barrels pointing straight to the sky, like a steel forest. Sailors stood in formation along the sides, their white uniforms standing out against the gray hulls. A huge Imperial Navy ensign flew from the mast of each ship.

The military band began playing "Germany Above All Else".

A massive chorus erupted from the crowd, the singing deafening.

Wilhelm II descended from the reviewing stand and, surrounded by his guards, ascended the gangway of the HMS Westfallen. This was a meticulously planned segment—the Emperor would personally board this most powerful warship to demonstrate to the entire nation the close ties between the Royal Family and the Navy.

On deck, Captain von Trotta, captain of the Westvalen, stood at attention and saluted: "Your Majesty! The entire crew of the Westvalen welcomes you aboard!"

Wilhelm II returned the greeting, and then did something that made all the reporters frantically press their shutters—he strode over and gave the captain a tight hug.

"Colonel! You and your lads have won unparalleled glory for the Empire!"

"Serving His Majesty!" Trota's voice choked with emotion.

The accompanying court journalists immediately jotted down notes: "His Majesty the Emperor honored the outstanding service of the Westfall crew with a brotherly embrace..."

But what are their true "achievements"? These ships never participated in any battles, not even firing a single shot—except for test firings in the Persian Gulf. But that doesn't matter. In the propaganda machine, they are already "guardians of the empire," "new masters of the seas."

The hot winds from the Persian Gulf, carrying sand grains, lashed against the glass windows of the conference room in the administration building.

The room lacked the fervor of Kiel, possessing only an almost cold calm.

A dozen or so telegrams, reports, and newspaper summaries were spread out on the long conference table. The front pages of the German-language Berliner Zeitung, the English-language Times, and the French-language Le Figaro were all, without exception, news of the German dreadnought's return home.

Chen Feng sat in the main seat, holding a newly translated full text of Wilhelm II's speech. He read it slowly, occasionally marking paragraphs with a red pen.

Wang Bo sat to his right, sorting through business intelligence sent back from various locations. Wang Wenwu sent a coded telegram from Singapore, reporting on the recent abnormal fluctuations in international commodity prices. Qian Shengli submitted the latest quarterly agricultural harvest report. Zhao Qianli submitted the assessment results for the second batch of students at the technical school.

But everyone's attention was actually on Chen Feng.

The young "President" finally put down the documents in his hand and looked up. He didn't look at the newspaper headlines, but looked directly at the huge world map hanging on the wall.

"The German propaganda was very successful," Chen Feng said calmly. "Wilhelm II knew exactly how to stir up national sentiment. But this fire burned too brightly."

Uncle Wang put down the documents in his hand: "Young master, the more flamboyant the Germans are, the more advantageous it is for us, isn't it? The order has already been signed, and the advance payment for the second batch of four ships will arrive next week."

"Short-term benefits, long-term dangers." Chen Feng stood up, walked to the map, and pointed to the location of Kiel. "An overconfident, overly excited Germany will make irrational decisions. For example..."

His finger moved westward, across the North Sea, and stopped on the British mainland.

"For example, provoking a wounded lion."

He turned to face the crowd: "You saw the British reaction in the telegram, didn't you?"

"I saw it." Li Mingyuan, Wang Wenwu's deputy and acting Minister of Commerce, nodded. "The defense sector on the London Stock Exchange has surged. Parliament is debating the emergency funding bill. Our intelligence officer said that Lord Fisher slammed his fist on the table at the Admiralty meeting."

"He will succeed," Chen Feng said confidently. "Britain cannot stand idly by and watch Germany gain dominance in the North Sea. The plan to build ten dreadnoughts will be approved by next month at the latest. And then what?"

He asked himself and answered:

"Then, British shipyards will be running at full speed. Engineers will be working overtime. Workers will be working in three shifts. In one or two years at most, Britain will be able to build a new fleet sufficient to overwhelm Germany. By then, the ships we sold to Germany will have gone from being an 'advantage' to 'assets in need of upgrading'."

The meeting room fell silent.

Chen Feng walked back to his seat, but instead of sitting down, he placed his hands on the table.

"Therefore, our window of opportunity is at most two years. Within two years, we need to accomplish three things."

He held up three fingers.

"First, subsequent orders from Germany must be completed on time and to a high standard. This isn't just about making money; it's also about maintaining credibility and cooperative relationships. Uncle Wang, how's the progress at the shipyard?"

Wang Bo opened his notebook: "The keel of the first ship of the improved Westphalian-class destroyers in Dock No. 1 has been laid. The special steel provided by Germany is of very high quality, and the workers are more skilled than last time. According to the plan, it can be delivered in eighteen months."

"We'll compress it to ten months," Chen Feng said. "We'll add bonuses and implement three shifts. We need to prove to the Germans that we're not only technologically advanced, but also world-class in efficiency."

"Yes, young master."

"Secondly," Chen Feng lowered his second finger, "we should take advantage of the time lag in British shipbuilding to find new clients. After Germany and Austria-Hungary, who needs dreadnoughts the most? Who has the most money? Who is most willing to pay a high price for the technology?"

Li Mingyuan pondered for a moment: "France. France and Germany are sworn enemies. Germany has six ships, while France has none. Moreover, the French are very concerned about their image and would absolutely not tolerate this."

"And then there's Russia," Zhao Qianli interjected, who had been silent until now. "Tsar Nicholas II just lost the Russo-Japanese War, and his Far East Fleet was almost completely wiped out. He needs new ships to save face."

"Japan is also a possibility," Wang Bo added. "Yamamoto Gonnohyōe has been active in Europe, clearly seeking to purchase warships. But both Britain and Germany rejected him."

Chen Feng nodded: "France, Russia... are all potential clients. But we need to be selective in our contact. As for Japan... forget it, I'm worried that selling to the Japanese will get me a lot of flak from readers!! Li Mingyuan, use your channels in Singapore to spread the word—say that 'Lanfang Trading Company' is capable of providing 'special industrial solutions,' but only cooperates with 'sincere and law-abiding' partners. Keep it vague, but those who understand will understand."

"clear."

"Third," Chen Feng lowered the last finger, his expression becoming extremely serious, "and most importantly—accelerate 'Project Cheetah.' The German Westvale-class will soon go from 'leading' to 'standard.' And our 'Cheetah' must maintain a generational lead."

He looked at Liu Yongfu, who was in charge of the "Leopard Nest" project:

"Chief Engineer Liu, please tell me the truth, what is the biggest bottleneck for the 'Fuxing' high-speed train right now?"

Liu Yongfu took off his reading glasses and rubbed his bloodshot eyes: "Commander-in-Chief, the biggest problem is still the power system. Four steam turbines, twenty-four oil-fired boilers... We've thoroughly studied the blueprints, but the machining precision requirements are too high. And those four drive shafts, each over twenty meters long, we have to ensure the straightness error is no more than the thickness of a hair. Our machine tools..."

"What kind of machine tool do you need?" Chen Feng asked directly.

"We have German-made six-axis heavy-duty CNC milling machines, or the latest large-scale precision boring machines from the United States," Liu Yongfu said with a wry smile. "But these are strategic materials, and they won't sell them to us. Our current equipment is made up of workers grinding things up bit by bit based on experience and feel. It's too inefficient, and the quality is inconsistent."

Chen Feng remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he said, "If... I get you the blueprints and the parameters for the core components, can you build it yourself?"

Everyone in the conference room was stunned.

Building your own six-axis milling machine? That sounds even more fantastical than building a warship.

Liu Yongfu opened his mouth, but finally gritted his teeth and said, "As long as we have the blueprints and the principles, we... can give it a try! But it will take time, we will need the best materials, and we will also need to poach a few real machine tool experts from Europe."

"I'll think of a way, experts." Chen Feng walked to the window, gazing at the faint outline of the gantry crane visible in the direction of the "Leopard's Nest" in the distance. "The Germans treat us like treasures now. They won't refuse any 'small' technical support requests. As for the Americans... Wang Wenwu knows a few Jewish businessmen in Singapore who trade in machine tools. If the money is right, there's always a way."

He turned around, his gaze intense:

"Gentlemen, remember this day. The German dreadnought has returned home, and the world naval race has officially begun."

"What we need to do is not to follow in the competition."

"It's about setting the rules for the next stage of the competition."