Fund Allocation Meeting: Every Penny Must Be Heard

Thomson fell silent.

He knew Dubois was right. The morale problem within the navy was even more serious than the equipment problem. An army that doesn't believe it can win is useless no matter how good its equipment is.

"And," Dubois lowered his voice, "we're not entirely without leverage."

"What do you mean?"

"Technology." Dubois took a list from his briefcase. "I consulted the Military-Industrial Committee. France is ahead of the Germans in some areas. For example, optical instruments—our rangefinders are the most accurate in the world. For example, aircraft engines—our engineers have improved the design after the Wright brothers' flight demonstration in France last year. And special alloys, machining..."

He pushed the list in front of Thomson:

"We can trade technology for technology. The Germans gave us the shipbuilding capabilities for the 'Lanfang,' but they probably kept the most core technologies. If we are willing to share those... they might be more willing to cooperate with us."

Thomson looked at the list and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

This was a high-stakes gamble. A gamble that the rumors about the Persian Gulf were true, a gamble that the people there were willing to trade with France, a gamble that the deal could be kept secret until France acquired the dreadnoughts…

But what if you win the bet?

If France could acquire dreadnoughts, or even gain the ability to build them independently...

"How many people do you need?" Thomson finally asked.

Dubois's eyes lit up: "A highly capable team. I will personally lead it, with two shipbuilding experts, a marine engineer, a metallurgist, and two officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs—under the name of 'France-Africa Mining Company'."

"General Dubois," Thomson said sternly, "I must remind you: if this mission fails, if it gets out, you will be the scapegoat. The Navy and the government will deny any involvement. You could face a court-martial."

"I know," Dubois stood up and stood at attention, "but if it succeeds, the French Navy will be saved."

Thomson also stood up, walked around the desk, and went to Dubois. The old minister reached out and patted the general heavily on the shoulder:

"Charles, the future of the French Navy is in your hands."

"For France."

The two looked at each other, their eyes filled with a tragic light.

They all knew that France had no other choice. On the European continent, the German army already held the upper hand. If the seas were also controlled by the German navy, France would truly be locked down.

We must break this deadlock.

No matter what method you use.

"When do we leave?" Thomson asked.

"Three days later," Dubois said, "we'll go to Marseille first, then take a boat to Djibouti, and from there find another boat to the Persian Gulf. We'll use false identities the whole time, and communicate using one-time passwords."

"What about the funding?"

"The Prime Minister has approved the special budget." Dubois pulled a check from his pocket—a bearer draft from a Swiss bank for 500,000 francs. "The first transaction. If there are more deals, there will be more to come."

Thomson looked at the check and smiled bitterly: "Using so much money to buy a hope that may not even exist."

“Minister,” Dubois said earnestly, “at sea, sometimes you have to navigate through thick fog, relying on your compass and faith. We are in the fog now, and that rumor about the Persian Gulf is our compass.”

He saluted and turned to leave.

Minister Thomson stood alone in his office for a long time before walking to the window and looking at the Paris night view.

The Seine flows through the night, just like time, never stopping.

France was once the beacon of Europe, a symbol of civilization. But now, that light is dimming.

It must be turned back on.

No matter what the cost.

The Persian Gulf.

The large conference room in the administration building was filled with people sitting on both sides of the long table. There was a tense, excited atmosphere in the air, like the low pressure before a storm.

Chen Feng sat in the main seat, three documents spread out in front of him. On the left was a confirmation of payment for the second batch of German orders—3.6 million pounds sterling in gold, already deposited in a Swiss bank. In the middle was the third-quarter progress report of "Operation Cheetah." On the right was a newly received coded telegram from Wang Wenwu's Singapore office, reporting that the French envoy had arrived in Djibouti and was expected to arrive in the Persian Gulf in ten days.

"Everyone's here." Uncle Wang surveyed the room, cleared his throat, and said, "Young Master, we can begin."

Chen Feng raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the twelve people present—ministers from various departments, heads of major factories, the chief engineer of the shipyard, and military representatives. Each person's eyes held both expectation and worry.

"There's only one issue today," Chen Feng said, his voice low but each word clear: "How to spend the three million six hundred thousand pounds."

A soft gasp filled the conference room. Although everyone knew the money had arrived, hearing the exact figure still made their hearts race.

"Uncle Wang, please tell me about the overall budget allocation plan first."

Uncle Wang put on his reading glasses and opened his thick notebook: "Following the young master's previous instructions, I have drafted a preliminary distribution plan. Please listen carefully—"

"First, industrial expansion, £1.2 million. Mainly used for: expanding steel plants No. 2 and No. 3, building a new special alloy workshop, purchasing large gantry cranes and precision machine tools, and expanding the chemical plant, especially the explosives and synthetic ammonia production lines."

"Second, infrastructure construction, £800,000. The first phase of the standard gauge railway connecting the port, factory area, mining area and residential area, the expansion of the power plant, the construction of the first modern oil refinery, and the expansion of the waterworks and sewage treatment system."

"Third, agricultural development, £500,000. Drill fifty deep wells in the oasis area, build an irrigation system, import drought-resistant crop seeds from India and Egypt, and expand the area for greenhouse vegetable cultivation."

"Fourth, the education system, £300,000. Expand technical schools, establish secondary vocational schools, send the first batch of twenty outstanding students to study in Germany, and hire European teachers at high salaries."

"Fifth, global procurement and strategic reserves, £800,000. This will be used for Minister Wang's team to procure minerals in Australia, Chile, South Africa, and other places, as well as to stockpile necessities such as food and medicine."

After reading it aloud, Uncle Wang took off his glasses and looked at Chen Feng: "Young Master, this is the general allocation. The specific project budget still needs to be refined by each department."

Before Chen Feng could speak, Infrastructure Minister Zhou Nian spoke first.

"Your Excellency, £800,000 for railways, power plants, oil refineries... is not enough." The forty-something construction expert shook his head, gesturing with his fingers on the table as he calculated. "Just the railway alone, from the port to the inland mining area, is 60 kilometers long. Even at the lowest standard, it costs £4,000 per kilometer, which is £240,000. The power plant expansion will cost at least £150,000, the oil refinery £200,000, the water system £100,000... and that doesn't even include labor and unexpected expenses."

"Then let's scale it down," Industry Minister Li Mingyuan immediately retorted. "Minister Zhou, these are extraordinary times. Railways can be built as single-track lines first, power plants can use simplified designs, and oil refineries can be reduced in size by one-third..."

"Shrink?" Liu Yongfu, the steel plant manager, slammed his fist on the table. "Minister Li, do you know how much special steel 'Project Cheetah' requires? Do you know how much heavy oil the fuel-fired boilers need? If the refinery is scaled down, the shipyard will have to shut down due to lack of materials!"

"Then what do you suggest we do? We only have so much money!"

That's enough.