Provisional Cabinet

That afternoon, the first cabinet meeting of the Lanfang Republic was held on the second floor of the administration building.

It was called a cabinet, but it was pitifully simple: a long wooden table, seven chairs, and an old Lanfang flag hanging on the wall—a yellow background with a giant red dragon. The seven people present had an average age of over fifty, with only Chen Feng being a twenty-year-old.

"Gentlemen, let's get to know each other formally." Chen Feng sat in the main seat, his gaze sweeping over every face present. "Although we have been working together for three years, today, the Provisional Cabinet of the Lanfang Republic is officially established."

He paused, then began to explain:

"Minister of Industry, Wang Lixin—the familiar Uncle Wang. Over the past three years, our factories, shipyards, and power plants have all been built under Minister Wang's single-handed management."

Uncle Wang stood up and bowed slightly to everyone. The sixty-year-old man was dressed in a simple Zhongshan suit, and his hair was neatly combed.

"Minister of Agriculture, Qian Shengli. Minister Qian comes from an old farm in Borneo and has managed 5,000 mu of rubber plantations. In the past three years, the 32,000 mu of farmland and 800 mu of vegetable greenhouses that we have reclaimed on the edge of the desert are all thanks to Minister Qian."

Qian Shengli was a dark-skinned, thin man with thick calluses on his hands. He stood up and said only two words: "It's what I should do."

"The Minister of Education is Zhao Qianli. Minister Zhao was a scholar in the former Lanfang Republic and later taught in Singapore for thirty years. The textbooks for our twelve primary schools and three technical schools were all compiled by Minister Zhao and seven other teachers, word by word."

Zhao Qianli wore round-framed glasses and had a refined, scholarly air. He bowed slightly and said, "I am ashamed to say that I can only do clerical work."

"Minister of Infrastructure, anniversary. Minister Zhou was a famous architect in Southeast Asia. He oversaw the construction of Penang's clock tower and Singapore's warehouses. Our current residential areas, factories, and dock facilities are all his work."

Anniversary was a silent middle-aged man who simply nodded.

"I will temporarily hold the position of Minister of Finance," Chen Feng continued, "but today, I am appointing a Minister of Commerce."

All eyes turned to the conference room door.

A man in his early thirties pushed open the door and entered. He was wearing a Western-style shirt and vest, his hair was slicked back with hair gel, and he was carrying a leather briefcase. Compared to the simple attire of the others present, he appeared somewhat...overly refined.

"Wang Wenwu, I recruited him," Chen Feng introduced. "In his early years, he worked as a comprador for a British trading company in Singapore, and later ran his own shipping and trading business, traveling as far as New York and Liverpool. He is fluent in English, French, and Dutch, and is familiar with international trade rules."

Wang Wenwu smiled and greeted everyone, his smile so perfect it looked like it had been measured with a ruler: "Esteemed seniors, I am honored. It is my lifelong honor to serve the revival of Lanfang."

A murmur of discussion arose in the conference room. Clearly, the sudden appointment of the Commerce Minister had taken several veteran officials somewhat by surprise.

"I know you all have questions," Chen Feng stated directly. "Wenwu came from a comprador background, working for foreigners, which doesn't have a good reputation. But I want to ask you this: who here knows better than him how to do business with foreigners? Who understands the financial markets of London, New York, and Rotterdam better than him? Who understands every aspect of international shipping better than him?"

No one answered.

"We need money, we need resources, we need technology," Chen Feng said calmly but firmly. "And all these things are in the hands of foreigners. If we want to get them from them, we have to use a language they understand and follow their rules—or change the rules. Wenwu, at least, knows what the rules are."

Uncle Wang nodded slowly: "Young Master is right. The great cause of national rejuvenation cannot rely solely on us old bones. We need fresh blood, we need people who understand the outside world."

Seeing Wang Bo's statement, the others nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let's get down to business." Chen Feng took a stack of documents out of his briefcase. "Today's meeting has only one agenda item: how to spend this money."

He distributed the documents to everyone. Each document was over twenty pages long, listing detailed procurement lists, budget allocations, and timelines.

"Four million two hundred thousand pounds, equivalent to 105 tons of gold. My allocation plan is as follows—"

Chen Feng stood up and walked to the map.

(Please remember 1219.m.k.com for the fastest chapter updates.)

"First, £1.2 million for industrial expansion." He pointed with a stick to the area around Dubai Port on the map. "We need to expand the steel mill from the current 100,000 tons per year to 500,000 tons. We need to build a new special alloy workshop to produce armor steel and gun steel. We need to expand the machine shop, adding large gantry cranes, heavy-duty lathes, and boring machines. We also need to build a new chemical plant to increase TNT production and begin research on synthetic ammonia technology—that's the foundation for making fertilizers and explosives."

As Wang Bo listened, he quickly took notes on a piece of paper. His hands trembled slightly, not from fear, but from excitement.

"Secondly, £800,000 will be used for infrastructure construction." The wooden stick was moved to the residential area and the planned new town. "Currently, there are 300,000 people, and nearly 100,000 of them are still living in temporary wooden houses. We need to build permanent housing for 200,000 people within a year. We need to lay water pipes, build sewage treatment systems, expand power plants, and build an internal railway network—from the docks to the factory area, from the mining area to the residential area."

Zhou Nian raised his head: "President, running water systems and sewage treatment... these are rare things in Southeast Asia. The technical requirements are very high, and our people..."

"Technology can be learned, or it can be bought," Chen Feng interrupted him. "The Germans and Austro-Hungarians will bring us technology and equipment. Minister Zhou, your task is to organize the manpower and turn the blueprints into reality."

"Understood." Anniversary nodded emphatically.

"Third, £500,000 will be used for agricultural development." The stick moved to several green areas marked on the map. "There is groundwater along the Persian Gulf coast, which can be used to develop irrigated agriculture. We need to drill deep wells, build pumping stations, and expand the cultivated land area to 100,000 mu. At the same time, we will introduce drought-resistant crop varieties from India and Southeast Asia. 300,000 people need to eat; we can't rely on imported food forever."

Qian Shengli's eyes lit up: "President, if we really have 500,000 pounds, I guarantee we can achieve 60% food self-sufficiency within two years!"

"I need 80%," Chen Feng said, looking at him. "Minister Qian, can you do that?"

Qian Shengli gritted his teeth: "Yes!"

"Fourth, £300,000 for education." Chen Feng turned his gaze to Zhao Qianli. "Expand schools, establish technical training centers, and open night schools for literacy. Hire teachers and engineers from Germany and Austria-Hungary to establish a systematic vocational and technical education system. Minister Zhao, our children cannot only learn the Four Books and Five Classics; they must learn mathematics, physics, and chemistry, and be able to read blueprints and operate machines."

Zhao Qianli adjusted his glasses: "Commander-in-Chief, hiring foreign teachers... is very expensive. And there's the language barrier..."

"If they can't speak the language, they should learn it," Chen Feng said firmly. "From now on, all schools will add German and English classes. Our next generation must be able to directly read the latest scientific and technological literature. This expense cannot be spared."

"I understand."

"Fifth," Chen Feng paused, his gaze becoming profound, "one million four hundred thousand pounds, for global procurement."

The meeting room fell silent. Everyone knew that this was the main event.

Chen Feng returned to his seat and looked at Wang Wenwu: "Minister of Commerce, you are in charge of this part."

Wang Wenwu immediately stood up, opened his briefcase, and took out a more detailed list.

"Gentlemen, Wenwu has formulated this global procurement plan based on the instructions of the President." His voice was clear and rhythmic, as if he were reporting to the owner of a foreign firm. "The core principles are: to avoid attracting attention, to diversify procurement, and to use multiple channels."

He walked up to the map and began to explain:

"Category 1: Strategic minerals."

"Australia, Western Australia." The stick pointed to the northwest corner of Australia. "This place has the world's best iron ore, with a grade of over 65%, and most of it is open-pit mining, making it easy to extract. The British only have a few small exploration sites there, and haven't developed it on a large scale yet. We need to quietly buy land, through intermediaries, and control at least three large mines under the guise of a 'private mining company'."

"South Africa, Transvaal." The stick moved to the southern tip of Africa. "We don't need gold mines, but there are chromium and manganese mines here. Chromium is a key element in the production of stainless steel and armor steel, and manganese is an essential deoxidizer in steelmaking. The British have just won the Boer War and their control over the mining industry is not yet strict. We can acquire shares in local mines through Dutch merchants."

"Malaya, Johor." The wooden stick returned to Southeast Asia. "Tin mines. We need a lot of tin—for making bearing alloys, solder, and tin-plated steel sheets. The British control the main mining areas, but we can buy it from small and medium-sized mine owners through the Chinese Chamber of Commerce."

"Chile, Atacama Desert." A wooden stick stretched across the Pacific Ocean. "Nitrate mines. These are essential for making fertilizers and explosives. Currently controlled by British and German capital, but the Chilean government desperately needs funds. We can negotiate directly with the government to obtain mining rights."

Wang Wenwu finished speaking in one breath, then paused to take a sip of water. The conference room fell silent; everyone was awestruck by the grand scale and meticulous detail of the plan.

"How are we going to manage so many places?" Qian Shengli couldn't help but ask.

"We don't manage, we only hold shares," Chen Feng continued. "We don't own the mines, we're just shareholders. We diversify our holdings through offshore companies, trust funds, and local agents. Our goal isn't to control the mines, but to ensure our factories have a stable, low-cost supply of raw materials."

Wang Bo seemed thoughtful: "Young Master means... that we shouldn't show ourselves directly, but stay behind the scenes?"

"That's right." Chen Feng nodded. "The name Lanfang shouldn't attract too much attention for now. We are now 'multiple international mining investment companies,' 'a group of visionary Chinese capitalists,' but we absolutely cannot be a 'political entity building a nation in the Persian Gulf.'"

"Understood." Uncle Wang nodded slowly. "Conceal your abilities and bide your time."