Chapter 75

The next morning, Gao Yang set out for the American consulate. To his great surprise, the American Minister Plenipotentiary in China, Mr. Morrow, had already arrived in Shanghai!

In the reception room, Mr. Morrow greeted Gao Yang with a smile, saying, "Mr. Gao, I came to Shanghai with Sir Mackley. I was just about to visit you today."

"Oh? Sir Mackley didn't mention this to me," Gao Yang leaned back on the sofa, crossing his legs and smiling. In his mind, he thought, "It seems they have already discussed it thoroughly."

Mr. Morrow, wearing a bow tie, raised his eyebrows and said with a light snort, "Sir Mackley brought a contract worth over 20 million pounds to the British government. How could he remember to mention me!" His words were filled with deep dissatisfaction.

Gao Yang lit a cigarette and said, "It seems there are no secrets in this world. We just finished talking last night, and the whole world knows about it today."

Mr. Morrow picked up a cigar, sat opposite Gao Yang, and asked, "Mr. Gao, I don't understand. Given the good relationship between our American government and you, why didn't you buy warships from us? You should know that the United States has the most powerful manufacturing capabilities in the world!"

Gao Yang pinched his chin, nodded slightly, and smiled, "I am well aware of your country's strength, but what I need are warships that can be used immediately! As for your country..."

At this point, Gao Yang took a puff of his cigarette, adjusted his posture, and said calmly, "Apart from the existing eighteen battleships, the rest of your navy's battleships have been decommissioned. Can your navy sell me eight active battleships at once? The British are willing to sell! Of course, I would buy from those who are willing to sell."

Mr. Morrow felt a bit uneasy. The British are willing to sell old battleships to you because they need money and want to establish a connection with you! We Americans can't do that. Given the current situation, the Congress would never approve it. Even if they did, they wouldn't approve new shipbuilding plans after selling to you, and the Navy wouldn't agree to that!

Mr. Morrow shook his head helplessly and said, "But the American shipyards can build new warships for you."

Gao Yang laughed softly. The minister was still not familiar with the business. He shook his head and smiled, "Mr. Minister, I have already said that I need active warships that can immediately form combat power, not new ships that need to stay in the shipyard for several years!"

Gao Yang waved his hand and continued, "Alright, Mr. Minister, let's not dwell on this issue. Let's talk about something practical."

Mr. Morrow nodded lightly and said seriously, "Mr. Gao, how do you plan to persuade our government to agree to significantly modify the Washington Naval Treaty?"

Gao Yang smiled, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. "Hmm? Longjing?" Gao Yang asked in surprise. Mr. Morrow was slightly taken aback but quickly smiled, "Yes, this is the top-grade Hangzhou Longjing tea gifted by your government. I hope you like it."

Gao Yang shook his head and put down the teacup, saying, "During the Hawaiian dispute years ago, the number of Japanese immigrants was clearly more than that of Americans, but your country forced them back with military power. I believe the Japanese have been harboring resentment over this for years."

Mr. Morrow was stunned, not understanding why Gao Yang suddenly brought up the old Hawaiian dispute between the U.S. and Japan.

Gao Yang continued, "The Japanese have always wanted to expand their influence, and the conflict between your country and Japan is significant. I know your government will support me. After all, having me contain Japan is very beneficial for your country. Now, your government just wants to see how much more they can squeeze out of me. Since the main point has been set, there's no need for more unnecessary talk. I have a proposal here, and I hope you can pass it on to your government to see if they can accept it!"

After saying this, Gao Yang signaled to Gao Feng. Gao Feng took out the ship purchase plan prepared overnight from his briefcase and handed it to Mr. Morrow. The minister opened the document and read it carefully.

Gao Feng explained solemnly, "We will provide technical data for the construction of two standard displacement 35,000-ton treaty-type battleships, one to be built in your country and one in our Jiangnan Shipyard. Similarly, we will provide technical data for the construction of four aircraft carriers, two to be built in your country and two in our Jiangnan Shipyard."

Gao Feng pointed to the document and said, "The specific performance indicators for the A-type battleship are as follows: standard displacement 35,000 tons, full load displacement 44,800 tons. Length 222 meters, beam 32.98 meters, draft 11.6 meters. Four compound reduction gear steam turbines, eight oil-fired boilers, four shafts, total output power 121,000 horsepower, maximum design speed 27 knots. Range 16,320 nautical miles at 15 knots, 5,740 nautical miles at 25 knots. Estimated crew 1,880, equipped with 3 seaplanes. Armament configuration: three triple 406mm/45 caliber main guns, ten twin 127mm/38 caliber dual-purpose guns. Armor protection: 305mm main belt with a 15-degree angle, 196mm horizontal deck armor, 406mm main turret armor, 406mm bridge armor."

Gao Feng paused and continued, "All boilers, steam turbines, armor, main guns, and overall design will be provided by us, and these data can be shared with your country!"

Gao Yang, seeing the skeptical and disbelieving look on Mr. Morrow's face, smiled lightly and said, "Mr. Minister, please do not doubt the technical data we provide. Your naval experts can thoroughly examine these data." After saying this, he nodded to Gao Feng to continue.

Gao Feng nodded and, after the minister flipped through the document, continued, "The B-type aircraft carrier has a standard displacement of 19,900 tons and a full load displacement of 25,600 tons. Length 246.7 meters, waterline length 232 meters, waterline beam 25.4 meters, draft 7.9 meters, flight deck length 245 meters, width 33 meters. Four 1,000 kW compound reduction gear steam turbines, two 200 kW diesel engines, nine oil-fired boilers, four shafts, total output power 120,000 horsepower, maximum design speed 33 knots. Range 12,500 nautical miles at 15 knots, 7,900 nautical miles at 20 knots. Estimated crew 2,200, standard aircraft complement 90. The ship is equipped with 8 127mm dual-purpose guns, 4 quad 28mm anti-aircraft guns, and 24 12.7mm Browning machine guns. The side armor belt is 102mm thick, the compartment armor is 102mm thick, and the bridge armor is 102mm thick. Like the A-type battleship, all technical data will be provided by us and built by you."

Gao Yang picked up his teacup and said calmly, "Mr. Minister, I am willing to pay your shipyard $40 million for each A-type battleship and $13 million for each B-type aircraft carrier. Additionally, all technical data can be shared with your country!"

He took a sip of tea and continued, "Your country will be responsible for upgrading the Jiangnan Shipyard to a large shipyard capable of building these two types of warships. Of course, whatever it costs, I will pay every cent. How about it, Mr. Minister, is my sincerity enough?" Gao Yang smiled at Mr. Morrow.

Mr. Morrow looked troubled and said, "Mr. Gao, the shipyard owners in our country will certainly welcome this order. However, the Congress..."

Gao Yang waved his hand to interrupt the minister and said solemnly, "We'll talk about the Congress later! These two A-type battleships have a total standard displacement of 70,000 tons, plus the 170,000 tons of standard displacement battleships I bought from the Royal Navy. The total displacement of the main warships is 240,000 tons, which is 60,000 tons less than Japan's limit! That's two main warships! And most of the ships I bought from the Royal Navy are old and of questionable strength."

He shook his head, put down his teacup, and continued, "So, my personal opinion is that if we join the Washington Naval Treaty, the tonnage of the four B-type aircraft carriers plus the Eagle aircraft carrier should be 105,000 tons! I hope your government will support my opinion."

Mr. Morrow nodded seriously and said, "Mr. Gao, I will convey your opinion to President Coolidge, but I cannot give you an answer about whether the Congress will approve it now."

Gao Yang nodded slightly and said, "Please convey my regards to President Coolidge. I will ask my friends to help with the Congress."

On the way back to the military police headquarters, Gao Yang said calmly, "President Coolidge believes in developing the economy and non-interference. As long as it can make money, my plan won't face much resistance from him. The problem is the U.S. Congress! Now is the time for our American friends to help. Gao Feng, go and convey my message to our American friends." "Yes, sir."

Zeng Pinghai was an accountant at a French trading company in Shanghai that dealt in kerosene. To support his family, he rushed to work every morning, not paying much attention to his surroundings.

However, this morning, while on the tram, he saw newsboys on the street throwing flyers and shouting something.

He didn't hear clearly from the tram, but he vaguely heard something about the navy, pounds, and warships. However, he saw people on the street, after receiving the flyers, looking both disbelieving and ecstatic.

Many people were shouting loudly, and some even sat on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. "What happened?" Everyone on the tram, like Zeng Pinghai, was wondering.

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