After seeing the questions raised by Wesley, the time travelers admired them very much. The Germans' rigorous work style is indeed well-deserved, and the questions raised are quite pertinent, obviously they have done enough homework.

Of course, at this point, time travelers do not need to retain any reservations. Although the contract stipulates that materials and equipment that can be purchased in China should be purchased as much as possible, time travelers also know that this is actually just a good example, because the material and equipment that can be purchased in China is estimated to be only 20% at most, while the East China government can provide it, which may not even have 10%.

The main material of a warship is of course steel. Although Qingdao Iron and Steel Plant has been put into production now and has produced several furnaces of steel, its quality cannot be put on the table, and even the steel produced by Hanyang Iron Plant is not as good as that of course. This is of course normal. After all, Qingdao Iron and Steel Plant has only been built for less than half a year, and the equipment may not be bad, but excellent technical workers and smelting experience still need time to accumulate. After all, the smelting technology of this era still accounts for a large part. An experienced worker can judge the quality of steel through the subtle color differences of tobacco and molten iron, as well as the measures that should be taken during the smelting process.

Hanyang Iron Factory has been established for 7 or 8 years, and the accumulated experience and technical workers are not comparable to Qingdao Iron and Steel Plant. Therefore, the steel produced by Qingdao Iron and Steel Plant can only be used for private daily necessities manufacturing or light industrial products, and can be used for steel bars in the construction industry. After all, the multi-story buildings built in Qingdao now only have 4 or 5 floors, and they don’t even need a frame structure, and it’s still a brick-concrete structure. It’s okay to have a bad quality steel bar. Although several buildings with more than eight floors have been built in the administrative district, the main bars are high-quality steel bars brought by traveling through time, and the railway rails used by the East China government and the steel used for manufacturing weapons are all purchased from Hanyang Iron Plant, let alone steel for shipbuilding.

Of course, even what Hanyang Iron Factory can provide is only a minor part of the steel of the warship. The main steel of the warship, such as keel steel, outer structural steel plate, sealed cabin steel plate, surface hardened armored steel plate, etc., can only be purchased from Germany, which accounts for more than 80% of the entire warship. The East China government can only provide very few materials such as deck wood, windows, and vents.

In terms of equipment, main equipment such as steam engines, boilers, generators, main gun turrets, and under-deck shell filling equipment should be purchased from Germany. In terms of ship-based weapons, the main gun is 155mm caliber. Qingdao Arsenal theoretically can manufacture guns of this caliber, at least the equipment capabilities are sufficient. However, the construction of guns is not just about equipment, but also about the experience and skills of workers. Now, Qingdao Arsenal has not even completely neatly even the 125mm caliber cannon, let alone 155mm caliber cannon.

However, carrier-based artillery is divided into three levels. In addition to the main gun, there are also 100mm caliber secondary guns, and they are in the form of contoured gun encirclement. There is no turret, but there are still shell filling equipment. After all, a 100mm shell weighs between 30-40 kilograms, so it is impossible to simply be filled by manual, and it also needs to be filled from under the deck. There are also 50mm caliber rapid-fire guns, which are in the form of guard plates, which can be filled by pure manual or magazines.

These two types of naval guns can be made by the Qingdao Arsenal. Of course, the steel used needs to be purchased from the outside. Therefore, the final decision was to purchase 6 dual-mounted 155mm caliber main guns, together with the turret and under-deck filling equipment, from Germany, while other guns are made by themselves. Of course, the under-deck filling equipment of the 100mm caliber cannon is also purchased from Germany.

Wesley also believes that the procurement resolution of the time traveler's materials and equipment is very reasonable, which is also the most reliable arrangement. After all, this can ensure the final quality, and of course it is the most beneficial to Germany. Although most materials and equipment must be purchased from Germany, it will inevitably lead to an extended supply cycle, as long as the materials and equipment plan are formulated reasonably and sufficient time is reserved, it can still be handled well.

In terms of workers, the East China government has a clear understanding of its own affairs. There are more than 800 workers in the shipyard now, but there are less than 300 skilled workers in the shipbuilding industry, and there are about 300 trainee workers. The difference between the two is that the former has participated in the early warship repair work and has certain experience, while the latter has no experience at all. In addition, during this period, about 30 workers who have actually participated in the construction of warships or other ships were dug from the Jiangnan Machinery Bureau in Shanghai.

This is the current actual level of workers in the East China government, which is obviously incomparable to Germany. Therefore, time travelers recommend that all workers in Qingdao shipyards be considered according to the standards of trainee workers, and then assess them during the construction process to determine the actual level of workers. At the same time, Germany is also asked to be more patient and do its best to teach workers in the East China government.

In fact, Germany is not at a high level of workers in the East China government and is also mentally prepared. The time traveler can speak up like this frankly, which also makes Wesley feel very satisfied, because it is easier to deal with pragmatic people. It also promises to try its best to guide Chinese workers and help them improve their technical level.

In terms of project progress, whether it is the start of construction of two warships at the same time or the construction of one and the second one is obviously undesirable. The former is because the Qingdao Shipyard does not have enough manpower yet, because the Qingdao Shipyard now does not only build these two warships, but also needs to be built for civilian ships. In addition, the warships in service also need to undergo daily maintenance, etc. The problem with the latter is that the process is too slow and it is estimated that it will be delayed until 1904 before it can be completed. The East China government cannot afford to wait.

The crosser's suggestion is to adopt a delayed construction and rolling construction method, that is, after the first phase of the construction of the first warship, the construction of the second warship will begin, so that the construction time of the two warships will not be too long, and it has just gone through the construction stage of the first warship, which can provide sufficient construction experience for the construction of the second warship. In addition, the crosser also hopes that the two warships will adopt different construction methods, one is built on the platform and the other is built in the dock. In fact, the ship platform and dock are the same for warship construction, and the difference is only in the launching method. However, the crosser is in the stage of accumulating experience, and hopes that both methods will be tried.

Wesley believed that the suggestions and requirements for the time traveler were all feasible, and he also hoped to complete the work earlier and return home, so he agreed.

After the two sides negotiated the details of these construction, they took another three days to adjust and modify the construction progress plan, construction organization, personnel management, material procurement plan and other matters. The final decision was made to be 12 months for the construction period of these two warships, the construction of a single warship was 10 months, and the delay between the two warships was 2 months, ensuring completion within 1903. Construction was started first on the ship platform, then on the dock, etc.

After review, the time traveler also approved the plan, so that the preliminary preparations for the two warships built in Qingdao were all completed, and construction was scheduled to officially start on August 30, 1902.

Since this was the first warship built by the time traveler in this era, it was of great significance to the symbolism, the East China government also held a very grand opening ceremony. Xia Bohai, Qin Zheng, Xiao Jianjun and other leaders with military backgrounds attended the event. Navy Minister Shang Jinfeng, Fleet Commander Wang Hailong, Zhang Wei, *, and * and other major naval officials also participated. The military band played music on the spot, and hundreds of students were transferred from the Hope School to serve as guards of honor. The ship platform was covered with flags and ribbons, as if it was a festival.

Xiao Jianjun made a speech on behalf of the government, saying that building this warship was only a small step, but it was a big step for the East China government to establish a blue water navy, China's move towards the ocean, and its own powerful navy.

After the speech, the crane of the ship platform lifted a steel with red silk tied up, and under the command of Wesley, it was placed on the bracket that had been laid on the ship platform. This was the first keel. There were warm applause and firecrackers suddenly sounded. Xia Bohai, Qin Zheng and Xiao Jianjun came to the keel, untied the red silk, and signed their names on the red silk. Then they all stepped forward one after another, including Wesley and all the German workers, who also signed the red silk and took a photo together. The groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the ship was officially ended.

Taking advantage of the lack of everyone's withdrawal, Wesley said to Riddle: "It seems that you attach great importance to the construction of this warship." Because they are actually Germans, the two got along well during this period.

Riddle shook his head and said, "No, what we value is not this warship, but the meaning behind this warship."

Wesley is a simple engineer and doesn't know much about military and political affairs, so he said a little puzzled: "This is an ordinary cruiser. What's the special significance?"

Riddle laughed and said, "Think about it, when we build the most powerful fleet of this era, but this is the first warship we built ourselves, and you play an important role in this, not only signing the red silk cloth, but also taking photos, so it will be recorded in history forever. I believe that after you retire, you will regard this experience as the most proud thing in your life."

Wesley shook his head repeatedly and said, "My friend, I do not deny your ambition to build a powerful navy. Although I do not understand military affairs, I think the most powerful fleet of this era is the Royal Fleet. I do not think that in the foreseeable future, you can build a fleet that is stronger than the Royal Fleet, unless a miracle happens."
Chapter completed!