Comrade, your ingredients are too complicated.

With its unstoppable bow cleaving through the waves, the entire North Sea Fleet launched its attack.

Inside the bridge of the flagship cruiser Huanghe, fleet commander Li Yujie stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed intently on the four brand-new French-style destroyers.

The morning light flowed across their long, slender hulls, reflecting the light gray-blue paint with a sharp, cold gleam like a tempered weapon, as if to cleave the entire sea in two.

"So beautiful. I definitely still prefer Atlantic-style ships."

"Alas, the Yellow River is good, but it is still no match for the powerful heavy cruisers and battleships. I wonder when I will be able to command a real behemoth."

Looking at the warships in the distance, Li Yujie muttered to himself unconsciously, but quickly forced a smile.

As the fleet commander, he should have maintained his dignity, but at this moment he couldn't suppress the surging anticipation in his heart.

There's no other reason than that no one can resist the allure of new equipment, especially since those destroyers included the first surface warships built by their own shipyard.

Seemingly understanding his comrade's thoughts, or perhaps touched by a scene from his memory, the legendary Captain Philip's lips curled into a knowing smile, and he spoke with a touch of pride:
"Li, it seems you really like the design of the Eagle-class and Vauquelin-class warships. Not bad, not bad, you have good taste. When it comes to the aesthetic design of warships, the French Navy is absolutely unmatched."

"I'm not just bragging, but the upcoming Fantasy-class and Mogador-class will only suit your taste even better."

"Oh, right, you've always wanted to work on a large warship. Once the Dunkirk returns, I'll definitely assist you and help you complete the handover as soon as possible."

Unlike the industrial aesthetics of Germany, the functionalist and violent aesthetics of the British, and the classical aesthetics of the United Kingdom, the French warships of World War II were truly unique in their design.

They believed that appearance equals combat power, and they combined practical combat needs with design aesthetics as much as possible, building batches of warships that were both elegant and high-performing.

Of course, being too particular also has its drawbacks.

Take the Dunkerque battleship mentioned by the legendary captain, for example. 35% of her displacement was used for non-combat loads, which is completely inconsistent with the pragmatic style of the Chinese military.

Thinking of this, Li Yujie first nodded with a smile, then quickly changed his tone and teased:

"The Dunkirk is indeed a good ship, and it still has a lot of room for upgrades. Once it arrives in Shandong Province, the Qingdao Shipyard will definitely demolish the wine cellar and cigar humidor and use the freed-up space for modern renovations."

"It's a real shame. I actually quite liked her silver teak deck and the ship's whole-ship fragrance system."

"Alas, I am not fortunate enough to enjoy it."

The teasing from his allies made the legendary Captain Philip blush, and veins bulged on his forehead. Whenever the topic of refitting came up, he couldn't help but mention the four brand-new destroyers.

The Kulun, Donggang, Haikou, and Kaifeng were indeed new ships built based on the French Eagle and Vauquelin classes.

However, TG Shipbuilding did not follow the script. Instead, it drastically removed all decorative areas, focusing on combat effectiveness above all else.

The wine cellar? It's been converted into an extra ammunition depot.

The cigar humidor has been replaced by a radar operator's operations room.

The beautiful but difficult-to-maintain silver teak decking has been completely replaced with sturdy and durable non-slip steel plates.

As premium products of the Awakening Tiger System, every inch of space in these four new ships has been used to enhance combat power, achieving a true 1+1>2 effect.

Such a radical yet scientifically sound modification left the French advisory group in disbelief. They were all heartbroken, lamenting that they had followed in the footsteps of the British.

It's truly a case of the younger generation surpassing the older generation; who is the true successor?
Thinking of this, the legendary Captain Philip felt a little guilty. However, for the sake of his pride, he still stubbornly argued, "The Navy, can the Navy's affairs be considered enjoyment?"

Then came a string of incomprehensible phrases, such as "comfortable sailors are efficient sailors" and "elegance is the foundation of morale."

This caused everyone to burst into laughter, and the air inside and outside the bridge was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

As the laughter subsided, Li Yujie patted Philippe's shoulder hard, so hard that the Frenchman staggered. His laughter died down, and his voice suddenly turned serious:
“Old Fei, the upcoming landing operation is very important for our Eighth Route Army. You can even see it as a real-world rehearsal before the counterattack on the Japanese mainland.”

"Although I am the commander of the entire fleet in this operation, you have 24 more years of experience in fleet command than me. So if you find any problems, you must point them out in time, don't hold back for me."

"Success or failure is crucial to the overall situation. This tactical battle must be fought with great force and skill! This is for the CCP, and also for Free France!"

Upon hearing this, the legendary captain, who had been laughing and joking, immediately stopped smiling.

At this critical juncture when Free France was on the verge of a complete break with Britain, it had only one option left if it wanted to launch a counterattack on Europe: to launch a massive amphibious assault from North Africa.

Upon realizing this, Philip nodded solemnly, then replied earnestly:

"The Tangshan landing will also be a test of whether the Free French Navy can return to the European continent. I will definitely cooperate fully with your command."

"However, since we're all on the same side, you don't need to be too modest. To be frank, in terms of the use of modern equipment, your North Sea Fleet has already taken the lead over us."

"After all, in our time, there were no such advanced large landing ships."

At this point, the legendary captain moved to the bridge of the Yellow River. Looking at the brand-new ship at the very center of the formation, he sighed and praised it with deep emotion:
"I don't understand, has your Eighth Route Army always been so unconventional?"

"From borrowing fishing boats to Liugong Island to independently developing and building large warships, you actually only took a little over two hundred days. In a mere two hundred days, you have completed a journey that took established naval powers decades to complete."

"I can say without reservation that every steel plate riveted together at Qingdao Shipyard is rewriting the rules of the game for the Navy."

Upon hearing this, Li Yujie paused for a moment, but quickly regained his smile. He looked northwest and said in a similarly emotional tone:

"Yes, I also find it incredible. As our comrades say, this is what they call, you never know what kind of surprise Director Huang will pull out next that will rewrite the rules of the battlefield."

"In short, this is a good thing, because this power will ultimately benefit all comrades in the anti-fascist camp."

"Well said!" Philip slammed his fist on the iron railing, sending shards of ice flying off the cables. "Then let the German and Japanese devils see what a truly passionate and powerful combination of allies looks like!"

"Haha, great!"
Meanwhile, at the foot of Yinshan Mountain, at the Weapons Testing and Research Bureau.

In the director's office, Huang He, who had just started a new day of work, suddenly sneezed. The spittle flew through the air like shotgun pellets, landing squarely on the open classified documents.

Seeing this, the Fifth Division, sitting across from the desk, frowned and leaned back subtly, as if dodging a miniature biological attack.

He paused for two seconds, then finally pulled out half a crumpled roll of toilet paper from the drawer, held it between two fingers, and handed it over from a distance, his eyes filled with disgust and helplessness.

"Senior, you're not a kid anymore, why are you still acting like one? In the dead of winter, you always kick the blankets off and make a mess of them. If you don't catch a cold, who will?"

Upon hearing this, Huang He, who knew he was a restless sleeper, immediately became anxious. To uphold the dignity of his senior and the bureau chief, he forced himself to say:
"What do you know? Who's sick?"

"As the saying goes, 'If you think about something, you'll curse it, and then you'll catch a cold.' I just sneezed, which means someone is definitely thinking about me."

"I'm guessing it's the brigade commander. After all, the Shuangchen Corps captured two important towns, Shimen and Baoding. I heard that the 240mm self-propelled howitzer and heavy rockets made great contributions in urban warfare. It's probably the brigade commander praising our Weapons Experiment and Research Bureau."

Seeing his senior's stubborn and unyielding attitude, Wu Shi couldn't help but sigh and rub his forehead.

But since he was enjoying a rare moment of leisure, he decided to brew some tea while jokingly adding:
"Yes, yes, you are wise and powerful," the Fifth Division deliberately dragged out his tone, and gently pushed the hot tea over with his finger, "You can even see the psychological activities of the soldiers on the front line with a sneeze."

"But then again, why does it have to be the army? Why can't it be the navy? After all, our bureau has provided a lot of new equipment and technologies for the amphibious operation this time."

"In a sense, the Tangshan landing that followed will likely become a typical case study for the entire Allied powers to learn from and study."

Upon hearing this, Huang He nodded thoughtfully.

At this point in time, the Allied forces' amphibious operations record is dismal, with almost every battle fought ugly.

In the Battle of Norway, the combined British, French, and Polish forces suffered a crushing defeat.

The Dieppe raid resulted in 60% casualties and prisoners among Commonwealth forces, leaving the Canadians with a huge financial loss.

Even the Torch Operation, which should have been a great success, was hastily ended due to the strong presence of the CCP, almost becoming a farce that started strong but ended weakly.

If the North Sea Fleet can successfully stage a perfect landing operation, its tactical details will inevitably become a case study for Allied commanders to learn from and discuss.

"Yes, that makes sense. Maybe it really is the navy comrades discussing our masterpiece."

"By the way, the technical idea you proposed last time was quite interesting. It's certainly possible to implement with the technology our bureau currently has. Have you finished preparing the proposal yet?"

"If you need any help, I can lend a hand."

When serious matters were mentioned, the fifth-grade student's eyes lit up immediately. If his project could be implemented, it would surely leave a milestone mark on the history of world military and technological development.

How could a 32-year-old not be tempted by such an opportunity?
But this enthusiasm came and went quickly; almost within seconds, the Fifth Division visibly collapsed.

The reason is simple: the cruisers currently in the North Sea Fleet are all old ships from the 1920s, and they are all light cruisers with almost no room for modification.

What's the point of writing a plan if we don't even have a ship?

"Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice, so let's just forget about it. Without a decent-sized ship, even the most perfect plan is just empty talk."

"Instead of pressuring me, you should think of a way to get a French battleship. If that doesn't work, a relatively new heavy cruiser will also do."

As the project reviewer, Huang He was well aware of why his junior was so fixated on battleships, and specifically French battleships.

It's simply because large ships with all main guns mounted forward have ample room for modification at the stern. That spacious stern is practically tailor-made for refitting.

Thinking of this, he pretended to be deep in thought while opening the Awakening Tiger.

Upon entering the system's national policy tree interface, the results of the previous stage will be displayed.

Ordering destroyers:

Since their inception in the 1890s, destroyers have been the tactical spearhead of major naval powers. They perfectly combine multi-purpose deployment capabilities, strike capabilities, and maneuverability, making them an indispensable presence for any ocean-going fleet.

As a first step in rebuilding the navy, we first need to build a fleet of destroyers.

Unlock time: 60 days.

Effect 1: Immediately acquire two Eagle-class or Farragut-class destroyers.

Effect 2: The system's research slots can be used to research and develop French and American destroyers of grades VII-X, and a complete production line corresponding to them can be provided in reality.

Effect 3: Unlocks the Raider Ship Manufacturer - Dagu Shipyard.

Note: France's VII-X classes are the Vauquelin, Fantasque, Mogador, and Kleber classes, respectively. The United States' VII-X classes are the Mahan, Benson, Fletcher, and Keeling classes, respectively.

Interestingly, in the original 7+ coloring game, naval research projects were divided into four stages: early hull, 36-year hull, 40-year hull, and 44-year hull.

However, after several updates, Huanghe's Awakening Tiger inexplicably formed a powerful alliance with a certain white-haired man's magical world, which ultimately allowed naval research options to be presented in the form of a technology tree.

In a sense, this can be considered a high-energy combination between Paradox Interactive and Game Freak.

Seemingly sensing the Yellow River's strong appeal, the fog that had shrouded the cruiser's technology quickly dissipated.

Looking at the familiar names, he smiled and said to his junior:
"Let's leave battleships for now. We don't have the time or the need to waste resources building them. If conditions allow, I'd rather build more aircraft carriers."

"However, cruisers are something I could consider. Junior, how about a French grand cruiser?" (End of Chapter)