World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

2 PM, Dubai Harbour Pier 3.

Togo Heihachiro refused the sightseeing bus arranged by the guide and chose to walk. He was dressed casually—a dark brown suit and a Panama hat—looking like an ordinary traveler. Only his upright posture and sharp eyes betrayed his military identity.

Yoshimatsu Shigetaro and Lieutenant Ono followed three steps behind, like two silent shadows.

The port area was larger than Togo had imagined. Unlike the crowded, old-fashioned ports of London or Hamburg, the layout here was almost rigidly orderly: container areas, bulk cargo areas, oil areas, and passenger areas were clearly separated, and the asphalt roads were wide enough for four trucks to drive side by side. The cranes were all a uniform blue-gray, and the operator's cabs were completely enclosed, allowing the operator to be seen operating the handles through the glass.

"They're using an electric crane," Yoshimatsu Shigetaro said in a low voice in Japanese. "Look, there's no chimney for a steam boiler."

Dongxiang nodded. He noticed more details: all pipelines and cables ran underground or through elevated walkways, and there were no messy tripwires on the ground; workers wore uniform dark blue overalls, with different colored safety helmets—yellow for operators, red for supervisors, and white for technicians; even the street cleaners pushed well-designed tricycle garbage carts.

This is a city drawn with blueprints and rulers, with every detail calculated.

"Sir," Lieutenant Ono suddenly pointed into the distance, "isn't that the 'Recovery Ship'?"

Togo looked in the direction he pointed. Through the gap between the two warehouses, he could see a corner of the massive, dark gray hull. Even seeing only a tenth of it, he could feel its overwhelming presence—the hull lines were so clean they were almost cold, the angle of the armor plates was meticulously calculated, and the arrangement of the secondary turrets was something he had never seen before.

"Let's go around and take a look," Togo said.

They walked along the edge of the dock, past a row of cargo yards piled with timber. The closer they got, the more they could feel the scale of the "Kuangfu". When the entire ship finally came into complete view, even Togo couldn't help but stop.

He had read these figures countless times in reports: nearly 300 meters long and more than 40,000 tons of water displacement. But reading those lines on paper and seeing that steel wall standing before his eyes were completely different experiences.

The ship is undergoing routine maintenance. Several aerial work platforms are set up on the sides, and workers are cleaning the armor plates. The main gun barrels are covered with canvas, but their outlines indicate that the caliber is definitely over 350 mm, possibly even 380 mm.

"My God..." Yoshimatsu Shigetaro murmured, this time in English.

Togo didn't speak. He took off his straw hat, letting the sea breeze ruffle his gray hair. He stood there, watching for a full ten minutes. He looked at the lines of the bow cutting through the waves, at the layout of the funnels, at the complexity of the antenna arrays on the superstructure—it must be advanced fire control or communication equipment.

Then he saw someone.

A young officer, dressed in a dark blue combat uniform, descended the gangway, the stars on his epaulets gleaming in the sunlight. He was probably twenty-five or twenty-six years old, his steps light but steady, as he spoke to several sailors beside him. The sailors stood at attention, listened, then saluted and dispersed.

The young officer turned around and saw Togo and his entourage. He paused for a moment, then recognized Togo—not many photos of Togo Heihachiro circulated outside of Japan, but for senior naval officers from various countries, this face was one they had to remember.

The officer walked over. He stopped three steps in front of Dongxiang and gave a standard military salute.

"Admiral Togo Heihachiro. Lin Hai, captain of the Lanfang Navy's battlecruiser 'Fuxing'."

His Japanese had an accent, but his grammar was accurate. Togo returned a nod—a proper courtesy to non-military personnel.

"Captain Hayashi," Togo replied in Japanese, "'Fuxing'...is it a sister ship of 'Guangfu'?"

"A similar ship, but with slightly improved design." Lin Hai switched back to English; Japanese was clearly not his forte. "Are you touring the port?"

"Yes. I wanted to see this... impressive city before I left."

A brief silence fell between them. The sea breeze carried the salty, fishy smell and the acrid smell of distant welding.

"Captain Lin," Togo suddenly asked, "what is the hull roll angle of the 'Kuangfu' when it is turning at its minimum radius?"

The question was very technical and also quite sudden. Yamamoto and Ono both looked at Lin Hai, wanting to see how he would react.

Lin Hai smiled. It wasn't a mocking smile, but the kind of genuine smile one has when faced with an interesting question.

"Sir, this matter falls under the category of operational data," he said. "If you wish, you can formally write to the Lanfang Naval Ministry to apply. Of course, whether it will be approved depends on the opinion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

A flawless answer. It was neither impolite nor revealed any information.

Togo smiled too. This was the first real smile he had shown today, and the wrinkles around his eyes deepened.

"I understand. Now let's change the question—from the captain's professional perspective, what is the 'Revival' ship's greatest advantage? Firepower? Armor? Or speed?"

Lin Hai pondered for a few seconds. He looked at the "Guangfu" ship on the sea, his eyes filled with pride, but even more so with the solemnity brought by responsibility.

"None of those," he said. "The biggest advantage is 'balance.' Firepower, armor, speed, range, seaworthiness... none of them are the strongest, but each one is excellent and perfectly integrated. Like an army, the individual soldier may not be the best, but when the whole system is running, it can exert ten times the power."

This answer exceeded Togo's expectations. He thought he would hear specific parameters such as "381mm main gun" or "30 knots speed", but Lin Hai spoke of philosophy.

"System..." Togo repeated the word, "A very interesting point of view. In the Japanese Navy, we place more emphasis on 'spiritual strength'."

"Mental strength is very important," Lin Hai nodded. "But mental strength needs to be supported by steel. Our sailors know that the ship beneath their feet is one of the best warships in the world. This confidence itself is a form of combat power."

Another sea breeze blew by. In the distance, the sound of a ship's horn could be heard; a cargo ship was leaving the port.

"Captain Hayashi," Togo finally asked, "if—I mean if—the 'Kuangfu' encountered Japan's newest warship in international waters, what do you think the outcome would be?"

This question has crossed a line. Yamamoto looked nervously at Lin Hai, then at Togo, wondering why the Admiral had asked so directly.

Lin Hai glanced coldly at Dongxiang:

"It's already 1906. Technological progress isn't linear, it's leaps. From 'Pre-Dreadnought' to 'Dreadnought' was one leap. From 'Dreadnought' to 'Super Dreadnought' was another. And 'Kuangfu'... belongs to the next leap."

"So what's the answer?" Togo pressed.

"The answer is no answer," Lin Hai said. "Because a true naval commander would not allow his main warships to engage an enemy whose strength is unknown under unfavorable conditions. If it were me, I would maintain distance, use reconnaissance ships to find out the enemy's strength, and then decide whether to fight, retreat, or negotiate."