World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

Chen Feng nodded, then turned to Zhou Tieshan: "What recent moves has the Japanese cabinet made?"

"Prime Minister Shigenobu Okuma suddenly convened a closed-door meeting yesterday with the Ministers of the Army and Navy, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Minister of Finance, which lasted for four hours. The content of the meeting is unknown, but after it ended, both the Ministry of the Army and the Ministry of the Navy entered a state of 'special duty'."

"Special duty status..." Chen Feng murmured, then suddenly turned to Li Te, "Where is our Hood-class battlecruiser, Fuxing, now?"

Li Te paused for a moment, then replied, "Routine maintenance is underway at Pontianak Port, expected to be completed in three days. Afterwards, as planned, it will proceed to Singapore for a friendly visit..."

"Cancel the Singapore trip," Chen Feng interrupted him. "Change it to a visit to Qingdao."

"Qingdao?" Li Te thought he had misheard. "That's Germany's base in the Far East. If we visit it now, will it...?"

"We must make a big show of it." Chen Feng walked back to his desk, pulled out a blank telegram sheet, and began to personally draft the order. "Not only do we have to go, but we have to go in a grand manner. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should issue a formal announcement, and the Press Office should arrange for a reporter to accompany the ship to provide full coverage of this visit to 'demonstrate the strength of the Lanfang Navy and promote peace in the Far East'."

Wang Wenwu, Zhou Tieshan, and Li Te looked at each other, none of them understanding why the Grand Commander would send a capital ship to Qingdao—a place that might soon become a battlefield—at this sensitive moment.

After writing the order, Chen Feng stamped it with his seal and handed it to Li Te: "Immediately convey this to Captain Lin Hai of the Fuxing. Tell him that this mission has only one requirement: let everyone know that the Fuxing has gone to Qingdao and will return alone."

"Return alone?" Li Te took the order, his hands trembling slightly. "President, this is too dangerous! If the Japanese are really planning something, the Fuxing could very well become their primary target!"

"I know." Chen Feng's voice was eerily calm. "Therefore, I need four Bismarck-class destroyers to follow the Fuxing within 50 nautical miles of it. Maintain radio silence and keep it beyond visual range, but be able to reach the battlefield within two hours of receiving the signal."

Li Te's eyes widened: "You mean... use the Fuxing bullet train as bait?"

"It's not entirely bait," Chen Feng corrected. "It's a litmus test. If the Japanese navy is truly determined to attack us, as we suspect, then a lone Lanfang flagship is an irresistible temptation for them. They will make a move, and once they do..."

He pointed heavily on the map with his finger: "We will then know that war is inevitable. At the same time, we will also have the opportunity to strike the Japanese fleet with superior forces on the pre-determined battlefield."

The room was silent. Outside the window, in the port of Dubai, a cargo ship sounded its horn, the sound long and deep.

Wang Wenwu was the first to break the silence: "Commander-in-Chief, this...this is a gamble. If we misjudge, the Fuxing bullet train may face unnecessary danger; if we are right, then we are actively provoking a war."

"We didn't start this war." Chen Feng turned around, his gaze sweeping over his three most important subordinates. "When the Japanese cabinet decided to regard Lanfang as an obstacle that had to be eliminated, the war was already inevitable. What we need to do now is not to run away, but to choose the time, place, and method that are most advantageous to us to meet this war."

He walked to the window, his back to them: "The flames of war have been ignited in Europe, and Britain, France, Germany, and Russia will soon be locked in a fierce battle. Japan sees this opportunity and wants to seize hegemony in Asia. As for us..." He paused, "we must make them understand that times have changed. The future of Asia will no longer be decided by the European powers thousands of nautical miles away, or by a self-righteous empire on an island."

Lee Te took a deep breath and straightened his back: "I understand, President. I'll make the arrangements right away."

"Wait," Chen Feng called out to him. "Tell Lin Haisheng that his mission is not to sacrifice himself, but to lure the enemy into a trap while he's alive. You will personally choose the commanders of the four Bismarck-class ships. In this battle, victory is not an option."

"yes!"

Li Te saluted, turned, and strode away. The sound of his military boots striking the ground faded into the distance in the corridor.

Zhou Tieshan was about to take his leave to continue monitoring intelligence, but Chen Feng stopped him again.

"Tell that informant in Tokyo that the intelligence has been received, and that he should cease all activities and go into deep hiding. His safety is the top priority should war break out."

Zhou Tieshan nodded, his eyes welling up with tears: "Yes, I will pass it on."

Only Chen Feng and Wang Wenwu remained in the office.

Wang Wenwu looked at Chen Feng, the commander who was more than ten years younger than him. At this moment, his figure standing in front of the window appeared somewhat thin, but his spine was straight.

"Commander-in-Chief," he said softly, "you should go and get some rest. You haven't slept a wink since this morning."

Chen Feng shook his head: "Not yet. There's still a lot to do."

He walked back to his desk and took out a folder labeled "Top Secret" from the bottom drawer. Inside was a detailed industrial mobilization plan marked "State of Emergency."

"Minister Wang," his voice was weary but still firm, "starting tomorrow, initiate economic mobilization under 'Type B' alert status. All non-essential civilian projects will be suspended, and resources will be prioritized for military supplies. Oil production must be increased by thirty percent, steel mills will be switched to three shifts, and the production capacity of arsenals... must be doubled."

Wang Wenwu took the folder, his hands trembling slightly. He knew what this meant—the three-year period of peaceful construction might be coming to an end.

"Furthermore," Chen Feng added, "we need to contact the Borneo side and order the 5th and 6th Arab Divisions to enter first-level combat readiness. If a naval battle breaks out, the Japanese will likely attempt a landing."

"Yes." Wang Wenwu noted down all the instructions, but remained standing still.

"Is there anything else?" Chen Feng looked up.

"Commander-in-Chief," Wang Wenwu hesitated for a moment before asking, "Do you really think we can win? Against an empire that has been preparing for forty years, possesses a navy of 600,000 tons, and a population of over 50 million?"

Chen Feng did not answer immediately. He stood up, walked to the window again, and gazed at the night sky.

In the east, the morning star has risen, shimmering with a cool light against the deep blue sky.

"Minister Wang, do you know how many people there were when we left Borneo?" He didn't turn around.

"Three hundred thousand."

"And now?"

"Lanfang's native population is 1.52 million, and the newly recovered areas in Borneo have a population of about 2.8 million. This does not even include the Arab population."

"Four hundred to fifty million." Chen Feng turned around, a slight smile on his face. "On paper, we have no chance of winning. But..."

He walked back to his desk and took a fountain pen from the pen holder—it was a gift from Uncle Wang, with the words "Unyielding" engraved on the pen.

"But we have over four million people who don't want to lose their homes again. We have four world-class battleships. We have a complete industrial system. We also have..." He paused, his gaze becoming profound, "a clear understanding of the course of history."

The pen twirled in his hand, its nib gleaming coldly under the light.

"Japan thought it had seized a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but they made a fatal mistake—they used the mindset of the old world to evaluate a new world nation. They thought that figures such as naval tonnage, population size, and industrial output could determine the outcome of the war."

Chen Feng put the pen back into the pen holder with a soft click.

"They will soon learn that what determines victory or defeat is never numbers." His voice was soft, but every word struck the listener's heart like a hammer blow. "It is determination, it is will, it is the courage to still believe in the future even in dire straits."