World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

"Captain," spoke Chen Xiaohu, a twenty-two-year-old lieutenant who had recently been transferred to command the anti-aircraft guns, "if... I mean if, we really encounter hostile action, what are our operational principles?"

All eyes were once again focused on Lin Haisheng.

Lin Hai remained silent for three seconds, which seemed exceptionally long in the quiet conference room.

"If we encounter an unprovoked attack," he said, emphasizing each word, "I authorize you all to retaliate in self-defense before consulting me. But remember—our primary task is to complete our visit and return safely. Not to play the hero, not to fight or win, but to bring the ship back alive and bring our brothers home. Understand?"

"Understood!" the twenty-odd people answered in unison.

"Meeting adjourned. Department heads, please stay behind to discuss the specific deployment details."

The officers left one by one, leaving only the department heads. Lin Haisheng had the orderly close the door, and the atmosphere in the meeting room became even more tense.

"There are no outsiders here now," Lin Haisheng lowered his voice, "I can tell you some... more truthful information."

Everyone held their breath.

"According to the Navy's intelligence analysis, Japan is very likely planning a military operation against us." Lin Haisheng's words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake. "And our trip to Qingdao this time is both a test and a preparation. A test of the Japanese people's resolve, and a preparation for... a possible conflict."

Chief Engineer Liu Mingde clenched his fists: "So, Level 3 combat readiness is far from enough?"

"That's not enough." Lin Haisheng shook his head. "So I want you to do the following: not only must the main gun ammunition be loaded, but the first batch of propellant charges must also be prepared in the breech. The secondary gun shells must be piled up next to the gun position, not in the ammunition magazine. All watertight doors must be kept in a position that can be closed at any time, and the damage control team's equipment must be placed in the most easily accessible location."

He looked at Gunner Wang Zhenguo: "Gunner Wang, how are your gunners doing in the live-fire training?"

"The entire main gun crew achieved excellent average results." Wang Zhenguo puffed out his chest. "The best No. 3 turret, at a distance of 15,000 meters, had a dispersion of no more than 300 meters for a salvo of five rounds."

"Very good. Starting this afternoon, we will add nighttime firing training. It won't be real firing, it will be a simulation. We need to train until we can complete the loading, aiming, and firing process with our eyes closed."

"yes!"

"Marine Engineering Department," Lin Haisheng turned to Liu Mingde, "I want the Fuxing bullet train to reach its design limit speed at critical moments—not thirty-two knots, but thirty-three, or even thirty-four knots. Can you do that?"

Liu Mingde gritted his teeth: "Forced pressurization... is possible, but the wear and tear on the boiler and turbine will be enormous, and it can only be maintained for a maximum of two hours."

"Two hours is enough." Lin Haisheng nodded. "When it really comes down to running that fast, every minute is a matter of life and death."

The meeting lasted another hour, discussing every detail from ammunition allocation to medical supplies reserves, from fresh water supplies to the psychological state of the officers and soldiers. When Lin Haisheng announced the end of the meeting, it was already 12:30 pm.

Zhao Wenyuan was the last to leave, stopping at the doorway: "Captain, you said in the meeting, 'Bring the ship back alive,' but what about yourself... what are you planning to do?"

Lin Hai, who was tidying up documents, looked up at the words, revealing a tired but determined smile: "Director Zhao, I've served on this ship for four years. I know every rivet, every pipe. If the worst-case scenario really comes..."

He didn't finish speaking, but Zhao Wenyuan understood.

"We'll sail the ship back together," the political director said softly, then pushed open the door and left.

Lin Haisheng stood alone in the conference room, looking out the porthole at the dock. In the distance, several trucks were heading towards the Fuxing bullet train, carrying supplies from the logistics department. Further away, the port's cranes were hoisting wooden crates onto another ship.

Everything was in good order, and everything was being prepared for a possible storm.

Tokyo time, 9:00 AM on the same day.

On the third floor of the Navy Ministry building, the office of the Chief of Operations was filled with smoke. Admiral Yashiro Rokuro sat in the main seat, opposite Vice Admiral Kato Tomosaburo, Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, with seven or eight senior officers from the Operations Department, Intelligence Department, and Naval General Staff sitting on either side.

A huge nautical chart of the East China Sea was spread out in the center of the table, covered with arrows and symbols drawn with markers of various colors.

"...So, the intelligence has been basically confirmed."

The speaker was Rear Admiral Hideki Yamamoto, the intelligence chief, a lean middle-aged man, his finger pointing to a spot on the nautical chart: "The Lanfang Navy's battlecruiser Fuxing suddenly canceled its trip to Singapore yesterday and is heading to Qingdao instead. Their Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a formal notice, and it is expected to depart from Pontianak in three days."

"Three days later..." Kato Tomosaburo leaned over and carefully examined the nautical chart, his finger tracing a path from Pontianak to Qingdao and back again. "The voyage will take about six to seven days. That means, in ten days, the Fuxing will be sailing alone in the East China Sea."

He emphasized the word "alone".

"Kato-kun, what do you think?" Yashiro Rokuro took off his glasses and wiped the lenses with a velvet cloth, a habitual action he took when thinking.

Kato Tomosaburo straightened up, placing his hands on the edge of the table: "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Your Excellency. The Fuxing is one of the two Hood-class battlecruisers of the Lanfang Navy, displacing 38,000 tons and armed with eight 381mm main guns. If we can sink it, the strength of the Lanfang Navy will be directly reduced by one-third."

"But it's a tough nut to crack." Colonel Shigetaro Shimada, head of the Operations Section of the Naval General Staff, cautiously reminded us, "The Hood-class armor is quite excellent. Our 356mm guns may not be able to effectively penetrate its main armor belt at normal engagement range."

"So we can't fight head-on." Kato Yusaburo had clearly been thinking for a long time. "What we need is surprise, numerical superiority, to deliver a fatal blow before they can react."

He picked up a red pencil and drew a circle on the nautical chart.

"Here, in the central East China Sea, around 125 degrees east longitude and 28 degrees north latitude. The water depth is suitable, it's far from major shipping routes, and sea fog is frequent. If we were to set up an ambush here..."

"Will the Fuxing bullet train go this way?" Yashiro Rokuro asked.

"Highly likely," Intelligence Chief Yamamoto replied. "The shortest route from Pontianak to Qingdao is through the Taiwan Strait and then north along the Chinese coastline. But the Taiwan Strait is too narrow and easily exposed, and the British have patrol ships there. So a more likely route is slightly east, heading north from the waters east of Taiwan, and then turning northwest into the East China Sea. Our ambush position is right on its route."

The meeting room fell silent, with only the hum of the electric fan breaking the silence.

"Then," Yashiro Rokuro put his glasses back on, "how many troops do you need?"