World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

Tokyo time, 8:00 AM on the same day.

In the operations room of the Combined Fleet Headquarters at Yokosuka Naval Base, the atmosphere was so heavy it was almost palpable. Huge nautical charts of the East China Sea hung on the walls, and the table was covered with various documents, telegrams, and photographs.

Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, Tomosaburo Kato, stood before the nautical chart, holding the latest intelligence report. Behind him stood Chief of Staff Shigetaro Shimada, Operations Section Chief Kameto Kuroshima (Yamamoto Isoroku's former aide, who had taken up his post ahead of schedule), Intelligence Chief Konji Ogawa, and other key staff members.

"Is it confirmed?" Kato asked without turning around, his voice low.

"Confirmed, sir." Ogawa Kansei stepped forward, holding a folder in his hand. "The battlecruiser Lanfang Fuxing departed Pontianak Port at 6:00 AM this morning. According to intercepted radio signals, their open route is through the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, and the East China Sea, finally arriving in Qingdao. The entire journey is expected to take six to seven days."

Kato's finger moved across the nautical chart, from Pontianak to Qingdao, then stopped at a certain point in the East China Sea: "This, is this the designated location?"

"Yes, sir," Operations Chief Kameto Kuroshima replied. "According to the weather forecast, dense fog will appear in this area in three days, with visibility possibly dropping below five nautical miles. This is an excellent ambush condition."

"What about troop deployment?"

"As per your instructions, we plan to deploy the First and Second Fleets." Kuroshima began to report in detail, "The First Fleet consists of the flagship 'Kongo' and the 'Hiei' under my command, two Kongo-class battleships; the Second Fleet includes the 'Haruna' and 'Kirishima,' also Kongo-class. In addition, four Chikuma-class cruisers and eight Fubuki-class destroyers will be attached to it, responsible for reconnaissance, escort, and finishing blows."

Kato nodded slowly: "Four Kongo-class ships against one Fuxing... the firepower is overwhelming. But we must remember that Lanfang is equipped with 381mm main guns, which are more powerful than our 356mm guns. If they fire first and hit vitals, we will also suffer heavy losses."

"Therefore, surprise is crucial," Chief of Staff Shigetaro Shimada continued. "Our plan is to approach within 10,000 meters in the fog, and then have all four ships fire simultaneously. According to simulations, at this distance, our 356mm armor-piercing shells can penetrate the main armor belt of the Fuxing. And the first salvo from the four Kongo-class ships will deliver more than 20 tons of steel and explosives."

"Ten thousand meters..." Kato repeated the number, "In fog, the effectiveness of optical rangefinders will be greatly reduced. What about fire control?"

"We have installed new baseline rangefinders on the Kongo-class ships, which can achieve 90% accuracy even in poor visibility conditions," Kuroshima replied. "Furthermore, the four ships can correct each other's firing parameters. As long as one ship hits, the others can quickly correct their positions."

A few seconds of silence fell over the operations room. The huge clock on the wall ticked away, its second hand moving with exceptional clarity in the stillness.

"Do the officers and soldiers know the nature of this mission?" Kato suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question.

Ogawa Kunihiro hesitated for a moment: "According to the secrecy regulations, only officers of the rank of captain and above know the complete plan. But most of the officers and soldiers have guessed it... After all, an emergency deployment of this scale cannot be an ordinary training exercise."

How is morale?

"Very good, sir." This time it was Chief of Staff Shimada who answered. "The officers and men all believe that this is an opportunity for the Imperial Navy to prove itself. It has been almost ten years since the end of the Russo-Japanese War. Many people are eager for a real victory to prove that the Imperial Navy is still the most powerful force in Asia."

Kato turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. These officers, ranging from their twenties to their fifties, with ranks from lieutenant colonel to lieutenant general, all had the same burning flame in their eyes—a flame that yearned for battle and victory.

"You all know what this means." His voice was soft, but every word struck like a hammer blow to everyone's hearts. "This is not an exercise, not training; this is real war. Once the fighting starts, there will be no turning back. Lanfang will retaliate, the international community will condemn it, and even Britain and the United States may intervene."

He paused, then continued, "But as you've said, this is an opportunity the Imperial Navy has been waiting for for ten years. Europeans are fighting amongst themselves, the British have no time to look eastward, and the Americans are only interested in doing business. If we can destroy the Lanfang Navy in one fell swoop, the entire South Pacific will become the Empire's backyard. Rubber, tin, oil... these resources we've been dreaming of will all be within our grasp."

The officers' breathing became heavy.

"But," Kato changed the subject, "what if we fail? What if the Fuxing escapes, or worse—what if we are defeated instead?"

This question silenced everyone.

"Forty years of accumulation by the Imperial Navy will be destroyed in an instant." Kato answered the question himself. "We will lose control of the sea, lose our colonies, and may even lose the security of our homeland. At that time, we will be the sinners of our nation."

He walked to the window and looked out at the steel behemoths moored in the harbor. The Kongo's massive turrets gleamed coldly in the sunlight, and sailors were busy on deck, making final preparations for departure.

"So I demand of you," Kato said without turning around, his voice echoing throughout the operations room, "that you consider every single detail. From ammunition allocation to communications, from weather changes to mechanical malfunctions, from best-case scenario to worst-case scenario. I don't want 'possible victory,' I want 'inevitable victory.'"

"Yes, sir!" all the officers answered, standing at attention.

"Departure time?"

"At four o'clock tomorrow morning, all ships will depart in sequence," Kuroshima reported. "After departure, they will assemble in the open sea and then proceed to the designated area in a patrol formation. They are expected to reach the ambush position in three days and wait for the Fuxing to enter the trap."

Kato glanced at the calendar on the wall—today was July 30th. Three days later, it would be August 2nd.

"August 2nd..." he murmured, "Twenty years ago on this day, the Imperial Navy fired the first shot of the First Sino-Japanese War in the waters off Fengdao Island. Twenty years later, will history repeat itself?"

No one answered. But everyone had their own answer in their hearts.

"Go," Kato waved his hand, "to make the final preparations. I want to see the Combined Fleet's flag raised in the East China Sea before sunrise tomorrow."

The officers left one by one. In the end, only Kato and Chief of Staff Shimada remained.

"Sir," Shimada hesitated for a moment, "there's something... I think I should remind you of."

"explain."

"All our plans are based on one premise—that the Fuxing will sail along the predetermined route without any other Lanfang warships accompanying it." Shimada walked to the nautical chart and drew a circle on the Fuxing's course with his finger. "But what if it's a trap? What if the Lanfang have already guessed our intentions and deliberately used the Fuxing as bait, then ambushed other capital ships around it..."

Kato remained silent for a long time, so long that Shimada thought he wouldn't answer.

"Shimada-kun, how many capital ships do you think Lanfang has?" he finally asked.